Going Feet First Ch. 05

"No intention of... 'overstaying your welcome' once our deal in Redding is finished?" she asked, closing the door and coming to sit on her soldier's bed.

"No, I think... I think when our deal is done, I'm gonna find a map and see where to go from there."

A hint of a grin crept up on Dreek's face as her eyes narrowed. "No plan yet?... Well, I guess we shall see what you decide when this is all over."

"Anythin' you have in mind for me to think about in the mean time?" Galen asked, a question to which the Commandant shook her head.

"No, you are to be focusing on mission preparations until departure time. The plan is to be reviewed with you tomorrow morning."

"After Cortika has finished her scout mission," the Private surmised.

"And we have as much information as possible to refine all the details," Dreek finished. "We will have one chance to do what we need to rid ourselves of Redding's interference."

"And the same amount opportunity to rescue Celia. That is included as well, right?"

A sly grin cracked over Dreek's face. "Contacts above have located your Fretheim already and elements of the attack teams are being prepared to ensure he and all in his house stay home that night. I'm sure you wish to have the honor of dealing with him yourself."

Though he tried to resist, Galen ended up giving a suppressed chuckle. "Thank you, Commandant."

The door to Galen's room burst open then, Keetle panting as she let out a slew of Drow words that Galen couldn't understand. Whatever they were, they had Dreek springing to her feet and Galen instinctively grabbed his rifle off the floor and his webbing off the foot of his bed. When both the aid and commandant stormed out of the room, the Private was hastily doing up the webbings buckle, trying to keep his rifle slung, and moving to keep pace with Dreek all at once.

By the time he got down to the end of the hall to the stairwell, he managed to sort his kit, though he paused a moment to glance back toward to his room.

I fucking forgot my helmet... he thought, debating whether to run and grab it before following Dreek.

"Fuck it," he muttered as he loaded his rifle and went after the Commandant.

He crashed through the door into the spiraling stairwell and at once he felt Dreek racing up the steps above him. The Private didn't delay in following after her. One level up the door leading from the secondary barracks into the stairwell opened, and Galen nearly slammed into the Sun-Kissed that stepped out. He bounced to the right to avoid the Drow, ignoring her hiss and how she partially drew her dagger.

"Somethin's gone on upstairs! Hurry!"

The Drow paused a moment, but then broke out into full sprint up the stairs after him. The doorway at the top was just closing when Galen got to it, and he slowed as to not crash through it and into someone on the other side.

In the next room, he found over half the Sun-Kissed fortress gathered in this entry hall. The planning table that was normally sat in the middle of the room covered in maps and documents had been shoved to one corner with all the couches, chairs and tables stacked on top of it. Jrastra and Aufryn'uit were standing by the door to the Commandants' study with a newly arrived Dreek who was reading over a letter, the envelope to which was being torn in the First Commandant's hands.

Sitting on the floor beside the three leaders was a Drow male, water dripping down from his hair and clothes. His linen shirt was damp and pressed against the chainmail he wore underneath, and his short, white hair was matted to his scalp. By how his chest heaved for each breath, the Private could only guess he had been running hard for a good long time. But what for?

Then Jrastra spoke out, and even without her empathy being able to affect him, her voice had a tone to it that still iced his veins. She was pissed in every sense of the word to the point where even Aufryn'uit shuddered a moment before reclaiming her authoritarian stance.

Dreek's eyes moved in Galen's direction a moment and the Commandant immediately frowned, even looked contemplative. He really wished he was better at understanding Drow. He caught plenty of swear words, their words for emergency, problems, surface, but what really bothered him were the certain words that popped up several times. Ones he knew to carry weight.

Val'Sharess. Their queen. And "Qu'essan Eerxos." Something that Jrastra said with emphasis.

As soon as Jrastra finished her main speech, she gave orders, groups of Drow immediately moving out at her will. Some went deeper into the base, others headed outside. By the time most of the room cleared out, Aufryn'uit headed outside while the First Commandant gave one last order to Dreek, who nodded and turned Galen while she disappeared into the study.

"I hope you are sharp on your 'drill,' Galen," the violet-eyed Drow grumbled while moving toward him.

"My drill sergeant made us march a half-mile a day without breakin' step when he was in a good mood, Dreek," the Private responded, relaxing with his rifle as she stopped at his side.

"Good. Be ready to demonstrate it."

Galen blinked. "What was in the letter, if I may ask?"

Dreek took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, "Tomorrow morning, the ruler of Faerssune is set to arrive with her full royal guard and assume control of the city. We are to meet her in the tunnel coming into the city and give a full show of strength as we escort her from the city's edge to her castle being built into the central pillar. We should've been informed sooner, but the courier was attacked and only just arrived."

Galen blinked again, his brow arching before he settled on asking, "Who's the new ruler?"

Dreek instantly pointed to the painting in the middle of the wall opposite the entry door. The picture of the three gorgeous Drow strewn with jewels and wearing noble dresses. "Iim'treemay, second daughter of our Val'sharess."

With wide eyes the next thing to come out of Galen's mouth, "Oh... shit."

"Drider shit," Dreek hissed before ripping open the door leading into the stairwell and heading down. "Someone didn't want that letter delivered until now and that brings all sorts of questions and an Abyss of chaos to our schedule. Red Sisters are tearing through the city and beginning preparations, Faerdron are moving with them. The three of our sisterhoods must ready security sweeps, patrols, and whatever else the Val'sharess demands of our welcome party."

Right then there was a burst of blue light a few steps down from Dreek, a Drow-looking Necela appearing. "I am already clearing a forest path from your main tunnel straight to the city center, it will be open for fifty paces on either side and the thin brush that remains on the flanks will allow your security to see and hear any threat long before it can strike at your princess."

The Commandant's eye twitched, but she managed a smile. "You continue to surprise, Zer'tath."

A grin on her face, the deity's response was, "I said I would assist. If you need any more of me, ask. There are other things I must address."

With a wink at Galen and a grin at them both, she turned to ash and disappeared, clearing the way for the Commandant to continue. Giving at least one positive sounding sigh, Dreek pressed on down the stairs past the level that housed the barracks to the floor below it. She stopped at a door with a hard look on her face while sending a quick glance toward Galen. Huffing, she opened the door and stepped into a square room that had a single door on each of the other three walls. Not wasting a moment Dreek went to the room on the left and motioned Galen to follow. Having never been on this floor prior, he was a bit hesitant as to find out what awaited him.

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"We need to talk details in private. Much is going on tomorrow and Lolth damn me if you make one false step," she answered from inside.

Clenching his fist around his rifle he started forward to join her. "I'd get killed, right?"

"Exactly. And for speaking privately, I know no better place than my quarters," she answered as he stepped into the room.

Both of Galen's eyes widened as he took in exactly where he was being lead to: the essential "home" to one of the highest ranking Commandants in the city. But what he also didn't expect was the underwhelming surprise that awaited him in the simplicity of her abode.

Before he thought of her sleeping in some broad sea of pillows or on a bed as large as the closet he temporarily called his room. Granted there was a king-sized bed at the far end of the room, but still she only had a single trunk and wardrobe to the right of it and neither looked like anything fancier that what he had for his own affects. A weapons and armor rack to the left of the bed had her armor pieces, swords, daggers, and a trio of throwing knives, but again, there was nothing fancy to it.

To the right of the wardrobe was a mirror over a tub that had what appeared to have a form of old plumbing with a red and blue marked handle. In the middle of the room sat a bland, round table surrounded by three, padded chairs. One, waist-high bookshelf was placed in the corner to the left of the door, though only half the shelves were burdened by anything more than a few books or a bottle of wine and glasses.

"You remind me of Felyn when she first stepped in here," Dreek commented as she removed her long coat to reveal the sleeveless yellow shirt underneath.

"It's..." he drifted off as he tried to find a word choice that wouldn't offend her.

"Simple," she finished while opening her wardrobe and withdrawing a coat hanger. "Grow up in squalor, and you, too, would loath the extravagant."

Galen cocked an eyebrow at that as Dreek hung her coat in her closet and stepped over to the table. "A bonus of this privacy is I needn't act as a Commandant would and may dress as I like. Now sit."

Unslinging his rifle and setting it aside, he approached the offered chair and sat down across from her.

"What do I need to know?" he asked.

"How to act in the... hmmm... what is your surface word for queen's daughter, again?"

"Princess?"

Dreek frowned at the word, then relaxed her brow and shrugged. "Right, it is a peculiar word to my ears... No matter, you need to know how to act in the presence of the 'Princess.' Simple things, to the tune of not looking into her eyes unless she herself instructs you to... When you address her, use the word 'Qu'essan,' and never move in or out of her presence without me or another Commandant. I suspect we will have... 'jumpy' guards around you because you are not one of us."

Careful to take as many mental notes as possible, the Private asked, "Will you run me through an idea of what's gonna happen? If I know what to expect, I can focus more on bein' as sharp as I can."

"I'll ensure there is a spot for you when we do an overview of our plan with the whole 'unit' later."

"Anythin' for me to know 'bout the Princess? Stuff to help impress or keep off her bad side?"

Dreek's forehead creased over her arching brow. "I lack knowledge on her as Jrastra would be better suited for the question as she has already met with the Princess personally. But... I do know Iim'treemay is an... 'odd' girl. Both as Drow and as a daughter of the Val'sharess."

"How?" Galen queried with a puzzled look.

Combing her fingers through her hair to let it flow smoothly over the back of her chair, Dreek elaborated. "She possesses no magic... her attitude and personality is said to be... strange from how the Val'sharess chose to raise and groom her. Jrastra spoke of a sharp mind but not a spark of mana to be had. Considering her mother and sister she should've been killed at birth, but something swayed the Val'sharess from making that decision and only the sire was executed."

She had to suppress a snicker when she saw the look on Galen's face following that piece of information. "Whatever way her mother has groomed her to handle the power struggle at court will be interesting. There are many bladefins in the water, and she would be the bleeding eel to attract them."

"She'd have to try an' cut deals, make friends, rally forces."

Dreek rested her face on one hand and relaxed a bit in her chair, "You're learning. She would need her full focus to handle the trials of court but Redding continues to pester our city. They need to be dealt with so she can deal with her enemies within the cavern rather than outside it. That is our job."

"A job we're gonna get done, right after she's settled in."

"Yes. What do you need to prepare yourself for a ceremony such as this without sacrificing fighting capabilities?" she asked a bit tiredly.

After pausing to think, the Private answered, "A sharp blade to shave with... a clean haircut... boot polish and supplies to clean and stitch my clothes. I don't got my DU, so I'd just work with what I do got."

Hearing this Dreek nodded. "And perhaps a good rest. You have a trace of dark circles under your eyes that needs to be addressed."

"I've been catching up on that," Galen assured. "I can head to my room and start..."

"No, Jrastra might try to find some use for you elsewhere and I intend to have you as presentable as possible for the Princess. I refuse to have you running around when you will need the most time of any to prepare."

Quirking an eyebrow, Galen stared at her with an inquisitive look. "Then... where am I supposed to go?"

Right on that question, Dreek cracked a dark smile. "You will stay here. I will have what you need brought here and your material needs taken care of by one of the girls in the compound."

Both his eyes widening, Galen suddenly found himself getting rather warm with his leather jacket on. "I-I-I wouldn't want to intrude, ma- Dreek. I can lock my door-"

This time Dreek didn't stifle her chuckle as she stood. "I insist. I'm sure you would get a much better rest in here than in the barracks. Now strip down and gather what needs cleaning."

There may have been laughter in her voice, but not in how she gave the order. She wasn't joking, nor was she suggesting. Swallowing the lump in his throat he stood and began pulling off his webbing. Then his coat. Then his shirt. Then his boots and pants. Left with nothing on but his underwear and dog tags he folded his clothes up and placed them with his boots on the table. Then he simply stood at ease in front of the Commandant with his chin high. Her smile didn't go away.

"I will fetch Felyn or Keetle to take care of these. Soaps are between the tub and wall. Red knob is for warm water, blue for cold. Wash up and I will return."

Without waiting for his response she turned for the door and headed out toward the stairwell.

Lolth's tits, do I need to unwind... Galen, you better be fucking ready...

...

Checking his watch, Galen saw that it'd been nearly forty five minutes since Dreek left, and twenty since Felyn stopped in to gather his clothes and drop off a small bag. The look on her face seeing him melt in the first warm bath he'd had in months was a bit surprised, but she giggled at his euphoric face and left. After he had gotten out of the now chilly water and toweled off, he wrapped the towel around his waist and checked to see what the Commandant had sent him.

It was a pleasant surprise to find a good set of sharp hair clippers complete with guard to cut to the previous owner's desired length. Though he wished he had something electric, the manual set would work. Along with the clippers were jars of different creams, a brush, strop, and a straight razor. Everything was emblazoned with the colors of Redding and engraved with that same alphabet the city used.

A war trophy I take it... He checked the edge of the razor before turning to the mirror above the tub and prepping the cream. Just like how Darren's dad showed me...

Galen took his time slicing the hairs off his neck and face, smoothly gliding the deadly edge over his skin over the course of a good quarter hour and in the end, he couldn't help but grin at his results. Even with the back of his hands he couldn't feel any stray hairs. He figured his jaw was smooth enough to make any drill sergeant give their grumbling "hmph" of approval.

It'd probably impress Dreek and the Princess easily.

Half his head had been clipped to a clean length just off his ears when Dreek came back into the room, cursing a slew of Drow words before she saw him. Immediately that angered look about her disappeared. He didn't have to say a word, nor did he have to gesture anything. She just smiled.

"One thing is going right, at least."

He would've replied but he was focusing intently on up and ensuring the clippings went into the tub.

"Glad you approve," he finally said. "Kinda hard to get the back of my head though."

"Pass the cutters here, then," Dreek ordered.

After passing an initial glance at the Commandant, he surrendered the clippers and knelt down to hold his head over the tub. In his senses he felt her circle around to the side he had been working on though he didn't hear her footfalls. Very carefully she began to shear off the excess hair on his head in broad swaths of brown. She often back-stepped to catch hairs she missed but slowly cleaned up the mess on his head.

"Lolth, your hair's thick," she commented while trimming her way across the top of his scalp.

"Yeah," Galen responded, unsure of what to say.

"You found the 'shaving kit' useful?"

"Yeah. I haven't used a proper straight razor since I left home. It felt good getting that close."

"'That close,' hmm?" Dreek hummed, running a hand over his cheek. "Well, that feels like the skin of a child. How old did you say you were?"

"Nineteen..." he said, knowing full well the youngest Sun-Kissed was just over a hundred and ten.

"You are a child, I have socks older than you," she chuckled, clipping the last of his hair before dusting off his scalp. "Wash off the mess. If I find anything on my pillow, I will be hunting for a new surfacer."

"Yes, Dreek," he answered, pulling the drain on the water as the Commandant backed off.

He got the tap turned on and began rubbing his hair and nape free of loose clippings. It took him a few minutes to clean both himself and the mess he left, but he had the tub back in the same condition he found it. He even took a step back to take a good look over the job.

"With such a busy schedule on my hands," Dreek whispered as Galen felt her hands wrapping around his midriff. "And so many stealing you away during my free moments..."

Warmth from her breath hit his lower shoulder blade as she pressed her body against his. Showing no interest in stealth her hand snaked down to the waist of his towel, slipping underneath and taking hold of his stiffening penis. Just as a tease she gave it a stroke and breathed in an air of satisfaction when he instantly responded.

"Dreek...?"

"I think I've lost track of the years since I've had a male to my liking."

Rosy cheeks accompanying his new smile, Galen slowly started turning around and the Drow loosened her hug enough so he could. When they faced each other, both her eyes closed and the Commandant rested her head against his chest. He could hear her taking a deep breath as one of her hands pressed against his shoulder and gave a playful squeeze to his muscle. In all appearances she seemed content.

With a bit of hesitation Galen drew her into his own embrace and rested his cheek atop her head. Considering the fast-paced aggression he got from every other Drow in the building, he was enjoying this. No clawing at clothes. No dirty talk. Just the company of an obsidian beauty, barely tall enough for the top of her head to reach his chin, yet powerful enough to bring a city to kneel before her and slay dozens without batting an eye. And now cuddled into his chest.