“Come back, baby.” Lina said, and batted her eyes. “Do that thing again…the thing with your tongue.”
Arabel leaned forward with a wide grin stretched over her lips. “Where,” she said, reaching out with her fingertip. “Here?”
Lina shivered. Whenever she looked at Arabel, she was glowing—still surrounded by an aura of golden scent. Too much tree flower, no doubt. But in Lina’s mind it really only served to enhance her beauty, if anything.
Arabel touched Lina’s pouting lower lip while Lina puckered up and tried to catch her. Arabel dragged her finger over Lina’s chin and halfway down her throat. “Or here?” she said.
Lina writhed and moaned as Arabel traced the line of her neck. She craned her head to one side, hoping Arabel would take the hint. She did.
“Or maybe it’s right here?” Arabel moved the tip of her finger to the top of Lina’s scent gland and drew it slowly downward around the outside, close, but never touching Lina’s sensitive gland itself.
Lina squirmed on the soft moss carpet, pulling handfuls of it between her fingers and letting go again. The moss was warm and moist, but it made Lina shiver, being bare as she was on top, and now without Arabel’s body giving her warmth.
Arabel was leaning forward, bowing her head, moving toward the side of Lina’s neck. “Mmm, yes,” Lina hissed. “Come back.”
“You look dry,” Arabel said. “I should get you some water.”
“Arabel?” Lina thrashed her head from side to side, “Arabel, come back.”
Lina pushed at the moss carpeting, trying to get some purchase to help her sit up, but she kept slipping.
“Arabel!”
* * * *
“Go away. I’m serious.” Arabel’s words floated through the air from somewhere far away, out of a dream.
Lina opened her eyes to bright sunlight. “Arabel?”
“Arabel?” Lina blinked and found Arabel standing at the prow of the cloud skimmer, brandishing the skimmer’s push pole as a crude sort of pike, jabbing it into the air in front of her.
Lina heard a rustling and the sound of many small feet on stone, but couldn’t see anything from her current vantage point other than the skimmer’s roof and Arabel from the waist down.
“That’s right, get lost,” Arabel shouted. “All of you. And don’t come back.”
“Arabel?”
“Honey, you’re awake.” Arabel laid the push pole on the deck and ducked under the skimmer’s curved top to the place where Lina lay, sweat-soaked, in the pile of shredded coveralls they had used for bedding.
“We’re not in your apartment, are we?”
“No, we’re not.” Arabel placed her hand on Lina’s brow. “Oh, honey, you’re burning up. You need some water.”
Lina tried to laugh, but all that came out was a sort of strangled croak. “You said the same thing in my dream. Said I was all dried out. You were licking my scent gland at the time.”
“Only you,” Arabel said, shaking her head as she pulled out the bota bag. “Only you could think about mating at a time like this. Have you forgotten what we’ve been through?”
“I know, I’m sorry. It was just a silly dream,” Lina said. Arabel helped Lina tip end of the bag skyward and let a bit of water trickle over Lina’s lips.
“You were glowing in gold, though.”
Arabel grinned.
“Really,” Lina said. “It was very sexy. I’m thinking for the next rave—” Lina proceeded to cough and sputter for a time, causing Arabel’s grin to turn to a frown.
“I wish I knew what was wrong with you,” Arabel said. “Then maybe I could do something to make you feel better.”
“I suppose I could start with a lychee. I haven’t felt the need to vomit for a while.”
“About that…” Arabel frowned. “Those drones I was chasing away. They stole our fruit. Basket and all, little bastards.”
Lina offered a wan smile. “I’d say at least we still have our health, but I’m not so sure about me.” Lina stuck her arm in Arabel’s direction. “Help me up, please.”
“You’re not going after them.”
“No,” Lina groaned, “but I do need to pee.”
Arabel glanced to the side, her eyes fixed on the storage compartment.
“And no,” Lina said, holding her hand up, “I not peeing in the bucket.”
Arabel took Lina’s hand and pulled. “I must be getting weak from hunger,” she said. “I swear you feel heavier.”
Lina shrugged.
“And taller too.” Arabel’s gaze moved to Lina’s ankles, clearly visible below the hem of her coverall.
“Old clothes,” Lina said. “What? It’s not like we had them tailored.”
“They fit yesterday. Stand next to me.” Arabel moved around behind Lina, while Lina clung to the edge of the skimmer’s roof to maintain her balance. Arabel placed a hand on Lina’s head and then slid it backward toward her own head. Her hand dropped a few fingers’ distance in the process.
“We used to be the same height,” Arabel said.
“You sure I wasn’t always just a little taller? Maybe it’s the curve of the skimmer.”
“It’s a flat deck,” Arabel said. “Come on.” Arabel offered her hand to steady Lina, and they both exited the cloud skimmer to stand on smooth, flat rock.
“Gotta pee, first,” Lina protested.
“Fine.”
Lina wandered off toward some low shrubs.
“Need any help?” Arabel teased.
“I think I can manage.”
Lina walked slowly back, took a moment to catch her breath, and then stood back to back again with Arabel. “See?” Lina said. “Same height as I ever was.”
“Close your eyes.”
Lina closed her eyes.
She heard Arabel’s footfalls, slapping on flat stone, walking around stand in front of her. Arabel took Lina’s hand. “Now kiss me on the lips,” she said.
Lina puckered up, leaned forward, and placed a kiss right on the bridge of Arabel’s nose.
“Believe me now?”
“Yeah. Weird.” Lina slumped forward just a bit. “What does it mean?”
“I wish I knew.” Arabel wrapped her arms around Lina and held her tightly for a good long while. “Will you be okay by yourself in the skimmer while I go forage for food?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really.” Arabel hopped up on deck and thrust her hand out for Lina. Lina took Arabel’s hand and lifted one leg over the
