Welcome to Gaia! ::

Austin laughed as he dutifully drank his shot. "Alright, now, I've never...worn a dress. Togas and middle-eastern robes don't count."

Austin's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he drank. While he could understand if she'd never consented to sex before, he was amazed that such a beautiful fox woman was never taken against her will, especially considering the company she used to run with. She must be very handy with those knives. He'd have to resupply her.

"Hmm," he hummed, reserving any judgement on the state of her virginity. It was a private matter, and she had probably only revealed it for lack of a better option. He was not about to make sport of it. "I've never..." he looked over the sitting area. "...Slept on the floor for a woman. But it looks like I'm going to do that tonight." He looked back at Kaori. "Why don't you hit the hay. I'll clean up after our party and then crash by the balcony door. Just leave me a pillow."

The kiss took him by surprise. When she fell, Austin caught her--or rather, his reflexes caught her. He was a little too buzzed to make the choice consciously. He was still sober enough to pick her up and carry her to the couch. Her fur was incredibly soft, which didn't help him in the slightest. He set her down and then found one of the extra blankets stashed in a cupboard in the coffee table. He spread it over her and gently tucked her in.

"First time for everything," he reminded her. Then he took another blanket and one of the pillows from the neighboring recliner and spread out on the floor near the balcony door. He kicked off his shoes, tossed his jacket on the recliner, and slowly lay down on the bed.

The floor was hard, but he'd slept on worse. He was getting older, though, and his knee was starting to bug him again. There must be a storm rolling in. In another 10 years, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep without an orthopedic mattress.

Nixie woke up slightly dehydrated but with renewed resolve to get home. The shock of yesterday was coming face to face with what would have probably been her fate if Sovenn hadn't died first. She would pay for a proper burial for the girl and for a privet investigator to track down her family. It was the least Nixie could do.

She got up and found the overnight bag that Austin had so thoughtfully put on the dresser. He was always taking such care of her. She didn't know why he bothered, since she didn't even pay him for his trouble. Maybe when she finally made it back, she would leave him as her heir. He could do worse than inherit a multi million euro aquaculture empire.

After a quick shower and dressing in comfortable exercise clothing, she left the room to find her traveling companions.

She found them curled up on the floor together. Austin was still mostly dressed but Kaori was completely topless and judging from the bare leg that was thrown over Austin's hips, totally bottomless too. He had one arm warped around her shoulders and he was snoring lightly into her hair.

Nixie looked to the kitchen table an saw that all the little bottles of whiskey and tequila were empty. That explained a lot.

"Rise and shine!" She almost shouted to wake them up. "Time to get up, you sleepy lovebirds."

Austin's eyes snapped open but he didn't scramble of panic the way Kaori did. It took only a few seconds for him to piece together what had happened the night before, what hadn't happened, and what everything looked like. He say up slowly, bracing himself for Nixie's cold reproof, but as Kaori ran to get something more modest on, Nixie actually laughed!

"Your faces!" She cried, barely able to form the words as she giggled. "You were like to school kids getting caught playing hookie! So...funny..." And she dissolved into peals of laugher, holding her side as if it hurt. Finally she calmed down. "I think you need to take your girlfriend clothes shopping after breakfast; you could get mating slippers!" And she started laughing again.

"She's not my girlfriend," he grumbled, but he was glad that Nixie was in such a good mood, even if her prank had given him a splitting headache.

"I'm sure Austin would lo-o-ove to help you," Nixie teased from the sitting room. "He could help you in the bedroom--the bed is softer there!"

"Not going to happen," Austin said firmly.

Austin cursed and Nixie laughed even louder. If Kaori came out naked, he would never live it down. He had excellent self control, but bodily functions often had a mind of their own. He threw Nixie a desperate look and she nodded. He ran into her room and pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a tank top from Nixie's overnight bag. He threw it at the bathroom door and it landed with a soft thump.