IF YOU'RE PLAYING IN THIS GAME, DON'T READ THIS!

(This goes for Judd, John Moore, Vince, Mike, and anybody else who has played or might play... Go read the Albatross logs!)

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**Oct 28, 155**

Halloween. The Albatross gets in *just* in time. So I wander onto the station, drop by Her ship, and get to marvel at the outfit She's cooked up! All molten copper to match her hair, and some fun semi-transparent spots with just a sheen of copper over them. *Nice*. Definitely a repressed hotshot. I consider, decide that we're going out for a night on the town, so some dressup is fine, and do a bit of makeup work. (Objectively speaking, I'm the more attractive -- subjectively, of course, some people are all elegant long legs and body and...mhrf.)

It's probably my fault that not *too* many people proposition Penny (though She did say that she wasn't really interested in picking anyone up), since I can't help but glare at anyone who's being obnoxious. At least after a while some acquaintances show up, if nothing else, to find out who I'm hanging around with and if we're on the prowl or together. Most people are probably going to think we're together... Penny practices banter a little, rather shyly.

I tell Flare that he can make a pass at Penny, but he'd better be able to take No for an answer, or I'd stun him somewhere even Kintarans would feel. He thinks I'm acting oddly. He's probably right. I tell him it's an isolated aberration.

At one point, I tell Penny that it's all in the attitude. "Attitude," she says. "Attitude." Then she swaggers over and orders a Kintaran beer from Flare. He asks if she'll need any help, and she says, "Not from *you*" and taps him on the nose. I applaud. Flare glares at me. He gives Penny the beer, but it's not watered down for humans. Uh-oh. Tipsy Penny soon... She starts liking the taste pretty quickly -- that's the first sign.

Ah, well, might as well make *use* of that tipsyness (even though I *will*not*take*advantage*of*her*while*she's*tipsy*no*I*won't), and show her some dance-moves -- not much that can be done while in this crowd, but hey. It's all in the attitude, and when people aren't self-conscious, that's all to the better. She's not as bad as she probably thinks she is -- not a pilot, no, but hardly a klutz.

After that, I decide that Penny needs some more jewelry, so I drag her into the Pawn-shop section of the Lucky Star. *She* decides to be amused by the G-strings in the X-rated section of the shop. She asks if one (blue) is her color. Striving pridefully to keep from blushing, I allow that blue would be good in some outfits, but Penny'd probably want something in a green, or a copper. Not a gold, though, I say, stroking a lock of her hair, since gold would probably clash with her hair. She finds an emerald green. I say that *is* pretty, and ask if she's going to get it, and she decides that would be a bit much. I say that she certainly doesn't *need* it -- if she wants it, that's one thing, but she doesn't *need* it. And her current outfit certainly is flashy enough!

So I get her some stuff -- I insist on buying. Flare helps pick some stuff out -- nice pair of gold-green earrings, for instance. Then Penny insists on getting *me* something, and I wind up with a trio of monoblades with chromed hilts and black accents. One of those goes to the ancestral armoury, for *keeping*. (I said to Penny, "Keep me away from the knives." Then she gets this *look* in her eyes, and says, "Are you telling me what to do?" So of course I say no...)

After a while, I go show her the station, beat her a few times in some piloting holo-games (she says that I obviously think she's an easy mark...), window-shop a bit (want to see what she likes). I take her back to Flare's eventually, and shanghai a booth. Straight Kintaran beer does its thing, and after a bit of getting giggly and somewhat silly (she batted her eyelashes at me! I will *not* take advantage...), she falls asleep on my shoulder. And, okay, so I'm human. I sort of snuggled around and let her sleep there for about half an hour, and got to stroke her hair a little. Flare came by and upon learning that no, I hadn't done anything with Penny, and no, I wasn't *going* to do anything to take advantage of her ("It's purely platonic," I grit through my teeth), he decides that I'm "acting like a fifteen-year-old virgin on her first date." So I tell him to go away. Probably not what *other* people think, not knowing how things are. *They* probably think the "catch" was mutual.

After a half-hour, I arranged things to be a *bit* more dignified, and gave Penny some Purge, and told her that if she stayed sleeping there, she'd get a crick in her neck. She grumbled some, and asked if she'd done anything embarassing like sing on the table or something, and I tell her no, that she just got giggles. (Which was sweet, but I don't mention that...)

Penny says something about oweing me, and I say don't worry about it, and that I needed something to hang over *her* head. So she looks up. So I stand on the bench and get one of the black Kintaran decorations and dangle it over her head. Then I get some of the string and make a necklace for her. She accepts it graciously, and stands up and gets one of the pumpkins and plops it onto my head. I try to look overly dignified, and finally take the thing and pet it.

Then she uses some Purge on me, because it's only fair that I stop being tipsy if she has to stop. Then she orders some more stuff from Flare... I grumble slightly about security things, and she says that she's got a guardian angel... Diana's over in a corner. She's had us in visual all evening! (I should have known, I really should have known... I'd told Di to hang around *myself*, of course she'd be there...) I beg Diana not to mention the conversation I had with Flare while She was snoozing, and she finally says okay, but I owe her one.

When Flare comes by, it comes up that I've been being chivalrous, and I sulk. [So does Penny...] Flare snickers, so I kick at him.

I pet my pumpkin again, just for obnoxiousness sake. She bets me that, while tipsy, I can't walk with it on my head all the way back to an airlock. I ask what the bet would be. She says that if I lose, I have to take her out again for Christmas or New Year's (depending on when the Albatross is in port). I say that if I win, then... (no, I will not suggest *that*) I get to see how the Bow handles. She has to ask Diana about that (And Diana gripes at her about it -- something about "You lose, and she gets to have her way with *my* body? Something's wrong here!"), and of course she blushes a little. I almost make it to the lock, though -- and then I slip... [[Deliberately.]] And Diana glitches the grav, too! Hmph. Unnecessary.

Since I hadn't gotten myself a room on-station yet, I get invited to stay the evening on the Bow -- after all, there's not many people on-board: Her, Mira, Embereyes, and Diana's *all*. [[And Mira and Embereyes have been sent off on vacation!]] So I take her up on that... And spend most of the rest of the evening wishing that I were in the room right next door... Mrfl.

I walked in the door, and Diana said something about me being *obtuse*, then she vanished and wouldn't come back.

Then She did show up at my door, asked if I needed anything, and I got Her to tell me how to make the holo-walls do star-scene (ask Diana). And then I couldn't figure out how to suggest that stars were romantic before She got tired and went back to *Her* bed. Stars, but I'm an idiot. But she was watching the guys, mostly, at the party. What if She thinks of me in a *sisterly* way? I don't want to readjust myself from... how I think of Her. My vulnerable Goddess.

Oh, stars, this is so poetic I could just throw the computer across the room. If She didn't have blackmail on me I could just make a pass at Her in typical Quicksilver style and if She didn't like it then I'd shrug and that'd be the *end* of it and I wouldn't be wondering if She meant something by that outfit or if I'm deluding myself or *what*, fraggitall.

**Nov 1, 155**

Next morning, I get to eat real oatmeal from Her synthesizer, which isn't blue or lumpy or *anything*, 'cause a Hive Beetle's never been *near* it, and She lets me borrow the shuttle while me and Diana go shopping.

Pick up a nice dress for Diana for Xmas, and some odds and ends, and then find a... *shop*. [["Lady Erica's"]] Spend several hours picking out just the *right* Outfit, and a suede-cat (and Diana picks up some toys herself, which Flare is going to be ... unbored by), and then I go by a jewelry store and get Her an armband to go with the outfit (silver, with an onyx thread running down the middle of it) and a pair of ruby ear-rings so She can have something to open in public.

[[Silver drops about 2,000 credits, all told.]]

**Dec 23, 155**

I got to wondering if That Outfit were really a good thing to give, so I called up Diana... Diana gave both the presents to a shipping company to deliver, so it's out of her hands. Nothing to do but fret, I guess... I hope She likes it. Or if She doesn't, I hope I can convince Her it was just a gag-gift...

[[Diana did no such thing, actually... She just didn't want Silver getting cold feet about the gift... She and the other AIs are approving of the match.]]

**Dec 24, 155**

[[Xmas eve. Selene opened the ear-rings gift, and sort of sighed, "At least she likes me." Then she went to her bedroom and found a large box, wrapped in opalescent white paper with a silver ribbon -- same as the earrings had been. "Diana, what's this?"

"It's a Christmas present, boss."

"What's in it?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you."

"Um. Is it dangerous?"

"What do you mean by that, boss?"

"Is something in here going to jump out at me or something."

"Oh. Nope! It's all quite inert."

Selene finally opens the box gingerly. She takes out the arm-band. There's a card inside, under the arm-band. The card reads "Happy Halloween?" in silver ink. Under it is the suede cat. She reaches in and strokes it wonderingly, then tells Diana, "Privacy Mode!"]]

**Dec 25, 155**

She wore the Outfit.

[[Silver frets her way over, a little nervous, etc. Diana says that Selene's in her office, and Silver knows the way. Diana herself is off to show some of *her* toys to Flare (she bought some stuff at the kink-shop as well). Silver goes into the office, and it's pitch black, with a th-th-thwap noise, and Selene spot-lit a moment later -- wearing the Outfit and lightly tapping the cat against her leg. Silver's bioscans read pure Interest as she pauses admiringly.

Selene quirks an eyebrow at Silver. "You like?"

Silver nods, speechless, and walks forward a couple of paces -- then goes down on one knee in front of Selene, eyes closed. Adrenalin and hormone levels are definitely elevated. Selene goes >BLINK< for a moment (slightly faltering in the rythem of tapping the cat against her leg), since she'd not really expected Silver to do *that*. (Silver hadn't expected to do that either, for that matter...) "Do you know what you're getting into?" Selene asks, circling around and tapping Silver lightly with the cat. Silver shrugs a little, still a little tongue-tied. "You're sure you want to do this?" Selene inquires, pausing in front of Silver again. Silver opens her eyes, looking up at her and half-whispers, "Yes, M'Lady." This provokes another >BLINK<, though Selene manages to keep the bogglement off her face.

Selene swallows and says, "I'll need your biosuit codes." Silver, without hesitation, gives them. [[Phoenyxe]] This *seriously* amazes Selene, who considers passwords to be more intimate than toothbrushes. This is where she figures out exactly *how* serious Silver is about this. She goes and takes a chip out of her desk, then puts it into Silver's suitsleeve -- it's a tiny comm, allowing Silver's suit to be given instructions via implant-comm.

Then she and Silver make their way to her bedroom, where Selene freezes Silver's suit into position, downloads some of her biofeedback programs, and uses the suit-programs to frustrate Silver for *quite* a long time (as the program learns Silver's reactions) before offering her a chance to prove her erotic prowess -- with both hands effectively tied behind her back. Quicksilver Hawke does not come by her reputation solely by means of hypnotics and trickery, and is *very* willing to demonstrate this. The reward for her sucess is for the biofeedback to allow Relief -- and what with everything, Silver actually faints, much to Selene's bemusement.

When Silver wakes up, she's snuggled up in bed, and has a *little* more freedom of movement, which they put to good use...

After both are quite happily tired, Selene gripes at Silver for "making me wait *four months*!" Silver retorts that she hadn't *known* Selene was interested, and hadn't wanted to risk offending her by making a pass at her. Selene replies that *she* hadn't dared to make a pass at Quicksilver Hawke, who was *supposed* to make passes at people she was interested in and stun the offenders! Silver mentions that she'd said she'd never use a stunner on Selene, since Diana wouldn't approve. Then she says that *she's* been frustrated too, since [about mid to late april -- and this is actually quibbling some, since there was some interest *way* early on, even before the Tscheya incident]. Selene says that she hadn't wanted to pressure *Silver* unfairly (concerned that the fact of blackmail material might have made a request into an "order"; she'd taken the gift of a Dom outfit to mean that Silver *wanted* that "order" -- probably a basically accurate theory though simplified). Silver grumbles that Selene could have asked Diana to find out Silver's interest level. Silver mentions Diana's appeared in her room on Halloween, and called her obtuse.
Selene: "*Did* she? I smell Mycroft's fine hand in this!" She chews her AIs out for plotting against her -- it seems that the trio decided that Silver would be *good* for Selene emotionally, and were doing their best to speed up that realization between the biologicals.

Silver grumbles that it's not fair Selene has the codes for Silver's suit, but Silver doesn't have equal access. So Selene gives her equal access -- since the codes are too long (alphanumeric strings only a full eidetic could remember), they're loaded into Silver's computer, along with some suit-program designing programs...

Over the next few days, they alternate spending lots of time on the _Bow_, and roaming around the station (Silver and Penny) in various states of kinky encumbrance, usually taking turns, as sub is more *Selene's* established kink than Dom. Silver tells Selene that she's one of two people who elicit a subbish response from her. (The other being "Mom.") Silver's reactions confuse herself as well, so she does't think about them much.]]

[[While Silver's gone, Selene visits the store Silver went to... It's a rather professional place, with a classy back room... Very discreet, too, of course. She spends about 15,000 credits or so there, on various entertaining outfits for herself and Silver (and Penny), and sets up a 50,000 credit line for Silver, next time *she* shows up there!]]

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