The closer she got to the pair the clearer she could hear Gersham's voice. Aegir's had not wavered as if distance really wasn't a factor. From the one sided conversation Phoebe guessed that Gersham was unaware of her presence. Preoccupied with his conversation with his creator.

She came to realize that Aegir was conversing with her at the same time. His attention able to keep two, possible numerous separate conversations going at the same time. He could choose to include or exclude people from his gifts though most beings spoke verbally instead of attempting to project thoughts or form their own thoughts in a means to keep a conversation going.

It was unnecessary to be a telepath when Aegir was around. The mere act of constructing one's thoughts allowed him to read them and respond. It was more of an effort not to scan surface thoughts. However, he tended not to pry too deeply unless curious or it being necessary to ascertain truth as far as the target was concerned. Sneaking up on him for a sentient was rare indeed. Particular species could, mainly plants and artificial creations. He couldn't detect a brain dead individual with his passive senses but could delve into their mind if he wished. Most of the time he had to effect repairs before he could dig through relevant information or communicate with them. Given the effort involved Aegir often didn't bother unless it was important to him in some fashion.

Yes. There is that. Glad that my Tulpa was of assistance to you. He set aside her thoughts about the node for now. If she changed her mind on that point he was sure that she would tell him or he'd pick up on her continued regret in not choosing to have one.

All this could have been avoid since he could have intervened at a distance. His abilities were limited but still vast. When it came to bugs he would have been able to easily deal with the matter. However, it gave him the excuse to come here. Even if he had interrupted some of her fun he couldn't pass up on seeing the pilot again.

Certainly you are in a better place than when we first met? More a rhetorical statement than anything. You are not interrupting, feel free to enter.[/i][/color]

Gersham was mildly surprised at her appearance. Mostly because he had been preoccupied in his conversation to have heard her. His eyes took her in. The heat that still blazed there, his eyes traveled over her form pleased with what he saw. Even from across the room she had noticed a certain “rise” in his attention. Phoebe certainly did not miss the way he touched his arm as if brushing something off his sleeve when she could have sworn that he was quelling his own desire.

Aegir regarded her as well. Mouth tendrils twitching. He was harder to read, less obvious though the closer she drew to him the more she could smell those pheromones that he emitted. Harmless to humans, yet hinting at his own desire the stronger they were the more aroused he was.

Leave us. Gersham nodded. Shot Phoebe a grin indicating they were far from done then stepping into the shadows near the wall. Vanishing and leaving the pair alone. Aegir's attention fell upon her once again. The mass of tentacles that made up his legs moved him in her direction.

Man was he slow! That or he certainly wished to draw the moment out. He was a contrast to his son. Slow to his dexterous nature though the drug that accelerated Fafnir's speed had severe drawbacks. Their vast difference in psionic power was more than evident. Phoebe could practically feel the difference.

Have you made any progress with your gift? He paused for a moment. White eyes taken her tiny form in. Aegir towered over her. Tentacles folding out on the ground around her, nearly engulfing her. One lifted up, working itself beneath the bottom of her shirt to stroke over the navel piercing as if ensuring it was still there.

Perhaps we should change this or supplement it with another device. His tentacle moved away, eyes inspecting her. Something sub-dermal. Another piercing perhaps …

He toyed with a tongue piercing briefly then dismissed it given her issues. That might cause way too much stimulation. Her clit? He shook it off for now.

Anyway. That vacation was doomed to failure. At some point I'm sure you would have figured it out. Do you have any desire to learn more about you gifts?

Stepping into the presence of these two grand characters made the short woman feel all the more insignificant by comparison. Worse, Aegir and Gersham were practically motionless for a brief period of time. They looked as though both caught nothing of greater interest at the time, each revealing one emotion, desire or other in their own unique ways. The absence of distractions brought the faint clack of her heels to their attention, sounds accompanied by the natural yet deceptively striking sway of her hips throughout the alluring stride in their direction.

She caught one man’s all too familiar expression. After everything that’s happened prior to their encounter, giving out like that might’ve left him unsatisfied. Meanwhile, the other specimen couldn’t hide an equally rousing musk from filling her lungs almost straight away. Not a word about either male crossed her lips as they worked things about between themselves, and it was Aegir who stayed behind to greet the young pilot.

Save for the fact he approached with the same urgency as tectonic shift, there was no doubting his prowess in more ways than one. Traces of amusement came to her given that lack of speed for someone holding such power though one could not deny the truth, that people’s minds were but strings he, the puppeteer, could grasp and control on a whim and more. Phoebe knew about Fafner. The difference was palpable.

Whether on purpose or not, drawing out this moment fixed her eyes on him. At one point, their difference in height forced his shapely guest to raise her chin in order to keep looking up. Standing in front of one another, those cheeks had colored just a little. She was growing hotter. Her heart beat faster, harder. What was it that generated such excitement? Arousal? Awe? Admiration? Fear? Whichever the case, the blonde woman never recoiled.

“Some, but not much.” Phoebe confessed to the sensation of tentacles pooling around her form. Subtle intakes of air resulted in faint gasps as one such appendage crawled beneath her shirt. Words were no longer in their minds, but spoken aloud, enhancing that tingly bliss with each passage of air over those altered cells lining her mouth, tongue and throat. “I .. I’ve been putting the work in, but there’s still ample room for improvement ..”

Her efforts weren’t for naught. Grasping objects, overcoming certain degrees of resistance when pulling or pushing them one way or the other, activating buttons and the like were well in the realm of possibility. The problem revolved around her gift not being potent enough. Yet. She proved unable to choke out that Saurian back on the ship, then never even dealt a considerable blow to those bugs using her blessings. More training was certainly in order.

As for what he spoke of next, Phoebe averted her gaze for a moment when he listed their options, then gaze a more decisive response. “A node ..”

He offered, once. She proposed it as an option, now. Something that couldn’t be noticed straight away, unlikely to be toyed with or torn off unlike the item she was wearing at the time. She’d not mind another piercing though one never knew what cruel beings may cross paths with her one day. If they decided her body looked better without such fashion, her every remaining lifeline could be stripped away in no time at all.

But, that was for him to decide. More immediate were her concerns about the vacation ending the way it did. Aegir stated it was doomed to failure. Did he mean anything by it? Ancient telepath or not, cocking an eyebrow seemed to be the closest to an instinctual response he’d get. “Wait .. How would I have figured it out? You had nothing to do with my vacation going awry, right?”

Not that it made a difference. It could change how she viewed him, depending on whether he happened to be directly involved or was simply aware of the facts, but the fact they were here now couldn’t be changed at all. Might as well make the most of it.

Whichever response he gave to the previous question, Phoebe pressed on with no small amount of excitement considering there’d be few reasons why he’d ask about her gift in the first place. “Well .. Do you have any desire to teach me more about my gifts? Is that why we’re here?” She offered a faint smile which, while still uncertain about everything else that entailed, was a genuine expression of desire. “I’d love to learn more, of course. Though I’m sure you could’ve gotten that answer much quicker if you glanced into my thoughts ..”

On that note, Phoebe had something else on her mind before committing to anything else, and it certainly wasn’t the lack of a proper meal right after waking up from a lovemaking induced slumber. “Say, your .. Tulpa .. He and I weren’t alone earlier. A friend of mine also ended up here. Do you know anything about that?”

He towered over her. Aegir feeling the gamut of emotions that were swirling through her as Phoebe couldn't get a grasp on her true emotions. He sensed that he could tip her in one direction or another easily enough. While there were times he had been an image of fear and danger he typically enjoyed admiration and worship in other avenues. It all depended on his audience and of course if he were truly board. Such times he tended to experiment.

Not often was he surprised. From time to time he preferred in mixing things up a bit. As a rule he didn't delve too deeply into minds unless engineering something specific or gathering information. There were many things he could do. Edit memories, erase them, implant them.

As long as you haven't neglect it entirely. Without accessing talent, however strong or weak one's abilities stagnant. Of course, the more practice the better.

He watched her brief delay. Following with a nod. Indeed. A node. It is painless to bestow and easy enough to remove or kill. A sufficient electric shock does the trick. It is more or less a living tool. The easiest way I can explain my connection to it is a radio. I can broadcast many of my abilities through it. Most of the time it is independent. Waiting for commands and serving as an extension of myself. Through it I could further instruct you with your gifts. He didn't get into all the details but supplied her with a tid bit of information to consider.

As they moved to discuss her vacation Aegir shook his head. Barely aware that he had come to using familiar head motions instead of relying on the more subtle motions of his mouth tendrils. your perceptive. I'm sure you would have figured it out. If not then, later after some reflection. The paradise world that's hardly a paradise outside of that one resort and the bark. The world is actually the home world of the Belzar. Fiendish things that tap into psychic potential of their guests for one reason or another.

I haven't dealt with them for a long time outside of the one that resides on the planet I regularly frequent. Certainly you felt something was off. The natives, all disguised Belzar. At least the ones that can disguise themselves. Several different Belzar species.

As far as me coming to train you. Yes. That was one of my reasons in coming here. I could have gathered a response from your mind though I tend not to pry much. I try to limit myself to surface thoughts and communication. Otherwise I wouldn't even need to communicate with others. Collecting all I need to know in an instant.

Oh, I had nothing to do with your vacation going astray.

Aegir considered her question for a moment. So wrapped up in seeing her again he practically forgot the agent. Not that he could actually forget things normally which was as much of a curse as it was a blessing. Oh, yes. The agent. She's still here. Insisted on that actually.

He paused a moment as if concentrating on Luna. Feeling for her presence which must have been outside his immediate range.

She's outside the pyramid. Fascinated in one scientific discovery or another. It keeps shifting so she's taking a lot in. Luna is still under the impression that you are indisposed.

Specifics on the node were far from required. Strangely enough, that’d be one thing the pilot trusted him with. Aegir possessed the psychic prowess to crush her or send the young woman to cloud nine for as long as he wanted. There’d be no point bestowing a node then. What mattered, however, was that it could be of use to her and whatever benefit he wished to get out of Phoebe containing one such organism. Simply keeping her alive could be all he desired. She’d not blame him for his motives either way, because the vast majority of humans wouldn’t have made it this far without the telepath in the first place.

“You’re giving me too much credit,” the blonde mentioned with a faint smile and the shake of her head. “I’ve been blind to whatever cues may have come up. The thought of finally having some proper downtime certainly helped with that.” As for the supposed paradise world in question, Phoebe had no intention of becoming a returning customer. As much as people had their fun, recent events spoke for themselves. Striking an arrangement with that one Belzar in what was effectively a lifelike simulation may be the sole reason she’d ever encounter that species again.

Phoebe looked around the premises as they moved, only to return when he mentioned not prying too much when it came to her mind. She’d have taken no offense if he had. Then again, it must’ve been far harder to resist something that came naturally to him. “Suppose that’s one way to challenge yourself. You don’t strike me as the type of person who struggles with anything.”

Calling him a person may have been far-fetched. Were it not for the fact he hardly carried himself as such, numerous civilizations must’ve been bound to revere him as some kind of deity if he simply showed up and flexed that octopus brain muscle. By no means was he an ordinary person.

There was more for her here than awe when regarding the taller mauve being. Hearing Luna was very much around and actually insisted drove warmth through more than her cheeks, and rendered that expression just shy of taking on conspicuous amounts of blushing. “Still looking after me then,” Phoebe thought to herself, thinking their adventures, close calls and perhaps what may one call friendship were responsible for the agent’s choice. She chalked it up to that instead of drawing any other rash conclusions.

“There’s an outside?” Surprising, really, considering Phoebe figured they were on some faraway space station, temple in the void or inescapable pocket dimension, whatever fancy space magicks did the trick for Gersham and the telepath. That revelation still encouraged her not to rush out to meet the lovely scientist straight away. “In other words, Luna’s as indisposed as I am.”

A touch trailed down the side of her blouse as if to try and stay her hand in more ways than one. “I’ll catch up with her later. As you said, there’s a lot for her to take in. She must be loving it here. I’d hate to disrupt her thought process on one topic or another just to let her know I’m up and about.” She met Aegir’s gaze if he looked over, and the sparks therein revealed the drive to get started. “I’m actually far more curious about what you had in mind .. regarding my training.”

He mentioned training being one of the reasons why he came. Phoebe could only speculate on the others unless there was only the one apart from what he disclosed at the time, one she happened to be all too familiar with. Again, nothing to blame him for. They were no strangers to that kind of thing.

Still, that wasn’t everything as he found out soon enough. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit conflicted despite wanting to learn more. I’ve helped you with that stone of yours, but failed to procure others. There’s little else I’ve done to warrant your generosity.” She exhaled a faint sigh as if reflecting on this as if it were genuine failure and not the sheer improbability that was not only locating, but actually acquiring one of the stones in the first place. “Meanwhile, you’ve saved me or pulled the right strings to make it happen at least twice unless I’m mistaken. You’re helping me with my gift. You’ve offered me one of those ‘nodes’ and from the sound of it they’re far from common. I can’t help but wonder what you’re expecting of me in return.”

There had been no point in arguing the fact. Phoebe may have discovered what was going on, or at the least been aware that something was off. Especially her. The Belzar siphoned a little bit of energy from their guests. More so from repeat customers and those with psychic abilities. Not so much that many would notice outside of some mild fatigue. How or why they collected this energy was of no concern to the telepath. He had gleaned the knowledge that it was done from the mind of a Belzar that they both knew. It wasn't important to what he was doing at the time so he never pried deeply into that memory. Just as he had refrained in doing so with her now. Otherwise he would have picked up with her encounter with a specific Belzar rather than simply noting that she had dealings with one based on the flow of her thoughts.

Yes, I suppose relaxing would have delayed that discovery. In time you would have realized something was off even if it were only on a subconscious level.

He followed her movements with his own slower ones. Tentacles retracting so as not to surround her and impede her. Aegir paused, as if in thought. Mouth tendrils twitched in the equivalent of a grin. You'd be surprised. I can steal memories, absorb knowledge with ease. Yet I have to weed through what is real and what is false. Someone can think something is true so I cannot rely on just one source.

And there are times were a lie is wide speed to the point it gets a bit murky. For example your Santa Claus. Many children believe, some do not. Tapping into adult minds gave me a more accurate picture. But add religious figures to the mix where some believe this, some believe that, I am not all knowing and must process volumes of information to make my conclusions. Always revising and updating things when new material is added.

Believe it or not there is one thing I know you are better at than I. He paused to allow her to process that and try to figure out what that was before continuing. Piloting. I have plenty of experience, absorbed from minds and texts. But no experience. I have all that false information mixed with the good that it would take me practice to sift through. I will never be a pilot. I have alternate methods of travel and with all my considerable power I could do little in a starship to influence much. I would be too vulnerable. That's not to say I have never flown in such a vessel but it makes me uneasy.

Now, for minor tasks I can simply pull things from my memory and make a quick check as to how most beings perform it. Something like surgery is a bit more complicated. I have so many conflicting memories in numerous fields. Only practice and attempting numerous strategies makes me skilled at things.

I have had a long life. I've practiced a good many things just to brake up the boredom. But piloting was never one of them. I am certain I have more knowledge than you. But no experience.

Aegir figured that she would have concluded that his kind couldn't be great at everything or that there were a limited number of them to make a difference.

Of course he noted the rush of blood to her cheeks. Aegir felt those thoughts about the agent and while he could have cleared up a few things these were things the humans needed to sort out. Besides, with how little he was surprised that was something he normally didn't deprive others in experiencing.

He felt the rush of her thoughts. From the stone. To being saved. To training. The gamut of thoughts, the mystery therein at what was to come and of course his motives. Turning to face her better Aegir regarded her for a moment.

Indeed. We are in a pyramid on a planet I dwelled on eons ago. This universe is a big place. I cannot be everywhere. In fact there are few places I go. Nor do I expect you to find any stones. On the remote chance that you do find one or hear rumors regarding one well that is beneficial. If nothing comes of it, well nothing does. I doubt many know how to use the stones or believe they could be used in the way they were designed. Over time some may have been destroyed. However, it costs me little to look for them. And if they are ever used it is an inconvenience, but I'll acquire a stone. There are so few out there.

Our first encounter does not count as far as saving you. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time. While I could have simply left you there I chose to set you off in this hunt instead. Far more practical if nothing comes of it and it deprives Fafnir of one of his toys so a win win for me.

The node would benefit me as much as you. Passively it would scan minds and report to me on anything about the stones. So the more you travel the more it will be able to draw upon. As far as assisting you with your gift. The better you are at it the greater your potential as a resource. Besides, that was just an added reason in coming here today.

Turning to fully face her his hands go to her hips holding her in place. Tentacles coil around her ankles, rubbing against her while tasting her skin. Another entwining up her leg. His grip loosens as his hands scale up her ribs. Eventually resting over those small breasts. Another tentacle coiled about her waist lifting her up high enough where they were face to face.

At this point another tentacle reached up from beneath her. Flicking over that bared slit as if it were simply a light switch he was flicking on and off.

Of course when Gersham let it slip that he had time with you it generated a yearning. Why should he be the only one to have a bit of fun? Of course we could skip right to the training if you'd prefer. Those hands did not let up on her tits as his mouth tendrils twitched in anticipation.