Stolen Ch. 02

"Try eating," she said. "You might be hungry and your new body just hasn't recognized it yet."

I examined the offered plate and considered the colorful selections. They looked like normal green and purple grapes with bright slices of melon. Normally my breakfast was just coffee, not being hungry in the morning was normal.

Thinking back on the past events, I hadn't eaten anything at least half a day before Briselen had taken me. I wasn't sure how long the shopping trip had been. Maybe I was hungry after all.

Picking up what I hoped was a normal grape; I bit into the plump purple flesh. Relief swept through me at the taste. It was a normal grape after all, seedless even. As I chewed my stomach growled, it sounded thunderous and drew their attention.

They both smiled and Nenny ordered some bread and cheese. I popped another grape into my mouth as I looked over the slices of melon. Nenny watched me consume the fruit with a smile, while taking sips from her mug. As I was reaching for a slice of what I hoped was watermelon I glanced at her and thought of the mystery signs over some buildings.

"Nenny, what does the sign that looks like a bush mean?"

"It means the building is an Inn or has rooms for rent," she replied. Noticing the curious look I gave her she elaborated further. "It's a very old symbol from another world. People used to sleep under large bushes and hedges, so that's why it's a bush."

"Do you have bushes and hedges? All I've seen is city and stone besides these flowers and fruit," I asked and gestured around us before taking a bite from the melon.

She smiled and said, "The northern valleys have a river and it's full of green growing things. We have some farms there too. The rest of our supplies come from trade through the portals."

"Oh. What about the sign with the three interlocking circles? The one that looks like a triangle of overlapping eggs."

The merchant returned and set some sliced bread and cheese on a plate between us before she walked over to another patron. Nenny smiled to herself and watched me from the corners of her eyes as she said, "It's a place where couples go to indulge. It's also where singles go looking for a partner, or a third. Couples also go there to be watched as they join with each other. Many who don't have time simply walk through to observe and to feed."

I stared at her with my mouth hanging open. No wonder there were so many of those signs. They were hookup spots for succubi. Places I need to stay away from unless I wanted to get involved in spontaneous group activities. Or be watched while engaging in sexual endeavors. My face flushed at the last thought, the things Gianna had teased me with rushed through my mind.

Taking a large gulp of the muddy looking kaw, I paused and considered my reactions up to this point. I had to be honest, the thought of being watched both excited and confused me. These voyeuristic impulses were new. Previous girlfriends had liked dirty talk and whispering that someone was watching them would drive them wild while embarrassing them. The farthest it had ever gone was some heavy petting on a balcony at night.

"Nenny, am I normal?" I asked without thinking about what I said. Then I cringed at the opening I left her for a smart assed remark.

The wide smirk she gave me told me the answer and I blushed and stammered, "What I mean is, Gianna said that most Stolen are a wreck for weeks or months. She said I liked being a girl and."

I snapped my mouth shut at that. No way was I going to admit that it wasn't so bad. Then I blinked in surprise, I really didn't think it was so bad. Was it part of the change or was it something else that had me thinking that? I shook my head to myself I took another drink of kaw.

She was giving me a thoughtful look and nodded to herself before answering, "It is unheard of for a Stolen to be as accepting as you have been so soon. You've had a few tantrums, yes, they were tantrums, but overall it's as if you were willing to be a factotum."

Pausing to take a sip from her mug, she continued, "The investigation continues into how Briselen opened the portal, perhaps something will shed some insight into your behavior."

I groaned into my cup in near despair. That confirmed it. I was officially a freak. Not that I had been all that normal anyways. I jerked my head up and looked back at Nenny who looked amused at my reactions.

"Why am I so short?" I whined, blurting out the first thing that popped to mind. "Briselen said I was to be the same height as her, is she a midget?"

She laughed at me. At me, not with me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "She is short for a lilim. She's shorter now after you blew her up and dropped a roof on her."

That perked me up and I smiled at her, visions of the exploding apartment danced in my eyes. She patted my shoulder once more then took a sip from her cup.

Giving me a playful look she added, "It's unusual to see someone shorter than us, we all tend to be of similar height, even the factotum. It adds to your appeal. Once we remember to look down."

I snorted a laugh through my nose. Great, I was a people McNugget now. After I ate another grape, I shook my mug and tried to gauge how much kaw was left in it.

"Here, eat this and I'll get you another mug of kaw," Nenny said and placed a slice of cheese wrapped in bread in my hand.

I finished the kaw in my cup and placed it on the counter while saying, "I've decided I don't like the name kaw."

She gave me an amused look and asked, "Is that so?"

Taking a bite of the wrapped cheese, I nodded. While covering my mouth with the palm of a hand I said, "I'm going to rename it."

Nenny took a slice of cheese for herself and gave me a quizzical look as she flagged down the vendor. She placed another order with the succubus and turned to me, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

After swallowing another bite of the cheese sandwich I said, "I'm going to name it kopi. It's close to coffee but subtly different. Or in the case of kaw, substantially wrong in smell."

"I don't think that'll catch on," she said with a faint smile.

Shrugging, I ate some more of the cheese and bread as I looked around. It'll catch on. I'll badger people until they start using the term, one succubus at a time. While I observed the lilim passing by while eating, something I had wondered crept back into my thoughts.

"Why streets?" I blurted out as the merchant placed another steaming mug of kaw in front of me. Both succubi looked surprised at my outburst.

Gesturing to their wings I clarified, "You have wings. Why do you have streets? Why don't you just fly everywhere? It seems odd that you walk instead of soar to your destinations."

They both laughed while they exchanged looks with each other. The merchant went to greet another patron while chuckling.

Nenny gave me a wide smile before she explained, "Yes, we do have wings but our shoulders, our wing muscles aren't strong enough for normal sustained flight. We glide very well and we can jump fairly far. Our wings help us cover short distances quickly but it's very tiring. It's much more efficient to walk, we do have legs too."

"Oh," I replied. It seemed like a waste and a bit of a hassle to have large wings if you couldn't fly very far.

"We can fly longer and higher if we have a factotum, or if catalyst infused us, by using magic. But even then it is taxing."

"Is that why you have so many towers? So you can glide down to places?"

She nodded, still smiling at me. "We do have very good vision and the towers are excellent vantage points. Most of the noble houses have erected aeries above some of the great pillars, I'm sure you've noticed them."

I nodded and ate some more bread and cheese. We fell into a comfortable silence at the food stall. She kept pushing the fruit and cheese on me until I finished it all. After I emptied the second mug of kaw, she stood up and retrieved her bundle of clothes.

"Come one, I'll take you back so you can drop off your shopping then I'll take you to the Lounge. I'm sure the girls are worried," she said as she stretched.

"Probably worried I'm destroying the city," I muttered picking up my pouch and package.

Nenny laughed as we walked back to the apartments.

***