3.28 Babies & Love

Patrons of the Skin Club were the first to learn the volcano had blown. Everyone stiffened as the front door burst open, rattling the windows of the establishment as it slammed into the wall. Seconds later, King Atalon stormed into the room, Halios in tow, no one had to be told, everyone knew what it was about. He stormed straight to the bar table behind the stage.

         "YOU!" He pointed at Eden. "GET! OUT!"

         Heart pounding, Eden grabbed her things and hurried out of the club.

         Next the king glared at Malodon, then stormed toward the VIP booth, pausing to assess the guilty parties.

         "YOU!" He pointed at Mika. "GET! OUT!"

         Terrified, Mika grabbed her things and hurried out of the club, right behind Eden. Atalon scrutinized the remaining faces for a guilty smirk, a shifty eye, the tension was so thick it was life-threatening. He grabbed Halki by the collar, lifting him out of his seat.

         "GET THE GOD-DAMNED DOGS!"

          "Your Honor…" Halki tried to reason, voice hampered by his crushing collar. "We haven’t rehearsed the pyrotechnics scene yet…"

         Atalon grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face close. "I said GET! OUT!" He pushed him towards the front door in a fountain of exploding saliva. "DO YOUR JOB!"

         Humiliated, Halios and Halki hurried out of the club, angry and frustrated, the Dog Show wasn't a good idea at all, but there was nothing they could do to convince Atalon now.

         Once Halios left the booth, Atalon noticed Nolan, unable to even do up his robe. He slapped his face hard, knocking him back down into the booth.

         "AND YOU!" He barked, picking him upon his feet again by his collar. "GET THE FINAL FEAST READY!" With an angry thrust, he pushed Nolan towards the exit.
         Nolan stumbled towards the door, coming down hard from his good time, trying to straighten his robe as he hurried out of the club into the street. His thoughts were scrambled, he couldn't think straight, was this really happening? His face stung, his ear was still ringing, thoughts were spinning... Did King Atalon really just slap his face?

         Word of the fight on the dance floor spread through the Lemurian camp like wildfire, signs of trouble were felt even if they hadn't been seen. Alerted by the abrupt ending to the music, Nepheus got up and peered out the tent door to see what was happening, only to see Mina's tall white ribbon staff waving over the bustling crowds; it was time to go.

         "What's going on?" Dena joined his side, searching, noticing the dust plume. "What happened?"

         "I have to go…" Nepheus replied. "It’s time for our last song." He kissed her forehead tenderly and wrapped his scarf around her neck. "Will you wait here for me?"

         She wanted to be with him again so bad she couldn't say so though. As she stood at the door watching him go, feelings of desire transformed her mind, she had never felt such rebellious urges, it was making her sick, sick in a good way, a good way that was so naughty, she was absolutely malfunctioning, she would absolutely get a lashing for this… He wanted her to wait for him?

         Nepheus was too good to be true. She wondered about his Lemurian life in Hellias as he disappeared through the crowds towards the stage. What was he looking for? Her curiosity blossomed in new ways now as she studied the Lemurians gathering their things and getting ready to leave. Once again she found her attention drawn to Nina's massive belly, it was so obnoxious, so big, so... deformed. Didn't it hurt? She seemed so happy…

         For the first time in her life, Dena found herself contemplating the very real implications of a Lemurian life like Nepheus lived. They bred the old fashioned way. So he wasn't too good to be true after all. If she wanted a god like Nepheus to be a permanent fixture in her life, she would end up looking like Nina. Pregnant and deformed. She had never even considered such torture before, there was a reason none of the goddesses wanted to end up in any sort of breeding program.

         So why did Nina look so happy? For some reason, the Lemurian goddesses seemed to actually enjoy it, perhaps it was simply because they had these sexy music gods by their sides... It was a brand new concept, something she had never imagined before… She pondered this new theory with growing unease as the musicians arranged themselves on the stage for the last song. Nepheus was the most handsome god she had ever laid eyes on, especially when he was up on stage, she really didn’t want to say goodbye.