Drifting Together
Filgaia was a world steeped in its own past. For every active town that
adorned its surface, there were at least four ancient structures
nearby...sanctuaries of knowledge and worship, tombs of great rulers and
heroes made insignificant by the sands of time consuming their resting
chambers, temples holding treasures and beasts both petty and great, all
built by various cultures of differing times for an assortment of
reasons. In the present day, these buildings, often laced with traps and
filled by beasts, either left there by the creators as eternal guardians
ever breeding more of their own, or simply infested by fiercely
territorial creatures who appreciated the largely undisturbed darkness
and quiet found within, were typically held to be little more than
curiosities by the various townsfolk and travelers that beheld them.
Sometimes, an overzealous historian looking for forgotten knowledge, a
greedy drifter looking to find treasure worth some easy gella, or a
well-intentioned individual seeking old technology that could benefit
society once again would intrude upon the sanctity of the aged buildings
(and more often than not, find themselves fatally unprepared for the
defenses within). For the most part, however, Filgaia's citizens had the
sense not to disturb them.
There were, however, some people who just could not leave well enough
alone.
At least, Virginia reflected as she hastily reloaded her revolvers while
taking cover behind a sturdy granite pillar, Maya had chosen one of the
rare old temples not crawling with monsters this time. A few traps,
sure, but no angry beasts.
Yes. Great. Because fighting some random monsters was so much less safe
than exchanging gunfire, explosives, and destructive magic spells in a
narrow, short hallway.
Naturally, the reader is entitled some explanation of why Virginia had
once again found herself in a life-threatening battle in the midst of
some musty old ruins, though any audience familiar with the heroic lass
is likely not very shocked to find her in such circumstances.
It has been said that a hero's work is never done. Virginia was far too
modest to ever consider herself a heroine, but if she had, she would
have heartily agreed with the old saying. Almost immediately after
defeating Beatrice, and by doing so both saving the world and having
herself and her friends branded as murderous outlaws by the inhabitants
of the Ark of Destiny, Virginia and company were quickly reminded of the
promise that Maya had made prior to their final battle with Beatrice
that her next target, her next big "gem," would be Filgaia itself.
Virginia supposed she shouldn't have just gone and forgotten about
something so monumental as that, but she honestly hadn't really thought
Maya was serious about it. Even Maya Schroedinger wouldn't go and try
something THAT ridiculous.
That, of course, was proven an erroneous assumption to make as, a month
or so later, Maya began to bombard a few towns using a long-range
Sandcraft canon unseen previously (likely yet another artifact found in
an ancient tomb of some sort) with warning fire, demanding that they one
by one recognize her as their global leader. It was an absurd, brash,
and arrogant plan. Virginia could have told it was Maya even if the
ambitious blonde hadn't already publicly revealed herself.
Virginia, Jet, Gallows, and Clive had stopped her, of course, destroying
the Sandcraft before there could be any casualties (or surrenders) and
defeating the Schroedingers by the usual narrow margin. And in the few
months since then, Virginia had been leading her friends in a seemingly
endless journey of tracking Maya's group down, preventing them from
acquiring or using whatever new means of world conquest they'd come up
with (accursed ancient peoples and their incessant habit of housing all
their most dangerous devices and knowledge! Why couldn't their weapons
ever die out when they did?), only to have them all escape her and leave
to repeat the cycle.
Not that Virginia was quite sure what she would do if she ever were to
catch Maya. Even after the Sandcraft scare, there was still a much
larger price on each of Virginia's party's heads than on all of Maya's
party's put together (those Ark of Destiny people certainly had plenty
of cash to fritter away on misplaced vengeance), so turning her in to
any local law authorities might be a complicated matter. Even if she
were inclined to do so, that is, which she really wasn't. Maya didn't
really ever seem to mean any harm, and it was very rare that anyone
(besides Virginia and her friends) got hurt from her shenanigans.
It had gotten to the point where Virginia could sum up her present
situation as "Same old, same old." She was crouching behind the cover of
a cool stone pillar, one of a couple dozen supporting the low ceiling of
a narrow hallway in this old temple several miles from the town of Jolly
Roger. Around her in the torch-lit gloom, her allies and Maya's were
battling, as always. As if unconsciously trying to add some exciting
variation to the same old life-threatening combat they'd been through
several times this season already, the participants this time had broken
off into pairs. Jet was artfully evading thrown explosives from Alfred,
searching for the right angle as he ran and dodged to send some return
fire. Todd had wisely brought his battle with Clive into close range,
slashing at the scholarly sniper and forcing him to use his impressive
rifle to block the butler's saber. Further back, near the entrance,
Shady blasted his unique breaths of extreme temperature at Gallows, who
was countering with oppositely-charged elemental spells.
That left Virginia and Maya to duel as the archrivals they were, each
firing their handguns at one another with reckless abandon, yet each
trying to aim for the other's non-vital areas. A slug to the arm, a
grazing shot to the side, these were things that a quick spell or
applied berry could fix admirably. But even Filgaia's rare and valuable
curative flora and magic could not reverse death, nor save one from a
direly fatal hit. They were rivals, not bitter enemies; they had no
interest in destroying each other.
Virginia suddenly realized that the time she'd been crouching safely
hidden was beginning to get suspiciously long. Usually, Maya would be by
now firing her enormous machine gun at where Virginia was trying to
hide, demanding that she come out and face her properly (Virginia never
quite understood the logic of this; she was supposed to go dashing into
the open while Maya was filling the air with a hail of bullets?). But as
Virginia concentrated, she found she couldn't hear her foe-friend at
all.
Hoping that the blonde drifter was not just waiting to see the whites of
her eyes before resuming fire, Virginia peeked around the pillar, and
saw...nothing. Maya wasn't anywhere. It was as though she'd vanished,
or...
Or slipped away to the central treasure room while Virginia was
occupied. Drat that sneaky girl!
Virginia leapt to her feet and dashed to the exit (belatedly hoping that
Maya was not actually just hiding to draw her out). The next room, core
of these ruins, was pretty much what she would have expected from
experience. It was a circular chamber, with statues carved into the
walls all around, all dramatically facing and holding their hands out to
the center of the room, as if the raised pedestal, illuminated by a beam
of light, did not already adequately showcase the reason for the
building's construction: a leather-bound, thick book.
Virginia had often wondered if people in the past could not have found
anything better to do with their time.
What was occupying the heroine's thoughts now, however, was that an
all-too-familiar blonde in a bright orange coat was nearly to the top of
the steps leading to that pedestal, letting loose an equally
all-too-familiar chuckle of imagined victory. Virginia began to run up
the steps as fast as she could to catch up. Hearing this, Maya turned
around for a moment, then wasted another moment letting out an
indignantly irate cry before turning back to keep ascending to her
prize.
Despite Virginia's best efforts and the moments Maya had wasted, it was
Maya who reached the tome first. She scooped it into her arms and crowed
her victory over Virginia, who had just arrived, breathing heavily, to
stand a foot away from her. Doubtless she would have begun a patronizing
lecture to the "novice" drifter, as usual, had the floor beneath them
both not suddenly slid open. With no time to react even with a look of
surprise, Virginia, Maya, and the book all fell into the new pit,
landing on a very smooth and sheer ramp in the dark and immediately
sliding down it. Momentarily terrified, all sorts of nasty possibilities
entered Virginia's mind as to what might be at the bottom as she
scrambled for something to hold on to. She and Maya could be headed for
a pit of jagged spikes, a den of venomous serpents, a vat of boiling
magma...
Or, maybe the slide just led to a well-lit prison cell, depositing each
girl onto the cold stone floor with an "Oomph!" Not nearly so dramatic,
but Virginia really couldn't complain.
Actually, upon standing, dusting herself off, and seeing Maya do the
same, Virginia changed her mind and decided that she could, indeed,
complain quite loudly. "Perfect! Well, this is another lovely mess I'm
in that I can thank Maya Schroedinger for. Thanks for just one more
delightful experience I can add to my memories, Maya!"
Virginia rarely lost her temper, even at so frequently vexing a woman as
Maya. Considering how much trouble Maya had caused her lately, though,
and that a moment ago Virginia had been certain they were both going to
die, one could certainly understand why she might lose her temper.
Maya, of course, was not in such an understanding mood. "Oh, don't go
and blame ME for your mistakes! If you'd butt out and mind your own
business instead of getting in my way whenever you possibly can, you
wouldn't even be here. If you just stopped your stupid meddling, you'd
be fine!"
"Yes, I should just sit back and watch you take over the world,"
Virginia said in sarcastic frustration, rolling her eyes.
"That would be the idea, yes!"
Virginia threw her hands up in exasperation. "Or maybe YOU could just
stop doing this and give everyone on the planet a little peace! You
could give this nonsense up just as easily as I could!"
Maya folded her arms and lifted her chin in stubborn defiance. "I've
told you before, I'm not quitting until I get the purest, greatest, most
sparkling gem. I'll stop when I have my gem, and I'm not going to settle
for anything less!"
Virginia found herself missing the days when Maya had meant that in the
more literal sense of searching for crystals, rather than now meaning
Filgaia itself. At least back then they could, on rare occasions, bump
into each other and remain civil.
"Well, Maya, you're doing a lousy job of taking over the world where I'm
standing! Half a dozen plans of conquest failed, all of them ridiculous,
and you're here, standing in a prison cell instead of atop some
pretentious throne. You're further away from your precious gem than
ever!" Virginia heatedly told her.
There was a pause, a momentary furious silence.
"Never mind! Just...never mind!" Maya yelled. "You don't understand a
single stupid thing!"
Maya's tone cut through Virginia's anger instantly. It was a tone of
anger Virginia had never heard come from the girl yet. Blusterous,
brazen, bold Maya...was hurt. It was in her face, as well, trying to
hide behind arrogant anger, but too clearly there. Something Virginia
had said had really, honestly upset her rival.
"Maya? What's wrong?" she asked now, all irritations forgotten in favor
of genuine concern.
"It's none of your business."
"I--I'm sorry," Virginia fumbled.
"I'm telling you, Virginia, just. Back. Off!" Maya snapped.
Virginia said no more. Although confused, she could tell that pressing
the issue was only going to upset Maya more. The girls sat down and
waited in silence, Maya brooding in the corner of the cell and Virginia
watching her in hopes of understanding what had happened.
Eventually, the uneventful silence made Virginia a bit edgy. She stood
and examined the room. It wasn't very interesting, just three walls, a
row of metal bars, and a floor, barren save for its occupants. The chute
that had dropped them here was set in the wall further up, too high for
them to reach, even if one stood on the other's shoulders. Besides
which, it would be far too smooth and sheer to climb back up.
That exit being unreachable, Virginia next went to examine the bars that
made this place a prison. They didn't look particularly special. They
were metal, set closely enough to one another that there was no way to
squeeze through, and went from the floor to the ceiling. Thinking that
perhaps some might have become loose with the passing of so many years,
Virginia reached her hands toward one.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Maya remarked from her spot in the
corner.
Mildly irate at perhaps being patronized once again by Maya, but more
just happy to be spoken to after the prolonged silence, Virginia asked
why not.
Maya shrugged and told her, "They could be magically charged to give you
a nasty zap if you touch them. A lot of ruins I've been in have bars
that do that."
Virginia retracted her arms and sighed in annoyance. She decided she
might as well heed Maya's warning and perhaps spare herself the pain;
those bars looked quite sturdy, anyway.
"Don't be too worried," Maya reassured her in an almost bored voice. "My
brother and Todd will find us before too long."
"Yeah," Virginia agreed, sitting back down against the far side wall
from Maya's corner. "My friends will be helping them look for us, too.
"At least we won't have to wait around with the usual dismal assortment
of skeletons and other remains of past intruders," she added brightly,
pleased by the emptiness of the cell in that regard.
"I'm not surprised," Maya replied off-handedly. "I can't really think of
anyone but me who would risk their lives exploring this place if they
knew what its treasure was."
Eager to pass the time they'd spend waiting for rescue, Virginia looked
over at the book Maya had wanted so badly, which had flown straight from
the chute and through the bars during their descent before. "What is
that, anyway? Is it a book of spells, or a manual for weapons, or
something?"
"Your imagination is so bland and crude," Maya told her, the usual
infuriating haughtiness starting to creep back into her voice. "I, on
the other hand, try to think more creatively."
"Right, your first plan of just firing a canon until you got your way
wasn't crude at all."
"Quiet," Maya ordered reflexively. "Anyway, the legend behind this place
is that the people who made it did so out of homage to an incredible
hero, the most powerful warrior ever, who could save or destroy entire
cities with a single blow from his axe. How exactly THAT works, I don't
know. Anyways, the people who built this place supposedly hid in its
center a record of all his adventures..."
"...and you thought that if you could read the book, you'd be able to do
that shape-changing thing and use his powers," Virginia finished. That
certainly would be a handy thing for getting out of their current
predicament...if the book weren't on the other side of the bars, easily
beyond reach.
Maya nodded and smiled in a satisfied way. Whether she was pleased with
Virginia's picking up on her plan, its cunning, or both, Virginia
couldn't say. Regardless, that seemed to be all she was interested in
saying on the matter, and once more the girls fell silent. Virginia
noticed that Maya seemed to be brooding again; it looked like whatever
had upset her earlier still hadn't left her mind.
Virginia was still hesitant to investigate what was wrong. In the time
she'd known Maya, Virginia had never before seen her upset. She had seen
Maya angry (many, many times), and even fearful, but never hurt.
Certainly, she had not known the more experienced drifter for very long,
but she nonetheless knew Maya very well, strangely, and she could tell
that this was a very unusual state for her.
Virginia sighed in exasperation. Nothing to do but to just sit and wait
to be rescued She wasn't particularly worried--her companions were
exceptionally capable, as were Maya's, so they'd surely find the two
women reasonably soon. She was, however, getting a little bored.
As they sat wordlessly passing the minutes, Virginia began to wish that
Maya would say something, anything. Even a smug lecture or irate
fit would be welcome replacements for this uncomfortable silence. She
didn't like having Maya upset with her; it bothered her much more
greatly than she would have anticipated.
Some more time passed, so uneventful that Virginia could not distinguish
one minute from ten, until she finally felt she HAD to break the
silence.
"I don't believe you."
"Huh?" Maya grunted, coming out of her introspection to fix a glare,
more reflexive than hostile, on her frequent rival.
"I don't believe you," Virginia repeated. "I don't think you really are
out to take the world as your own. Even you have to know it's
impossible, especially with the absurd ideas you've come up with so far.
You have to know that even if you could beat my friends and me, someone
else would stop you before long."
Maya snorted. "Yeah? Then why bother pestering me all the time? You
could leave me alone like I told you, and just let someone else do it."
"Because I don't want people to be hurt," Virginia said with earnest
insistence. "When we battle, it's...it's more like a test of skill than
real combat. I'm out to stop you, not hurt you, or worse. And I trust
you enough to know that if you end up winning, you won't do anything
dangerous to me, or my friends. But if it came to someone else setting
out to stop you, or maybe being hired to, they might be out to kill you.
They might be out to end you by any means necessary, and you'd have to
respond by fighting the same way."
"Hey, I don't hold back when we fight!" Maya interrupted indignantly.
"And don't pretend that you do, either; you only barely manage to ever
beat me!
"Mostly by dumb luck," she added a second later as a characteristic
after-thought.
"Not my point, and you know it," Virginia debated, pushing aside her
mild annoyance at Maya's jab. "We don't hold back, but that's still a
lot different from being out to destroy each other. All I'm
saying is...it might be different if others took my place, and they, or
you, might get hurt, or worse. And I don't want that to be what happens
because I let someone else do my part. I don't want anyone to be hurt
because of me, even indirectly, and I'll take my knocks and bruises to
keep it from happening."
"There's that selfless hero routine of yours again," Maya remarked with
an offhand annoyance, almost as though it were more practiced than
genuine. It seemed like there was something else in her voice, too,
something small, almost unnoticeable through flat ire.
But Virginia had no time to contemplate it. She was too focused on this
to think of other things. "Anyway, Maya, you're trying to get me
side-tracked here. I want to get back to the point. You're too smart a
person to really believe you'll succeed at this rate. And you've
suddenly, mysteriously gotten really sloppy at covering your trail, I've
noticed. Before this nonsense, it was almost always an accident or you
following us when we met up, but lately, I've tracked you down in places
like this three or four times. You're not leaving us clues, but you
can't be trying to cover your trail like you used to, either. I'm
starting to think that you WANT us to stop you."
Maya crossed her arms in defiance. "Look, I just told you what I'm
after, and that was the truth."
"But it doesn't make any sense! If you were serious about taking over
the world--"
"I told you what I want; you are assuming," Maya interrupted
heatedly.
Not for the first time that day (or even that hour), Maya stopped
Virginia in her tracks and made her utterly confused. "You said you
wanted your gem..."
And then realization hit her. "It's not Filgaia any more?"
"You're finally wising up," Maya said, smirking. There was something
wrong with her smirk, though. There was something else in it, behind it,
the same as when she had spoken a few moments ago. But this time, what
was hiding was different, and perhaps just a little clearer. This time,
Virginia could almost swear that she saw...could it be? Maya
was...nervous?
Brow furrowing in thought, Virginia considered this. If Maya's goals had
changed, why did she keep coming up with plans for world conquest? The
only thing they would do would be to...draw attention.
"You want to be found," Virginia mused aloud, watching Maya's
expression. "You want us to show up and stop you."
Maya's face told her that she was on the right track, but was not quite
there. Something was missing...and with a little more thought, Virginia
had it.
"It's not you wanting us to show up...you've never really given a second
glance to Clive, Jet, and Gallows. I'm not sure you even know their
names. You...you want me to come. You want to see me?"
Bingo. Maya continued to smirk as she nodded her head, and now Virginia
was almost sure she saw fear in her rival's eyes.
She herself was quite perplexed, of course. "Maya, why?
That...it's...that doesn't make any sense. It's ridiculous! If you
wanted to see me or spend time with me or something, you could just ASK
to! Instead you're going to all this trouble to get my attention, just
to have me come and fight you? Why not just approach me normally?"
"Because it isn't the same!" Maya told her with unexpected fervor. Her
face suddenly lit up with excited passion as she continued, "I want to
see you come charging in to strike down injustice! Fired, determined! I
want to see you rushing into the fray, six shooters blazing for heroic
ideals, a paragon of virtue, ready to put your life on the line for
others' and for those crazy, beautiful beliefs that nothing can knock
out of your naïve, silly, stubborn, courageous head!"
"I...I thought I annoyed you with that," Virginia stated, not sure what
to say now.
"You do!" Maya responded, frowning as her voice went back to a far more
familiar tone of loud vexation. "You drive me CRAZY with your superhero
routine! None of it makes any sense at all! How you can be a Drifter,
see what you see, do what you do, and be so completely, totally out of
touch with reality is beyond me. Anyone can take advantage of your
naïveté, and some HAVE, and you just keep on going along the same as
ever, never letting any experience or common sense drive out those
lovely intangibles you're determined to live by and stand for. It's
stupid!
"And," Maya continued, voice suddenly losing almost all its irritation,
filling instead with a strong, reluctant warmth, "it's inspiring, where
no other Drifter has kept it so long or adamantly. It's an enduring
heroism, and it...it's inspiring, that's all."
And it was then that it really struck Virginia, what Maya was telling
her. It wasn't just an explanation for actions. It wasn't just a
remarkable piece of encouragement from a respected rival that reassured
her that she was ultimately respected by her.
It was an admission. Maya was letting down barriers, and Virginia knew
that the blonde drifter valued them dearly, so much so that she even
used one for her very appearance, utilizing her powers to fool the world
into thinking that a scrawny, bespectacled bookworm was a daring,
dangerous-looking adventuress. And what Maya had just revealed, without
saying as much, what she had made herself vulnerable to say, was that
Virginia...Virginia was her hero. Grudgingly, perhaps completely against
her will, yes, but the one who inspired her nonetheless.
It was a ponderous thing to know.
"So that's why I do this," Maya finished, taking her eyes off Virginia
and looking down at the floor, at nothing. "I want to see that, so I
bring it out myself. It's...it's the same as always. It's the same. I
know deep down that if I do my best, if I give it my all and make my
greatest effort, I'll be rewarded with the most beautiful, the purest,
the very most sparkling gem.
"And you're it."
Virginia, for her part, was totally blown away, and scrambling
desperately to gather her thoughts, for she knew she should say
something, anything, to respond to her rival-friend's brave revelations.
It was still going to take a lot of time for her to really come to grips
with and adjust herself to being someone's idol of heroism, particularly
given the facts that Virginia was a modest girl by nature, and that it
was none other than Maya Schroedinger, the woman drifter unlike any
other, who felt that way. And now, to know even further the extent of
Maya's governing emotions...had Maya meant her words to sound the way
they had? To imply that her reluctant admiration, relentless pursuit,
and even repressed nervousness were born of a romantic notion, in a dual
sense of the word?
Maya took a deep breath to steady herself, looked up once more straight
into Virginia's eyes, and told her with a firm resolve wrapped around
uncertainty, "I...I want to kiss you."
Well, one thing consistent about Maya was that she left few things
ambiguous. A moment passed, with their eyes still locked to one
another's in a different kind of soul-baring, and then Virginia
swallowed and said, "I'm not stopping you."
Deeper, analytical thought could wait until later. Right now, Maya
deserved an answer, recognition of what a feat of trust and hope she had
just made. And that, Virginia could give her, for the important thing
for right now that she knew was that, regardless of what answers and
dilemmas she could discover later from all this, she had no qualms
accepting and complying with Maya's unformed offer and request. She
suspected that, in truth, she wanted it just as much.
Permission obtained, Maya leaned forward and crawled over to where
Virginia sat, and stopped in front of the brunette, sitting back on her
heels. Virginia waited and battled to keep her breathing steady for a
few moments as blue eyes met blue eyes in a steady, imploring gaze. Maya
then moved her head forward, pursing her lips, eyes still fixed on
Virginia's, and Virginia pursed her own lips in anticipation. Then Maya
hesitated, so very close now that Virginia could feel the girl's warm
breath brushing against her face, and after a moment more of hesitation,
brought an arm forward to lay her hand on Virginia's back. Virginia
quivered at this slight touch, at the emotion, the promise behind it.
They stayed this way for another moment, each breathing deeply, until
Virginia could not take the wait any longer. In a fluid, but calm and
slow motion, she reached her own arm forward to mirror Maya's action and
place a hand upon her rival's back, and then pulled herself forward in
the same steady, careful pace to touch her lips to Maya's.
There were no fireworks. There was no incredible moment frozen in time
forever. It was just a kiss. It was not life-altering, as the poets have
often sought to describe the first kiss between two people firmly set in
caring for one another, but it was all the same pleasurable, and
important, for them both. It was a quiet thing of sweet elegance, tinged
with significance, as each woman enjoyed the soft comfort of the other's
lips and near embrace. And when it ended, and each drew away, they were
not gasping for air, for there had been little excessive passion, but
rather breathing more deeply and clearly than before, quiet air rushing
through fragments of voice that made a series of unintelligible whispers
to speak their hearts far clearer than any words formed.
"You were trembling," Virginia stated, having nothing else communicable
she could share.
"I was doing no such thing."
"You were," Virginia insisted earnestly, not about to let Maya's
standard emptily disagreeable answer affect her.
Maya narrowed her eyes as she looked to the side and gave an irate
"Harrumph!" Virginia this time detected a note of embarrassment in the
girl's annoyed voice as she mumbled, "Was nervous...first time."
"You've never kissed anyone before?" Virginia asked, honestly surprised.
She herself had kissed a few people, of course, and she would have
expected someone as daring and attractive as Maya to have done the same.
The Schroedinger lady thankfully did not mistake Virginia's mild shock
for mockery, and shrugged as she looked back to her. "I've just never
wanted to before. I've never met anyone else that...that makes me this
way."
Virginia wasn't really given a chance to reply (not that she likely
would have really known how to respond to such a declaration), for Maya,
having overcome her shyness now that she had experienced one, leant
forward to give and take another kiss. This time, it wasn't just a kiss
of confirmation, of revelation of feelings half acknowledged and half
hidden. This one was more basic, a giving and receiving of need between
them both.
As they were joined, Maya began to do more than just hold Virginia. The
hand upon her back began to slowly, rhythmically move up and down, while
Maya's other reached out to lay her fingers on Virginia's side, firmly
dragging them around to her belly, then back again. Virginia's body was,
by now, primed to experience every subtle detail of Maya's touch, and
she shuddered at the sensation, felt so acutely even through the fabrics
of her clothes and Maya's gloves. And as this happened, Maya began to
lean further into the kiss, pushing Virginia gently back, until Maya's
encircling hands were using her torso for soft support, as Virginia was
once more sitting back against the wall.
Finally, Maya broke the kiss and drew back slightly. She locked her eyes
to Virginia's, and Virginia could see in those azure orbs a request for
permission, and a powerful desire--Maya's wish to make what she wanted
hers. There was lust to it, but it was a strange lust, containing more
than just naked hunger. Her eyes held an eager readiness for the fun
unknown, the same look Virginia had often beheld on her rival's face
when she was seeking adventure.
And for her part, Virginia Maxwell nodded and smiled. Being with Maya
just...seemed right. Like a final, awaited culmination of a
long-suppressed, mutual need.
Maya wasted no time once she felt she had adequate approval. She quickly
pulled her tough gloves off, casting them aside as she touched
Virginia's side once more, fully feeling the fabric for the first time.
She barely dwelled a moment, though, and then lifted her hands up to
explore the purple overcoat that covered her shoulders and arms. She
looked momentarily perplexed to find that Virginia's coat had no clasp
or button to keep closed, until her dexterous fingers examined the
bright red bow over the jacket's center, and found the long, thick pin
on its underside that punctured the meeting sides of the garment to keep
it snugly closed. This small mystery solved, Maya quickly removed the
bow, freeing the jacket's sides to hang loosely, and Virginia raised
herself forward to allow Maya to slide it down her arms to sit on the
floor. Then Maya gave Virginia another kiss, a quick one, and Virginia
wondered if she did it to steady her own nerves.
It was such a small step, really, yet its effect was noticeable on both
girls. Virginia seemed significantly less full, somehow, incomplete as
she sat with no gay purple coat exaggerating how thick her arms were,
how large her shoulders. She looked much more normal, sitting in a
sleeveless white button-up shirt and leaning back on bare, slim arms.
And with Maya, the effect of seeing Virginia in such a state caused a
giddy shiver to run through her. She seemed to be drawn to Virginia's
arms, perhaps because they gave the first real, visible evidence that
this was truly happening. Her left hand lifted to settle on Virginia's
right arm just below the elbow, and then slowly traced two fingers up
along it to come to Virginia's small, dainty shoulders. Maya appeared to
delight in the smooth, alabaster spot where her companion's arm began,
and leant down to lay a sweet kiss on it. Her fingers traveled back down
the length of the limb, alerting every tiny, sensitive hair they
touched, leaving a ticklish whisper of sensation in their wake.
Never would Virginia have imagined it would be like this with Maya (not
that she had ever really considered the notion). Was this gentle,
patient woman, arousing such poignant feelings from the subtlest
motions, truly Maya Schroedinger? Was this tender patience perhaps a way
to reinforce her dedication to her dreams?
Now Maya's fingers were near the end of their downward journey, and
brushed against the soft fabric of Virginia's glove. Maya moved her hand
behind Virginia's, and gently pushed upwards, giving her a signal to
shift her weight to her other arm, which she did. Maya lifted the now
unburdened hand, and let its palm rest in her own. She then used her
other hand to grasp at the fingers of Virginia's glove, and firmly draw
the small garment off.
Virginia's hand was naturally delicate and soft, strangely firmed little
by her life, both as a Drifter, and before, as a person like any other
who worked against Filgaia to bring harvest from it. Maya's bare hand
was far stronger than her own, though no one would call it hard.
Maya lifted her hand further, until it rested by her chin, and then
gently kissed its top. She then drew it back a little, and, with careful
precision, kissed each finger once. While Virginia's mind and heart
still reveled in this, Maya kissed her lightly on her cheek, by her
lips, on her lips, below her lips. And as Maya rose slightly to mark her
forehead with her last light peck, Virginia might have heard three words
barely whispered.
Now Maya looked lower, to the blue corset secured tightly around
Virginia's torso by a large belt. As Maya began to undo the large belt's
buckle, she brought her lips to Virginia's neck, and began to lay quick
kisses along it, as soft and many as a gentle winter's snow lays flakes
to the ground. Virginia had her eyes closed in tender happiness, letting
herself focus only on the sweetly ticklish sensations Maya treated her
to, not noticing as the belt was removed, nor when the corset it held in
place followed.
Once they were gone, however, Maya ceased her ministrations, and quietly
but insistently said, "Open your eyes, Virginia."
Virginia did as instructed, and found herself looking into Maya's bright
blue eyes not five inches away from her own. Her vision drank deep from
their pools, noting a pleased gleam to them that perhaps hadn't been
there before...or perhaps Virginia had simply never had the time and
proximity to really distinguish it.
Each girl looked on for several moments, until Maya wordlessly and
abruptly severed their eyes' connection to turn her attention to
Virginia's skirt, and Virginia wondered what her intentions had been
just then. Had she wanted the Maxwell girl to see something special in
her eyes, perhaps the simple joy? Had she been searching for something
in Virginia's own expression? Was it just a whimsical way to steady her
increasing pace? Something else entirely? Virginia couldn't even hazard
a guess, but then, Maya would probably always perplex her a little at
times.
The Schroedinger woman now removed the secondary, larger belt that
encircled Virginia's hips, then gently placed it and the purse it held
to the side, by its owner's other garments. Her hands then encircled
Virginia's waist, finding where the thick yellow cloth that formed a
protective apron on her was tied and fumbling to undo it (it was, after
all, necessary that it be tied sturdily with all the activities that
Virginia encountered daily).
"Taking this off each day must be quite an ordeal for you," Maya
muttered as she finally undid the knot and drew the piece of clothing
off Virginia.
Virginia shrugged with small mirth. "It's really not so bad with a
little practice."
She noticed Maya smile slightly at her words as the apron was added to
its peers.
The next thing to go, Maya decided, would be Virginia's high, rugged
leather boots. The blonde wanderer seemed to be done taking her time
now, and unlaced the footwear speedily. Virginia lifted her leg slightly
and allowed Maya to pull each boot off her feet
Virginia kept the bottom of her shirt tucked in her skirt, so the large
purple article of clothing would have to be next to go. Virginia pushed
herself up off the floor, and stood in front of Maya. The blonde girl
stood as well, realizing the dress would have to be slipped down and off
her rival. To accomplish this, she moved forward and embraced Virginia,
sliding her hands around her sides to rest on her lower back and pull
her closer to Maya, close enough to draw her into a passionate kiss once
more while their torsos and chests met, a warm touch only dulled a
little by the fabric between them.
The kiss was far more physical than the ones before, though still driven
far more by an emotional desire than simple lust. Virginia seemed to
startle Maya a moment into it, when she opened her mouth to push her
tongue lightly against her companion's lips. Perhaps her surprise came
from her lack of experience, or simply because it was the first time
since they'd started that Virginia had taken a definite initiative.
Whatever the case might be, however, it didn't take Maya more than a
second to catch on and part her own lips to give Virginia entrance.
Their tongues met eagerly, yet tenderly as well.
Virginia would not consider herself an expert kisser by any means, but
she knew a few tricks all the same. As Maya fumbled with her dress's
clasps, Virginia made it harder for her to concentrate by initiating a
playful little game into their French kiss. She would give Maya's tongue
a slight little push with her own, interrupting its caresses, and then
move her tongue to a new spot or retreat it back into her own mouth
slightly, and wait for Maya to seek it out again, then repeat the game.
It was silly, perhaps pointless, but fun, and when Maya finally managed
to fully undo the back of Virginia's dress and broke the kiss while
drawing her arms around to Virginia's stomach, she was smiling in a
mirthful, pleased way.
The skirt was easy enough to pull down once loosened, and left Virginia
standing in shirt, petticoat, and stockings. Maya stepped forward once
more, ready to continue and remove Virginia's shirt, but Virginia
surprised her again by quickly bringing her hands, one gloved and one
naked, up to Maya's neck and using them to begin unknotting the small
scarf she wore around her throat. It quickly came undone, and was
discarded.
Virginia's hands roamed slightly lower, to where Maya's trademark orange
coat was laced and tied. Maya looked as though she wanted to say
something, but her words dissipated prematurely as Virginia raised her
lips to lay a small peck on the tip of Maya's nose. She wanted to be
able to take the lead, just for a little bit. It wasn't fair for Maya to
do everything; Virginia wanted to be able to show that she was just as
wanted, that Virginia felt the same way as Maya did.
Maya's coat took a little time to unlace (and to think that she'd
criticized Virginia for having a time-consuming ensemble!), but once it
was undone, and the small belts around her shoulders loosened, it was
easily removed. Its absence was quite noticeable on Maya, more than
Virginia's loss of her purple coat before. Maya's coat had fit fairly
snugly to her form, so there was no similar sudden and strange slimness
to her arms and frame that there had not been before. It was the absence
of the attention-grabbing orange that made the sight of Maya, her fancy
white shirt and yellow skirt with ruffles at the bottom now more clearly
visible, look almost strange to Virginia, so accustomed was she to
identifying her friendly rival by it.
Virginia began to undo the small buttons on the front of Maya's shirt,
while leaning forward to lay a slow, steady line of kisses on the girl's
bare throat, along the space where she typically wore her red scarf.
Virginia's lips felt Maya's pleased murmur traveling up a second before
it quietly escaped, and she marveled at this small, extraordinary event.
She was almost halfway through a second trip around Maya's neck when she
undid the last button. Stepping back, she helped Maya to shrug the
garment off, and found that Maya's yellow skirt was no skirt at all, but
a simple and pretty sleeveless dress.
Maya was done with letting Virginia take the lead, and began to unbutton
her plain white shirt quickly, becoming more eager as she got nearer her
goal. It was off in little time, and Virginia was left with no more than
her plain white bra on above her waist. Maya took in the sight of
Virginia's slim figure, naturally ladylike and dainty, yet with a barely
visible tone to it from her short but very active time as a Drifter. She
gently trailed her fingers along Virginia's stomach with one hand, and
reached her other behind the brunette to caress and appreciate her
smooth back.
As it trailed along Virginia's back, that hand suddenly found an
aberration her skin's flowing texture as it brushed against the strap
holding her bra in place. It stopped there for a moment, until its
sister hand joined it. Her fingers worked in nimble tandem, and the
underwear's back was undone, released, and allowed to gently fall to the
floor.
A tiny shiver ran through Virginia, caused both by the new touch of cool
air to her chest, and by the realization, the full understanding that
she was truly, physically and spiritually bared to Maya now. The
clothing she had on elsewhere did not matter; this moment of the act was
the one of showing trust, commitment.
She was breathing deeply, and so was Maya as she gazed at what she had
uncovered, what she was being allowed a sacred permission to. She
reached a hand out, and laid it upon the newer Drifter's left breast, so
slowly, and Virginia felt that it was trembling. She lifted her own
hand, the gloveless one, and laid it reassuringly upon Maya's, and a
moment later it was steady.
Actually, that was not completely accurate. It no longer trembled, this
much was true. But it did still move, just now in a larger, broader
motion, along the sides, bottom, and top of the globe over Virginia's
heart, eliciting a pleased smile from the Maxwell girl at the more
pleasurable feeling. Maya's other hand raised to mirror her first's
movements, and Virginia breathed a happy sigh and kissed Maya lightly
again. This seemed to spur her on, and she removed her right hand and
stopped moving her left as she lowered herself until her head was on the
same level as Virginia's breasts.
She gazed at the unoccupied left one for a moment, appreciating it from
this new angle, smiling slightly as she observed that the nipple had
hardened, standing at a short and round attention from her
ministrations. She kissed it, and Virginia gave a definitely audible
sigh of approval, which repeated itself when Maya began to slowly,
carefully lick its tip, and directly around its side, while she began to
brush her thumb across the other in a steady rhythm.
It was a calm sublime, the foreign pleasure of passion that Virginia now
felt. It was not unbearably intense, but certainly like nothing she had
yet felt, a pleasing sensation that soothed yet aroused at the same
time, distracting her as she let her hands rest encouragingly on Maya's
back from noticing the blonde's free hand undoing the few buttons for
her petticoat by the back of her waist.
She did finally notice what was happening when the skirt undergarment
was fully undone, and lazily slid down her legs to meet the floor in a
graceless bundle. Maya removed her mouth then to get a better look at
the prize she had uncovered, bringing her hand back in to gently flick
her fingers across the nipple's moist tip. Virginia wore a pair of
underwear about as average as her bra had been, and kept her dark
stockings in place with the help of a like-colored garter belt. Her
thighs suited her figure well, full, yet slim all the same, with a
phantom-like tone of strength (one of the side-effects of her adopted
life of adventure that Virginia had noticed and appreciated--her hips
and thighs' width had worried her often back in Boot Hill).
Maya removed her hands from Virginia's chest to let them glide down her
sides, creating a continuing caress until she came to the top of
Virginia's garter belt. She paused for a moment and frowned, but quickly
dissolved that expression into a playful smile. She brought her hands to
the sides of Virginia's final undergarment, and began to pull it down
her hips, her upper thighs, until it reached the tops of Virginia's
stockings, where the straps from the garter belt clipped on to keep them
in place. She then quickly undid the clips in the front and back, making
it possible to continue to pull the underwear down, carefully trying to
avoid bringing the stockings with it, until there was little enough
interference that gravity could finish the journey. The fabric fell to
the floor, and Virginia stepped out of it, then watched Maya reattach
her garter belt's clips to her stockings.
That done with, Maya squatted down and took an eager, inquisitive look
at what she had uncovered. Virginia tried to fight off a slight blush at
Maya's visual attention. Then, after a moment of looking, Maya stood,
gave Virginia a fast, passionate kiss, and then lowered herself once
more, settling herself down on her knees, her face once more level with
Virginia's womanhood. She didn't make a move, though, and simply looked
up at Virginia. Her blue eyes seemed to be imploring Virginia to
understand something. What was it?
Wait...Maya was kneeling before her. Perhaps that was what Maya wanted
Virginia to understand. That in spite of all her excessive pride, her
exaggerated ego, she was willing to get on her knees for Virginia.
Was it a small thing? Perhaps even silly and petty to be concerned with?
Yes...but all the same, with Maya, such small gestures could be very
significant, and this one was surely no exception.
She'd given Virginia her chance to realize that this was a meaningful
action, so now Maya chose to continue. She leaned in, stuck her tongue
out a bit, and tentatively licked the outer vaginal lips in front of
her. Virginia shivered and moaned in her throat at the sudden, moist
touch. She had touched herself before, of course, but the experience of
another touching her, and with their tongue, was so much more intense,
so completely and wonderfully different!
Encouraged by this response, Maya began to circle Virginia's center,
eliciting something close to a whimper from her companion. She then
brought her fingers to each side of Virginia's slit and gently parted
the young woman's labia, then pressed her tongue into her core.
"Oh, Maya!" Virginia gasped, her hands unconsciously finding their way
to rest on the girl's gold-covered head, lightly pressing her to
continue.
And continue she did, eagerly exploring Virginia on the inside, sending
delightful sensations of pure pleasure throughout the brunette's body.
Maya thoroughly touched every spot she could, creating a mental map for
herself, its landmarks the pitch and volume of each gasp, whimper, and
moan that Virginia made.
By the time she was sure that she had covered all the ground, Virginia
was steadily gasping for breath and trembling like grass in a breeze,
leaning against the wall of the cell because her legs were beyond fully
supporting her. Seeing how far she had taken Virginia, Maya decided on a
quick and powerful end to the journey, removed her tongue from within
Virginia's womanhood, and then shot it out hard and fast against her
clitoris over and over.
It only took two hits of immense, unbearable pleasure racing through her
to push Virginia over the edge. She gave a quick, high-pitched squeal as
spasms raced through her, everything within her seeming to clench
together in a blissful harmony as Maya just added to the momentarily
infinite pleasure with her continued barrage; her world had dissolved
into a liquid ecstasy that coursed through her, a happy intensity
erasing everything from her mind but amazed bliss and Maya.
Finally, long past the point that Virginia had thought she could take no
more at, yet still all too soon, her body began to calm, Maya lessened
and then ceased her actions, and her mind gradually began to again
register the world around her. Virginia allowed herself to slide down
until she was sitting against the wall, still recovering as much
mentally as she was physically. Then Maya leaned forward and kissed her,
and Virginia was aware that the slight sweet tang new to Maya's lips had
come from her. A random, almost idiotic thought popped into her head
that maybe it was from all the Heal Berries.
The kiss ended, and Maya drew back and quietly said, "Thank you."
"Thank you? I should be the one saying that!" said Virginia, giving a
small laugh. "That was just...I've never felt anything like that...I
just...wow, Maya!"
Maya's eyes shined. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Virginia...thank you for
letting me do that. I've wanted to for a while, you know, Miss Hero."
Virginia leant forward to kiss Maya again, but this time did so slightly
forcefully, pushing Maya back a little and letting her know that it was
Virginia's turn to please. This time, Maya had no objections, and
obligingly followed Virginia's lead.
Virginia knew that after all the time that they'd been doing this, Maya
must have been close and more eager to have her release without as much
preamble (besides, that seemed more Maya's style anyhow). To this
purpose, she disposed of Maya's cheerfully yellow dress as quickly as
the garment would allow, sliding its sleeveless straps past her slim
shoulders and down the blonde's toned, athletic arms, enjoying their
strength by brushing her fingers along them as they descended, then
unzipping it in the back to allow it to be pulled gently down and, as
Maya stood to aid the process, off of her.
Given Maya's rambunctious personality, Virginia was actually a bit
surprised to see that her underwear was as standard as her own had
been--nothing but functional, white cotton. The rest of her, however,
fit Virginia's expectations. She was a lean woman, though not slim, nor
lanky. Her trim figure was earned from her regular activity and hard
work, toned and strong. She was a beautiful woman, Maya Schroedinger,
but it was no soft beauty that made her so.
Virginia gently took Maya's hands in her own, and pulled her down to sit
by her again. Her hands reached around the blonde, quickly undid her
bra, and then drew it off her. Her breath caught as she got her first
look of Maya's breasts. It was not so much desire that gave her pause
(though they certainly were attractive, a nice touch of soft womanhood
to contrast against the rest of Maya) as simple uncertainty. She didn't
really know what to do next. Maya had done a wonderful job of making her
feel good from touching and licking her breasts before, but there was a
world of difference between feeling and doing.
Still, nothing would be accomplished by just sitting and looking, and
Virginia was a girl of action. She tilted her head and enveloped one of
Maya's nipples with her mouth. Maya purred.
Even as she was doing this, though, Virginia's hands were already on the
next step, coming down to Maya's leggings and began to pull them off.
For her part, Maya seemed quite eager to lose the white leggings and
leaned back, using her hands to hold herself up, to allow Virginia to
better pull them down her legs and feet, and put them down by her yellow
dress. Maya's last piece of clothing quickly followed, and the girl sat
completely bare before Virginia.
By now, Virginia had decided on a more definite plan of action for how
to pleasure her companion. She wanted to be able to make Maya feel good
quickly and skillfully, and didn't feel that she had the time to learn
to do it the same way as Maya had. So she would do things her own way
that she was at least a little familiar with from self-practice.
She placed her hands on Maya's shoulders, and slowly pushed the blonde
Drifter down to lie on her back. Then, after removing the glove that had
been left on this entire time because she wanted to miss not even the
subtlest of sensations in this, Virginia lay down beside her. Her hands
wandered as she claimed another kiss from Maya's lips, one settling on
the breast that she had so far neglected, while the other began to
lazily draw its way south from her belly button, taking its time to
trace an arc along her inner thighs around her moistly waiting core.
Maya moaned, almost growled into their kiss and left no doubt that she
did not appreciate this pace. Had her mouth not been enjoyably diverted
at that moment, Virginia might have allowed herself a mischievously
pleased giggle. Though she usually was earnest in her wish that she and
Maya could get along better, Virginia had to admit that it was fun to
actually deliberately annoy the slightly older girl every now and then.
Fun had and Maya's readiness more than confirmed, though, Virginia
became serious in her affections once more, and ended her teasing. She
brought her hand to Maya's center and, after tracing her nails gently
around its outer lips, eased two of her fingers within the girl.
Maya groaned slightly and broke their kiss, beginning to give more
frequent and less coherent moans and urges to continue with each passing
moment as Virginia began to explore her within much as Maya had done to
her not long before. As Virginia had her fingers stroke their confines,
she began to use her thumb to rub Maya's clitoris sporadically, enjoying
the shuddering intake of breath Maya took with each precious touch.
Maya did not last long under this barrage, particularly not when
Virginia decided to increase the frequency of her thumb's taps, and as
Maya grew very close to her point of no return, Virginia began to thrust
her fingers in and partially out of her at a quick pace.
After only moments of this, Maya could no longer hold her orgasm off.
She gave a long, throaty moan as her body arched and shivered. Her hands
grabbed hold of Virginia's shoulders with a painfully tight grip, her
toes curled, and her muscles clamped down on Virginia's fingers with
blissful pressure.
And when it was over, they lay together, backs resting against the wall
and arms resting around each other.
Virginia felt she should say something to Maya...that what had happened
was incredible to her. But it was so unnecessary; Maya could easily tell
and it would just make her sound even more naïve and inexperienced. That
what had happened had felt right, but that seemed such a silly thing to
note. She wanted to ask about the whispered words from before, have
their existence confirmed, yet to do so would somehow be like destroying
them.
She had so very much to say, and yet no words could convey her feelings.
There was only one thing left on her mind that she could form into
audible substance.
"Maya?"
The blonde gave a lazily content grunt to acknowledge that she had
heard. Virginia took a breath, then asked earnestly, "Maya, where is
this going to go? What...what does everything we said and did mean for
us from now on?"
Though it had so far been absent for the longest it had ever been from
Maya's features in Virginia's presence, her mildly annoyed scowl made
its triumphant return. "You know, Virginia, you really know how to kill
a mood."
Virginia's expectant gaze did not leave, and Maya sighed in her usual
exaggeratedly irate fashion at seeing that the brunette was not going to
be dissuaded from returning to serious discussion. "Well," she said
amiably, "what do you want?"
It took Virginia a few minutes to find the right words. Once she did,
she looked straight into Maya's eyes as she spoke. "I like you, Maya.
I've always liked you, in spite of our rivalry and disagreements.
Probably a little because of them, too. I'd like to...I do want to be
with you. But..."
Those eyes of blue fire stayed focused and calm. "But?"
"But I'm not just Virginia the heroine, Maya. I'm a person...I don't see
myself as any hero. I'm just a regular girl from a small town, and part
of me just wants normal things, you know?
"My friends and I...we can't all be Drifters forever. I'm glad, and
proud, to search for Justice as a Drifter. But it's not something I can
do forever...it's not something I'd want to do forever. Some day, I
think I'm going to want to settle down, get married, live quietly...be a
regular person again. Will you be able to handle being with just a
normal girl, Maya?"
The question hung in the temple's air for a long moment. Then, Maya gave
a small, almost mirthless chuckle. "There's that annoying, frank honesty
again."
They lay for a few minutes more. Virginia did not push for a quick
answer, and Maya seemed content to take her time arriving at one.
Finally, she answered, "You know, deep down, I'm not all that
different...drifting isn't something I plan to do forever. My plan's
always been to drift until I achieve my gem; I've never really
considered what happens after that. So...when you're ready to retire
from this life...if you'll still be my gem, Virginia, then I'll have all
I've wanted, and I'll give up drifting for you."
And that was that, it would seem. It was so simple a conclusion that it
seemed almost surreal to Virginia, for she had always been lead to
believe that matters of romance should be complicated and difficult. But
she could not deny the rush of warmth, the tingly happiness in her chest
that made her suddenly feel lighter. Her lips pressed against Maya's one
last, soft time to seal the promise for the future.
Then she heard a voice to her side call out, "Virginia! Are you in
th--oh my."
Virginia's head snapped around to see Clive and Alfred standing outside
the girls' cell. Being gentlemen, Alfred was already turned around, and
Clive was just turning as well so as not to see his leader and her rival
in such a state of undress. The fact that their eyes were now off the
girls did not prevent Virginia from letting loose a small shriek.
"Clive! Alfred! What are--I--uh, hang on, don't look!" she stammered
shrilly, jumping to her feet and very hastily putting her clothes back
on.
"You're cute when you blush," Maya quietly cackled, taking amusement
from Virginia's crimson cheeks.
"Quiet!" Virginia hissed with bashful venom. She turned her eyes back to
the Schroedinger woman for a moment, and...oh, that was NOT fair. Maya
was already fully dressed! That infuriating girl and her shape-shifting
abilities!
Clive cleared his throat and began an explanation as his group's leader
furiously tried to pull her outfit back together, while Maya stood
smirking and offering no assistance whatever. "Er, ahem, once we
realized you both must have been caught in that trap, we all split up in
groups of two to search for you both, since jumping down into it after
you didn't seem prudent..."
"Everyone's okay from the fight, right?" Virginia asked as she buttoned
her shirt, trying to maintain some dignity as leader.
"Oh yes, the usual berries and healing spells for our minor wounds were
adequate," Clive replied with remarkable calm. "Er, are you finished
yet?"
"No!"
=====
Once fully dressed, and still blushing fiercely, Virginia allowed the
man and boy to turn back around and focus on liberating the girls. To
this end, Alfred was very skillful in using his demolitions expertise to
blow a large enough hole in the corner where the side wall met the
corridor's to allow Virginia and Maya to escape.
Once out, the first thing Virginia said to her teammate was, "You can't
tell the others."
Clive nodded, adjusted his glasses, and asked no questions, which
Virginia noted and appreciated.
As for Maya, she frowned and lightly whacked her younger brother across
the head. "What are you so smug about? Wipe that smirk off your face!"
Alfred did so to the best of his abilities, but it wasn't difficult to
see a vindicated thrill of "I Told You So" still lurking in his youthful
eyes.
Satisfied that she had sufficiently chastised her sibling, Maya turned
to Virginia and announced, "Well! I guess we'll be going now. Let Shady
and Todd know we'll be waiting back at town when you find them. See you
later, Virginia."
"Wait!" Virginia told her. She stooped down, picked up the book that had
inspired this whole incident, and then stood back up. "You don't want
this any more? The book on the ultimate hero?"
Maya shrugged, and her eyes sparkled. "Nah. You've earned it. And
besides, I think he's outdated."
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