After a long day

"Oh don't get me wrong," Adelphie quickly told Galene. "It's not a bad thing, you just seem more the conservative type. It's good to know where your boundaries are."

"Hmm, well there is a theory that men prefer women that don't give themselves to it. The hunt you know, plays into their primal instincts," Adelphie noted.

"Oh, he kissed you? Not that is interesting!"

"Well, I don't break that easily nor fall in love just like that. Besides taking my time, I choose men. I can be very picky." she admitted her and perked at Adonia's words.

"Say what?" she couldn't believe what Adonia just said. "He kissed you? The bastard kissed you even knowing you have Jack? Didn't you kick his balls?"

"N-no!" Adonia said, shocked by Galene's words. "N-no... but I did slap his face." she admitted guiltily. "I hadn't told him exactly about me and Jack... he was being nosy about it and I told him it was none of his business.... I guess he assumed I meant we we're involved... but I set the record straight and he says he won't do it again.... So we're even." she finished simply, still blushing as she returned to combing her hair.

Adelphie nodded. "That's a noble thing to want, Galene, but our bodies usually don't comply to those kinds of thoughts. I know it has something to do with chemicals in the brain, but I'm not sure..." She'd only read it in a book once, it had showed pictures of this squishy brain and all these complicated theories. "I personally just think that it's a need to procreate but I've not read that anywhere. Anyway my point is, your heart might not always agree with your mind over things."

"Oh, so he didn't know about Jack when he kissed you, at least not for sure? Now that changes things doesn't it? It don't see much harm in that, he's daring I'll give him that much. Still a slap was totally deserved, do you need help with that?" She asked innocently, motioning to Adonia's hair.

Galene sighed and pet her snakes that smelled the air, knowing somebody was there and it was new. "I've read those things too but it's far too complicated for me to understand it... Well, my heart doesn't love him but my body seems to be attracted to him. " she mumbled, looking away to hide her small blush.

"Good Adonia, a slap was quite deserved to that jerk." she snorted a bit, letting her snakes touch the water.

Adonia grinned evily "See?" he said looking very satisfied. "You do like him at least a little. You might as well admit it... Heaven's knows I felt better after finally starting to admit I l-love Jack." she choked out. "Its still hard for me to say it... Since I'm usually so quiet about such things.... but it does feel better" she said smiling with a blush.

"Oh!" she said with a giggle looking down at the hair spread around her. "If you like, feel free to join in" she said.

Perhaps your strong dislike for him springs from your anger for the fact that your body wants what your mind so desperately tries to avoid?" Adelphie offered while picking up a brush from a shelf behind them and starting to brush Adonia's immensely long hair.

"Oooh, it's so soft!" She said, running her fingers through it. "Voicing your thoughts helps facing the reality of it, but it also forces you to come to terms with your emotions. It's natural for you to not entirely be used to it," Adelphie explained matter-of-factly.

"I don't like it" Galene grinded her teeth and shook her head vigorously. "I'm just attracted to his physique and I don't take that as a like, it's not a possible way for me to be with somebody. I pay attention to the personality, you see?" She turned her head to Adonia and then to Adelphie, almost in a desperate way of explaining the things she was feeling.

"I'm glad that you can admit that, but I won't admit anything that I don't feel." she said with a small but frustrated sigh while she swam to sit near the staircase.

Adonia giggled as Adelphie admired her hair. "yes I believe Jack is rather fond of it as well. Yes... it does help... Its just tough after 18 years of usually not talking to people."she admitted.

"All I'm saying is give him a chance to prove he can be better." she said as she enjoyed the hair-brushing. "Jack was entirely improper and rude really when we first met," she said giggling as she remembered kicking him for picking on Cedric and his kissing her in his room.

"But after a bit.... I started to see a different side of him... a gentler, kinder side.." she mused fondly, remembering him giving her a set of his clothes to settle her bet, no questions asked, and how he loved to tell stories and carve little sculptures in ice.

"You might be surprised by what you find" she said with a gentle smile at her new friend.

"Ah, I see your mind is in a conflict then," Adelphie mused with a smile. "I should say that you may want to give him a chance if you're certain he won't hurt you. You seem a bit... cautious to say the least so I'd think that you're not entirely confident in your romantic capabilities so caution is a must," she offered her opinion. Galene was certainly an interesting person.

"Well not everyone can have such a perfect love as you Adonia," Adelphie said with an accompanying giggle. "Though you're a lot wiser than I'd have thought," she said light-heartedly, not really aware that was a bit of a bad thing to say.

Adonia had to laugh at that comment. "I suppose I do seem rather naive, don't I?" she grinned at the younger girl. "I do ten to be a bit short on the uptake and rather dense at times, but having as much time alone to ponder things as I have had, has given me an interesting view of things I suppose."

"That's the point: I know he will hurt me. That's why I don't give him any chances..." Galene said, crossing her arms over her chest and turned her head to Adelphie "I am cautious... I need to be. I don't want anybody, I want somebody. It's different." she turned her head to Adonia. "I'm happy for you, Adonia, really am and Jack is the perfect guy for you. But Ruairí is not the guy for me."


She let the water go above her shoulders, making her snakes hiss a bit due to the hotness. She growled lightly to them "Shut up... it's not that hot."

Adonia shrugged "You're more than free to do whatever you like." she said returning to help Adelphie with the immense mane of hair. "I'm not even necessarily saying that Ruairi is the one for you. I guess I'm just trying to say, don't write off men completely." she said smiling, her mind drifting as she stroked a clump of her hair.

Realizing her mind was drifting, she started a bit turning lightly pink. "Are your snakes too hot?" she asked curiously. "If you like I can give them a cool mist."

"Hmmm," Adelphie said, thinking it over. "If that's the way you think..." she started slowly to Galene. "Then I think you shouldn't chance it, not with the red-head at least. But I do agree with Adonia, men can be good for some things, provided you find one that's not a douche. Though granted, most of the time they're rather useless," she giggled.

Adonia rolled her eyes. "'Oh come now" she said looking at Adelphie with a grin. "Are you saying your special someone is generally worthless as well?"

"Thank you!" Galene almost thanked the gods for making the girls finally understand why she didn't want anything with the ginger male. He was going to hurt her either way, thing she didn't want anymore in her life.

She perked at Adel and then adonia's words and remained thoughtfully for a while "Why do you say that? Ever had a lover that was useless?" she asked curiously.

"My special someone is not, technically, a man," Adelphie said with a conspiring wink. "But he's not my lover yet, though I think that may change fairly soon, when I finally can get him to see reason."

In response to Galene's words, Adonia shifted uncomfortably. "Me?... no I;ve never had a useless lover... Jack is my first love really...." she said turning a bright pink hue.

Her ears perked up at Adlephie's words. "Not technically a man huh?" she said looking confused. "Aren't you a bit young for a lover, in the first place?" she asked nervously.

"Not a man?" Galene mumbled Adelphie's words and looked at Adonia. "Well, she's 16, 17? You are in the second year, right Adel? My first love was around her age too..." Galene said with a small smile before looking at Adelphie confused.

"Not a man? Is it half a man then? A centaur? A satyr?" Galene wondered what kind was Adelphie's man.

"I'm sixteen!" She cried out, then sighed. "That's exactly what I've been telling him, and I mean it's not like he hasn't had lovers younger than me," she crossed her arms stubbornly. "I don't know what the big deal is."

She silently noted what Galene had said about having had a lover too, that was certainly interesting. She put o a sly and secretive smile. "He's none of those, and certainly not half a man!" she giggled at the idea of pimpmaster being half a man. "He's far greater than that."