———- ——————–
. . . the Real World . . .
———- ——————–
Veronica awoke with a start as she felt someone shaking her shoulders. She opened her eyes to see Vicky sitting next to her.
“Wake up!” her sister was whispering vehemently. “I heard you moaning,” she added when she saw her sister was awake. “Are you okay? You’re covered in sweat and . . .” Vicky was a bit alarmed when Veronica started chuckling. “What?!? What’s so funny? Jesus mother of . . . you had me scared to death! I thought someone was attacking you in your head or something and . . . Would you stop laughing?!?”
Veronica couldn’t help herself. She was clutching her damp midsection and trying to stop laughing long enough to breathe. Finally, she was able to speak again. “Oh God, I needed that! I guess I’d better explain some things to you. Promise you won’t tell Mom and Dad though. This would freak them out!”
Veronica sat up, still in her lingerie, and started to explain the mental link that she and Eliza shared and some of its “fringe benefits.” Finally, Vicky went back to her room, mumbling about how she hadn’t gotten much action in over a year, but her sister was getting laid in her sleep!
———— ——————–
A few days later . . .
———— ——————–
Eliza was sitting dejectedly in her living area, staring at the video-stream. Allyson was getting a shoulder-rub from her husband Dennis, Wyrm was “researching,” (which was his term for downloading anime porn), and Thug was out by the pond staring at ducks. The day before, the group had decided to continue their work as a security force, due to the sheer boredom that would ensue if they tried to retire, so they had hired on the succubus known as Terillia as well as the troll Tiny. These two new members were sitting over by the bar filling out paperwork and tax forms. Actually, Terillia was doing the writing for both of them since Tiny’s fingers weren’t exactly built for that sort of work. Eliza had sacrificed several ballpoint pens figuring THAT one out.
Eliza was sitting around watching the national videostreams. The reopening of the dimensional portal was still the top news story, and there were increasing reports of unrest on Terra regarding a renewed policy of aggression by the Swords of Cleansing, who were apparently pretty pissed that the gateway was open again. But that was on Terra. Eliza sighed. She was a vampire by birth, but she knew she would never be asked to aid in the defense of her own homeland. So she tried to bury herself in her remodeling plans. Her five-structure compound was going to be expanded to accommodate the growth of her team, including new housing for the new members, an official guest residence and a villa-style home for Veronica and Eliza. She had already ordered the groundwork to begin, but she couldn’t decide on a floor plan.
“I’m just no good at this,” she muttered. “Give me something I can shoot. Master bathrooms are beyond me.”
Just then, the front door swung open and Veronica and Vicky strode in. Veronica was carrying all of their luggage, much to her sister’s amazement.
“She’s like a pack mule,” Vicky muttered in amazement.
Eliza stood up, trying to look as casual as possible. “Hey,” she started. “What kept you?”
Veronica dumped the baggage on the floor and strode over to her lover. “Traffic,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around Eliza’s neck and kissed her. While Eliza may have been trying to play it cool and composed, Veronica had no such compulsion. “What’cha working on?”
“Plans for the new compound and . . . and the new house . . . which we were going to live in . . . together.” Eliza had no idea why she was so nervous. Veronica had pretty much been living with her for a long time anyway.
Veronica smiled. She actually understood. Her lover was a century old, but it hadn’t been until the last year that Eliza realized that she might have a chance at something permanent. Building a house together was definitely a permanent thing. She picked up the plans off the table. “Uhm, sweetie?”
“Yes?”
“This says villa-style home. I’m not sure what you meant by ‘villa,’ but this looks like a military bunker. Without all that annoying ‘homey’ feeling.”
Eliza sighed and sat down. “Not good?”
Veronica kissed her on the top of the head. “It’s perfect. If you’re planning on going to war again. Which you’re not, are you?” she asked nervously. Then she and Eliza looked at each other and began to laugh. Veronica handed the plans to Vicky. “Spanish style villa,” she said to her sister. “Think you can handle it?”
Vicky looked over the plans and made an “icky” face. “Uhm, this just won’t do. And you’re putting in three other buildings?”
“Yeah,” Eliza said. “Two new employee residences and . . .”
“Ahem,” Veronica said, finally noticing that Terillia was sitting in the room, trying to avoid direct eye contact with the blonde Hybrid. {{ WHAT . . . is SHE doing here? }}
{{ The group voted to stay in business and we figured we could use the support. Veronica, there is NOTHING that’s going to happen! She got carried away and . . . }}
{{ Stuck her tongue down your throat, }} Veronica thought. Then she waved off Eliza’s upcoming objection. {{ Yeah, yeah, I know. Spur of the moment thing. Just don’t let it happen again, }} she thought, the smile returning to her lips. {{ I love you, ya know. }}
Eliza blushed. Veronica smiled. Vicky kept looking over the plans that looked more like military fortifications than housing.
“How much money do you have to spend?” Vicky asked of Eliza. “I need to know how much . . .”
Eliza had turned to Wyrm. “Hey, how much do we have allocated for rebuilding?”
Wyrm sent his computer clicking and whirring. Finally, “About twenty million World Dollars,” he said. Unless you want something extravagant.”
Vicky’s jaw hit her chest. “Twenty . . . twenty million?!? Holy shit! How . . . never mind. Four new buildings including one deluxe Spanish style villa, coming up!”
Veronica noticed that her sister was already beginning to drool. Vicky had always had more fashion sense, so letting her oversee the new facilities made sense. And Vicky LOVED to spend money!
———- ———————
That evening . . .
———- ———————
Veronica and Eliza were sitting at one end of the dining room table, looking over the new plans for their domicile. Vicky was glad she was going to be in charge of decoration, since the two Hybrids were primarily concerned with where they were going to put their gun safe. Both women might have been effeminate in some ways, but they were both soldiers at heart. Allyson and Dennis had retired to their house to perform “marital obligations” while Thug and Tiny were both out staring at ducks on the pond. Wyrm had just started a twelve-hour Diablo 20 marathon with some friends on-line, leaving Vicky to go exploring the new compound on her own.
She was happy with the plans she had devised for the new buildings. She was no architect, but she was pretty good at developing a coherent feel in design. It was one of the many possible careers she had started on and then abandoned when something else caught her fancy. Her most recent endeavor in cultural exchange had been the most rewarding for her and she hoped to pursue it again . . . at least as soon as she found funding for it. That was one reason she had spent so much time working on the layout for the new guesthouse. She was hoping to stay there for a while as she was getting back on her feet. Besides, she missed getting to spend time with her sister. Veronica might not be a human anymore, but she was still closer to Vicky than anyone else in the world. Vicky couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy over Eliza’s usurping of Vicky’s place in Veronica’s priority hierarchy, but she couldn’t hold on to that feeling. Eliza and Veronica were perfect together.
Vicky wandered around the compound for a while, just taking in the immensity of it all. Eliza and her crew had done well for themselves. The property was fairly vast, sprawling and well guarded. She avoided poking around the private domiciles, though she was tempted to have a look through Eliza’s place. She admired her sister’s taste . . . Eliza was a hottie.
Vicky found herself walking up a trail that led up into the mountains behind the main compound. She remembered back when she had been the “wild child” in the family, always looking for fame and glory. Then her sister joined a swat team, worked as a United States envoy, had gotten herself involved in military actions, been kidnapped and formed her own species. Vicky was feeling a bit like an underachiever all of a sudden. “What the hell happened?” she asked of the sunset.
“When?”
Vicky jumped almost out of her skin when a strange voice crept out of the dimming light. She turned and saw the succubus that she had seen in the meeting room earlier.
“Good grief, you scared the shit out of me!” she said, holding her hand over her heart.
Terillia just looked at her for a moment, trying to sense if “scared the shit out” was one of those English phrases that was just a phrase or should be taken literally. Finally, she accepted it was just a saying. “I apologize,” she said, ruffling her feathers a bit and stretching her wings. She had been sitting up on that rock for about an hour, and it was beginning to wear on her. “I thought you were talking to me.”
“I didn’t even see you. I think I’m the only one around here who can’t see very well in the dark.”
Terillia sat back down on the rock and wrapped her wings around herself like a cocoon. She was a bit sensitive to the cold, and even the mild late Falls of California made her a bit nippy.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know if I caught your name?” Vicky said.
“Terillia,” the succubus said, somewhat forlornly.
“Something bothering you?” Vicky asked, leaning against the boulder that the succubus was perched on.
“I was so happy that Ms. Eliza agreed to hire me and that I didn’t half to go back to Terra . . . then . . . that woman that looks just like you but isn’t . . .”
“My sister?” Vicky said.