Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter 55 - Terrible Idea
Point-of-View: Alexis Tucker
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"You don’t have to...help me with this. I can do it...by myself," Frowned Aurora, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, it’s fine, I’ve kinda always wanted to do something like this...I haven’t really had any female friends before, or well, any friends at all, really. Anyway, just lighten up and relax," I replied, as I shampooed her hair.
It was about twenty minutes later, and we were currently in the room she’d picked for herself, and on an impulse, I offered to help her clean up. She seemed uncertain as to how to respond, before skeptically accepting my offer.
She hadn’t taken long to pick out some clothes for herself, she kept it simple, only picking a handful of shorts and sleeveless tops. Kiyana had offered to get her some underwear later, which she’d also done for me when I first got here.
Yeah, that room with all those clothes only has outerwear, which makes sense. I mean, it’d have been awkward as hell to pick out underwear while the guys were around, just thinking about it makes me shudder in embarrassment.
Anyway, after Aurora picked a room for herself and set the clothes she’d picked out on her new bed, we got into the bathroom and undressed, which was when I realized...this was the first time I’m seeing another human naked.
And also the first time someone else was seeing me naked. Not gonna lie, even though we’re both girls, it was still kinda embarrassing. Plus I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, she has an amazing figure. Her skin looked firm yet smooth, it was obvious that she was in great shape, and notably...
"Hey, I don’t mean to pry, but how did you cut your hair and shave and stuff before?" I inquired, as I turned the shower on.
She flinched as the cold water struck her, her hair standing up a bit, before easing up as the water got warmer. She then shifted her gaze towards me and answered my question...by holding up one of her hands...and extending her fingernails into sharp claws.
Huh? What the heck is with that? That’s so cool!
Also, she really doesn’t say much, does she? Oh, well, it’s fine, she certainly doesn’t seem like that bad of a person. I remember how suspicious and uneasy I was when I found myself in that exitless room that Neo trapped me in, I was probably not too unlike how she is right now.
"You don’t have to...help me with this. I can do it...by myself," Frowned Aurora, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, it’s fine, I’ve kinda always wanted to do something like this...I haven’t really had any female friends before, or well, any friends at all, really. Anyway, just lighten up and relax," I replied, as I shampooed her hair...and we’re all caught up.
"Hm...thank you. Are you also an...Outlier?" She asked me, taking the initiative in the conversation for the first time.
Ohh, wait, I didn’t introduce myself, did I? Huh, now that I think about it, neither did the guys. Yeah, that’s right, Kiyana introduced herself, and then Aurora did, that’s how I know her name...but the rest of us were so stunned by what Neo pulled off that we completely forgot...
"I’m so sorry, I should have introduced myself sooner! I’m Alexis Tucker, and yeah, I’m an Outlier too...one of the Meta-Orbs crashed in my backyard and I ended up touching it," I replied with a wry smile.
But, just like that, she seemed to have lost interest, simply nodding in response, as her cheetah walked in towards the shower. Which kinda made me nervous, in case it suddenly decides to bite me or something...
"Don’t worry," She suddenly remarked, as she glanced at me, "She won’t bite you...I told her not to."
"You told her? What do you mean?" I responded curiously.
"Oh, I...can talk to cats. Though...they don’t always understand...what I say, unless I...keep it simple," She answered, as she absent-mindedly reached out and popped a floating soap bubble.
Huh? Talk to cats? From what I know, the remaining Meta-Orbs before she showed up were the Aero, Dark and Space Skill Meta-Orbs. She can extend her fingernails into claws, communicate with cats, not to mention that her suppressed Aura is kinda shaped like a cat.
Suppressed Auras are usually shaped like a steady, candle-like flame around the user, but I remember Kiyana mentioning that, in rare cases, some Metas can develop unique shapes to their Auras. Of the recorded cases, most seemed to stem from the user’s emotions strongly influencing their powers.
I wonder if she’s-...no, I’ll save the questions for later. Curious as I am, I don’t want to bombard her with a barrage of questions, because I’m pretty sure that once I start asking, I won’t be able to stop, she’s such a mystery.
"Should we shampoo your cheetah too? Hm, then again, the chemicals might be too strong for an animal...," I frowned, as the cheetah stood underneath the showerhead.
"Not worth the risk...I’ll just wash her...with water," She replied, before kneeling down and running her fingers through the cheetah’s fur, who began purring softly.
"I have to admit, I was a little nervous earlier, since she’s a cheetah...but she seems more like a normal, if not slightly big, cat," I remarked, as I tentatively reached down and petted her head.
Huh, never mind, petting wet fur isn’t that great. Still, me touching her head certainly didn’t seem to bother her...
"Dot...her name is Dot," Aurora suddenly informed me.
"Oh...Dot, huh? That’s kinda, uh-..."
"It’s simple on purpose...so that she can identify it more easily. A long name might...confuse her."
Huh, guess she wasn’t going to let me trash her naming sense. She seems to be at least five years older than me, but at the same time, it kinda feels like she’s younger than me. Hm? Wait, what’s she doing...
"Uh, Miss Aurora...?"
"Hm? Since you washed my hair...I’m returning the favor," She responded innocently, as she shampooed my hair, a little bit clumsily, "I haven’t seen...soap or shampoo...in years. Smells nice."
Oh, wow. She’s adorable. And I gotta say...this is kinda really nice, I feel sort of warm and fuzzy. Yeah, this is-...oww, that stings, I got some shampoo in my eye...!
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Point-of-View: Inoka Fonseka
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"Sweet, I win again. You’re really not very good at games, are you?" I grinned, holding up my phone triumphantly.
I’d beaten him in fighting games, racing games and shooters, he’d never once managed to beat me in those types of games. He was pretty good at stuff like puzzle & board games and runner games though.
We’d been in his room for about fifteen minutes, and I was kinda bored.
"Leave me alone...I just haven’t played that, uh, many competitive games before. I never had a device good enough to run games like that. They are pretty fun though," He sighed in response.
"Let’s watch a movie or something now, I downloaded a whole bunch of stuff using the laptop I got Neo to get me, and I got some snacks too, chips, candy, sodas and stuff like that. What do you say?" I suggested, as I stifled a lazy yawn.
"Yeah, sure, sounds good, bring on the junk food," He replied with a thumbs up.
Having found a comfortable sitting position, I then reluctantly stood up and headed for the door, opening it and exiting the room, before shutting the door behind me.
"Oh, it’s you, Inoka," Came a voice to my left. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"Hm? Oh, hey, Kiyana. Done picking out clothes for the new girl?" I responded with a wave.
"Yes, she just picked a room for herself, Alexis went in with her to help clean up. I have to go get some work done, I’ll see you later," She remarked with a smile, before walking away in the opposite direction.
"Yeah, see you later," I responded, as I headed towards my room and opened the door, before walking in.
Wait, back up a sec, what did she just say...’Alexis went in with her to help clean up’...does that mean...they’re showering together? Damn it, Kiyana...you shouldn’t carelessly give away tantalizing information like that!
Doesn’t she know that guys are capable of turning the most innocuous into something dirty? Or more specifically, that some guys just can’t help but turn nearly every single thing into something dirty?
Admittedly, I probably fall into that category...I’m at the point where I literally can’t hear words or phrases like ’come’, ’insert’, ’put in’, or even more common words like ’eat’ or ’taste’, without my mind immediately going straight into the gutter. Yeah, I’ve probably got issues..
I then picked up my laptop, a couple of bags of chips and a box of chocolate-covered hazelnuts, along with a pack of cigarettes, before heading back to Zoraiz’s room, as I shut the door to my room close.
"Yo, I’m back," I remarked as I entered his room, heading in and setting up the laptop on a chair.
"You’re gonna smoke?" Frowned Zoraiz, as he spotted my pack of cigs.
"Yup, I can undo the damage to my throat and lungs using my Light Skill, so no harm. If you’re worried about second-hand smoke, I’ll heal you too," I offered, as I switched on the laptop.
"It’s not just the smoke...I used to have methheads for neighbors, so I’ve inhaled much worse second-hand smoke than tobacco. It’s the smell that bothers me the most," He responded with a look of disapproval, as I lit up a smoke.
"Well, that’s an easy fix...you gotta start smoking too, the smell won’t bother you once you’re addicted," I pointed out objectively.
"That...is probably the worst advice I’ve ever been given, and considering the types of people I had around me for most of my life, that’s saying a lot," He sighed in exasperation.
"Heh, come on, I’m mostly kidding. Oh, by the way, wonder how things are going with Alexis and the new girl, Aurora," I mused, as my mind drifted back to the bit of info that Kiyana had let slip.
"Hm? Where’d that come from?" He responded in bemusement.
Crap, was that too abrupt? Eh, whatever, I’ll just roll with it...
"Well, when I went to get my laptop, I bumped into Kiyana, who told me that Alexis was helping Aurora clean herself up...in other words, they’re probably showering together right about now," I remarked, keeping a close eye on his expression to see how he reacts to this.
"Wha-...is th-that all you think about?" He stuttered slightly, his face turning a tiny bit red.
"It’s only natural...and besides, thoughts aren’t crimes, you can’t get arrested for thinking about killing someone, for instance," I pointed out.
"...you do realize that you just basically admitted to having thoughts that would be criminal if you acted on them, right?" He frowned with a look of exasperation.
Damn, I kinda miss how he was when he still wasn’t comfortable around me and didn’t speak much...
"Come on, think about it...two cute girls, their bodies all wet, hands scrubbing each other all over, maybe they start to get playful and one thing leads to another, and the next thing you know-," I smirked suggestively.
"O-okay, okay, I get it, you can stop now! This is why freedom of speech is a mistake..."
"Hey, you know what would be the experience of a lifetime? Sneaking in and peeking on them!" I whispered with a grin.
"That’s a terrible idea, don’t do it."
"Yeah, it really is."
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