Amaranthine

CHAPTER 44- Farmers Market!

Cait chuckled as B-man hefted the brawny man above his head, posing for a picture she'd have to make sure got forwarded to her. She waved goodbye to her own group, and looked over to Qi, who had actually broken a sweat throughout the day’s work. She looked stunning, cheeks flushed from a long day, shiny black hair just slightly more disheveled than usual.

She caught Cait staring, and gave her a sheepish smile, running her talon through her hair try and smooth it out.

“I like you a little messy,” Cait said, walking up and bumping her shoulder to Qi’s. “Takes the edge off the whole ‘hyper regal dragon’ look.”

“That’s the look I’m going for though,” Qi responded, bumping Cait back harder.

“Oh, I know,” Cait said wistfully, “just hard to see you like that when the image of you tonsil deep in Lira’s asshole is still so fresh in my mind.”

Qi’s punch bounced Cait off the loaded truck, but she still managed to land on her feet, laughing.

“Dickhead,” Qi said, but when Cait smiled at you, it was hard not to smile back. It was a weapon she’d used to get out of a whole lot of situations that could have easily ended up nasty. Inside, Cait chastised herself.

Be nicer. She’s been finding herself the 4th wheel on a tricycle lately.

“Hey, Qi…”

“Oh, hey! Check it out, they must have delayed the Market for the cleanup! Lets go take a round, for public relations of course.”

Qi’s bright, genuine smile full of fangs and glee was one treasure Cait found herself unable to break right now, so she mirrored it. She joined the dragon as they strolled towards the lines of stalls selling anything from produce to art. Cait had always loved this place, when it popped up Saturday mornings. She wrapped an arm around Qi’s half-scale bicep, bumping her head against the girl’s shoulder.

Weird to be the short one for once. Kinda nice. Wouldn’t want to get used to it though.

You might think that, in a city that had suffered so many attacks of late, something as trivial as the farmers market might get canceled. In a lot of other places, maybe you’d be right, but in DSM, the driving force of the farmers market was the actual farmers from outside the ‘Shell. Given their lifestyles, this was often the only socialization they got all week, so come hell or high water, they’d find a way to set up their stands.

When they did, many others in the city followed. Food vendors set up stalls, musicians played in the streets, and anyone who had a small-batch style product to sell took up on the outskirts. Cait had never been a morning person, and this had been one of the only ways anyone could reliably get her to wake up early on a Saturday. Now, starting near the evening, the atmosphere was actually a little romantic, and she found herself looking up at Qi, feeling pretty goddamn conflicted.

She looked around, finding her favorite churro stand and dragging Qi along to grab a one of each kind they had on offer, for each of them of course.

“Figure you gotta eat to keep that fire burning, right?” she asked Qi, taking a bit of her apple-filled treat. “Fuck that’s good.”

“Apparently not! Oh whoa, that does kick ass,” Qi agreed, taking a bite of her own and following Cait behind the stands. It wasn’t exactly private, but as close as you can get. “When Lira scanned me, she said for my fire to be coming from any scientifically viable source, my stomach would either need to be a nuclear reactor, or I’d have to be eating, like, a million calories a day. Neither one of those things is true, so chalk it up to magic.”

They leaned against the brick wall of a building in companionable silence for a moment, enjoying their cinnamony snacks.

“Listen, Qi,” Cait started, not entirely sure what she was going to say, but knowing she needed to say something. “I’m not really sure what you want from… you and me. I can tell you straight up I’m not leaving Kennedy and Lira. I’m making a go of that, and the throuple approved stuff with you has been fun, and I like you, but I feel like you want me to yourself. I can’t give that to you.”

Qi glared at her over her churro.

“Won’t,” she said, managing to stay upset even holding the height of TexMex desert science.

“What?”

“Won’t give it to me.”

Qi sighed, blowing a little cinnamon sugar off her full, deep red lips.

“I get it. You’ve got two total badass babes like that at your beck an—”

“What? No,” Cait stopped her. “No, Qi, its that if I start this new life with straight up infidelity it’ll go exactly the same as my old one. You’ll note I’m already fucking that up anyway, only saved by the fact that the girls I’m with seem to have deeply non-traditional views on relationship boundaries. The thing is, I don’t. It feels wrong, sneaking around with you, with anyone, and I never let that stop me before but I’m letting it stop me now.”

Qi actually looked shocked at Cait’s little monologue. To be honest, Cait was too. That was more of an emotional dump than she’d taken on someone in a long time.

“Uh…" Qi stammered, looking a little uncomfortable.

“Yeah, sorry, not really your problem. Your problem, is that I’m fine being with you, hell, I want to be, but only if you can find a way to be with Kennedy and Lira.”

“I ate Kennedy’s pussy and Lira’s ass last night, Cait, what the fuck more do you want from me?”

“Was that emotionally, or, shit, even sexually fulfilling for you?” Both of their voices were raising, and if some half-remembered transcript of this wasn’t in the Smart Script tomorrow Cait would be shocked. “I don’t want you to be our fucking pet, Qi, you’re way too boss of a bitch for that. The point is, either you, and I’ll help, find a way to make them see you as a girlfriend, or give up on me. Cause fuckin’ believe me, I ain’t worth the pain.”

Qi’s mouth flickered orange with fire, and Cait could feel the heat on her face. It was a Herculean effort not to end this fight with a rough kiss, fuck it away and deal with the consequences tomorrow, but that was exactly the behavior she was trying to change. So she held Qi’s gaze as the fire built in her ruby red eyes, waiting for a response. It got to the point Cait wondered if she was going to have to kiss her anyway, if only to catch the flame before there was even more property damage.

Then, Qi sighed out a puff of smoke, and the fire seemed to leave her.

“I don’t know, Cait,” she said, voice small with frustration. “I don’t even get why I like you so fucking much. Dawn thinks dragons might mate for life, so you nutting in me might have fucked me in the head.”

Cait winced.

“No, don’t feel bad about that. There might’ve been consequences, but it takes two to tango…. or, I guess, three in that case. Anyway, point is that was very consensual. Honestly, before last night, I thought I was only interested in you, but, fuck, I liked the way Kennedy made me feel small like that. No-one’s ever done that. Shit, Cait, I was a virgin a few weeks ago, I don’t know how to navigate all of this!”

“Hey, it's okay,” Cait cooed and wrapped her in a hug, laying her head in the hollow of the dragon’s neck. Qi returned it tight, because even if Cait seemed to be the source of all her problems, comfort was comfort. “I’m new to this too. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be fucking it up so bad. Wanna hear a fun plot twist?”

“Mmhmm,” Qi said, her face buried in Cait’s hair.

“Kennedy actually likes it when you and I have sex. Like, I’m linked to her right now, and she can tell somethings going on with us and she’s as wet as a duck's ass.”

“Fucking what!?” Qi yelled, a little fire escaping this time. “What’s the goddamn problem then!?”

Cait laughed at the change in her mood, happy to see the fire back.

“Honestly? No clue. Point is, I don’t think she actually hates you. It’s the idea of you taking me away for good, I think. So, basically, think if you actually want to join the fucked up polycule we’ve got going, or if you want to find something more your speed. We’re lucky to have you on the team, and as a friend, maybe with benefits, either way.”

Qi still looked a little miffed, but not apocalyptically so.

“UGH, first fucking girl I fall for as an adult just had to be poly. This is complicated, you know that? Why is it fine if Lira and I fool around!?” Qi asked, but seemed more actually confused than angry, an emotion Cait shared.

“On that I have no fucking idea. To be honest, I don’t know why I’m so cool with it. I was a dirty, cheating bitch most of my life and I was still possessive of the girl I was cheating on. When it comes to relationships, we’re all just playin’ Calvinball.”

“Yeah,” Qi admitted, sighing in defeat. “You want some more goddamn churros?”

“Like they say in improv, yes, and there’s a place down the road that does tres leches ice cream. Dip one of those crispy fuckers in that, and honestly you won’t even be worried about sex, your jeans will be so thoroughly creamed.”

“Exactly what I need then,” Qi said, smiling as she wrapped an arm around Cait’s shoulders, leading them both out in search of heaven.