"…so like I sent to that woman Rudith," my mom continues, dragging a finger through the ripples of the pool. "She was asking about her boyfriend again and I can't exactly say through the water, 'Girl, he's no good for you.' So I sent her an image of a shoe."
I frown, my attention snared. "I'm sorry, you what?"
"Sent her an image of a shoe. You know, so she'll boot him to the curb."
That's…random. I chuckle. "You think she'll figure it out, Ma?"
Mom shrugs. "I don't care if she does. I'm not spoon-feeding them here. I have to keep an element of mystery in things. Make them work for it, you know?" She pats my hand. "I'll do that man of yours proud, wait and see."
I hug my mom. "I know you will." I'm always hugging her lately. I think it's because I came so close to not seeing her again that having her with me gives me a fresh appreciation for our relationship. "I love you."
"I love you too, pipsqueak." Mom hugs me back. "Have you eaten lunch? I have some nuts here."
Just like a mom, always trying to feed me. It works, though, because I'm always hungry. Part of my bond with Kassam, I suppose. I don't mind it, though. Thanks to his magic and this plane, there's an endless supply of fruits, vegetables, and nuts to eat. Mom has turned vegan, just like me. Sometimes I miss a good steak, but it's hard to think about eating those kinds of things when you're surrounded by deer and foxes and squirrels, all with big, beautiful eyes and all of them acting like pets.
So nuts it is. I crack a few and eat, and we talk a bit more. Once I've finished eating, I brush off my mossy skirts and get to my feet. "Oh, Ma, I almost forgot. Kassam asked if you could watch over the conmac for him? Just keep an eye on what they're doing and report back if any of them even look as if they're trying to shift?"
Her expression grows sad. "No progress there, I take it?"
"Nope." The conmac have been brought to the Great Endless Forest, the magic rings removed from their noses and…they disappeared again. They haven't changed back to their human forms (or fae forms, I guess), and it's another thing that eats at Kassam. He worries over them, but they've been wolves for a thousand years. They probably need time before they're ready to change back, or they need to remember how. Either way, we'll keep an eye on them. "So if you could peek in on them, he'd appreciate it."
"I'm on it," Mom says with determination.
I press a kiss to the top of her head. "All right, I'm off. Love you." I pause, and then snap my fingers, hoping my acting doesn't look too obvious. "Oh! One more thing, Ma." As if this isn't the thing I came over here for in the first place. "Can you uh, stay out of the deep thicket this afternoon?"
"Absolutely."
Whew. "Thanks—"
"I'm still scarred from the screeching you were doing in your last sex game," my mother says, cracking another nut with a squeeze of her palm. "Trust me, I don't want to hear anything."
I wince. So much for subtlety. To be fair, I was screeching quietly, hoping my mother wouldn't hear her son-in-law railing her daughter. Guess I wasn't as quiet as I'd thought. Today is probably going to be just as noisy, too. "We're just having a date. But like…yeah. Don't come near the deep thicket."
"Earplugs?" my mom asks.
"Probably a good idea?"
"Will do." My mom leans in. "But I have another good idea for him if you're willing to pass it along."
"What's that?"
Mom grins. "Tell him to wear a fig leaf. He's a lovely-looking man, but I still feel weird every time I see his balls."
My face feels bright red as my mother discusses my husband's balls. "Fig leaf. Got it."
There's a particular deep thicket that Kassam and I like for our “dates.” There's a thick, blooming hedge around the perimeter, and inside, the trees are close together and draped in flowering vines. It's very pretty and feels private, which is why I've chosen it for today's activities.
We're having a date tonight.
Not that we don't see each other every day and I sleep curled around him. Not that we don't fuck like bunnies every chance we get. Not that we don't spend hours and hours together just talking and enjoying each other. That's all the normal stuff.
Date nights are for our one-up competition, for when we try to raise the stakes for the other person.
Kassam is no longer cursed with hedonism, but I think it's a big part of who he is at his core. He loves pleasure. He loves watching me eat and nibbling on things, or tasting my lips. He loves bright, colorful things and scents. He loves sex—god, does he love sex—and his addiction to pleasure and fun makes me a bit more adventurous, too. While most of the time, there's nothing crazy, Kassam upped the stakes on me a few days ago by turning himself into a tree and then fucking me on his branch-cock.