... died, I was a real jerk for a while. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry for that, and that I love you very much." She sighed, a little, and said, "Thanks. I needed to hear that. You don't say that very often, and I sometimes wonder why." "It's just me. I don't give my heart so quickly, sometimes." M'Arden again appeared out of nowhere, and dropped a pair of omlettes on our table, one for each of us. "There you go, try this. It's your granddaughter's favorite." He walked off before I could even say "Thanks." "What is it with him?" I asked Ember. "Does he have a SDisk in his kitchen, or what?" "No, he just likes to cook. I dunno about the rest." She dug into her food with her fork. I did the same, and found the food to be an incredibly fluffy omelette with just the right touches of garlic and jalapeno', but it wasn't hot to the tongue. In fact, it was wonderful. Very little was said as we ate, and when we were done one of Josh's peripherals floated down and cleared the table, while scurriers cleaned up the floor around us, as if I'd dropped anything on the floor. Ember rose, and took my hand. "Father, come with me," she implored. I followed and she led me to a stepping disk, and when we stepped onto it I found myself on a beach. No, turning around, I realized I was in a desert, as there was no ocean. A magnificent silk tarpaulin was erected, with a soft, thick cloth under it, lain with pillows and candles. A warming wind passed over the sand, and a moon was overhead. "Ember, what are we doing on Pandora?" "You don't like it?" "No, no, I do, I do, believe me, it's just... why?" She smiled a small smile, and said, "Well, I just wanted to celebrate with you, and I thought you might like a quiet, romantic setting like this." She walked onto the cloth under the tent, undid the clasp about her shirt so it was open, sat down, and reclined against the pillows. "Come here, Father. Make love to me." I smiled, and crossed the sands towards her. She was right about the setting; It was romantic, warm, with just a zephyr of wind. I settled down next to her, reached an arm around her and kissed her soft feline muzzle. She responded warmly, her mouth opening to meet me and her rough, soft tongue against mine. |