~March 1599~

As March began, it brought with it a warmer evening here and there. On one of these warmer evenings, Chantarell and Claire were found to be laying upon a blanket within the hay loft of the barn looking down at where Ash now moved about below them, tidying the barn while Baila and Ana finished preparing that night’s supper, inside the house.

“He sure doesn’t talk much, does he?” Chantarell stated thoughtfully.

“Well it isn’t his natural language.” Claire suggested as a guess as to just one of the many reasons his usual silence continued, despite the fact that he had been with them for a week now, and still rarely if ever spoke to anyone except Claire, and that was usually only when they were alone, as infrequent as Claire let that happen, still, considering his first night in their home.

“So why doesn’t Baila ever talk much either?” Chantarell couldn’t help snickering as she looked back over at Claire with a smirk.

“I guess she’s used to men only needing her for things that don’t involve speaking, or thinking, for that matter.” Claire couldn’t stop the words from leaving her lips, which only caused a hearty chuckle from Chan.

“That’s harsh.” she responded, “Even if true.” she couldn’t help adding with another giggle.

“Sorry.” Claire replied quietly, though it was more an automatic apology rather than a sincere one.

Chantarell finally ceased her laughter and glanced once more toward where Ash still worked below them, before she centered a concerned gaze back on Claire once again, “So how have things been going with the new servants now, honestly?”

“You live here too.” was Claire’s only response, quiet though it was.

“I mean behind closed doors, where I can’t see.” Chantarell prodded with what she hoped was a comforting smile.

“I try to avoid any closed doors, at least until it’s time to go to sleep.” Claire replied in the same soft volume, still pretending to concentrate on fiddling with a stray piece of hay rather than the conversation.

“So Sean watches, then?” Chan couldn’t help chiding with a raised eyebrow.

“Watches what?” Claire asked with narrowed eyes as she finally looked back toward her.

Chantarell just gestured to the man who still moved about the barn below them with a mischievous smirk.

“Oh stop it!” Claire shook her head with a sigh as she went back to the piece of hay.

“So you haven’t then?”

“Haven’t what?” Claire returned with a slight grumble.

“Haven’t finally discovered what it’s like to let a ‘savage’ have his way with you.” Chantarell replied with the same devious tone.

“Please.” Claire mumbled, though still did not look up.

“Yeah, he may make you say that.” Chan smirked again.

“Chan.” Claire scolded, though added nothing more to the statement.

Chantarell then sighed once more as she glanced at Ash again before turning her eyes back toward Claire, “I thought that you guys were finally going to attempt to leave behind that whole monogamy thing, for obvious reasons, now.”

“It’s not that easy to just readjust everything you’ve ever believed, at least not in the matter of less than one month, even.” Claire replied with a bit of sadness to her tone.

“Really?” Chantarell stated with pointed disbelief as she glanced back toward the house where both Sean and Baila were among the two that remained inside while Claire sat out in the barn, with her.

“Well, it’s not that easy for me, anyway.” Claire replied, though in a near whisper.

“So you’re still angry at Sean, then?” Chantarell returned, her own tone finally losing it’s joviality.

“No, not really. I mean, I do understand why he and Baila have done, whatever, that they’ve done.” she nearly choked out the words, “But still, it’s not as easy for a woman, a woman whose only been with one man, ever, to just suddenly decide to be with another. Especially when that other is honestly a total stranger. Well, a woman without the kind of urges you each have now, anyway.” she added as she remembered who she was speaking with.

Chan was quiet for only another moment before she finally allowed those unspoken thoughts to escape, “So, it’s being with another man that you’re worried about, not necessarily being with another person?” she asked her in a sly tone as she turned her dark brown eyes back towards those sad emerald ones.

“What?” Claire choked on that word as well, as she quickly looked up to meet Chantarell’s unwavering gaze.

“Let me help you.” Chan whispered in a tone that was equal parts gentle and sultry, as she slowly moved her hand up to Claire’s unhindered locks, trying not to smile at the shock in those green eyes of hers now, especially since Claire froze, rather than pulled away.

“Chan…” Claire whispered, easily forgetting the rest of the sentence as Chan slid even closer atop that cover.

“Women are always gentler the first time anyway.” Chantarell assured her with another small smile before moving to cover Claire’s lips with her own, almost as though she had been wanting to do that for a long, long while, perhaps even years.

After several long moments of feeling Chantarell kissing her and pressing close to her, Claire finally gave in and began returning the kiss to the one and only friend she had ever really truly made, even before she had met Sean, himself.

Feeling that wall that Claire always seemed to hide her own vulnerability behind come down, at last, Chantarell then moved to caress her breast thru the material of her dress, while her other hand moved to Claire’s waist, pulling their bodies even closer to one another. Chan then moved to begin unbuttoning that dress, easily reaching inside and caressing Claire’s breast until her nipple hardened against the other woman’s warm touch, causing a slight moan from Claire at that touch.

Claire finally pulled her mouth from Chan’s though remained lying close as Chantarell continued moving her fingers over her now exposed breasts while the other hand had ever so slowly began hiking Claire’s long dress upwards inch by inch.

“I thought you were the one with desires that needed filled, not me.” Claire finally managed once she felt Chantarell’s hand now move up and under the dress to gently cup Claire’s behind thru the remaining undergarment.

“First, let me go ahead and help you, then, once you’ve been thoroughly helped,” she teased with a little smile, “then you can help me.” she chuckled against Claire’s neck as her hand then moved around to the front of Claire’s waist, sliding inside of her last remaining layer of clothing, leaving no question about her destination.

It was about an hour later when the two women still lay atop that cover in the loft high above the main portion of the barn. Both had lost their remaining layers of clothing, though even Chan did not seem to notice the still reasonably cool night air as she was breathing heavy and even perspiring a bit as Claire laid above her, her head cradled against Chan’s breasts while the one who appeared to be the younger of the two, still attempted to recover from the encounter.

Claire’s hand still rested upon the dampness between Chan’s legs while she felt Chan’s tremors slowly subside while they lay there in the dark together, “You sure you haven’t done this before?” Chantarell giggled thru her still ragged breaths as she pushed loose damp locks of red from her face while smiling up at the roof above the loft.

Claire just let out a small laugh against where her head still lay against Chan’s breasts, her own body still a little flushed from her ‘bringing it to life’ once more to allow Chantarell to touch, and even taste her into a few of those same tremors of her own earlier.

“I just touched you the way I…” Claire then buried her head against the girl’s breasts once more, with an embarrassed smile.

“The way you what?” Chantarell had to prod with her own smile as she finally lifted her still somewhat shaking hand up to run it thru Claire’s long locks, which spread over her own stomach, tickling her skin pleasantly.

“The way I touched myself all the times when Sean was gone, ok?” Claire admitted with another little laugh.

“He must’ve been gone a lot.” Chantarell couldn’t resist.

“Oh shut up.” Claire giggled, finally moving to sit up once more as she shook her head playfully down at where Chan forced herself up onto her elbows with her own wry smile.

“But now I am starving, for actual food, for the moment.” Chantarell teased her once more as she finally moved to locate her own clothing as Claire watched her dress, pulling the cover they had previously been laying upon around her own still bare body, though she seemed to be deep in thought rather than really concentrating on the other girl wiggling back into her own clothing. “Well, if you’re just gonna stay out here naked all night, should I send someone else up to keep you company?” Chantarell chided her after she finished dressing a few moments later, only to note that Claire still sat there, wrapped only in the cover, still, and appearing quite deep in thought.

“What?” Claire finally responded as she looked up at where Chan now stood looking down at her curiously.

“Wow, I knew I had talent in that area, but sheesh.” she just had to tease further.

“Oh shut up.” Claire repeated with her own seemingly forced smile as she finally also moved to dress once more, as well.

After waiting for Claire to finish dressing, and make her way back down the ladder from the loft, Chan moved close to her and spoke quietly into her ear, “Seriously, hon, are you ok?” she asked her, actually showing concern rather than her usual less serious emotions.

“Yeah.” Claire said quietly as Chan continued to watch her, “Yeah, I think so.” she repeated with a more sincere smile, “Now you go get supper, you’re skin and bones.” she told her with a slight wink, “I’m just gonna feed the horses.” Claire told her with another small smile.

“Ok.” Chan gave in, only casting Claire one more brief glance back, before heading out of the barn and back toward the house once more.

Once Claire had finished feeding the horses, she sighed a moment before finally moving back toward the door of the barn. Only, upon reaching that doorway, she stopped abruptly when her eyes fell upon Ash waiting there, leaning upon the doorframe and watching her intently.

“Ash, hello.” she said as she looked down once more, still feeling a bit guilty about not only giving him her blood, but also about taking his own, among other things. As his only response was the way his eyes continued to move over her, silently, she continued, “Shouldn’t supper be ready by now?” she asked him quietly.

“You spirits, you have very odd desires.” he finally spoke to her, making her wonder exactly how much of she and Chantarell’s encounter he had actually been aware of from his place on the floor of the barn, far below where that encounter had taken place.

“It’s just… hard to explain.” Claire stammered in response to what may have been a very bold statement on his part, indeed.

“Your husband, he is a spirit too, is he not?” he continued, his own gaze never leaving her.

“Sean is like Haven and I…” she began, but still could not find a way to correct his words, despite knowing that she could say anything at all to him now, truly, with no fear of him ever wanting to leave her side for even a moment.

“I see you all, fulfilling those strange desires, with each other, often. But what desire do you, yourself, have of me?” he asked her softly as he moved even closer to her.

“It’s not just about our desires, Ash.” she finally began after a nervous pause, “Once we start traveling again, we will help you find your father if that is still what you want. And we’ll of course try and help any of your people if we find them. I don’t want you to think that it is only about what we all want.” she tried to assure him, despite her own discomfort at his reasonably blunt question.

“Those are not my only desires, now.” he said as he closed the distance between them, speaking now right next to her ear, “But I asked what you want of me.” only a brief pause as he breathed softly against her ear, “Is it my blood, as I’ve dreamt it was, or is it more than that, perhaps even my body, as well?”

“Ash….” she whispered, though did not pull back from him, nor could she find any more words to respond with right then.

“Because either is now yours for the taking.”