fateandfortune | Just two vampires, traveling the galaxy... [For Todd the Wraith]

They moved onto the sheep next, woolly and many with young nearby, their baa'ing clearly heard as the group approached the field.

"They're quite simple creatures." the wraith said. It wasn't a compliment. "Rounding them up, even on horseback, has been very trying."

"You said something about dogs doing such work?" Todd asked Rogue.

She nodded and turned to address Todd specifically. "There are different kinds of dogs that have been bred for herding," she explained. "They're trained to respond to a series of commands, usually words or whistles, even hand gestures. They can keep the animals in place, round them up, herd them from one location to another... It all depends on how well they're trained and handled."

A glance at the other wraith, just for a moment. "There are also breeds that are good for protecting livestock from predators. If there's anything in the area that would find lamb a tasty dinner, it might be something to consider as well."

Todd resisted the urge to smile as she demonstrated her..."consultation" side.

The wraith seemed less aggressive after that, realizing she was indeed there for a purpose, not to just look at the pretty animals. He nodded and the fellow with him made a note on his tablet about that. "You said Atlantis would provide canines?" he asked

"No guarantees." Todd said firmly "They haven't even come to visit this planet yet to see our progress, but it will most definitely be brought up when we meet them again."

The other nodded again and they moved onto the goats. Which were not only more active than the sheep but less spooked by any that approached, one even head-butting a couple of them. The barn and open area for them seemed to meet Rogue's approval, which meant the tour was done and they could all head back to the ship to wash up after the busy day.

It was easy to see the change in the foreign wraith after their little demonstration, and it helped to set Rogue just a little more at ease. Enough so at least to enjoy the natural humor of the goats - they'd always been one of her favorite animals, despite their temperament.

As nice as it had been to get some fresh air, she was glad to be back on the ship. The cool, dry air was wonderful on her skin, and the dimmer lights were soothing after the tension she'd felt on the planet. She stretched her arms above her head when they arrive back at the ship, breathing in deeply and finally fully relaxing. It was good to be home.

After a quick word with the others to see how the worshiper colonies were fairing, Todd gave the order to set off for the distress signal once the ship was ready to endure hyperspace again. Then he and rogue went to his chambers, finding out that the shower ability had finally been incorporated into his bathroom. The tub had not been removed but now a new knob on the wall had grown and in a portion of the room, the water fell as hard or light as you liked.

Todd set about removing his clothes and putting them into the closest to clean, stepping up behind Rogue and resting his hands on her shoulders as she worked her own clothes off. He breathed softly in her hair, closing his eyes. "You did well as my consultant" he smiled.

"Thank you," she said with her own smile, stepping out of her near filthy jeans, adding them to the rest of her pile of things that she would put into the closet later. She had other things she could change into before they were clean. "It was a clever explanation, though I'd expect nothing less from you."

She set her hands on his and turned her head slightly to look back at him over her shoulder. "Thank you for protecting me down there," she told him softly. "Saying the things you did."

Edited 2016-01-15 01:02 (UTC)

"You're welcome. Other hives, while they've changed their diet, have not yet changed their habits. Eventually, perhaps, but for now, throwing them off before they can get any ideas is the best solution."

He stepped in under the comfortably hot spray, a wonderful change from soaking in a bath. It felt good after such a long day in the sun and dirt. His tired worked muscles were already healed, and his mind was drifting to the distress signal and possibility it might hold.

Eventually didn't seem like it would come very soon, with Todd's hive being the ones to have the most non-hostile interactions with humans. Rogue wondered idly how long it would take before the rest of his species took that step - old habits like that would be difficult to break, after all. What Todd had managed with his hive was little short of a miracle.

She watched him for a moment, reaching around to press at her back muscles that were sore from bending over so often to examine crops. "You're thinking about the ship, aren't you?" she asked him quietly, almost hesitantly. "The one with the distress signal. You're thinking about what we'll find there."

He looked to her and chuckled. "I'm getting to be more like a human if you can read what I'm thinking so easily" he grinned

"Yes, I am thinking of the ship, though the more I dwell on it the more I wonder just what happened to cause its disappearance in the first place." True he was also thinking about the obvious possible queen on board, but the ship itself was becoming more and more disconcerting.

He was only glad they weren't going to be the first to arrive and assess the situation. He was getting tired of being the hive who poked everything possibly dangerous first.

She smiled at his joke but just shook her head. He still wasn't much like a human, she was just getting used to his ways, and it made sense that he would be thinking of the thing looming in their future.

"It sure doesn't make sense that they'd just disappear to take a vacation, especially not with everything going on in the galaxy right now," she remarked, reaching up to carefully undo the braid he'd given her, the one she wore all the time now. "But I'm also living proof that a lot of weird things are possible."

He also worked to undo his new hair decorations to properly wash everything. Another chuckle at that last bit. "You're quite right."

After they let down their hair and were thoroughly wet from head to toe, Todd began to wash Rogue's back, as always, careful of his claws as he massaged the soap into her skin and scrubbed away the grime and sweat of the day.

It was as wonderfully relaxing as every other time he had done this for her, the simple act of having the soap worked across the expanse of her back releasing a tension she hadn't realized was there. She sighed deeply and glanced back at him as she had earlier, her thoughts circling back around to that ship and what it could represent for him.

"I wish I could help you more," she said softly, the words laced with sadness. "I can do some things, sure, but I can't be what you need most. I can't be a queen, and I can't find one for you." The words cracked a little as her throat tightened and her jaw trembled. "I would, you know, if I could. Even though it means I would have to leave. Because you deserve it. Your crew deserves it."

Todd paused as he listened to her.

"Kind of you, and I know you would. Also know that regardless of whether the ship we're headed for carries a queen or there will be one in our future later down the road, I'll do whatever I can to ensure your home remains on the hive." he said. "You've done much for me and my crew already. The least I can do is convince a queen. And as you already know I can be quite convincing." he grinned.

Her smile in return was strained, but still genuine. "You certainly can," she agreed, and tried to do her best to believe that would be enough. Because the thing she was most afraid of was losing him and her home in one fell swoop. She'd already lost so much, she wasn't sure she could take that too. Not when she'd let herself get so attached. It would have been different if she'd left even just a few weeks ago, but now...

"You mean a lot to me, Todd," she told him quietly, looking forward again so she didn't have to see his reaction to her words. "You... I can't even really describe it. But losing you - I don't think I could survive that kind of pain again."

Todd resumed washing her back. He was fairly confident he could put in a good argument for keeping Rogue on board. While their time together would be severally reduced, especially while the queen settled into life on board the hive, Rogue would still be among his crew and have a place to call home.

During his imprisonment, after the ache of starvation seemed to reduce him to his weakest point, he remembered feeling what humans call "homesickness". He'd changed hives many times in his long life for one reason or another, but still, the familiarity of a hive was among the things he'd longed for most.

Rogue would undoubtedly feel as he had should their queen boot her off the ship, only difference was that there'd been a glimmer of hope during his imprisonment that he'd see a hive again. For Rogue, it was either Atlantis, or the worshiper world and the farmland, and never again board a hive.

"Cease your fears of the future" he advised. "There are a lot of unknown factors regarding that distressed ship, including the possibility of there not being a queen on board at all."

"You're right," she acknowledged, resolving to do as he'd said. When they had more answers about the ship, then she could resume the hours of worrying and being terrified of losing the only home she had left. Until then, she just had to take it one day at a time.

Rogue felt a bit of that homesickness every day, despite the life she'd managed to create in this dimension. The only thing was, as much as she missed the world she'd come from, nothing would ever be the same there. The world she'd loved was gone, on the verge of complete and utter destruction because of the monsters in power - humans who would rather see a building burn and crumble than let the mutant inside live, even if that building was full of priceless cultural treasures like the Louvre.

As strange as a hive ship was for a human, this one truly had become her home. She enjoyed the challenge of learning her way through the ship, studying the strange organic structures that formed furniture and shelving, and she'd even gotten used to the low lighting that had previously strained her eyes. But what really made it home were the wraith on board, her mate and her students. She would miss them more than anything.

After they finished washing up, they dressed in clean clothes and headed down to the kitchen for something to eat. Today's group were cooking completely unsupervised, but thankfully when they arrived, nothing had gone horribly wrong.

The pair ate in a comfortable quiet after the others had left. Cleaning up, they returned to his chambers. He wanted to read a little more but he could tell Rogue's mind was elsewhere, on the ship several days out. So after they dressed for bed, instead of taking up the book, he pulled her close, stroking her long damp hair and then pressed a blunt nip and kiss against her throat. They hadn't had sex since their first time and he thought it might not only relax her but shift her mind away from the fear and anxiety that lay ahead. Didn't need her having more nightmares if he could help avoid it.

It had been a long day, and while part of Rogue wanted nothing more than to snuggle into the blankets and sleep for a week, it didn't hold a candle to the need she felt to be close to him. There was no telling what the situation with the ship would mean for her, for them, and she didn't want to waste the time they had together when that uncertainty was weighing so heavily on her thoughts.

She let a quiet moan slip out as she tilted her head to give him better access to her throat. One of her hands slid up into his hair, the thin braids still a little damp against her fingers.

He'd thought she might push him away, too caught up with events to let herself enjoy the affection. Glad she didn't, he intensified things quickly by kissing her hard and pulling her to lay on top of him.

Todd caressed her back, his other hand cupping her jaw, drinking in her moans and enjoying each one he managed to get out of her.

The hand on her jaw moved down, sliding between her breasts and then further down to then slide up her shirt and tease along her stomach and ribs.

Rogue would never be one to turn away an affectionate touch, especially not one from Todd. It would take something incredibly distressing or her being royally pissed off for her to push him away. Neither was the case just now, so she nothing short of eager for each and every kiss and brush of hands.

There was something incredibly empowering about being on top of him. As his fingers teased her stomach, she arched slightly into that light touch before quickly sitting up and tugging her shirt over her head. Since they'd been dressed for bed, there was nothing under the shirt but her own skin, which became completely apparent when she leaned back down and her breasts brushed his own shirt. She set a hand on either side of his head as she kissed him just as intensely as he had her, and still being just as vocal.

He missed having someone on top for once. With fellow males, he'd not had a partner who he felt deserved to top him in some time. Kenny was the only one who'd come close, but getting the second in command into bed was a challenge in that itself as the male was far less concerned with relaxation and sex than he was ensuring everything was running ship-shape.

At least that put any concerns of Todd's over the other's loyalty to rest as the guy, while he liked to run things, had no initiative to take charge. He liked being given power in other words, not taking it. Unusual, but it seemed this hive was full of unusual wraith. Including himself.

Todd returned the passionate kiss, giving one of Rogue's breasts a squeeze and teased the nipple before sitting up himself to remove his shirt. They broke the kiss so he could do so, ruffling his hair in the process before he managed to get out of it and toss the black cloth aside and pull the mutant down with him again.

"You'll have to get off me at some point so I or yourself can retrieve some oil" he rumbled in her ear, squeezing her breast again, his feeding slit wide open as he took in her heat and scent.

"Always so practical," she murmured, setting a line of kisses along his jaw and down his neck, stopping at that curve between neck and shoulder to scrape her teeth along his skin in a firm bite. Her left hand found his right arm and she trailed her fingers along the back of it until she reached his hand on her.

"I've always meant to ask what it means," she told him, leaning back a little to take in his expression. "It was like this last time we were together." She could feel the difference of the open slit against her skin, but couldn't remember him ever explaining it to her. Perhaps she'd never known how to ask the right question until know.

"Ask what means?" he asked, holding back a moan of disappointment when she drew away. His brow furrowed in confusion when she continued. "What was like this last time?"

But her hand on his own answered the question. "Ah I see." he withdrew his hand, the slit very open and even glistening in the dim light before resting it palm-up on the pillow beside him. "Over the years my kin have found the feeding organ to be more than just our way to feed. A wraith once removed his entirely in order to try and stop the feeling of starvation, but before he died he did record his findings, which were that removing it was not only a mistake but was like removing your tongue, nose, and skin all at once. Becoming blind to the world around you. It's not an additional sense like our telepathy is, but enhances the senses we have, particularly smell, touch, and taste. As a result, we can pinpoint prey in even complete blackness." he elaborated, lifting his hand again to caress her arm with his claws.

"As for the reason why mine was open before and is now...well, I'd be more or less blind to the full experience of you if it wasn't. However, if it bothers you I can control it."

"No," she told him with a slight shake of her head. "I wouldn't take that from you even if it did bother me. You deserve to enjoy this as much as possible." She knew what it was like to live with dulled senses, having spent so many years having her own sense of touch impeded by layers of cloth. She would never do that to him when they were intimate and so much depended on those sensations. "But just so you know, it doesn't bother me. I find it kind of fascinating actually."

To prove her point, she took his hand in hers again, lifting it away from her skin. She studied that open slit for a moment before leaning down to press a kiss at the end nearest his fingers. She wasn't afraid of him, even though it had been proven at their first meeting that he could feed on her, and she wasn't bothered by the strange wraith aspects of his physiology. He was just Todd for her, a man she trusted even in the most intimate of situations. Especially in those, really.

He smiled a little as she said she didn't mind and she'd allow him not to try and control it. It would be hard to anyway, kind of like breathing through your mouth to avoid smelling something awful, but you still can't completely block it.

Todd had been about to pull her in for a kiss and resume their fun when she took his hand in her own. He felt the brush of her breath against the slit and then she'd pressed her lips against it.

The noise he let slip past his lips was very telling just how good that felt. A shudder of pleasure running down his spine, but didn't withdraw his hand from her.

"It's...also quite sensitive" he said with a smile.

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