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These pages were last updated: March 28, 1998
İMarch 1998
The following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the Xenaverse. It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights. If you don't agree or disapprove, please go read something else.
It was a city unlike any they had seen before. Once past the fortifications most members of the tribe were looking about themselves with awe. Crystalline towers blended with rounded, mushroom shaped buildings (at least from the front) which seemed had been carved into the bowl shape of an exVolcano's interior. Xena liked it, though she didn't show it.
She was surprised at how beautiful the city was. It was clean. Amazingly clean. There were small, flat creatures that wandered the pathways. They avoided the feet of the bipedals, but skimmed under wheels and Tok's feet without so much as pausing. Tok sniffed moved to sniff at one of the creatures, following it for a bit until Izzy called her back. The creatures, whose rock colored hides seemed to blend in with where they hovered, darted in swift circular motions that were an odd mix of soothing and disturbing. She quit looking at them when she realized they were harmless.
She noticed that there were live trees, shrubs. . The ground cover was bluegreen, but trim. She'd never seen anything like that within a city, but she liked it. Usually it was just houses and merchanters with a few potted plants. It was. . .different, but nice. The pathways were paved and there was a center road that was mostly empty, save for a few strigers, some wagons and their riders. While citizens wore weaponry, there seemed to a common geniality to their expressions. Not that they were. .. friendly, just not hostile. There were more humans than Xena had expected, but fewer than on the first level.
What made her mind whirl, however, were the greetings that her lover had been receiving since they'd arrived. The guards had practically fallen over themselves in an effort to open the gates. As they walked, the pedestrians, the stall owners, whoever, would give her a slight bow or nod.
Izzy would sometimes nod back, though she didn't bow. Xena noticed that.
Izzy didn't bow. She walked tall, with Tok by her side. Her tail bounced with her walk, tip pointed up. While there wasn't exactly a smile upon her lips, she didn't look quite as grim as she had been all day. In fact, those muscular shoulders had lowered a little and there was a confident sway to her hips that suddenly reminded Xena of the pressure of having all these Tartarans around. The warrior had even caught herself lickbiting her lower lip.
As soon as she'd realized what she had done, Xena immediately shifted her expression to that "too tough for you," look that she'd mastered a LONG time ago. She even added the swagger for good measure. But that didn't stop the pleasant buzz of desire from thrilling from her center.
They took paths that weren't exactly on the center. They were following the backways. There would be more traffic otherwise. Izzy was obviously leading them someplace specific. Xena expected it was another inn. They'd passed several likely places already. They appeared as clean as the rest of the city. Izzy hadn't even paused. Maybe the price was too high?
It reminded Xena of who knew her way around this world. Who'd walked, as she'd always walked, the face of the land. It made her uncomfortable, since she was so used to being the one who knew, the one who could walk into a place and know instantly where the best places to stay were. The safest, the least. When they'd had dinars she never skimped. They were used to living rough and it was good to rest in a bed once in a while. She wanted give Gabrielle the best, whenever she could. And when they'd no dinars at all, they'd stay in the stables with Argo or camp out. She tried to make things as nice as possible, but it didn't' matter as long as they were with each other.
She missed that feeling. OH, she knew Izzy loved her. She could feel it every time the woman looked at her. She knew the desire was there too. It was the ...camaraderie ...that she longed for. They'd almost had the ease of it earlier, when they'd played twenty questions, but that sense of friendship had seemed to vanish the closer they'd come to Tilpurca.
She wondered how many times she'd done that to Gabrielle. How many times, in the interest of "safety," she'd distanced herself. She didn't like the feeling at all. And she was disgusted that it seemed like they were back at square one.
Patience in war was one of her virtues. She tried to remember that it applied to everything else. That, and sneakiness.
Okay, so . . .what would Gabrielle do?
She'd talk.
Xena sighed inwardly, but considered. Then she tried. "So are we going some place specific or are we just walking?" The impatience of her desire got the better of her.
OH that was good. Sound just as peevish and desperate as you feel, Xena. Yep. Xena regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Now she remembered why it had taken her so long to do the "sensitive," chats.
Izzy looked a little startled and turned. Then she'd looked really hard at Xena, which put the warrior on the defensive despite herself. Then, Izzy's lips had curled up into an understanding smile and she'd reached over, as casual as you please draped her tail around Xena's waist. The touch sent rivers of desire through the warrior and she fought against leaning.
Izzy's tail twitched and she gave Xena an apologetic look and a squeeze. It made the warrior feel off center, different, but in a nice way. "Yes," she said and looked at the rest of the group, including them into the conversation, "yes. I'm taking you to an inn I know of."
She let go of Xena, knowing the warrior liked her space. "It's pretty nice, I think."
In the back of the group, Penho tried not to snicker. Salmoneus gave her a curious look. She just shook her head and whispered something to him. Xena narrowed her eyes.
"mmhmm," the warrior said. She knew something was up now, but she wasn't sure what.
"Trust me." Izzy said the words firmly, laying a gentle hand on Xena's shoulder. Oh Gods. Xena looked at her lover with a mixture of desperation, need and anger. "It'll be soon."
What else could she do. The warrior nodded and hissed through her teeth, "It'd damn well better be. How do people stand this?"
Izzy whispered back, "You get used to it. Eventually." She'd been through this. She really did understand. "It evens out." She traced Xena's cheek with a fingertip. The claw was retracted, but the smooth feel of flesh against flesh. ..oh. .This time Xena did lean, letting the power of it claim her.
She'd been doing so well too. What was making this different.
Izzy.
"Your feeling it too?" The Tartaran nodded solemnly. That's when it clicked. This was what Izzy was feeling. .the day before. . .oh. "Well, hurry it up will ya." She whispered fervently.
Gabrielle grinned at her. Yes, that was definitely Gabrielle's smile. Then she'd directed Xena's attention to a domed building. There was a sign. "The Storyteller's Inn." Xena blinked, then narrowed her gaze at the Tartaran. Izzy just continued that wide pointy grin of hers. "Race ya!"
"Ready, set, . .." Izzy cheated and took three bounding steps. The clatter of armor and boots indicated she was being followed. Xena grinned and took three paces of her own and vaulted into the skies with that ulating cry of hers.
She landed in front of Izzy, two steps before she could reach the Inn's entrance. The red Tartaran looked stunned, then grinned happily, "One of these days," she said, "You are going to *have* to show me how you do that!"
Then she took them inside her inn.
Katrina's Fan Fiction | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
These pages were last updated: March 28, 1998
İMarch 1998