No time to pray, and you can't understand

After the stimulating moment in the hot spring, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin actually managed to calm down. At least, as far as “calm” was for her. She wasn’t completely overwhelmed with desire the way she had been for the last little bit, but as usual she was having trouble keeping her hands to herself.

Nick was happy to help her the best he could. After bringing her to orgasm she seemed intent on returning the favor, but he had politely declined; his body still wasn’t prepared to go full-on sex, and he wanted to conserve strength for what he knew would be a very intense night tonight.

So ultimately, he decided to cuddle. She seemed confused at first. They snuggled up close together in the hot spring. Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close from behind, taking the opportunity to be the one to push his chest into her back for once.

She felt very confused. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin wasn’t used to being held like this, and she squirmed in his lap, rubbing her butt up against him and trying to coax him into going a little further, but Nick was firm.

Turgid, even.

But that was beside the point.

“It’s okay,” Nick urged her, shifting his hips slightly. “We don’t have to do anything like that. You might not know the full details of your transformation, since you can’t read, but I’ll tell you about it, would that be okay?”

She blinked and looked back at him, and then nodded slowly. He could see the hesitation and trust in her eyes.

• If We’re Talking Bodies: It takes two to tango. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin will be even more **** for the touch of other people, and feel a compulsion to pull them in close to dance. At the same time, the feeling of being in another person’s arms will arouse her, and the longer she spends dancing and being held close by someone else, the more turned on she becomes. (Dancer)

“…Wait, arouse?” Nick realized that maybe his memories of Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s transformation weren’t as strong as he’d thought. He quickly let go of her. “Sorry, I just thought… I thought you would feel good. Not… get aroused. Sorry.”

She stared pointedly at him, then smirked and rolled her eyes. But it wasn’t his fault! There had been so many transformations in the last round, he’d gotten all mixed up!

Nick couldn’t help but laugh. “…Sorry. I guess that’s dumb, apologizing for… turning you on. When my voice does that, too.”

If Nick talked to her, she got aroused. If he held her, she got aroused. It was almost like he could barely interact with the assassin at all without turning her on. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but the issue was that Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin had the self-control of a little girl in a candy shop, and she wasn’t willing to just let it rest.

If every time she got turned on she went straight to sex, then they wouldn’t get anywhere today.

Maybe the first thing they should do was get their clothes back on.

“We’re almost out of free hot spring time,” he pointed out, standing up suddenly in the water. “We should get going.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s eyes widened and she looked up at him suddenly. Her lips curled up into a sly smirk.

Nick blushed, realizing that standing up like that had just dangled his cock right in front of her. Fortunately, it looked like she had the composure to not just seize hold of him then and there; she was keeping her word (or nod, in this case) about not getting physical with him like that.

But it didn’t stop her from hopping up and hugging him from behind as he headed to the shower.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was soft when he was hugging her; but when she hugged him, it was even more obvious.

“Well… meet you on the other side?” Nick said, laughing uncomfortably. It wasn’t exactly the sort of thing he was used to.

She nodded sweetly at him and let him go, before skipping off to her own changing room. Nick sighed in relief, and headed into the showers.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin could be fun, and he had no issues with girls getting a little handsy. But it was difficult to really connect with her like this.

“She doesn’t even have a name,” he murmured to himself as he let the shower cleanse the hot spring water off his system. “It would be easier to talk to her if she did, but… I guess it’s too much to ask for right now.”

What Nick wouldn’t give to have some way to really communicate with her. She couldn’t talk, and she wouldn’t learn to read or write. He wasn’t quite sure why- and he didn’t feel comfortable bringing it up with her, either.

After all, the few times other people had raised the idea, it had been met with hostility and frustration. So at this point, Nick wasn’t sure.

He took a deep breath and exhaled, wiping the soap from his hair and toweling off.

If she did get angry at him… at least that would be change. He needed to figure out a way to reach her first, though. He couldn’t just step out of the changing room and go “Hey, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin. Let’s teach you how to read! It’s really frustrating being with you as you are now, so could you learn for me? Also, let’s pick out a name already because calling you ‘Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’ is really getting irritating.”

Yeah, he felt that wouldn’t go very well.

When he exited, she was waiting for him this time, resembling a fawning little puppy as she stared at him with those big, round eyes of hers.

“…Hey there,” Nick said, waving awkwardly at her. All the stuff he knew he had to say, it just ended up withering away in his mind. He knew that it wouldn’t amount to much in the end, after all. With a sigh, Nick just tried to smile and pretend there weren’t any issues ahead.

I’ll think of some way to bring it up. At least the name thing. But first, I need to get her into a good mood. …Or at least, a better mood than she’s currently in.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was smiling, like usual. But that was her default state. Depending on what he said, she might end up getting angry at him, and he’d seen what she was like when she was angry.

But he didn’t think there was too much of a problem with that.

“I was thinking about some stuff we could do together,” he said. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

She shook her head. Well, that was a start, anyway. A nice meal together, that was a great way to start a date.

“So what are you in the mood for, then?” Nick questioned. “Your pick, we can get whatever you want to eat!”

She nodded cheerfully.

In retrospect, Nick should have expected this.

“Well, ice cream for breakfast isn’t the worst thing in the world,” Nick said with a smile. He’d already eaten, so he’d only gotten a small cone of vanilla.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin wasn’t so reserved. She must have gotten a scoop of every flavor in the place; and not in a bowl, either. No, she’d insisted on a cone, and now it wobbled precariously overhead. With every lick, Nick was concerned the darn thing would end up topping over. But Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was quite dexterous, and she balanced the ice cream expertly as she licked it.

Slowly but surely it melted away between her lips, and after a couple minutes of walking she was devouring the waffle cone with a satisfying crunch.

Nick looked awkwardly at her. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a handful of wadded-up napkins. “Hey, uh… you’ve got a little something…”

Everywhere. Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s face was smeared with colors. She didn’t have the best when it came to table manners, in spite of her performance at Gina’s party last round. Right now, she didn’t seem to care.

Nick licked the napkin and wiped off her face, cleaning her up. She waited patiently, posing for him, and he realized that maybe that had been her plan all along.

She was just trying to make him dote over her. How cute. And manipulative. At the same time, he felt a little uncomfortable; doing that, it made Nick feel like he was babysitting, instead of taking part in an actual reciprocal relationship with an adult.

Not even his dates with Sylvia had felt this one-sided and patronizing.

He didn’t let it get to him.

“What do you want to do?” He asked suddenly, trying to catch her by surprise. He wanted to make sure she could think about what was happening in the moment, and come up with something on the fly. That would be the best way to get a sense of the real Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin.

But she seemed crippled with indecision. She blinked, and looked curiously at Nick, biting her lip contemplatively as she wracked her brain.

Finally, she shook her head, which Nick hadn’t expected. He scratched his cheek questioningly.

“You’re not sure? I mean, we could watch those movies again,” he suggested. “If you wanted to do something.”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin’s eyes widened, and she quickly nodded.

Well, that was a good thing at least. But even as Nick proposed it, he wasn’t sure if that idea was the best one.

Watching movies together? It had been an enjoyable time. He could count on her enjoying it, but forming a connection on it?

“…Maybe we could do that later, actually,” he said, quickly changing his mind. “Would that be alright? Maybe save watching the movies for later tonight?”

He expected Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin to show some resistance, or maybe get upset. But she didn’t look frustrated in the least, not even a pout. She just shrugged and nodded cheerfully, like it didn’t matter much to her either way.

Probably because it didn’t. Nick was quickly realizing something about Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin.

She’s just going along with whatever I say, because she’s just happy to do something with me. That’s a good sign, at least. Nick could appreciate that Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin was fine just enjoying his company, regardless of what they were doing together. In a way, that was the kind of connection he was looking to forge with her!

But in the meantime, it wasn’t as strong as he would have liked. The onesidedness was starting to get to him.

It isn’t a lot to ask for that she would also find something to enjoy together for its own sake. I’m glad she’s happy just being on a date with me, but I want to find something she can enjoy.

Then Nick realized something. Maybe the best way to resolve this issue wasn’t the usual way. He thought about how Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin strolled around with her head held high, approaching the challenge boldly. She was the kind of woman who carried herself with absolute certainty and sense of self.

Mainly because she was in her environment- playing around with him and getting physical. Even now, as they were walking through the Shopping District, her arm was looped around his and she was hugging him close.

“I have an idea. Just go with it, okay?”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin looked at him curiously and tilted her head to the side.

Nick wasn’t even sure if something like what he was thinking of would be here at the shopping center. But right now, he felt that this would be the best way to bring her out of her shell.

He led her down the street, scanning the shops and stores and designs. His eyes were on the search for something in particular, and apparently, Dakota was on board, because the signs started to change, better reflecting the kind of event he was looking for.

“Hey… what about that place?” Nick asked when he finally spotted a display that would do for what he had planned.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin blinked, and looked at the shop. It was selling pottery. Large glazed pots and vases filled the display window. She looked at Nick questioningly and wondered if he was suggesting they buy one.

“We’re not going to buy anything,” he clarified, even though the idea of buying something for Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin to break amused him. “No… I was actually thinking we could go the other way with it.”

She just looked more confused.

Nick led her inside, and they walked to the counter, where a pretty pink faerie was waiting.

“Oh? Welcome! Master Nick, and… sorry, your name is Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin, right?” The faerie chirped.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin blinked and looked around the pottery store. She carried herself well, but Nick could tell that her confusion about their presence here was starting to throw her off.

“What can I do you for? Looking for something to spice up the décor of the Master’s Suite?” The faerie shopkeeper asked excitedly. “That gold is so gauche…”

“Actually, we were hoping you could arrange something else,” Nick said, quickly. “I was wondering… would it be possible to… make something ourselves?”

The faerie stared at him, confused. She still smiled, trying her best to meet the customer’s request. Nick was the master, after all. “You… you want to make… your own pottery?” She questioned.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin snapped her head around to stare at Nick, drilling two holes into his face with her bright blue eyes.

Nick didn’t look at her. He was focused on the faerie.

She could tell there was tension in the room.

“Um… I-I guess we could let you do that, since you’re on a date,” the faerie said, nodding. After all, what the master wanted, the master got.

“Well? Don’t you think that sounds fun?” Nick asked, turning to Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin. The smile he **** to his lips was a shaky one, but he really wanted her to get excited for it, too.

She wasn’t smiling back for once. She shook her head and scowled, biting her lip. Not the most positive expression she’d ever made. She almost looked... nervous.

Maybe that was a good thing.

“I think… I think it would be a good idea,” he said. “You’ve never done it before, right?”

Her eyes widened and she shook her head slowly. Hesitantly. She clearly wasn’t excited at the prospect of making something out of clay.

That was kind of what he was hoping for, actually.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin… she’s always doing things she’s good at. Things she likes doing. She may be devoted, but she’s a bit of a showoff. Maybe if I can get her to do something she can’t just breeze through with physical skill, then I could see a more **** side to her. Maybe we can forge a real connection.

That was what Nick tried to tell himself in order to get over his guilt. After all, what he was doing, essentially, was trying to get his partner for the date to do an activity that she wouldn’t be able to do well; maybe even humiliate her.

In any other circumstance, he would be thought of as kind of an asshole. But he firmly believed this would work, and that was enough to get him to move forward with this. He took her by the hand, and looked deeply into her eyes.

“Just give it a try,” he pleaded with her. “If you’ve never done it before, then who knows? You might even like it! I’ve never thrown pottery myself, or whatever it’s called. We can learn to do it together! Don’t you think that could be fun?”

She still looked hesitant. But ultimately, she nodded, and gave him a smug smile. Nick could understand that look on her face.

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin had never done something like this before, but she was determined to win. She strolled into the back room that the faerie led them towards, determined to at least make something that looked better than whatever Nick was going to do.

Nick smiled as he followed her, glad that he could count on her to be a showoff. That was just what he hoped.

“So… what do you think?” Nick asked, showing the misshapen bowl he’d made to the assassin. No matter what he did, he couldn’t seem to smooth out the rough edges. And whenever he tried, the curve just started to cave in. Whenever he added more clay to the side to keep it firm, it would bend inwards, turning lopsided and misweighted.

He kept trying to get it to straighten out, but he just didn’t have the skill. At least they could laugh at how poor his bowl looked, right?

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin wasn’t laughing. She pouted and looked down at her own work. To call it a pot would be generous; it wasn’t even a bowl. It looked like a matted lump of clay smeared into a puddle.

She raised her head and glared at him with sharp blue eyes. Gray smears of clay clung to her cheeks and forehead. And she was up to her elbows in the stuff, too.

“…I guess we’re not up to snuff as far as this goes, huh?” Nick joked, trying to lighten the mood. “I thought… I thought I could handle it, but I guess I don’t have much artistic ability, huh?”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin puffed up her cheeks and scooped up a handful of clay from the table, and flung it at his face.

“H-hey! Cut that out!” Nick laughed, prying the clay off and plastering it to the side of his bowl. “You’re going to get me all dirty!”

Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin responded by sticking out her tongue. She returned to her pot-bowl-ashtray-pan hybrid, and tried to push it into shape. The surface of her creation was even rougher and more uneven than Nick’s; in spite of her skill and dexterity as an assassin, she clearly didn’t have a light touch when it came to arts and crafts.

But Nick noticed the fire in her eyes as she determinedly tried to **** the clay into shape. She wasn’t going to give up, even if she was frustrated- and her anger wasn’t enough to get her to stop, either.

Nick didn’t know if his plan to work things out would go well or not; maybe by the end of the date, Augmented Synthetic Humanoid Assassin would be irritated. But so far, it looked like, at least, she was open to what they were doing right now.

And that was about as good of a sign as he could hope for.