Cleaning & Warming

Pair of professional cleaners at my house, helping me deal with something Dter had done in her room. It was an accident, but beyond my skill set to properly clean up. The reaction had drenched her bedspread, dresser, wall, and floor. I was able to quickly clean the mess from all but the floor, where it had soaked in. I could not allow it to remain, as it would continue reacting.

She was embarrassed to have made such a simple mistake, but she’s learning. I tease her a bit, and remind her I made the same type of mistakes myself. As I let the two men in, I saw down the street, a group of teens were going door to door. A large group, I counted at least eight of them, and knew there were more. They all wore the same black jacket with a white mascot on the back. I could see the mascot was an animal, but the stitching was white on white, preventing me from identifying which animal. On the left arm, was a pink ribbon tied or stitched to the jacket like a thin armband. I did not like the look of them, so when I let the cleaners in, I closed and chained the door.

Sure enough, they’re at my door. I yell I’m not interested and for them to pass me by. They take the chain off the door and come in. They see I’m alone, and start ransacking the house. I’m pulling my stuff back, but for every item I take back, the street gang has picked up 5 more.

The cleaners hear the trouble and come from the back of the house. They use their gear as weapons and attack the street gang. Turns out, the stuff they use to neutralize the spill, is safe for me and my daughter, but caustic for the street gang. They spray the reactant liberally over the gang and my stuff. Those gang members that touch it, scream in pain and hurry to get outside. The reactant does not harm my items.

They help me chase the teens out of the house but not before quite a bit of my stuff is in my front lawn. The cleaners and I continue attacking the teens until all my stuff is dropped.

The gang leader turns around and tells me he knows where I live, knows I’m alone, and knows what I have. He’ll be back, and he’ll make sure to take everything I have. He makes veiled threats of raping me and my daughter. But I know it’s an intimidation threat. He’s trying to save face before his krew. As I gather my belongings with the cleaners standing guard, I find one of his gang has left a jacket mixed in my daughter’s stuff.

I realize it’s intentional, and that I am dealing with magic folk. The jacket will be used later to bypass my shields and wards. They are hoping I’ll take the jacket inside with me as a passive aggressive retaliation of “Well I got something of yours!”. I pick up the jacket, carefully inspecting it, and seeing clearly how it is a trap. With knowing eyes, I look it over, and glare at the suddenly jacketless gang leader. He sees I have seen through his glamour and the smirk starts to fade off the gang leader’s face. He says he’ll be back for that jacket and for me to take good care of it. Again, an intimidation bluff.

But now, I’m lucid. And I’m pissed. In front of him, I start speaking binding galdr on the jacket. The gang leader starts screaming at me. My daughter takes the rest of her stuff back in the house, but I remain in the front yard.

The gang leader continues his obscenities, as I find a nail and a rock. I nail the juju’d jacket to the corner of the garage, facing the street. I wonder if I just made a kind of nidhstang against him. Whatever the formal name for it, his jacket is now a personalized ward against him and his gang.

I stare him with deep intent, and calmly proclaim, “Fuck with me again, I’ll eat your soul.”. I turn and start to enter the house with the cleaners. They still have work to do. The kid is screaming he needs his jacket back or he won’t be able to change shape that night. None of his gang are able to step onto the property. I ignore them, enter the house, and properly lock the door. The cleaners and I get back to work in my daughter’s room, and as the stain came out of the floor, this first dream ended.

~~~

I’m laying down, somewhere. I’m comfortable, but a bit lonely. I feel a snake crawl from somewhere nearby onto my legs. It took a bit for it to register.

Wait. That’s not my Snake.

I start to sit up, but a pair of hands wrap around my naked waist. A youthful woman’s voice rises up to me. “I’m not going to hurt you. Relax.” The snake’s weight suddenly increases as she transforms from snake to naga.

“If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard that, and was still hurt…” I’m trying to back up, but her snake half was wrapped securely around my legs and her arms were snug against my naked body.

She looked up at me, glowing yellow snake eyes in a lovely human face. A split tongue flickered briefly at me. “If you had a penny for every time you saw the warning and ignored it anyway…” Ouch. Touché. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to rest against something warm for a while, and you’re lonely. So, we’ll just lay here together. But if you really want me to leave, I’ll leave.”

“Well, at least you’re not a scorpion.”, I mutter under my breath.

“Huh?” She’s trying to look up at me. “I didn’t hear that.”

“Never mind, I’m being facetious.” And wondering what else is going to crawl out of the woodwork.

She chuckles, jiggling my thigh. “We like it when you’re facetious.”

“We?”

“Do you really think you dream in solitude?” She shifted slightly, her weight parting my legs. Her head was resting on my lower stomach, while one arm wrapped around my hip, and the other was tucked around my thigh. “There. Now your vagina is blocked, and I can’t do anything. You’re safe.”

Part of me wanted to argue the possible mechanics of her positioning. Part of me wanted to protest the physical closeness was a type of assault. But most of me was too preoccupied with her question.

“Um. I know I don’t.” Her hand started stroking my thigh. I chilled at the touch in sudden fright. “Please, don’t.” She stopped.

“Why? Why are you ashamed of yourself?” She wrapped her arms tighter around my thigh, her coils tighter around my leg. “Do you know when you’re afraid, you get colder? It’s not good for you to be this cold all the time. Not with your injuries.”

I struggle to decide which question to answer. So I try to answer both. “My dreams have changed over the past couple of years. Less and less normal mundane dreams, more and more lucid dreamwalking.” She starts idly stroking my hip again. “I’m not ashamed, I’m just… afraid. Those kind of touches usually lead to me being… hurt. And I’d rather that not happen again, not after yesterday.”

“You have a lot of Watchers, Keri. We just stay out of your sight because your mind won’t be able to handle it. We know what you’ve been through. We know how much you fear for your sanity still. But nothing occurs without being seen. Nothing and No Thing. So, relax. There’s nothing special about you, other than you see a little more than most people. And yet, there are those that see more than you.”

She slides down my body a little, so her head is now resting just above my pubic mound. It is everything I can do to keep from kicking her off in a panic. “Your body, is beautiful. And yes, there are those that will look at you only as something to own, something to fuck. But they do not rule you. They can only intimidate you and threaten you. They know they can’t have you, so they will do their best to despoil you in your own eyes. Make you afraid of yourself, so you’ll be ready to hand over control to them.”

Both of her hands are in play now, sliding over my thigh and hips. Her hands don’t progress beyond the delighting of touch. Her actions are not threatening. It takes me a while to understand. She is delighting in the feel of my skin, the same way I would delight in the feel of soft cotton. But she is not treating me as a prop. There is a softness to her actions.

“Do you want me to leave?” I think about it. About my reaction. About what she’s said.

“Are you warm enough?” She stopped stroking my leg.

“Do you want me to leave?” She asked me again with a steady voice.

“You’re not a scorpion, but you are a snake. No biting.” Glowing yellow eyes look up to face mine.

“Would I bite you?” Her voice is teasing and airy.

“You have, several times already, with words though, not with fangs.” Her smile is hidden in my flesh, but it shines in her eyes.

“If I have already bitten you, then there is no need to bite you further, I suppose.” She lowers her head and snuggles against me again.

“I am a bit lonely, and… you’re… comfortable like that.” I force myself to relax.

“Good. You’re warming up. You’re very warm when you’re relaxed.” She resumed stroking my leg and hip, in that lazy, absentminded way.

I don’t remember falling into a deeper sleep, only that when I did, I slept very well.

Make of that, what you may.