One More Troubled Soul

[Shalimar]

Shalimar giggled a little, "Oh, you like that, do you?" That was something she was going to have to do more of. After all, she did love the look on Elpsis right then. She was almost bouncing along as they paid for the clothing and headed out of the shop.

By the time Leo had found them, Shalimar was quite amused, laughing sweetly. "You know, you and he are so adorable." Seeing the hair tie, Shali just shook her head. "So cute!"

"So he steals your hair ties? Oh, I so love that. You don't see many felines doing that." She gave a shrug, "I personally prefer yarn, a ball of yarn is the best thing ever, honestly." It sounded like the blonde had, had some experience with this activity! As Elpsis got up, she scratched Leo behind the ears and soon they were off in the direction of Elpsis' home.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]

This was probably the image playing through Elpsis' mind. Just with a cute, somewhat feline blonde...who probably was not wearing much. Either way, a time skip later the trio would arrive at the grand Firemane estate.


To say that it was big was a considerable understatement. Built on mountain slopes overlooking New Santaissa, the palatial estate had a dazzling view of the gleaming city. As they approached it, they'd be able to see a magnificient garden, landing pad, grand villa and a somewhat smaller house close to it. The latter just happened to be their destination.


Originally, it was supposed to be Natoline Kerrigan's, but she'd succumbed to madness and left the family even before it was completed. These days, her name was seldom spoken. Needless to say, security was tight. Sadly, Firemane's First Family had a lot of experience with assassination attempts. Tygara was a beautiful world, but its political climate was often tempestuous, to say the least. Moreover, there was always the lingering threat of Sith Asssassins. Thusly, the pathway to the estate was monitored by drones and hidden surveillance cameras.


As they approached the graphite reinforced gate, they were welcomed by one of the soldiers guarding it. "Stop right there, Miss. I hope you have clearance to be here, otherwise things will get...unpleasant. Show me your papers. You'll submit to inspection before you enter. Carrying concealed weapons is a severe offence," a tall, statuesque woman with an amazonian physique and dark skin declared in a commanding voice. Her black hair was tied back into a loose ponytail. She wore a pair of BDUs that emphasised her muscles and had the ubiquitous bolt pistol holstered on her hip.


Elpsis did not bat an eyelash. "Oh, ma'am, you can inspect me any time. The more public, the better."


"You may be hiding something between those lips. I'll better check," the Dahomian soldier bent down a bit and kissed the smaller redhead. One of her hands travelled down the firemane's back to rest on her butt.


Another soldier who was watching the scene just rolled her eyes. This one was a red Twi'lek. In case anyone was wondering, she also wore BDUs and thus was fully clothed. "You're absolutely shameless. Better not let her mother catch you, Chastity. Otherwise it's your funeral."


"Do I pass inspection, Sergeant?" Elpsis asked in her most innocent tone, then shot the other soldier a dirty look. "Hey, I'm a big girl. Why would my mother mind? She's real cool." Two weeks later Coryth Elaris got mightily cross when she discovered her best friend Cora Passek had slept with her daughter?


"I'll tell her I was only teaching her daughter about safety standards. Honest!" at that she glanced towards Shalimar. "Who's your friend? She's new here?"


"That's Shalimar. My new cousin!"

 

[Shalimar]

Now catching sight of the villa, Shalimar's eyes widened. This was the very last thing she expected to see. "Uh, that's your house?!" She spoke quickly sounding more than a little shocked.

Now the guard, Shalimar had caught onto the woman's scent before she ever saw her. Keen ears heard footsteps, and she tensed the second the guard came into view. The blonde froze and glanced between the pair as the exchange started. The poor blonde was most confused as she cocked her head to the side trying to get a grasp on what was happening.

"Uh ..." Shalimar started before she cut herself off and watched for a moment more. "I'm ... umm, what in the name of the stars is happening?" She finally asked a little exasperated with the situation and most certainly not sure how to process the whole thing, much less knowing what was appropriate.

"Safety standards? Your mother? What the ... I don't even know.." She said with a shake of her head hoping Elpsis would explain a little bit of what the deal was between the two of them.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Poor Shalimar was adorably confused. It was just her luck that she'd stumbled into a family full of oversexed women. Elpsis had little shame and was rather promiscuous. In the days when she'd been starved of love and affection, it had been a way to fill a void. More to the point, she'd learned from early on that her looks were a good way to get what she wanted from people.


This was not really the case anymore, but she lived in a sexually liberal environment where her desires were affirmed instead of just tolerated. Adorable Shali would have to watch Elpsis lock lips with the Dahomian amazon and get her butt inspected for a few seconds more.


"I take it you're new. Take a breath, girl. For some reason, Chastity and Elpsis seem to think it's funny to turn our job into an excuse to get frisky," the Twi'lek guard, who seemed far more straight-laced on first sight at any rate, informed the blonde. "Name's On'ala, by the way. Firemane Security. We have the pleasure of guarding the First Family. Of course some of us interpret the order to assist in any way more literal than others."


"Your lekku wasn't complaining last weekend," Elpsis said innocently. Fortunately On'ala's scarlet skin meant you could not see her blush since she was always red in the face anyway. Anyhow, she stopped making out with the rather ironically named Chastity.


"So...Shali, you're Elpy's cousin or 'cousin'?" Chastity queried, not at all making lame innuendo.


Elpsis elbowed her slightly. "Hey, she just came here. Don't overwhelmn her. My mother lives further down in the city. She's very, very nice. Maybe you'll get to see her soon." So far, Elpsis had seen the power of redhead Coryth fury. That would probably change in time. "That big villa isn't mine. My aunts live there. I got the house next to it. It's more down to earth."


"And messy. Lady Kerrigan has been complaining."


Elpsis rolled her eyes. Siobhan often criticised her housekeeping and lack of tidiness. "I love Auntie, but she's a total neat freak with OCD. I always know where everything is when I need to find it!"

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar certainly didn't understand much of sexuality and simple things like flirting or anything of that nature. Her stumbling into an entire family of women who were quite passionate about sex and sexuality was about the last thing she had ever expected to run into in her life.

Shalimar took a breath, and nodded. "I see..." She said quietly. "Nice to meet you, On'ala." She did giggle a little awkwardly, trying to brush off just how little the situation made sense to her.

The blonde shifted from foot to foot nervously when asked about her relation to Elpsis. "I, uh ..." Shalimar wasn't actually sure how to respond to that. She was thankful that Elpsis came to the rescue and shifted the conversation back to things that were a touch less strange. "Oh, I see. That makes sense I suppose."

Now as to family, Shalimar was a bit curious. "I would like to meet your mother, someday. And your aunts. I like meeting good people." After all, she hadn't had much luck in meeting good people aside from Elpsis thus far. "And they sound like good people."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Elpsis smiled brightly. "Sure you will! Auntie Sio's, like, a big diva and annoyingly girly when she's not blowing stuff up, but real nice. And Auntie Tegs and my Mum are the coolest," she gushed enthusiastically.


"'sides, you're my cousin now. They'll love you," she glanced at the rather misnamed Chastity. "See you later, Chasty," she said trollishly and gave the taller woman's toosh an appreciative grope and a good swat before quickly dashing away, pulling Shalimar alongside her.


They could probably still hear the Dahomian curses the black woman muttered. Clearly Elpsis would have to make amends for her breach of discipline at a later date. Having made their way through the gate, they'd soon find themselves in the elegantly manicured garden.


Leo nudged Shali slightly and marched across the grass as if he was king of the estate and owned the place. Maybe the Cylix hoped there'd be prey to hunt. Or more hair ties. There'd been that one time when a Croa had come to the villa. He'd ripped her head off even before security could kick her out. "I'll get Leo his food and put him in his pen, then I'm all yours."

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar smiled sweetly, "She sounds like an interesting character." Someone that on that description, she wasn't entirely too sure about, but figured it best to save any judgment for after she met the woman. "As long as they don't mind my past and all that." She gave a slight shrug and soon let Elpsis pull her along.

Coming into the open garden space, all clean and lovely, Shalimar's shoulders relaxed as she took in the beautiful scents and smells around them. She did love the outdoors and all the curiosities that could be found in it. There was just something about the outdoors, green spaces, that were immensely relaxing for the young woman. Perhaps it was just that she had been held indoors in labs for far too long, or maybe it was something far more instinctual for Shalimar.

She giggled a little bit as Leo nudged her forward, his confidence she couldn't help but enjoy. It was rather adorable after all! "Alright hun," She said to Elpsis. "I'm so looking forward to a bit of alone time with you."

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Elpsis grinned broadly. "Keep saying that and I may just pounce you," then Leo growled and nudged her hard. "Oh, c'mon. You're just jealous!" she declared knowingly. The redhead blew Shalimar a kiss and then led the big Cylix away to his pen, before he could attempt to steal his beloved feline away from her!


Anyhow, she returned a few moments later, after having given Leo his meal: Lots of tasty meat. "There, I'm all yours now. You love the outdoors, too? Always helps me relax. The wilder, the better. I'm not keen on being surrounded by stone and metal. Not more than necessary at any rate. I take Leo hunting in the forest sometimes."


Who knew, maybe that was also a way for Galina and Elpsis to bond. Her tone was conversational as she led Shali into her small house. The redhead produced a key and opened the door. Since she was being gallant and stuff, she held door open for the feline woman to enter, then followed her and switched on the lights. In comparison to the villa, the place was quite small. There were two bedrooms, a nursery, kitchen, living room, bathroom and a basement. Various stuff was haphazardly strewn about. The firemane was not dirty, but rather messy. There was no trash, but she was simply incapable of keeping order.


Having closed the door behind them, Elpsis bent down and took off her tikulini hide boots. Her socks soon followed. "So...you said something' about alone time?" she batted her eyelashes at Shali and took her hand.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar grinned, "Oh I'm sure that can be arranged." The feline woman giggled as Leo growled. It was such an odd thing to her that an actual feline would be interested in her but pheromones certainly played a massive role that Shal was previously unaware of.

After Leo had his dinner and Elpsis returned, Shalimar was still looking out to the gardens. "Yeah, I don't like being cooped up. Open spaces, outdoors, with lots of grass and trees, and I couldn't be more happily. Makes me feel freer and forget about the life I left behind. It doesn't feel like I can be trapped or cornered outside, and that does make me more comfortable."

Shalimar couldn't help but purr as Elpsis closed the door and the pair of them were now alone. "I did." She said softly as she stroked her thumb over the back of the redhead's hand. She pulled Elpsis closer and into a heated kiss with little hesitation now. There were no prying eyes or ears here, and that allowed her to give in to her feline side, with a touch of aggression that she wasn't quite aware she had in her.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


No prying eyes or ears, nothing to make Shali feel anxious. Excellent. "I'm all yours. I want you so much," Elpsis purred in contentment. She did not resist in the least when the taller woman pulled her into a heated, passionate kiss, matching her fervour stroke for stroke. The feline woman's aggression took her by surprise, but rather than resist she surrendered to it.


Fear not, kiddies, if anything serious happens, the conveniently curtain will conceal everything and the scene shall fade to black. Luckily Elpsis' place was not that messy that they'd risk stumbling over something.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar found herself more than a little eager to explore this new experience. She pulled away from Elpsis briefly, "Shall we move somewhere more comfortable?" She didn't wait for an answer before taking Elpsis' hand and pulling her over to a nearby couch. While she wasn't entirely sure of what to do, some part of her instincts seemed to know the way. She reached to pull the redhead down onto the couch with her, wrapping her arms around Elpsis before drawing her into another heated kiss.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


Abruptly, Elpsis was pulled down on to the couch. There were nice cushions on it. Some clothes and whatever this universe's version of a gameboy was were pushed to the floor in the process. The redhead did not care. She answered Shalimar's passion in kind, surendering to her embrace when the blonde kissed her heatedly. For all her wilfullness, Elpsis was rather submissive in the bedroom, which probably suited the situation well as Shali explored desires she'd not known of until now...fade to black.


Meanwhile, a powerful agent of the Light Side was infiltrating the complex. Through his tremendous powers of obfuscation, Jedi Shadow Kai Leng had been able to sneak onto the estate undetected. His cause was noble, his aura burnt with the fire of the Light.


I will cover myself in glory. The Light is my ally. When I face an acolyte of darkness, it will be nothing but blinding to them, he thought to himself as he snuck to the small house. His hand gripped his katana and withdrew it from its sheath. The Dark Side was strong on the estate; he could feel its power and it sickened him.


Today, he would strike a blow for the cause of righteousness. He made sure his visor was in its place and gripped the doorknob. For some reason, he could smell cereal. Maybe before he performed his sacred duty, he could have something to eat! He happened to be a bit of a daredevil and enjoyed this sweet moment. But before he could cross the threshold, he heard a loud roar. "What the...?" A large, angry and very hungry looking lion charged him. Poor Kai was ragdolled through the air and landed in some bushes. Then Leo was upon him, savagely mauling him with its claws and teeth. The Defender of Light was turned into a happy meal.

 

[Shalimar]

Shalimar for all her cat-like nature was as light a sleeper as they came. The slightest noise, even movement had the potential to wake her from her slumber. And she already had plenty of reason to be on edge with the life she had led for so long.

Hearing the softest of footsteps she opened a single eye, scanning the dark room as easily as she could in the light. Her eyes had gained the lovely adaption to let her see quite well in situations like this.

Right behind Leo, Shalimar lunged across the threshold following the feline into the battle pinning the lightsider after leaving more than a few claw marks across the poor soul's body. She kicked the blade away, throwing it out of reach while she let Leo do his thing.

In Shali's mind, it was the perfectly logical thing to do. After all, Elpsis and Leo, she was beginning to think of as part of her pride, her family at an instinctual level. Consciously she was less aware of this development, but it was about to be crystal clear to the blonde who might just be covered in a bit of blood at this point.

"Elpsis! Get out here!" She yelled, as she pulled back a bit looking over the lightsider that had foolishly crossed into their territory in the middle of the night, and clearly posed a threat to them all.

[member="Elpsis Elaris"]

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

[member="Shalimar"]


This really was not Kai Leng's day! Before he could even get close to completing his righteous mission, he was pounced by a massive feline. It almost knocked the wind out of him. Even before he could muster a defence and protect himself from the beast's claws, a savage blonde woman joined the attack.


His blade was kicked out of his grasp and sharp claws sliced across his face and shoulder. The Defender of Light was pinned down by the lion's considerable strength. The cereal had been so close..."Unhand me, you vile savages! Or face the judgement of the Light!" he yelled angrily.


The lion growled, forcing its rankid breath into his nostrils. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another savage enter the room. This one was was a bit shorter than the blonde and had a tousled mane of red hair. She wore shorts and a sleeveless Wonder Woman t-shirt. Her feet were bare. "Who the feth are you?" she grunted, sounding a bit sleepy.


"I am the Sword of Light. You will release me now and submit!"


"Dude, I don't submit to dumb malelings. Or Jedi. Or any sort of judgemental dicks who barge into my house," the red-maned amazon glanced towards her big beast and the blonde. "How'd he get in here?" the lion growled something. "Oh, nice work. Whaddaya say, Shali? Should we let Leo eat him?"


"Savages!" The Paladin tried to draw upon the Force and grab his blade, but then shrieked in pain when the redhead worked her foul magic and he felt as if his hand was burning.