Volume 9 - Animate Objects, Chapter 61 - Night Watch

Chione stepped out of her bedroom at around midnight to the sound of hushed conversation and giggling coming from the living room. She knew Haru and Yuisu had a late-night movie routine, but they were usually done and asleep by this hour. Well, at least Yuisu would be asleep, but Haru often stayed up later by herself.

Chione was curious what they were up to and she wanted to say hello, so she headed that way. She wasn't trying to be loud, but her footsteps and the creaking of the wooden floor could be heard from the living room, and the voices there suddenly stopped. She kept approaching, and the whispers started again, sounding a little panicked.

"There's no time for clothes, Haru! Just get in our room. I'll clean up here," Yuisu whispered a bit too loudly.

Chione, innocent as she was, didn't see the meaning of Yuisu's words. She thought, Ah, good timing, they're just wrapping up. I can say goodnight. She came around the corner and saw Yuisu with a small blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her arms full of clothes. Chione waved and cheerfully said, "Hi, Yuisu! How was the movie?"

Yuisu, her green eyes wide and embarrassed, stared at Chione like a deer caught in headlights. After a moment, she shook herself to her senses and started striding purposefully toward her room. Without looking back at Chione, she blurted, "Uh, it was great. Heading to bed now. Goodnight!"

A light blue pair of panties fell out of Yuisu's grasp and caught Chione's eye. She also caught a glimpse of Yuisu's naked bottom under the blanket, and Chione finally started to realize what was going on. She blushed bright red and bowed her head. "Oh god, I'm sorry for interrupting!"

There was no response, and when Chione looked back up, Yuisu had already disappeared into her and Haru's bedroom. Chione thought, Alright, apparently my assumption when I met Quess was right: the girls here really are open about sex.

Chione distracted herself with tidying up the living room furniture and pillows which had been pushed around haphazardly. She went to turn off the TV and noticed the movie was paused with over 30 minutes left. I guess the movie wasn't as exciting as other things…

She paced around the room, trying not to think about the glimpse of Yuisu's body she'd seen a moment ago, and about the sexual acts Yuisu and Haru had surely been up to. Might still be up to… Chione blushed and shook her head in shame. Am I dirty for thinking about these things? Everyone else in this house seems to do far more, and they're still good people, right?

Eventually, everything was cleaned up except the blue panties on the floor. They were lacy side-snap panties, and they were far sexier than anything Chione owned. She stared at them and thought, All I have are boring, regular panties. Mimi calls them my 'granny-panties'…

Chione bent down and carefully pinched the strap of the blue panties between two fingers, then carried them to the laundry room, where she tossed them in the dirty-clothes basket. Even after all the evidence of the lovebirds' loving was removed, Chione's mind was still on the subject.

I need to get my mind off things. I need to go flying, she decided, then stepped out through the sliding glass door and into the cool, dark night.

Chione soared over the moonlit property like a silent guardian, watching over the land below. From her altitude, she could see both the house and the cabin and she flew circuits around the house until all the bedroom lights had finally been turned off.

Once it seemed that everyone was safely asleep, Chione's protective instincts were satisfied. She headed for the back part of the property where people rarely ventured and wildlife was abundant. It didn't take long for a flicker of motion to catch her attention.

Was that a bunny? I love bunnies!

Chione's eyes followed the movement and saw a rabbit sitting on a large flat rock. Chione glided lower, watching the cute creature as it wiggled its adorable ears and nibbled on something. Just then, her keen night vision spotted something else moving slowly, something orange-red. A fox was creeping up on the rabbit.

No! Don't eat the bunny, mean mister fox! Chione thought, already diving down to intervene.

Chione swooped low until she brushed the tips of the tree branches, some already bare of their leaves. Then she flapped her large wings, stirring up dead leaves and needles from the forest floor. The rabbit bolted and so did the fox, thankfully in different directions.

Chione rose back into the air, but she followed the rabbit's movements through the underbrush. After a moment, the rabbit stopped in another clearing, huddled low to the ground. Chione smiled, happy that the bunny was safe.

WHOOSH! A huge white blur plummeted toward the clearing, where it landed with a WHUMP!

Before Chione knew what had happened, the white object launched back into the air, heading right for her. It pulled up alongside Chione, matching her gliding speed.

"Hey, Chione! Didn't expect to see you out here!" It was Haru, and she was holding a lifeless rabbit in her talon.

Chione cringed and looked away, blinking back a tear for the cute little bunny she had tried to save.

Haru misinterpreted Chione's reaction and flew closer to apologize about something else. "Sorry about the awkward thing in the living room earlier. I think sometimes Yuisu forgets that other people live in the house with us."

Chione swallowed, then mumbled, "Uh, um, it's okay, really. There's nothing wrong with it."

Haru watched Chione's face closely, then said, "You look troubled. Let's land so we can talk better," then she turned back toward the house. The white harpy landed gracefully on the wooden deck behind the house, and the gargoyle joined a few seconds later.

Haru reached down and grabbed the dead rabbit with one wing-thumb and opened the back door with the other. "Come with me to the kitchen. We can chat while I cook up my midnight snack."

As Haru worked at the kitchen counter, making slow progress due to her lack of hands, Chione sat in silence at the table. Eventually, she worked up the courage to ask something that had been on her mind.

"Hey, Haru. How long have you been with Yuisu?"

Haru swiveled her neck around to smile at Chione. "I've lived here about eight months, but we've been dating for about seven."

Chione swallowed hard and asked another question, "And how long did you know you were, uh, attracted to girls?"

Haru chuckled, the sound smooth and sweet in her beautiful voice. "Pretty much all of my life… though it took me a while to admit it to myself. Growing up around only women, I didn't realize I was different at first."

Chione let out a relieved breath. "Oh, I think I'm the same."

Haru set her rabbit kebabs aside and tilted her head questioningly. "How so, Chione?"

Chione blushed and answered, "Well, I went to an all girls school, so I didn't know that I didn't like guys for a while. It wasn't until Mimi showed me some dirty magazines full of men… I just didn't find them attractive." Chione muttered something else under her breath, but Haru's keen ears caught it: "Like how Mimi sees me…"

Haru stepped away from the stove and walked to where Chione was sitting, her talons clicking against the floor. She wrapped a fluffy wing around Chione's shoulders and squeezed her reassuringly. "You're a wonderful, caring person, but you need to treat yourself right too. Make sure you don't pine away waiting for something that may never come."

Chione nodded, her eyes getting a little damp. "I'll try. Thanks, Haru." I guess I already knew, on some level. Mimi only sees me as a friend, and that won't change.

"Well, I'm always here for you if you need me." Haru patted Chione on the back and went back to her midnight meal.

Chione felt listless again. So much for clearing my mind. She called out, "Goodnight," then wandered back to her room. Maybe I'll read, since I'm nowhere near tired enough to sleep.

As Chione opened her door, she heard a voice coming from Mimi's room.

"Hey, Hajime, sorry for calling so crazy late… Yeah, I couldn't sleep."

After a pause where Hajime must have said something, Mimi's voice continued, "Don't worry about what happened with your friends. Yuisu's pretty chill, so she won't hold it against you. It'll be better if you come alone anyway."

Chione blushed at that, but her curiosity got the better of her and she kept listening.

"Hey! I didn't mean it like that, perv!" Mimi teased Hajime. "We've got a hot spring here, and it would be so romantic with just the two of us."

Even though Chione could only hear one side of the conversation, she liked what she heard. Mimi talking about romance, rather than just sex? She must really like this guy. I'm happy for her.

Feeling a little guilty for eavesdropping, Chione stepped away from the two bedrooms. Speaking of the hot spring… I've been wanting to check that out myself.

Steam rose in little wisps from the surface of the water as Chione lowered herself slowly into the hot spring. Her clothes were piled in a wicker basket by the gate, but she hadn't bothered to turn on any of the lamps, since she could see just fine in the dark.

Her stony-grey toes and tail barely felt the heat, but once the hot water reached the delicate skin on her thighs, Chione let out an EEP! and stopped. She waited a bit to acclimate, then lowered herself a bit further, clenching up as her most sensitive area was embraced by the water. She eventually settled down neck deep in the soothing heat of the spring

Chione could feel the tension melt out of her muscles, but she could also feel something else that was both unusual and wonderful: the rough and stonelike skin on Chione's legs and arms was softening and becoming pliable. Chione was used to her rough skin, since it was just part of being a gargoyle, but feeling it like this was a wonderful change of pace.

Chione ran a wonderfully soft hand along her thigh and calf and she shivered at the sensation from both sides. Bathwater doesn't make my skin anywhere near this soft… is it the minerals in the spring water? Before she could ponder any further, she was lost in the blissful feeling of soft skin against soft skin. Her hands wandered on their own, exploring the surface of her body, from the arches of her feet to the taut muscles of her wings.

She got a little more adventurous and her hands cupped her breasts. Then her hands squeezed and Chione gasped aloud. She'd never felt anything like it before. The stony skin on her hands was her very first gargoyle trait to manifest during puberty, so her breasts had never known a soft caress.

Chione closed her eyes and ventured further. One hand teased her breast, while the other slid down, trailing down her smooth belly, then slipped between her legs.

Chione may have been a virgin, but she wasn't inexperienced with self pleasure. However, it had never been this good before. She was really getting into it, just savoring the sensations, rather than imagining some erotic situation. All she really needed now was to get more comfortable and stretch out a bit.

She got on her hands and knees in the shallow part of the pool and rested her chin on the smooth stones, then unfurled her colorful wings into the cool air. Her long, prehensile tail whipped back and forth above the surface of the water as her fingers returned to work.

Chione lost herself in the pleasure, lost track of time and her surroundings. Eventually, from what sounded like a mile away, she heard a voice crying out, only to realize it was her own.

Later, as dawn was breaking, Chione stumbled into her room. Her body was overheated and her skin was all pruney from soaking in the hot spring, but her hands and feet were already turning back to stone as they dried out. She was also naked, but she was too tired and relaxed to care and no one else was awake to see it.

She closed her door, tossed her clothes on the floor and spun around on one foot, feeling kind of tipsy, as if she'd been drinking. Oof, I spent way too long in there. But I feel so relaxed now, and it certainly cleared my mind.

As she flopped into bed belly first, Chione smiled and thought, Tonight was a good night.