Three Square Meals Ch. 085

The two bikini-clad women were sitting on the edge of the bridge arching over the huge pool, their long bare legs dangling over the side. Tashana had a look of burning anticipation in her violet eyes as she held out her right hand, her pupils dilating as fire burst into life around her fingers.

Tilting her head to one side, she gazed at the orange zephyr as it danced down her fingers then writhed on her palm. Gazing at the fire as if entranced, she murmured, "It's so beautiful..."

Alyssa glanced at her and gave her a playful nudge with her elbow. "You'll have to try a bit harder than that to impress me!"

Tashana shook herself out of her daze, then smiled at the blonde. Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused her willpower, shaping and adding form to the flickering flame. When she opened her violet orbs once more, she smiled with satisfaction as the blaze divided into two, each ethereal flame looking more substantial by the second. The twin tongues of fire began to take on a very familiar shape, with slender limbs and the tell-tale curves of the female form. Soon two orange flame-sprites stood on her palm, both elemental girls slowly dancing to music that only they could hear.

"Mmm, much better," Alyssa replied, watching with approval.

Tashana glanced at her, her violet eyes glowing now. "I haven't finished yet..."

The two fiery girls turned to face each other, linking blazing arms around each other's burning bodies as they danced together. They undulated with a sensual rhythm, leaving Alyssa unclear if they were dancing or making love. It was even harder to make that distinction when the flame sprites moved in for a kiss, their elemental bodies burning brighter at the sizzling contact.

"They remind me of a couple of friends of mine," Alyssa said with a knowing smile. "My sexy twins are much hotter though."

Tashana didn't reply, but she briefly made eye contact before focusing on her elemental sculpture once again. She lifted her left hand, palm upwards, placing it against her right. A bigger flame manifested above that second hand, slowly changing shape into another familiar form. The fiery girls parted and sauntered over to the brawny male figure, both of them dancing with him now as he put an arm around each of them.

Alyssa was amazed by the definition of these fiery creatures, spotting pointed ears with flickering tips amongst the detail that Tashana had layered on. The flame-nymphs took turns kissing each other, looks of ecstasy on their tiny faces. Alyssa glanced across at the Maliri girl sitting beside her, and noticed the hint of a contented smile on Tashana's full lips.

Slipping an arm around her waist, Alyssa noted, "Your elemental control is extremely impressive. Have you been practicing?"

"A little, here and there," Tashana murmured, watching the cavorting palm sprites. "I find it soothing to watch the flames..."

Alyssa watched the fiery threesome in fascination as their coupling got progressively more debauched. The tableau ended with the two girls lying together, kissing passionately as their male counterpart took them both vigorously, one after the other. When they reached their climax, both female sprites had heavily-curved orange tummies as they flanked their man. The trio took a theatrical bow towards their audience before they guttered out with a faint "whumph".

Clapping in delight, Alyssa grinned at Tashana as the flames disappeared, the blazing violet glow fading from the Maliri girl's eyes. Tashana smiled back at her, pleased with her friend's obvious enjoyment of her spontaneous piece of psychic performance art.

"I don't know what was better, watching the fiery representations of you and Irillith fucking John, or knowing that's what you've been fantasising about," Alyssa said, a teasing sparkle to her eyes.

Tashana couldn't help blushing at that, but she saw there was no malice in her blonde friend's comment. She turned slightly towards her and said, "I know it should feel wrong, but it just feels so right..."

Leaning closer Alyssa whispered, "All the girls think it's really hot and I know John loves seeing you two together. As long as you're enjoying yourselves, that's all that matters." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied her blue-skinned companion. "How are you feeling after everything that happened at the nightclub?"

Tashana was surprised by the abrupt change of subject and she took a moment before answering, trying to give her Matriarch as honest an answer as possible. "Disappointed, if I'm being truthful," she finally admitted, glancing towards the blonde girl.

Alyssa's expression shadowed with guilt, the bright smile wiped from her beautiful face. "I'm really sorry I left you exposed to danger like that!" Looking anguished, she continued, "I should have-"

Quickly pulling the distraught teenager into her arms, a shocked Tashana shushed her into silence. "Please don't be upset! I promise I didn't mean it that way at all... I wasn't talking about you," she said, giving Alyssa a reassuring hug. When the blonde girl went quiet, she added, "I was disappointed in myself for not reacting in time. At the very least, I should have been able to create a Pyrokinetic barrier to protect myself and Irillith. Sakura managed it with an ice barrier, so I don't have any excuse. If I'd really been on the case, I might have even been able to suppress that explosion."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Alyssa replied, placing a gentle kiss on Tashana's cheek. "You're only just learning your abilities. Besides, Sakura's got many years of combat experience to rely on."

"I do as well," Tashana replied quietly. Her violet eyes looked conflicted as she continued, "Maybe I should ask John to remove that mental barrier in my mind? Then I'd be able to access all those memories of fighting in the Unclaimed Wastes. I can't have become that skilled with pistols without having fought in dozens of battles."

Alyssa studied the Maliri girl for a long moment, before finally reaching up to stroke Tashana's temple. "You don't want all that in your head," she said, her tone quiet and sympathetic. "Trust me, you should leave all that buried in the past. It might take longer to build up combat experience this way, but John can protect your mind and stop you from being traumatised. If you keep experiencing tiny snippets of memories like you have been, we can help you deal with them a bit at a time."

"Was it really as bad as all that?" Tashana asked, a troubled look in her eyes.

"You suffered more than all the rest of us put together," Alyssa replied, hugging Tashana close. She hesitated for a second, then added, "Except perhaps Jade, but she won't talk about what happened to her. In any case, her mind works differently to ours and she seems to have just brushed off all the torture she endured as a slave."

Tashana met Alyssa's wary gaze, her own expression solemn. "Part of me really wants to know what happened. It's odd getting sudden flashbacks and then realising they're memories from experiences I never knew I had."

"It must be unsettling," Alyssa agreed, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. She sighed before continuing, "All those terrible experiences really changed your personality though. You were filled with hate and rage, becoming very bitter; which is all perfectly understandable considering the awful things that happened to you. The lovely girl sitting with me now is the way you should have been if you hadn't been banished and I really don't want to lose that person. John's already very fond of you and I am too."

"So leave Pandora's box firmly closed?" Tashana asked, giving the blonde a tentative smile.

"I think that's probably for the best," Alyssa replied, her tone firm. Her eyes twinkled as she added, "Although playing with Tashana's box has been lots of fun."

The Maliri girl took a moment to understand the lewd innuendo and she blushed as she remembered what the Terran slang meant. With a tinkling laugh she exclaimed, "John's right! You really are incorrigible!"

"But it made you laugh and that's always wonderful to hear," Alyssa said, releasing the Maliri girl from her embrace. She turned towards the Lagoon and said, "Now, I didn't bring you down here to all this water just to see your sexy blue ass in a bikini! Let's get back to your training. You've shown me what excellent control you've got over your favourite element, but now I want to see something a lot... bigger."

Tashana gave her a beaming grin, that burning gleam in her eyes once again. She turned towards the artificial lake, both hands igniting with roaring flames.

***

Calara and Sakura circled each other on the training mats, each girl watching the other warily in case of attack. The Latina was the first to strike, darting forward to lash out with a quick one-two punch combo that forced Sakura on the defensive. She blocked both blows, then skipped backwards, pivoting at the last second to launch a kick at Calara's chest.

Catching Sakura's foot, Calara dropped and swept out the Asian girl's other leg, bringing her down to the mat with a crash. She didn't rush in to finish her, but walked over and knelt down beside her opponent instead.

"You're very distracted this afternoon," she said gently, looking down into Sakura's brown eyes.

Sakura had started to sit up but she paused and just flopped back on the mat instead, gazing up at the teak-wood ceiling of the Dojo. Calara waited patiently beside her, reaching down to clasp the Asian girl's hand in a supportive gesture.

"It doesn't feel like I thought it would," Sakura finally admitted, turning her head to gaze at Calara with a troubled look in her eyes.

"You got your revenge and executed Mikaboshi for his crimes, ruining his life's work in the process," Calara said, her voice soft and sympathetic. "Isn't that enough?"

Sakura let out a despondent sigh. "It should be... But so much of me was focused on hating him for everything he did, I just feel... hollow... now he's gone." She looked quizzically at Calara and added, "How do you feel now you've brought Rupert Grant to justice? From what I've heard, he put you through a terrible ordeal before John and Alyssa rescued you."

Calara looked away into the distance, gazing at the mist-shrouded mountains surrounding the Dojo as she tried to describe her own feelings. "Truthfully, I was so focused on my duties about the ship that I've not even thought about Grant in months. There's been one series of battles after another, then I got absorbed in rooting out the Dragon March traitors and recently I've been coordinating huge fleet engagements... it's all been so hectic. I suppose there's a sense of closure now we've hunted him down, but in the grand scheme of things, he just wasn't worth worrying about. The threat the Progenitor poses makes Rupert Grant seem like an irritating little bug."

"I wish I had that same sense of perspective," Sakura murmured with a mournful sigh.

Shaking her head, Calara said, "Everything you went through was orders of magnitude more horrific than my brief capture by pirates. You had every right to want Mikaboshi dead after what he did to you and your family." She looked thoughtful for a moment, then added, "I think you need to see something positive come out of finishing Mikaboshi. Perhaps then, you can just let it go and move on."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment until her expression lightened a little. "That's actually very astute advice, thank you."

"I can't take the credit, it came from Alyssa. She said John has something in mind that might help," Calara admitted, giving her friend a supportive smile. "For what it's worth, I wholeheartedly agree with her."

Sakura sat up, then gave Calara a grateful hug before rising to her feet. "Thank you, it was helpful to talk."

"Any time," Calara said, accepting Sakura's hand and standing too.

"I don't feel like fighting with you at the moment," Sakura said, gently squeezing the other girl's hand. "Shall we go and make dinner for everyone instead?"

The Latina gave her a warm smile, then said enthusiastically, "That sounds like a lovely idea! Have you got anything in mind?"

"I'd love some Okonomiyaki. Do you know how to make that?" Sakura asked, looking hopeful.

"No, but I can find out the recipe easily enough!" Calara replied, as they walked out of the Dojo hand-in-hand.

***

John walked out onto the Bridge, his eyes instantly drawn to Irillith's shapely form where she sat at her IntOps station. The Maliri girl was reclining in the plush chair, her eyes flicking across holographic screens that were cycling through data so quickly, he was barely able to read the first line before the data changed. Walking over to her, he squatted down beside the distracted girl, wondering if he'd be able to get her attention.

"John! This is a nice surprise," Irillith said, turning his way and giving him a brilliant smile.

"Likewise, beautiful," he replied, leaning in to give her a kiss. She let out a happy sigh and kissed him back, crossing her wrists behind his neck.

John savoured the long, loving kiss, then looked at her curiously when they finally parted. "I meant to ask you before: How come you're able to enter the Cyber-realm and still interact with us at the same time? I thought it was one or the other; is this something new?"

Irillith nodded, looking pleased with herself. "After a bit of trial and error, I realised I didn't need to throw my whole mind into the Astral plane and could concentrate on both simultaneously."

"Doesn't that get really confusing?" John asked, shaking his head in amazement. "I've no idea how you can manage that!" He glanced behind him to look at the screens and was surprised to see that they had now gone dark.

"You're very distracting... I lost focus," Irillith explained, looking at the deactivated holo-screens with a self-conscious smile. "I've grown more powerful recently, but concentrating on both the Cyber-realm and my actual surroundings is still taking a little getting used to."

John nodded thoughtfully. "It's good to hear you're getting stronger. Have you been deliberately pushing yourself to improve your abilities?"

She gave him a coy look, taking one of his hands in hers and guiding it to rest on her slender stomach. "Since Tashana joined the crew, I've also been enjoying some extra attention from a certain Progenitor friend of mine." Arching an eyebrow, she added, "If I didn't know better, I'd have to assume he's been taking a perverse delight in feeding me and my sister together."

John caressed her stomach with a broad grin on his face. "Guilty as charged!" He looked apprehensive a moment later as he added, "I hope you don't feel like I've been ignoring you as an individual though. I freely admit, I love the fact that you and Tashana are twins, but I don't want you to feel that's overshadowing my time with just you."

Irillith gave him a warm smile as she pulled him in for another tender kiss, then whispered in his ear, "Being with Tashana is very exciting for me too! Don't worry, I'll tell you if I feel like I'm being neglected."

Feeling greatly relieved, John eased back on his haunches, giving the Maliri girl an appreciative smile. "You're a very cool lady, did you know that?"

Her violet eyes glittered with amusement. "You're thinking of Sakura. I'm the electrifying one, remember?"

There was a glint in his eyes as he said, "I always felt like there was a spark between us."

"I'd be shocked if you said otherwise, I was drawn to you from the start," she replied, her sensuous mouth lifting into a grin.

"I couldn't be happier with the current state of our relationship," he agreed.

Irillith groaned at that one, then burst into laughter, John joining in with her.

When they'd settled down again, she smiled at him and asked, "What brings you up here anyway? I assume it wasn't to make bad puns."

"I wanted to ask for your help with tracking someone down, but I wasn't planning on being such a disruption. What are you working on at the moment?" he replied with interest, sliding his hand through the slit in the side of her dress and resting it on her toned thigh.

Her skin felt deliciously soft and he enjoyed the feel of her athletic physique as he caressed her. A few telltale signs gave away her favourable response to his touch: A slightly deeper intake of breath, the sudden flare of her pupils, and a slight flush to her cheeks. Irillith bit her lip for a moment as his hand inched higher and he could feel her shifting in her seat, the muscles rippling under his questing fingers.

Arching an eyebrow, he asked playfully, "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Irillith laughed and shook her head. "Jade's down in Engineering with Dana and Rachel." With his spell temporarily broken, she closed her beautiful angular eyes for a second, then reactivated the holo-screens in front of her. "I'm actually working through the list of Mikaboshi's victims and trying to find their next of kin."

"Ah," John replied, suddenly feeling awkward groping the beautiful woman while she was working on something delicate like that. He tactfully removed his hand and looked at her quizzically. "It sounds like it's not been an easy task?"

She watched his sudden discomfort with amusement, then glanced at the screen with a frown. "You're right, it's a little more complex than I initially assumed. A considerable number of Mikaboshi's killings went back so many years, it's been proving difficult to find any living direct descendants. In other cases, whole families were wiped out, and there were also a significant number of gang-related contracts, with criminals being the only potential recipient of reparations."

He gave her a sympathetic look. "I have full faith in your judgement, but I'm happy to help if you want my advice on anything."

"I'm assuming no handouts to career criminals?" Irillith asked him speculatively.

John's tone was grim as he replied, "Occupational hazard. They get nothing."

She glanced at the screen and scores of contacts were struck off her list. "I assumed as much, but just wanted to check. In the other cases, I'll search for surviving relatives with due diligence, but if I can't find anyone, then I'll just allocate that money between the pool of people I can track down."

"Sounds like you've got everything well in hand," John said, smiling his approval. "Not that I doubted that for a moment."

Irillith glowed under his praise, then rapidly scanned through the list containing hundreds of names. "I should be able to complete the list in a day or so," she said with satisfaction. Glancing at John again, she raised an eyebrow. "So, who was this person you wanted me to find?"

***

Most of the crew had already gathered in the Officers' Lounge by the time John arrived with Irillith on his arm, Dana the only one still missing. He escorted the Maliri girl to her seat beside Tashana, pulling the chair out for her to sit down. She smiled at him for his chivalry, then took her seat, turning to embrace her sister as she did so. John brushing his fingers across Tashana's bare shoulder, then walked over to take his seat.

"This looks amazing!" he exclaimed, looking at the wide array of Japanese cuisine. He glanced at Sakura as she left the kitchen, carrying a platter of tightly-wrapped sushi and gave her a curious frown. "I thought you said you couldn't cook?"

"I'm still hopeless," Sakura replied with a grin. She glanced at Calara as she appeared a moment later, a bowl full of fluffy boiled rice in her hands. "You have Calara to thank for all this."

"Actually, Sakura chose all the dishes and I just searched for the recipes on the holo-net," the Latina admitted, glancing down at the aromatic food. She placed the big bowl on the table then crossed fingers on both hands. "I followed the recipes to the letter, but I've no idea how any of this will taste!"