Since we were inside the East Forest Glade, our abilities were boosted already; but, with the two of us combining our own energies to run, our speed didn't double like I thought it would.

It quadrupled.

I was so glad that I had achieved a balance with the forest a long time ago, because if I hadn't, I would have hit every single branch and bush that we passed. Lashina was giggling madly as we quickly traversed through the trees and underbrush like wind through the leaves of the trees above our heads. She had told me a while ago that she wore a skirt and not pants because they interfered with her movements, and I was pleasantly delighted to see the proof for myself.

As we leapt over tree roots and ducked under half-fallen trees and low branches, her strides were impossibly long for someone of her four feet of height. She was like a gymnast as she did splits with her legs out to the sides and then the splits with one leg all the way forward and the other all the way back. Each time she jumped and lunged, her tiny skirt inched farther and farther up her backside until it had hiked all the way up and was barely the size of a belt.

By the time we had reached the edge of the forest, Lashina's cute little pink ass was completely exposed and her tiny little white panties gave the view a stark contrast to highlight it. Being the gentleman that I am, I was about to tell her about it when I thought we were going to stop running... except we didn't. My eyes widened as we left the East Forest Glade and didn't slow down at all. We were still sharing our energy and she used it to propel us past dozens of people just as she did for us with the trees in the woods.

We were across the compound in only a minute and were inside her apartment and then her bedroom before anyone had seen us. We stopped beside her bed and she let my hand go as she threw her robes onto a chair and then jumped onto her bed face down, then she laughed as hard as anyone I had ever met. Myself included.

“Bwahahaha!” Lashina guffawed as she kicked her feet and made fists and lightly pounded her mattress. “Did you feel that?!? Did you? That was so much fun!”

I was about to comment, even with the sight of her butt jiggling like it was, then she rolled over to look at my face. My eyes were below her waist at the time and she saw where I was looking.

“So, that's why you're so quiet.” Lashina said happily and her tiny hands reached for her skirt.

“I was going to tell you...” I started to say, when her hands didn't grab her skirt and she rubbed her thighs instead. I raised my eyebrows at her and she giggled.

“I didn't expect anyone to see these today, and yet here you are, looking at me with lust in your eyes.” Lashina said in a slightly deeper voice, then she sat up.

“I... ah, I didn't... I mean...” I looked at her face and saw her sly smile. “I'm only twelve.”

Lashina giggled again as she shook her head slightly, then she slid to the side of the bed and stood up. “We both know you're quite a bit older than you look.” She said and touched my chest. “I mean, just look at me.” She said and did a little turn to show off both her front and her back. “You could never guess that I was a hundred years old, would you?”

My mouth dropped open at the absurd number. “A... a... h-h-hundred?” I asked, shocked.

“I know, I know.” Lashina said. “Us long-lived races are very difficult to guess the ages for, once we reach maturity.” She said as she reached up and unhooked my robes.

I caught her hands to stop my robes from falling to the floor. “What are you doing?”

“You promised to tend to me like you did Master Moor.” Lashina said with an evil gleam in her eyes.

“But...”

“Oh? Are you going back on your word, Ullir?”

“I...”

“I'll even close my eyes as you undress me and change me into my sleeping attire.” Lashina said.

“It's still morning.” I said, and she giggled as she took my robes and laid them over hers.

“You said you only have the day off, so I can't have you wait and attend to me tonight, can I?”

“I... suppose not.”

“Then get to work.” Lashina said and closed her eyes and lifted her arms over her head. “My belt knot is in the back.”

I held in my sigh and reached around her to untie her belt cord, then carefully set her weapon on the chair with our robes. I loosened her skirt next and carefully pulled it down over her slender hips and managed to not hook her underwear. She put her hands on my shoulders and stepped out of the skirt, and I was proud of myself that I only glanced at her crotch once.

As I stood up, I used my fingertips to grab the bottom edge of her long sleeve t-shirt. I felt Lashina shiver slightly when my fingers caressed her skin, then I lifted her top up and stopped just before revealing her breasts.

“Why did you stop?” Lashina asked.

“This was the spot where I had to close my eyes.” I said.

“I have mine closed instead, remember?” Lashina said and pointed to her closed eyes. “Unlike Master Moor who must have stared at you to make sure you didn't look, I'm making sure that you do.”

“Lashina...”

“I know.” Lashina said and her hands touched my chest, snaked up to my neck, and cupped the sides of my face. “The mind is willing; but, the body is weak.”

“Then why are you doing this?” I asked.

Lashina opened her eyes and looked into mine, and I saw a depth there that was both surprising and a little scary. “I want you to know that someone can appreciate you for who you are.” She said. “Plus, I don't mind at all if you look at me like you want to... do things... to me, even if you physically can't right now.”

“But...”

“But what?”

“It's not fair to you.” I said.

Lashina caressed my face for a moment, then slid her hands behind my neck and pulled me forward. “I want to steal your first kiss with a woman, Ullir.” She whispered. “Will you let me? Even though you're 'only' twelve?”

I took a slightly shaky breath and slowly put my arms around her in a tight embrace. I had been tempted to comb my hands through her long white hair; but, that wouldn't have given her the same wordless impression of permission.

“Thank you.” Lashina said and closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to mine.

I was surprised when I felt her Presence much stronger than I had only a moment before, so I gathered my own Presence to share with her. Lashina moaned as I kissed her with enthusiasm and poured my Presence into her. I could feel her body become warmer as her Presence started to glow, and mine did the same as they mixed together. We stayed that way for several minutes, as we shared each other's Presence and kissed, then the moment passed and we broke the kiss at the same time. We both opened our eyes and looked at each other, and we were both wide-eyed and glowed.

“Wow.” I said.

“I was going to say that.” Lashina said with a smile. “That was your first kiss?”

“I've never kissed my mother or my guardian like that, so yes.” I said, and she giggled.

“Then I need to thank you again.” Lashina said and her face went to a darker pink. “That was wonderful.”

“I have no choice but to agree.” I said with a smile.

“You better agree, you scamp!” Lashina said as she playfully slapped my chest. “Now get back to work.” She said and lifted her arms.

“Aren't you going to close your eyes?” I asked as I gripped the edge of the long sleeved t-shirt.

“We both know that neither of us need our eyes to 'see' with the flow of Presence.” Lashina said, and I raised my eyebrows at her. “What? You didn't think I could see your flow of Presence?”

I opened my mouth to say that it was a secret; but, anyone that practised the basic mental technique a lot could gain the same proficiency and could see without their eyes.

“Plus, I want to see your happy face with my own eyes when you see them.” Lashina said and grinned evilly.

“You smile like that a lot.” I chuckled and lifted her top up and pulled it off of her, then pointedly looked down at her chest. When she had treated me for stun damage, I had guessed that her chest was in perfect proportion with the rest of her, and I was glad that I was right. What I hadn't expected was that her nipples were a much darker pink than her normal skin and were quite pronounced.

Lashina giggled at the expression on my face. “I knew you would like them.”

“I do.” I admitted. “You're quite beautiful.”

“Oh, you.” Lashina said and reached down for her underwear.

“W-wait.” I said. “I thought I was changing you for bed.”

“I can't go to bed all sweaty.” Lashina said and yanked her panties off. “I need a shower after that hard of a run.” She twirled her panties around on her fingertip and then tossed them at my face. “I'll be right back.”

I caught them and my nose picked up her scent, and it was almost as sweet as the special dessert that Emari had shown me.

Lashina came out of the shower a few minutes later and handed me a towel. “Give me a hand, would you?”

I held out her underwear and she took them from me, then went to the chair with her other clothes on it and came back.

“Start drying.” Lashina said and smiled as she held her arms out to her sides.

“You're really enjoying this, aren't you?” I asked and started drying her.

“Ullir, if I thought for a second that you would have accepted an apprentice position so easily, I would have offered you one when you graduated your training.”

“What?” I stopped drying her and looked at her face. “You do realize I'm just humoring Kara, right?”

“Yes, I do.” Lashina said.

“You would have been okay with that?” I asked, then started drying her again.

“Ullir, I would be okay with anything you did.” Lashina said and smiled. “Even arranging to have Gruskluan shaved.”

“Is that what the fluffy puff-ball alien is called?” I asked, and she nodded. “What does he look like now?”

“Definitely not fluffy or puffy!” Lashina said, and we both laughed.

I dried her off and she pointed to where she kept her sleeping attire, and she had to pick the underwear that she wanted to wear. I kept trying to give her comfortable ones and she wanted sexy ones. We compromised with a pair of cute ones. She also chose a nightgown that barely went below her hips.

“Do you really wear this every night?” I asked as I slipped it on over her head.

“It's just in case someone... whom I won't mention... might try to sneak into my room and peek at me.”

“I've never...” I stopped talking, and she laughed.

“Go and get your own shower.” Lashina said and waved to the bathroom.

“I don't have a change of clothes.” I said.

“You mean these?” Lashina asked and opened a small closet beside hers and it was full of apprentice robes and outfits.

“You really were going to recruit me.” I said, surprised.

“I said I wanted to.” Lashina said. “You didn't detect a lie, did you?”

“No, but...”

“Ah, you thought I was exaggerating.” Lashina said, and I nodded. “I wasn't, and I've never done that... except when I played with you a little and asked you not to stare at my panties when you were being held for causing all that damage.”

I sighed and closed my eyes. “I still can't believe that The Order would do that to me and take Emari away.” I felt her put her arms around me as she hugged me.

“Ullir, I'm so sorry you had to go through that.” Lashina said. “I felt so bad that I even went to the council about it.”

“You did?” I asked and opened my eyes to look at her.

“Of course I did!” Lashina said and reached up to tap my forehead. “I know how much they hurt you and I tried to get them to reverse the decision.”

“They didn't.” I said.

“Not only that, I was censured for questioning the council's decision.” Lashina said. “Why else do you think I didn't see you for a month after that?”

“Those bastards.” I said and made a fist.

“I couldn't help you get over what they did, and by the time my censure was over, you had so much hate for everyone in The Order, I knew that I would only cause you pain if I tried to approach you as anything other than a friend.”

I opened my fist and took her into a hug. “Thank you, Lashina.”

“I'm going to need another shower if you don't get one soon.” Lashina teased, and I chuckled.

“I'll be right back.” I said and went to the bathroom and took a shower, dried off, and went back out to her bedroom.

“Aw.” Lashina said. “I wanted to dry you off.”

“You said only what I did with Kara.” I said and smiled, and she chuckled.

“All right.” Lashina said and lifted her arms. “Put on the pyjamas and carry me to bed!”

I laughed and got dressed, picked her up in a princess carry, which was a little easier with her so short, and carried her to her bed only a few feet away. She pointed to where she normally slept, and I tucked her under the blanket in the right spot.

“Hurry!” Lashina said and pat the bed beside her. “I want to cuddle for a few hours before you need to feed me and then you have to go.”

“I can't believe I'm doing this.” I said and climbed into bed and slid over to her.

“Admit it.” Lashina said. “You like having someone who just tells you what they want.”

“Even if I can't give it to them?” I asked, and she cuddled in and tucked my arm over her shoulder and hugged it.

“We only have to wait until you're of age, Ullir.” Lashina said. “Once you can legally make decisions for yourself, you can give anything you want to whoever you want.”

I smiled at her and she smiled back. “I assume that you're going to be waiting for that to happen?”

“Oh, Ullir.” Lashina sat up slightly and gave me a kiss on the lips. “You're going to be waiting for that to happen, too.” She said and tucked herself back onto my chest and put an arm around me, then promptly went to sleep.

I looked down at her long white hair and combed my fingers through it, like I had been tempted to do before. I was waiting to become legal age so I can leave the organization that caused the death of my parents. I thought, and then smiled. It never once occurred to me that there could be other reasons.

I wasn't tired at all, so I entered a meditative state and practised more mental techniques to pass the time before Lashina woke up and wanted to be fed. I made her supper and tended to her as if I was her apprentice... or butler, as the case may be... and she gushed over my work and thanked me profusely the entire time. She thoroughly enjoyed being fed and we made idle small talk as she ate, then the night arrived it was time for me to leave.

“Ullir.” Lashina climbed out of bed and stood before me with a longing look on her face. “No matter what happens over the next few years, please... please... wait for me.”

“I'm not sure what you...”

“I want to be the first to share myself with you.” Lashina said. “Four years isn't that long of a time for people like us.”

“You said something like that before.” I said as I got changed into apprentice robes. “When you mentioned before that you were a long-lived race, you said 'we'.”

“Yes, silly.” Lashina said. “I meant you as well.”

“But...”

“I don't know what your race is called, since its name has been lost over time and your people have been scattered to the far corners of the universe; but, it has been around just as long as mine has.” Lashina said, then she sighed. “Kara is going to keep you on a short leash from now on, after you being gone all day and didn't even try to check on her.”

“She didn't want me to.” I said and held up my wrist communicator. “She could have contacted me at any time and she hasn't; but, you're right. She is going to be angry. More at herself than at me, though.”

“I think she would be really angry if she knew that you had spent the whole day with me.” Lashina said with an evil smile.

“I don't know why.” I said. “My personal time is just that. Mine.”

Lashina pulled me down to her height and looked into my eyes. “May I have another kiss?”

“Is that really what you want?” I asked teasingly, and she giggled.

“It's all I'm allowed to ask for.” Lashina responded and kissed me. I knew what she expected me to do, so I eased my flow of Presence into her and she shivered. She broke the kiss and let me go. “Goodnight, Ullir.”

“Goodnight, Lashina.” I said and walked over to her bedroom door.

“You know, most masters hate it when you call them by name and don't use their title.” Lashina said.

“I know.” I said and smiled as I turned to look at her. “Are you one of them?”

“By the Goddess, no.” Lashina said in a sexy voice and put a hand over her heart. “I love hearing you speak my name.”

I gave her a bow, covered myself in Presence, and left her apartment as silent as a ninja.