Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Adventures on the Lost Continent (Midnight Lass x Blood Red Romeo)

“Honestly, I’m glad it happened at the end of the day. Wasn’t fun, I’ll admit that much. But I did learn something I’m pretty sure I needed to,” he told her.

“I’m with you on the optimism and realism front. I wouldn’t have started this expedition if I didn’t believe we’d succeed. But things happen. Failures, attacks, storms, illness, things of those nature. It’s just to make sure that if something tragic does happen, we know what to do. Though I’ll do everything in my power to keep those tragedies from happening.”

“As to names, thanks for telling me. Captain James, Captain, Orson, they all work for me. You can call me whatever you like. That goes to both you and Safa,” he finished. “As to right now, I think there’s one more thing that we need done. Is there anyway you can think of the make this ship lightning proof? Or at least lightning resistant? I can handle wind and rain well enough, but lightning? Not much I can do about it. You and the twins have free reign to modify the ship. So if you can do that or anything else you think will help us, I invite you to do so. Other than that, I think we’re good for.”
 
"That would be something you'd need to take up with Ninah and Cimonah ," Lauren said with a tilt of her head. "If they haven't already done something already. Though if they haven't, I do have a few ideas. Maybe they can extrapolate something from one of my inventions, but going from something small to something large isn't just a matter of scale, it's also a matter of complexity. I'm heading to my warehouse now, to start bringing stuff over. I'll talk to the twins tomorrow. So until tomorrow, how about hugs all around. I promise not to crack any spines like the countess did."

Lauren gave Tamra a warm hug first, then one to Safa next, then turned to Orson, with arms wide open.

"Don't hurt a girl's feelings by turning her down, Captain," Lauren said with a grin.
 
He smirked at this. Looks like these women liked hugs. That was something he could get behind. So he closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around her. Looks like everything was good between them. That was a relief. So he hugged her, giving her another politely long embrace before separating.

“If you wouldn’t mind bringing that up with them, I’d appreciate it. The path to the interior, Graveyard Pass, goes under most of the storms, but errant lightning is still a threat. While unlikely, if we get hit, no amount of my piloting skill will save us,” he explained. That had been one of the biggest gambles of the trip. If their onboard geniuses could solve that, it’d be one less life-ending danger. “I hope you have a good evening.”
 
"I'll bring it up with them," Lauren promised. "And speaking of inventions," Lauren said, turning to Tamra, "Can I get any hint on the shampoo that Safa gave me?"

Tamra shrugged. "She gave me the same bottle of herbal shampoo for my hair. No one else in the crew, just you and me. And no explanation, just told me to use it."

Safa appeared to realize she was being talked about, even if she didn't know what it was about. She just gave the group an enigmatic smile.

"So I'll use it. Captain, Doctor, ma'am," she said, adding a bow to Safa with the last, "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night all."

When Lauren made her exit, Tamra turned to Orson. "Safa has a few things she needs to tell you, about what she's read into the future."
 
“I wondered what her visit was about,” Orson replies, turning to the last two women. “I’m always interested to hear what new things she has divined. What did you find?” he asked. Then he also jumped back a little in the conversation. “And what’s this about shampoo?”
 
Tamra rolled her eyes and lifted her hands. "Don't ask me. Safa decided that Lauren and I both needed to use a special shampoo, one that she's concocted. No one else on the airship, either. Just me and Lauren."

"And as to the divination," Tamra continued, "You know I have mixed emotions about those. But I'm here to translate, regardless," she said with a shrug.
 
He didn’t push any further. This enigmatic woman wouldn’t tell him anyway why he gave them shampoo. Well, she might of Tamra didn’t have to translate, but that wasn’t worth considering. “Well Safa, would you mind enlightening me? I’m very curious to know what you’ve seen. I’ve also got some questions of my own for you as well.” He said this directly to the woman, not to Tamra. He knew his first officer would handle the translation.
 
Tamra passed on to Safa what Orson had said, to which Safa replied (after being translated by Tamra), "What questions do you have, Orson?"
 
“Well, I know there’s no way to not sound suspicious asking you this,” he started, “but it’s something I need to know. You’ve not only signed on to my crew, but you’ve been an immense help with both money and influence. You’ve funded this and helped bring people aboard. What I want to know is why? I don’t want to sound ungrateful. I promise you that I’m incredibly thankful that you’d do this for me. But I’m just having a hard time understanding why you’d do so much for someone you only met a few days ago.” He did like and trust Safa, so this was curiosity, not accusatory. He just wanted to understand her motivations. It’d make things easier going forward. “If there’s no deeper reason, that’s fine and I’ll believe you if you tell me that. I just wanted to ask.”
 
Tamra translated it for Safa. Safa smiled at Orson, smiled, then walked up and gave him a warm hug.

She said something to Tamra, then had to say it twice, so shocked was Tamra by Safa embracing Orson.

"She says you're a good man, and that she likes you. But it's mainly that you're a good man, and one should support good men whenever they can.," Tamra finally said.
 
Orson was surprised himself. He too was shocked by her hug. He found himself standing there dumbfounded for a moment before awkwardly returning it. This hug felt different than the others he had enjoyed, but it was hard to pinpoint why.

“Umm...when you say like...” he muttered, too quiet for Tamra to hear. “Never mind, don’t translate that,” he quickly said, much louder. No matter how good of a man she thought he was, she couldn’t have meant that sort of like. Right? Or, maybe she did. He didn’t know and he didn’t have the courage to ask.

“I believe you,” he finally said. “So why don’t you tell me about the fortune you saw.”
 
Safa said something to the still stunned Tamra, who translated.

"First, she wants to tell you that was her first hug with a man, and she hopes you enjoyed it as much as she did."

"Second," Tamra continued, "She says you have all the crew you will get at this port. Which I suppose is good news," Tamra said wryly. "We could fix beds in some of the cargo spaces, if it comes to that. But she says you won't pick up anyone new until you depart. Not the test flight, but the actual departure."

Safa said something else, and Tamra replied, "She says the number four is significant after the departure, and that you will not want to trust one of the four, but you must learn to set aside your mistrust, if you wish to accomplish your goal."
 
“I did enjoy the hug,” he replied, still as surprised as Tamra at the events that had unfolded. Not that he was complaining. It had been a genuinely enjoyable hug. He wondered what Vu and Qui has been feeding people to make them so hug crazy. Whatever it was, he needed more of it.

“Four and mistrust,” he repeated, thinking through what she had just said. He tried to think through who he wouldn’t be able to trust, but it was hard to come up with some sort of guess. After all, there weren’t many people he mistrusted that he expected to encounter on the lost continent. It was a mystery, as fortunes often were.

“Thank you for your guidance,” he told her. He’d think on the subject, but he could do little about it now. “I’ll keep your words close and consider them. Is there anything else at all that you predicted? Anything related to my...previous question?” he asked, trying to be subtle and failing he imagined this might get an answer out of her about her earlier meaning without being direct. Plus he was curious.
 
Tamra translated the last question for Safa, which seemed to make the other woman uncomfortable.

"She said there are other things she must instruct you about first," Tamra began translating, "Before she answers that question and gets distracted. I wonder what she thinks she'll get distracted by?" Tamra wondered, and promptly asked Safa. Safa ignored her and continued instructing Orson through translation.

"She says you should go visit your friend with the tavern, and have one farewell drink tonight. But not more than one. And remember that, like most times in life, the journey is just as important as the destination."
 
Orson was surprised by that answer. So she did look into it, but wouldn’t tell him. Was it that bad? Or that good? Well, no way to know. It’s not like Safa was easy to read, even if he could communicate directly with her.

“That’s a pretty specific order,” he commented, used to the vagueness of fortune telling. “Luckily, I was planning on going to Dandy’s already, though I was certainly going to have more than one drink. Guess I’ll cut back then,” he told them. “And if you don’t want to tell me the other thing, that’s fine with me. I trust your judgement,” he added. He meant that. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
 
Tamra translated to Safa, who quickly waved a hand quickly, then responded in her musical tongue.

"No, no, she's willing to answer your other question, but she wanted to get other matters first, because the question you wanted answered would take some explanation," Tamra interpreted, as she looked back at Safa curiously, wondering exactly this explanation would entail.

Safa continued talking, and Tamra added, "She hopes you have noticed that she is wearing slacks and a blouse, like the rest of the crew, and that she has left her face and hair uncovered." There was nothing particularly provocative about the de facto uniform of most of the crew (with the twins wearing overalls over their clothes), but it still wasn't the flowing dress, veil and headscarf that Safa was wearing when Orson first met her.

Safa said something else, Tamra questioned her, and Safa made a stuttering explanation, which made Tamra laugh, which subsequently made Safa glare at her.

"Sorry, she was also trying to say she had even started wearing the brassiere that Doctor Motwani had fitted her for, like she has so far for the rest of the crew, except for the ones who signed up today," Tamra explained. "There isn't a Bangla word for brassiere, at least not yet, and her description was reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg cartoon."

Safa said something else to Tamra, and the two exchanged a quick dialogue before Tamra nodded. "Sorry, another English word that doesn't in Bangla. She also wanted you to know that she's using the depilatory cream that Doctor Motwani has prescribed for your female crew members." To emphasize the latter point, Safa lifted her slack to momentarily expose the smooth, hairless skin of her calf, before lowering her slacks. Tamra was clearly puzzled, wondering where this explanation was going.
 
Orson listened intently to the explanation. He took a moment appreciate her voice and her manner of speaking. Even if Orson couldn’t understand her, he could at least appreciate the way she spoke. It had an almost musical element to it. If that was her flair or just the language itself, he didn’t know. But he did like it.

Like Tamra, he was confused about where she was going to this and how it related to his fortune. When the brassiere was mentioned, he couldn’t help but blush. He remembered not just the nature of the device, but his earlier encounter with Tamra in the closet. Then she showed off her smooth, beautiful skin to him, and Orson practically panicked. It was true, it wasn’t that much skin. And it’s not like he hadn’t seen that much before. It was more the act of a conservative woman showing him this that fueled the immoral excitement he felt, one that he quickly tried to stamp out. He needed to focus and not get distracted.

“Sorry to interrupt, but what’s depilatory cream? And why does everyone need it?” he asked. He had never heard of that before. Was there an illness going around? Or was this another brassiere type product meant just for women?
 
"It's for the removal of hair," Tamra explained, obviously comfortable discussing the matter in clinical terms. "Some would say it promotes certain aesthetic values, with smooth limbs being considered a symbol of feminine beauty. Doctor Motwani advocates it for hygienic reasons." Tamra paused, before adding, "I think that Doctor Motwani is at least a partial follower of John Harvey Kellogg. You know, the health activist. Fortunately, she hasn't tried to get our chefs to change their cooking style," she said with a chuckle.
 
“Ah,” he replied, not sure how to follow that. He had to admit, he did find smooth skin quite beautiful, so he wouldn’t at all complain about such a policy. Though he was also in agreement that he hoped the menu went unaffected. “Anyway, sorry for interrupting Safa. Please, continue.”
 
Safa had been watching the exchange patiently, but seemed to become a little bit agitated when told to continue. She said something to Tamra, who arched an eyebrow and asked a question, which got a nod and a blush from Safa.

"Safa says she needs to talk to you about," Tamra paused, before finishing, "Your virility."
 
When she was agitated, Orson became confused. He had thought she was going somewhere with this explanation. Had he angered her in some way? He didn’t think he had gotten the full answer. But those concerns were blown away by her next comment. “Virility?” he repeated. “Is this another Bangla word that doesn’t translate well? Or is this the same thing as the English word?” he asked nervously, his own blush matching Safa’s.
 
Tamra asked Safa something, and Safa replied. When Tamra hesitated to translate, Safa said something insistent.

"She says that you will be attracted to the women who fly with you, some of them at least, as this is only natural. And that it will only be natural that they are attracted to you. However, you must remember that the women you fly with, all of them, are..." Tamra paused, gulped, blushing deeply, before continuing "...virgins. And that beyond this consideration, she says there is something in the future, that will require them to remain virgins, at least until something is done. She does not know what this thing is. But until that something is done, you must not...her phrase is 'remove the last leaf,' is the phrase she uses. She says that if you are willing, and the women in question are willing, hugging and kissing and touching are okay, but only in slow stages, and you must not remove the last leaf." Tamra was almost glowing a bright red as she finished the translation.
 
“...” Orson just stood there, stunned. He was attracted to most (okay, all) the members of his crew to varying degrees, but them being attracted to him seemed like a fantasy, especially after today. But more shocking was the revelations of virginity. They were all beautiful. How had a single one not been with a man? There must have been no end to the offers. He wanted to ask for confirmation, but he knew how tactless that would be. Even he wasn’t that dumb. Plus, he could judge that, based on the words and actions, that held for the two women in this room.

“Umm...okay,” he finally said. There wasn’t much more that he knew to say in a situation like this. “It’s kind of unfair that I was just told this. So, I guess I can at least say it’s not just the women who are virgins,” he said, sheepishly. “I’m one too.” It was to make up for the fact that Tamra just had her own virginity status revealed without her consent. He suddenly wondered if the reason Safa had told him about the brassiere and her skin was an attempt to seduce him. He didn’t know, nor did he want to push it too far. He was so lost.

“I won’t ‘remove the last leaf,’ even if I have the opportunity to,” he promised her, still red in the face. His mind and libido couldn’t help but wonder if there were any on board that already wanted him to do so. He was certain none of them did, but, man that he was, he couldn’t help but fantasize.

“Umm...do you have any more...insight for me?” he awkwardly asked. This conversation had gone places he hadn’t expected.
 
"I....,um, well, I don't know about anybody else," Tamra managed to stutter out, "But she's right about me. You know, the virginity." Tamra ducked her head, unable to meet Orson's eyes.

She did finally manage to convey Orson's answer to Safa. Safa nodded, stepped up Orson, took his right hand, and placed it squarely on her left breast. If Tamra had been surprised before, she was absolutely floored now. Safa said something that Tamra missed, and had to repeat it twice before Tamra translated it.

"Safa said that, for now, it is okay for you to kiss a woman, or touch her above her waist, as long as you do so above her clothing. She also said," Tamra added, "That you are the first man she has allowed to touch her in such a fashion. And that you must remember to be slow and gentle."
 
Soft Orson thought, that being the only word his mind was capable of producing at that moment, having been short circuited by everything that had happened. Still, hearing Tamra’s voice speak Safa’s words brought him back to reality. It didn’t stop him from reflexively squeezing her breast at least once.

“Umm, Safa,” he finally started, his eyes darting between her and Tamra. “I appreciate being allowed to touch you like this. You’re quite a stunning woman,” he started, feeling so weird to not just flirt through a translator, but to flirt poorly. “But maybe we should resume this another time?” he asked, his eyes gesturing towards Tamra. Just being watched by her was awkward enough, and Orson certainly wasn’t ready to take this step himself. Slowly and with a high degree of reluctance, he retracted his hand from her bosom.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom