Maxie Reckless and the Kith #06

Waking up draped awkwardly over a too-small Kith bed makes everything feel all too real. Like when you wake up from a night of drinking, and your hangover is so intense that it feels like you're in a completely different world... except this time, I am in a different world. Suddenly the dreamlike nature of being dragged into an underground haven of alien fairies isn't a dream at all, and the gravity and reality of my situation hits me like a big huge pile of dicks.

I blink my eyes a few times, rolling onto my side and getting frustratingly twisted up in the thin, weirdly mossy blankets I've been covered in. The room I'm in is small, cozy and earthen like the rest of this part of the Glade. The walls look like they were carved from a massive mushroom stalk, and softly-glowing lanterns illuminate the little den from the natural pockets they're nestled in. I exhale slowly through my nose, working up the strength to sit up. The blanket slides off of my shoulders, revealing the small, pierced breasts that nobody is nearby to see.

I have a moment of silence, a moment of aloneness, a second to relax. I can take this moment to take stock of whatever the fuck is actually goi-

My train of thought is abruptly interrupted by a flying face-tackle from Filistata, who's just now noticed that I'm awake. To be honest, I'd kind of forgotten that he existed. Little guy's cute and everything, but he's also low on my current list of things to worry about. Best to keep his fluffy ass around though, you never know - the way this has been working out, he might end up being the secret key to my survival.

Since the fluffy, purring, squirming little whatever-he-is is the one currently clinging to my chest, nibbling adoringly at my collarbone, I'll start with him on my little recap - I have a pet ixling, who's imprinted on me. I'm being held hostage in a place called The Glade, which I only found because I'm somehow half-Kith. The issue, obviously, being that nobody knows which one of the dozen wacky fruit flavors of Kith my half actually is. Which means I have to go on an insane quest to undergo Bondings (whatever the fuck those are) with each various clan, and if none of those stick, I'm inherently evil and have to be immediately killed.

I'm gonna go on record right now as saying that last thing sounds a little racist. Sadly, I have absolutely no control over anything that's going on.

I start counting more stuff off on my fingers. Ixling, Glade, half-Kith, Bondings, Folakith, cute new outfit, Zin...

Right, Zin.

My bodyguard slash babysitter, the exiled hermit chick. She's the person I need to actually see right now. Sighing, I toss the thin blanket off of my body, sitting up and stretching out, relishing the few satisfying pops I feel in my spine. The gray splotchy ixling curls up on my shoulder like a little fuzzy pirate parrot, but his warmth is kind of refreshing. Someone who's unconditionally on my side through all this, while it may not mean much in the case of Filistata, definitely helps my state of mind a little bit.

I find my clothes where I left them - in a crumpled-up bundle on the floor at the foot of my bed, where I always leave my clothes. Being an organized and responsible adult was one of the first things I dismissed as "not punk enough" when I began my new life as Maxie Reckless, leaving Maxine Harper behind as the frizzy-haired dork who never served me very well. Slipping into the slim kilt and harness-like top takes longer without the twins to help; the top in particular is fastened with a lot of small, pliable ropes and hooks, similar to the frogs on kung fu suits. The skirt, fortunately, uses buckles - still a pain in the ass, but something I know my way around.

Fully dressed and with my mohawk fixed up as much as I can, I look around for any trace of where to go next, maybe a note or something. I find nothing. I remember Zin saying she'd "find me" in the morning, and yet here I am, totally alone in a tiny corner of an alien world of unknown vastness.

"You got a clue, buddy?" I look to my shoulder, to little Filistata, who's staring empathetically at me. "Didn't figure you did. Worth a shot, though. Shame you're not one of those helpful talking companions - what I wouldn't give for my own personal Midna right about now. Fuck, I'd settle for Navi." I let out a little sigh and go the only place there is to go - out. The exit to the small room is less a door and more a dense, verdant curtain of unknown flowery material. I duck down slightly and push it aside, escaping into the open air of the "Faoikith" quarter of the Glade. As far as I can tell, anyway.

There's more bizarre fungal lighting, little lantern-clusters dotting the ubiquitous ceiling of this underground metropolis. From what I can tell, in some kind of... apartment complex? That's nothing even resembling the correct description, but its the closest I can come to. There's a wide, winding pathway that spirals upward and downward from my current point, dotted with fungal pods similar to the one I came out of. Not large enough to be houses or even homes of any sort, just... rooms, I guess. So not an apartment, more like a motel. A place to rest for one night. The question is, putting together what I know about the Kith, they're an immortal, slowly-reproducing species with plenty of space. Shouldn't everyone have their own home? What is the purpose of a place like this when they don't get visitors from the outside world?

Whatever. I'm tired of trying to figure this big ridiculous place out, and it's not like I'm staying anyway. I need Zin. Making an assumption that's probably wrong, I start heading down the spiraling pathway, figuring that the floor-level will be where the majority of the city lies. I don't know if I'm supposed to be wandering the streets alone or not, but I'm sure as fuck not just gonna stay in that room. Claustrophobic enough in a place without a sky. "Zin?" I call out softly, feeling just slightly too big for the world around me as I make my way down loop after loop of little hotel-pods as I pass by too-short door after too-short door.

"Dolo-an?"

"Zil ek farr."

"Is that her?"

I pause, turning and looking around for the source of the voices, not finding them above or below me, but eventually finding them to my side. Two women, a little smaller than even Zin and the other Faoikith, flutter a ways to the side of the pathway - yeah, flutter. Far paler than any of the other Kith I've seen and both with hair of pure white, these two dress in various shades of blue, gray, and one instance of muted yellow. They lack the antennae of the Kith I'm used to, sport a few more fingers, and most notably, have a quartet of shimmering gossamer wings like that of a wasp or cricket.

I decide not to comment on the fact that I have no clue who or what the fuck they are. "Probably," I answer honestly. "Then again, I could just have one of those faces. Is it that?" I tilt my head from side to side to show off my profile shots. "It's that, isn't it?"

"You're the girl, the half-human," one of the flying girls says with a curious expression, drawing near but keeping her distance, wings folding behind her as she settles on the knobby edge of the pathway. "The one under the convict's care?"

"Wow, word travels fast. Is there a way I can get a subscription to Glade Hourly? I feel like it might come in handy."

"She thinks she's funny," the other fairy-chick chitters, drawing nearer and landing beside her friend. Their eyes, I notice now, are even more bug-like than the Faoikith's, very large and completely black. Sorta spooky. Still, I feel like I have a good fifty pounds on them so I'm not too scared.

"Bitch, I am funny. Now are the two of you stalking me for a reason or do you just wanna feel cool? 'Cause the wings might be a little too on-the-nose for that." I puff my chest out a little bit, not at all because I might be slightly self-conscious that four-foot fairies have proportionately larger boobs than I do.

"You humans make so little sense," the first one murmurs, furrowing her brow at me a little, seemingly baffled by a fairly simple insult.

"That's half-human to you. Now unless you know where Zin is, kindly fuck off and let me get back to looking for her."

The two look at each other, confused for a moment, then back to me. "So early? I assume she's still in her quarters, wherever those are."

"Early? It's only-" I reached towards my pocket, only to remember that I have no pockets, and that I left my smartphone in the car anyway. Stupid, stupid Maxie. "I slept a full night, she should be awake."

The pair of fluttering Kith let out a mutual chuckle, followed by a disdainful look aimed at yours truly. "A full night? You must be quite productive," the second one said with a smirk. "Trust me, she's still in bed. I wouldn't expect her to function on eight hours sleep unless she's some kind of masochist."

My eyes grow distant for a moment as I chew on that. It honestly hadn't occurred to me that a totally foreign species might have a different sleeping cycle than the one I'm used to. It explains why Zin hasn't shown up to get me yet. I have a feeling that this will be very inconvenient for me in the future - then again, might also offer opportunities to sneak away if everyone sleeps for twelve hours. At least my newfound habit of scheming helps me convince myself that I have enough hope to make it through this.

"Well, do you have any idea where I can find her?" I finally sigh. The two winged Kith glance at each other, blank-faced for a moment before turning back to me.

"Why would we know?"

"Because obviously you give a fuck, or else you wouldn't take the time out of your bizarrely short days to harass me just for existing. So if you have an inkling of the direction she should be coming from, you can tell me now and I'll be one step closer to getting executed. Isn't that what you two want?" I fold my arms across my negligible chest, giving the pair of them a sour look and causing yet another uncomfortable silence for a moment.

"Zin isn't allowed to take quarter with other Faoikith. She'll either be at the entrance to the Glade, or in one of the strai kennels," the second woman finally says, a little hesitant. Great, just what I needed when I have no clue where to even start - multiple options. Not only that, but without an actual direction to go in, their "help" helps very little.

I start to get frustrated, feeling it rise up in my chest. I'm sick of these two and I'm sick of this place in general. Why the fuck they decided to leave me alone in the first place is baffling, since I have no knowledge of my surroundings. Some babysitter Zin turned out to be. "Tell me where the strai kennels are," I say, trying not to visibly clench my teeth. I don't know where Zin's post is, but I do know that it took us a while to walk from there to the underground settlement. It makes more sense that she'd be somewhere closer.

One of the winged Kith points her finger and I turn on my heel, not saying goodbye or otherwise acknowledging them. I'm just a tabloid to them (or whatever the fuck constitutes tabloids in the Glade), and I'm not that interested in being their entertainment any more. I hold Filistata lightly against my shoulder as I pick up my pace, ignoring the idle chatter between the two of them as I leave. I'm supposed to do the bonding, let's do the fucking bonding.

I start making my way back down the winding, earthy pathway, heading in the direction they'd pointed and praying that my bullshit investigative skills actually help me find Zin, rather than just getting more and more lost. In the interest of time, I do eventually find her - there was a lot more wandering, a few more awkward looks, and ultimately, nothing interesting enough to bother sharing. Sometimes, against all odds, something just goes normally - not that the fact did anything diminish the leap of relief I felt when I finally saw Zin striding towards me on those short legs of hers.

"Zinfandel!" I shouted, almost squeeing with excitement as I rushed towards her. "Why didn't you tell me you weirdos sleep half the day? And what the fuck is a strai and why do they need kennels? You guys do know those are for dogs, right?"

"What are dogs?" the lilac-skinned Faoikith backpedals slightly, folding her arms as I loom over her insignificant height. "And... what is a Zinfandel?"

"I thought you said you guys used to live among humans? You've gotta know what dogs are."

"My ancestors lived among humans. I have never left the Glade."

I tense my brow slightly, eyeing her. "You've gotta stop acting like I know how Kith generations work. I still have no idea how you guys reproduce, since shoving your dicks in my ass didn't seem to do it."

"Perhaps, then, you should stop assuming I know anything of human culture. There is still much you have to learn about the Kith."

I narrow my eyes at her, glaring for a long moment before sticking my tongue out. She is neither amused, nor insulted, nor does she particularly seem to understand the gesture. "Are you prepared for your Bonding?"

"Is that with a capital letter? I'm kinda back and forth on it."

Her serious expression grows even more baffled. I start to miss Elle - she appreciated my jokes. Actually, what happened to the twins? I need to get back in touch with them, maybe blow off some steam. They were fun.

"Okay, I mean, I guess so. I'm awake. And dressed. That's about all I've got going on. It's not like anyone feeds me." Admittedly, the bath I took last night made me feel... better. Still empty, but oddly refreshed. Still, even if that's how Kith get sustenance, I'm half-human and I've been eating food my whole life. I find myself doubting that they have a black market chili-mac dealer on the street corner down here.

"Then you're not prepared. Come with me, and we'll get this taken care of. I'm not expecting you to pass, but this is the first step to getting you back above ground." As usual, Zin looks concerned, though I'm not sure why my fate matters to her. You'd think she'd be cheering for me to get beheaded so she could go home and wash her hands of the whole thing.

Then again, maybe that's not the idea. Maybe Zin wants to get away from the Faoikith. It seemed like she was stationed at her post near the front, secluded from everyone else. Maybe being my babysitter isn't the nuisance I'd assumed it was... maybe, for Zin, it's a way out. "Take me there, then. Let's get this show on the road."

"Again," Zin said, waving her hand for me to follow her and turning, walking back the way she came. "Don't expect too much from this. Not only are Faoikith a fairly small percentage of the Kith as a whole, they're the least likely to wander outside the Glade. The chance that you'll pass this Bonding is... well, very low. Worth trying, obviously, but don't get your hopes up too much."

"Anything that prolongs the lifespan of my neck is fine by me," I chatter back, then quickly follow up with a question that's been bugging me since about ten seconds ago. "What do you mean by preparation, anyway? Prepare me for the preparation, if you will."

"Nothing you can't handle, Outsider-"

"-Maxie-"

"-but perhaps something I should explain before we arrive," she finished, her little legs trying to keep up with my decidedly longer strides. I figured we were going back to the palace where we'd been yesterday, but the dim twinkling of crystals and the soft glow of curling fronds quickly leads me to believe that we're going elsewhere. In the low lighting I can barely see the crystalline citadel looming in the near distance, glittering contently as we grow closer. I figure that's where we're headed. I end up being kind of right.

The entrance to the citadel forks: upwards, into the structure itself, and downwards, into a tunnel that goes deeper and deeper into the earth. Still dimly lit but just as filled with soft, pale colored glows as the rest of this subterranean place. Along the way, Zin explains to me - poorly - the nature of the preparations that I apparently must undertake before the bonding is attempted. There's a lot of talk about baring and cleansing, making myself "pure" and empty before the Faoikith try to decide if I'm one of them or not. She uses vague terms, getting more and more uncomfortable as I try to press her for specifics, but I'm getting the jist, I think. Maybe Detective Reckless can be a thing, after all.

"So basically you wanna strip me down, bathe me, and jerk me off," I say drily as the two of us travel deeper into the sub-citadel caverns. "Are you sure this isn't a porno? Because a lot of solutions to a lot of problems seem to involve fucking me, so far."

"It isn't-" Zin huffs, then sighs. "It's an old tradition to cleanse the body as fully as possible before the Bonding is attempted. The Faoikith ritual is rather... unorthodox."

"Can't wait to see what that ends up being," I retort, exhaling through my nose. I continue to follow along behind, however, as Zin leans me to a sort of strange grottoe, a crystalline pool of water within the underground cave beneath the citadel, the one we seem to have finally arrived at the epicenter of.

"Can you disrobe for me, Maxie?" Zin says softly, leading me up to the edge of the pool and turning to look up at me, those big eyes of hers striking mine. Her tone sounds almost pure, but considering what I know will have to happen, I can't help but smirk and look away, nodding a little.

"Yeah, sure," I say softly, moving towards the edge of the pool myself and starting to undress, taking my new garments apart piece by piece and setting Filistata on the ground beside me. I glance over my shoulder, guarding a little chuckle as I strip down, keeping my back to Zin as I get naked for her. "And into the water, I assume?"

Zin nods at me, chewing her lower lip slightly. I really can't get a read on this girl, no matter how I try. She watches me like she wants me, but as far as I can tell from her actual behavior, she's all business. As I slip into the water (finding it to be pleasantly cool and sparkling, like the bath I took with the twins last night) the kith girl begins to undress herself, leaving her own strange garments behind her and baring her smooth, pale purple figure as she starts to wander into the pool beside me. Alien as she is, I have to admit that she's beautiful, those soft breasts, cute hips. Her tail - a long, thin, sinuous thing - sways and lashes behind her, finally betraying a bit of excitement or nervousness or some such. At least, what isn't already being betrayed by the slow swelling and stiffening of her feminine, hairless dick.

"Is that an erect penis between your legs or are you just happy to see me?" I smirk, drawing what might be a blush to Zin's face as the kith girl slips into the water beside me. It's hard to tell, obviously, considering that her skin is already purple and I don't have the slightest clue what color her blood is.

"No, I - it's neither of those things, I just..." Zin pauses, fidgeting awkwardly as she keeps her distance slightly, those dark eyes of hers skimming over my body as I recline against the smooth edge of the pool, my boobs just enough out of the water that my nipples are visible. "This isn't about me, Maxie. It's a duty I must perform. It's sacred."

"Sacred shmacred. It's not a crime to enjoy yourself. Plus it isn't like we haven't already had sex."

"...Shmacred?"

I blink. "You only get about sixty percent of what I say, don't you?"

"Maybe slightly less."

I sigh and reach out, wrapping my arms around Zin's waist and drawing her up against me, eliciting a little yelp from the smaller woman. I can feel her cock touch mine, it's a little stiffer, already excited from embarrassment - and, I assume, seeing me naked. I press my lips gently against hers, feeling her chest squish into mine, and her entire body goes a little stiff, like she's uncertain of the gesture at all. I don't have time for her to pussyfoot though; if we need to get me off before the ritual (or whatever the fuck the Bonding is supposed to be) then we're gonna damn well do it right.