Adoption is one of the most wonderful things anyone can do. I discovered this in my efforts to become a much better person. Now I could adopt the orphans I've got working in my sweatshop. That would mean I'd no longer have to pay them. Unfortunately I'd be legally obliged to have them educated. So what I gain from lower labor costs is lost through them having to learn shit. Shit that's of no possible use to them. The only skills they need are to work hard and make cheap crap. Therefore rather than adopt a child to prove how virtuous I am, I'm going to adopt an attitude instead. The attitude I've decided to adopt is Fuck You. I'm very comfortable with my Fuck You attitude. In order to vitue signal even harder I will be adopting other things as well. I've just now adopted a new filing system. This is only the beginning. My adoption efforts are only going to increase I expect. Let's see how it goes. I might move on to something else. Depending on my mood and what's currently burning up the internet with hate and anger. Watch this space. Or don't. The odds are I'll find something else to engross myself in. I haven't done knobs, squirrel's or the Good Old Days for a while.
(The copyright to this image is the property of Countable.)
Oh thank God. They'd stopped. The two of them had fallen asleep, exhausted in each others arms. Their bodies entangled together. Oh shit no. Now Taini, Daisy and Pengelly were starting on their main course. Did they have some kind of shift system going on? It seemed unlikely. Taini and Ydrie slept at opposite ends of the house. You couldn't rule it out though. Not without delving into their past. Something he really didn't want to do. Now the other 3 were going at it with the same creativity as Scarlet and her lover, it was hard to say which was worse. There were far more possibilities with a trio. Most of which they seemed to want to explore. He had to get his mind onto something else. Himself felt like a good idea. After enduring the continuous sex show for 6 solid hours, with a couple of breaks for food and the toilet, he didn't want to spend any time witnessing what the unholy trinity were up to. He chuckled to himself. Perhaps that was the trinity he was supposed to find.
Back to the beginning of all this. Before any of the science fiction stuff happened. When he was simply Jake Halliday and supposedly terminally ill with a brain tumor. That wasn't a tumor at all. It was a biological neural net. One that enabled him to evade detection while also escaping notice. The original idea, he knew now, being to replace the metallic neural nets most had in their skulls. Including Scarlet. Not Pip though. Or Daisy. Taini and Ydrie didn't have one either. It was possible the neural nets were partly the cause of humans ceasing to breed and choosing to die. That could be wrong of course. The citizens of Fafindi did reproduce. They lived very long lives. Had children, usually at least 10 years apart. Taini and Ydrie were exceptional siblings in that there was only 5 years difference in age between Taini and her elder brother. Both of them now in their forties. That was young here. When you expected to live at least eight to nine hundred years, anything less than 100 was young.
His ruminating had been working up to that point. With Ydrie and Scarlet sound asleep at last there was less to draw him in. Taini and Daisy had just straddled Pengelly, top and tail respectively. It was big enough to be a tail and adjacent to where you'd expect one. It was very attention grabbing nevertheless. The only plus being that they weren't as loud as Scarlet had been. That could change though. There were more of them. They'd have their work cut out, but they were making a valiant effort. Less attention on the sex play, more attention on literally anything else. He was nearing the camp. Fetu had his gear out, cleaning and polishing things. Pip was poking the fire disconsolately. Staring into the flames. His efforts to reintegrate himself seamlessly into the campsite failed. His freaky, unwelcome, abilities had led to him thinking he was further away than he actually was. Pip looked up as he came into view faster than he'd intended.
"You've been really quiet all day. What's up with ya?" She asked with a sharper tone than she'd intended.
Rather than point out he hadn't been around for most of it, Jake decided to leave things as they were. Telling the truth might lead to other, more searching, questions.
"I've had a lot on my mind." As soon as he said it, Jake regretted it.
It was truth adjacent and could be interpreted in different ways. Leading to more unwanted queries. He had a mountain on his mind.
"You mean the noise she's been making all day." Pip came back.
His guard was down. His mind was in several places at once. The worry of his mini adventure being discovered
"What? You can hear them as well?" For a second he'd thought his special powers might have spread to others.
"The bloody bedroom windows are wide open. How could we not hear them? It's like she's intentionally advertising having her brains fucked out." The youngster complained.
"I don't think it's that Pip. It's more a case of airing the room. Otherwise it's really going to stink in there. I mean seriously reek of bodily secretions." He'd overstepped the mark.
Jake busied himself retrieving some of that churt meat. Collecting a large steak and a pan from where the kit was stored on the trike.
"Of course, being a kid, I didn't get an invite. Like I haven't seen people having sex before. It would have been my first orgy. I could have picked up some tips."
She wasn't wrong there. Although she also was incorrect.
"Technically speaking, it's not an orgy. You need at least 4 people together to have an orgy. Whereas what you have here is a heterosexual couple and a bisexual threesome. Even though they are going on at the same time it's not an orgy. Although it might become an orgy, I doubt it though." He knew it had never happened before.
She gave Jake's back a withering glare, as he got his ingredients together.
"Yeah well I haven't been invited in for either of those have I."
Engaging with her was helping him a lot. While his head was dealing with her it wasn't being drawn to other events.
"It's a very old Fafindi custom. When you have someone stop over for the first time it was common to sleep with them. It was considered polite. That's why Nour slept outside. If he'd stayed inside with the ladies, custom would have demanded he slept with all of you. There are caveats and it's not as common as it once was, but a few still adhere to it in some shape or form. You can't watch, you have to take part."
The young woman puffed unhappily.
"Yeah well it still stinks."
He cooked for the first ever time on the trip. Keeping as much of his attention on his food as possible. As a result what he produced was edible. Quite tasty in fact. He tucked in to his food with relish. Savoring every bite. Not s good as the others managed. Adequate. He could do adequate, as Scarlet constantly reminded him. Exceptional was out of reach. Acceptable had to do for him. All part of the Wanderer thing. Never stand out. Always blend in with the mediocre. Jake supposed he was a bit like a minor celebrity with a cult following. The vast majority had never heard of him, so he passed thorough unnoticed. There were a few who knew of him and would recognize him for what he was. To most he was invisible. It was a handy talent, in a lot of ways. One he knew he'd created and propagated. Even with those like Pip he could slip from their minds. His absence or presence of very little consequence. He'd have bet everything he had, half the crew on board the Harlot didn't even notice he wasn't there. They hardly knew when he was. And even if they recognized him he'd slip from their minds.
Neither Fetu nor Pip accepted his offer to share his bounty. It left more for him. Sustenance was vital for what was to come. Firstly he needed all the energy he could muster to spend time with Chiro. Secondly he would have to find some way of remaining here. That was problematic. Even with his near invisibility Taini and Ydrie could hardly fail to notice his presence. Sneaking away from the party would work short term. Eventually at least one of them would remember him. Daisy or Pip being the most likely. Scarlet was much more variable. Jake could disappear from her mind or be the only thing on it. Presently his person was completely forgotten about by her. Not a single thought of him would enter her head while she was thus engaged. Actually if he did intrude into her consciousness, she'd resent it.
It might not work for all that. His powers of hiding in plain sight were far from foolproof. It relied on too many factors. The odds were he'd have to leave with the others tomorrow or face a lot of questions. With that in mind Jake needed to maximize the time he spent with Chiro. Therefore he'd get up early tomorrow to sneak away. If anyone noted his nonappearance, he could hurry back. While being on that space craft was dreadful, it had to be done for as long as possible. He got into his bedroll before 11. Fetu wasn't up much after that. Reading a tablet with one hand behind his head. Closing his eyes he sought out that monastic meditation he'd recently had a refresher course in. Harder out here than in his memory palace. Little by little he managed to get into a state where he could drift off. Pip's approach ruined all that.
"Pengelly is enjoying himself with Daisy and Taini, can I sleep with you tonight?" Her temper had moderated, she was almost pleading.
"What's wrong with Fetu?" He asked.
"He's too hard. All that muscle. I can't get comfortable snuggled up with him. You're a lot softer. Plus while he's a great listener, he's not what you'd call a conversationalist. Are you up for talking?"
This was precisely what he didn't need right now. Pip was feeling delicate that was obvious. He couldn't turn her away without being crippled with guilt. He might be able to buck her up a bit.
"Thanks for that. I'm weak and pathetic and he's strong and manly. That's really done wonders for my confidence." His little joke fell flat when Pip took it seriously.
"I said softer, not soft. Fetu is rock. You're sand."
One more try at lightening the mood.
"So I'm full of grit and fly to pieces under the slightest impact." Another complete failure. Pip was about to turn around and slink off. He felt like the biggest asshole alive. "You're only making it worse. Stop digging your hole and get in here."
He lifted his cover, beckoning. Pip gave a fragile smile.
"I'll keep my naughty bits covered, just for you."
She stripped down to her underwear to lay down with him.
It turned out her need to talk wasn't as urgent as she'd said. They talked for while, Jake doing most of it, until he sensed she'd fallen asleep. He put in a 5 o'clock alarm call with Hermes. That way he could be up and gone before anyone noticed. Emptying his mind was harder the second time. Pip was in distress. Jake had very little inkling as to why. Eventually he dozed off. Heading into some erotic dreams. Even as he was viewing the threesome he knew he was asleep. The frigging super senses even invaded his slumber. It was far easier to remove himself from that scenario, also far easier to accidentally slip back into it. Eventually those participants exhausted themselves. Dozing off in an untidy pile. It only seemed like a second later that his alarm call came. Easing himself out from beside Pip was tricky. She'd pressed herself right up against his back. Lying across his left arm. Slowly he extricated himself from the bedroll. All he had to do now was ease that arm out. Pip rolled further onto it waking up. Her sleepy eyes blinking at him.
"You're up early." She yawned stretched.
It was still dark although the light would soon improve and soon. Quickly developing into what passed for twilight in a place with no sun. The lie came so easily he was ashamed.
"I thought I'd go for a walk. Clear my head. We'll be headed off before you know it."
He could see she was considering whether to go along with him. He pulled his arm free, then began to dress. Trying to think of something to discourage her from tagging along.
"I'm going to stay here and make breakfast. It's something to do at least." She grumbled.
"I'll be back before you know I'm gone."
With any luck she'd forget about him before the campfire was revived. Fetu was also showing signs of rising. Even if he noticed Jake's departure, it was highly unlikely the Polynesian would say anything.
"I'm going for a leak." Stated Pip as she rubbed her eyes.
"Thanks for sharing." Jake squeezed her shoulder before he set off.
Bugger. Scarlet and Ydrie chose that moment to regain consciousness. It wouldn't be long before they resumed their activities, judging by the way they were rolling around.