.A fairy interesting experiment

"So if you could rewind your life," Warren asked, "and be an invisible witness at any point, what would you watch and why?"

Manny considered the question. They were passing time as the taxi brought them back to work from the airport.

"My birth," Sherri said. "Mom's been punishing me for it ever since, kinda like to see what was so horrible."

"My conception," Victor said. "My mom was HOT back in the day."

"Eugh," Sherri replied.

"Unsurprising," Warren said.

"I want to film that afternoon," Manny said. "Show my ex that nothing happened between me and the hitchhiker."

"Dude," Victor laughed, "that ship has sailed."

"Yeah," Sherri agreed. "Save your wishes for something possible."

"Even in fantasy," Warren said, "that nothing you can correct."

"Yeah, maybe," Manny agreed. "What about you, Warren?"

"I wanna see where my watch went," he said. Manny made an interrogative noise.

"Well, when my oldest was little," Warren told them, "we read this article on child psychology. At a certain age, you can put something under a cup, and tell them it's under the cup. Then while the kid watches, you move it to another cup. When you ask them where the thing is, they point to the first cup."

"Why?" Manny asked.

"I don't recall. I just tried to do the experiment."

"How'd your kid do?" Victor asked.

"Just as predicted. I put my watch under a pillow, then moved it, he insisted it was under the first one."

"How many times did you do it?" Sherri asked.

"For about two hours. I tried everything. I told him I was moving it, I asked if he knew that it was my watch I was moving. I asked him to cont the pillows. Towards the end, he was getting pissed. Stamping his little feet and insisting it was under the red pillow."

"The end?" Victor asked. "Why did you stop it?"

"Because at one point, he finally said he was very double sure that it wasn't under the second pillow. And when I picked it up to show him, the watch wasn't there."

"You forgot to move it?"

"It wasn't under the first pillow, either."

"Where was it?" Manny asked.

"I never saw that watch again in my life," Warren said. "I think he disbelieved it away."

"This is the kid in theoretical physics at MIT?" Sherri asked. "He's not going to make a math mistake and cause the world to disappear, is he?"

They all had a laugh at that, though Manny thought Warren's laugh was a bit forced. But that's when they reached his parking lot. He got out, grabbed his bag and said goodbyes until Monday.

His phone rang as he was about halfway home. "Y'ello?"

"Manny! Connie!"

"Hello, sis."

"Manny, my babysitter has to go home early, and I got stuck here at-"

"I'll watch Diana," he promised. She blessed him, thanked him and screamed at someone off the line.

He pulled into his side of the duplex he shared with his sister and her daughter. He left the suitcase in the car and went inside the girls' side. Maya was near the door, ready to go.

Manny waved her off and swept his niece up in a bear hug.

After a quick dinner, she grabbed him by the sleeve and showed him her fairy. A four inch tall figure on a stand over the TV. He leaned down to look at it.

"Can't touch," Diana said.

"Not a toy?" he asked. He lifted her up so she could look at it closely.

"Iz toy. But grownup toy."

"Really?" he asked. He noticed that the stand had an on/off/recharge switch. A little bit farther away was a wand with a star. And an on switch. "Well, let me see what this can do."

"It can flies!"

Sure enough, it could. Directing with the wand, Manny took the fairy on an tour of the living room. Then he had an idea.

They went to his side. He didn't want to have to explain this if Connie walked in in the middle. He put his lobster pot on the counter and his spaghetti pot beside it.

Diana sat on one of his bar stools and watched. "Okay, Di, I'm putting the fairy in the lobster pot." He stood beside her and waved the wand. The fairy hovered, lowered and disappeared. Without speaking, he lifted the device back into view, lowering it into the other pan. "Okay, Di. Where is your fairy?"

She pointed to the lobster pot. Several times. Getting rather irate with each repeat.

The batteries were getting low, and the control shaky on the last run. So for the last time he started to ask-

"The FAIRY is HERE!" she said. She jumped down to the ground and slapped the lobster pot.

"Honey, I wish there was," Manny said as he stepped over. He reached to grab the handle to tip it over and show her. A tiny woman crouched inside. A tiny naked woman. Bright red hair framed a pale face that stared at him with shock. He froze, the same expression on his own face.

Connie opened the door and leaned in. "Diana! Quick! Gotta hit the road for Gramma's!"

"Uncle Manny has my fairy!" the little girl called back.

"He'll recharge it and bring it back," she replied. "You wanna go see Gramma or not?"

"Okaygottagobye!" Di said, hugging Manny's leg then running for the door.

"Okay," Manny said absently.

"Bye!" Connie called from the door.

"'Kay," he repeated. He'd yet to break eye contact with the tiny woman. The door slammed shut and they didn't move.

As Connie's car faded in the distance, he cleared his throat. He remembered Warren's story and leaned over to look in the other pot. The toy fairy remained at the bottom.

He took a breath before looking back in the lobster pot. If the redhead had disappeared, he'd probably faint.

But she was there. She started to stand up. He felt a little weak in the knees. He might faint anyway.

She stood all the way up, looking around the kitchen. Her eyes were wide, her mouth in a gentle smile.

She stood about 20 inches tall. Flaming red hair flowed over her body down to her tailbone. Her figure was skinny but she looked toned, her breasts small but perky.

And he finally noticed pointy ears peeking out of her hair.

"You're a fairy," he said quietly.

"Yes!" she said, smiling at him. Her teeth were gold, shiny and sharp as blades. She popped up on her toes to jump out of the pot.

Then she flipped over the edge and smashed face-first on the counter.

"Oh, gosh," he said. He reached out to pick her up. She curled up in his arms and looked up at him.

"You use gravity," she said accusingly.

"Yeah, it's a fad here.... Are you okay?"

She lifted her elbow up to him. "I bumped. It hurts."

"That's too bad," he said. "If you're careful, it shouldn't happen again, though."

"Okay." She smiled again. This time her teeth were white and square. With a kick and a twist she was out of his arms and back on the counter.

She did a handstand on the rim of the pot to see what he'd been looking at.

"A mannequin!" She flipped down into the pot to lift the toy up. "Is this supposed to be a fairy?"

"Yeah," he said. "Hey, why don't you have wings?"

"Humans have boobs. Why don't you have boobs?" she fired back.

"I'm not that type of human," he said with a snort.

"And there you are," the little fae said. She lowered the fairy and climbed back out of the pot. "Well, sir, you wished for me. What will you have of me?"

"I wished for you?"

"Someone wished for me," she said.

Manny thought hard. Diana was the one who'd insisted that there was a fairy in the pot. He'd only said... He'd said he wished there was. Which was a throwaway line, not a formal desire for a change in reality.

But he had used the word wish... Well. It would work out or it wouldn't.

He focused on the little woman again. She was staring at him expectantly. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Emerald!" she said.

"Really?"

"What? Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well," he said gesturing at her head. "You're so red. I would expect something like Ruby or Scarlet."

"Oooooooooooooooooooh," she said, spinning around and around and around. "I have a birthmark." She stopped spinning and raised one leg. She held it straight up along her torso, one finger at the end of one toe.

Manny marveled at her balance. Emerald stood on tiptoe and leaned on nothing but air. "See?" she was asking.

He leaned forward, trying to see what she was showing him. His eyes dipped to where her legs split, then ducked away self consciously. Her pubic hair was a deeper red than the top of her head. But there was a flash of color he didn't expect.

Emerald giggled and waited. He looked back, glancing at her face to see if she took offense at his scrutiny. She showed him the white teeth in a wide smile.

So he looked. He found a dark green mark on her thigh. Very, very high on her inner thigh. It was emerald-shaped, and glittered gently in the light from over the stove.

"Marvelous," he whispered.

"Thanks!" she said happily, and folded the leg back down. She turned away from him and looked around the room.

He consciously closed his mouth and stood. "So. Uh. Do you want to know my name?" he asked.

"I know what to call you," she said absently over her shoulder. She was looking in the toaster, hands cupped around her eyes.

"You do?"

"Of course I do, Master. I smell burned. Does this burn things?"

"Master?" he asked softly.

Emerald saw something at the bottom of the toaster. She started to climb up so she could reach down. Her knee rested on the knob.

"Whoa," he started to say, reaching forward. She pushed up off the knob, which fell, bouncing the fairy off the top of the toaster. She shouted out in pain. The knob latched so he knew the heat filaments were on.

Her shout turned to a screech. Her legs kicked and flailed, making it hard to get a grip on her. He finally slapped the back of her legs and grabbed her at the waist.

Manny lifted her straight up. She clutched her arm to her chest and curled up around it.

"Damn," he muttered, moving to the sink. He started the cold water and held her close to the stream. "Put out your arm."

"Ouchie ouchie ouchie!" she said, holding her hand firmly in place.

"Please, Emerald, let's cool it down. I'll find something to put on it." He leaned closer to the faucet. "Please."

"Okay," she said happily. She stuck her arm out and shoved it in the water. He stared. There were no burns, it wasn't even reddened. He stared as she started to splash water across the sink.

"You, uh, healed fast there, Emerald," he said.

"Uh...yeah," she said. She seemed subdued. Ten minutes after meeting her, he found her suspiciously quiet.

"Were you hurt at all?" he asked. She was quiet. He called up memories of his mother. The more syllables in the name, the most clear that you were busted. He drew it out, "Eeeeeeemmmerrrrrallllld? I've read fairy tales. Were you playing a trick on me?"

"NO!" she protested. She wriggled in his arms, looking up at him imploringly. He fell down into those eyes, already forgiving her for whatever she'd done.

"No," she repeated. "It wasn't a trick." A little hand rested on his upper arm, tugging on his sleeve. "I wanted to know..." She looked down. "I wanted to know if you'd laugh at me."

"What? For falling?"

"For screaming," she said quietly.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," he muttered. He pulled her away from the water, holding her against his chest. "Who would laugh at the pain of a sweet little thing like you?"

"Our king," she said.

He cuddled her for a second. She rubbed her face on his shirt and sighed. He thought about what she said. "Well, that has to blow."

------

He was low on groceries. There was a bag of chips in the cupboard. He poured those into a bowl, then set it on the table. She knelt next to it and selected a chip.

It was interesting watching her eat. Each bite seemed to amaze her. She'd hum happily and chew and consider and move the food around for a while, then swallow. A few teeth would show in a small smile. And she'd take another bite.

When she looked more relaxed he asked about her and this king. "And what are you doing here? What can I do for you? What are we doing? What do you mean by Master?"

She giggled. "You like the sound of master, don't you.....Master?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I said. "How did you get here?"

"The king. He was having a party." She bent over and carefully examined the chips. She chose one, flashed a pointy smile at him, and started to eat.

"And he had finished making Cabochon sing. They were cleaning up the blood and he was looking around the room. He saw me JUST as we heard you say you wished there was a fairy in the pot.

"He pointed his finger at me and said....You! And here I am!"

"He's punishing you?" Manny asked.

"No. No, if he was punishing me, he'd have sent you half a fairy." He shuddered as she picked another chip. "No, he just had a whim. To answer the wish and to use me to do it."

"So, when he gets another whim, he's going to take you back?"

She frowned and stuck out her lower lip. "You want to get rid of me?"

"Emerald, I'm just trying to find out what's going on," he said. She smiled. He tried not to try to figure out which teeth were behind it. "So. You're my...wish? What does that mean?"

"WISH!" she shouted, jumping up to her feet. "It's a verbally expressed desire for the universal conventions of causality to be suspended in one's favor!"

Manny stared down at the fairy. She froze, relaxing her stance. She nibbled one fingernail on her right hand and twisted her left leg on one toe. "At least, I thiiiiiiiiiiiiink so," she said in a baby-doll voice. He stared at her for a moment longer. Then he laughed.

"Okay," he said. "There are things that lodge in our memories. I can list all the helping verbs, but probably couldn't diagram a sentence. That recitation sounds like something you've heard a lot?"

"Lots," she said, still quiet.

"Okay," he repeated. "I won't expect you to talk like a dictionary all the time." He sniffed and sat back, regarding her. She turned to the bowl. She flipped through several chips that displeased her somehow and ate another.

"So, you're here for how long?" he asked.

"Until you die," she said. He almost, almost asked if she knew when that would be. But there was just the chance she might know.

"Then you go back?" he finally managed to ask. She nodded. Waves of hair flowed like something alive as she did. "So until then... What do I do with you?"

"Whatever you want," she said easily. Then, face still down over the bowl she raised her eyes just barely enough to look at his. With a slow smile she crawled towards him across the table. Then she dipped her head and in a much deeper voice, said, "Whatsoever you desire, Master."

"You're teasing me," he said.

She rocked back on her knees, arms crossed under her breasts. "Well, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She stood, turned and slapped her ass cheeks with both hands. "For Herne's SAKE, Master, you've had this in arm's reach for hours and all you've gabbed is my waist! HMPH!"

"You've been here for twenty minutes," he said to her frosty back. "And I've noticed that ass for most of it."

"Yes, yes, it's fine, but you leave it alone. Is there beer anywhere?" She walked across the table and jumped over to the counter. She stood on one foot and pointed the other towards the stove. "Is this a beerkeeper?"

"Emerald, come back here," he barked. She spun and leapt, coming down lightly right in front of his face, close enough to kiss. She smiled, flexed her knees slightly and jumped back. The fae landed with one foot on the lazy susan. It spun off behind her, twisting her around.

Manny's salt and pepper shakers rattled off. She grabbed at the napkin holder as it went by, tipping it over and taking it down to the table with her.

"MANNY!" she cried. He snatched her out of the air and tugged he close. They watched as the rest of the tableware scattered and clattered.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he assured her, petting her side gently. "Manny?"

"Uncle Manny has my fairy," she quoted.

"Ah." They sat there for a moment. He was very much aware of her breast as it lay against his wrist. The other hand stroked her hip, following the gentle curve.

Emerald sighed and relaxed in his grip. "Um, well," he said. "So aside from tearing my house apart, what can you do? What can I get you to do?"

"Welllllllllll. Your milk will never spoil while I'm here. And your beer will never go flat. And your yogurt won't curdle." She twisted onto her back, scratching her head and staring up at the ceiling. Manny stared down at the naked form he held.

"There won't be any bugs in your kitchen," she went on, apparently oblivious to his scrutiny. "You'll go right to sleep and wake up refreshed. Unless you forget to put a saucer of milk out for me, that is."

"Milk. Saucer. Sleep." he said in acknowledgement.

'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd," she drawled, stretching her arms over her head and arching her back. Her butt pressed down on his supporting forearm, her toes pushing his upper arm. "And, you can order me to make your brains squirt out your ears like pink guacamole.once a year."

"That's...good to know," he said. "We'll have to make sure we mark the calendar for- Wait, once a YEAR!? You're going to tease me with this, this nakedidity, for eleven months and- And. You little vixen."

Emerald covered her mouth with both hands and laughed. Manny saw a flash of white teeth between her fingers. He lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the table.

"Is it possible to get a straight answer from you?" he asked.

She pouted again. "You don't like Emerald. You want to make Emerald change her personality. Make her some...some... HUMAN," she sneered. Hands clapped over her eyes, she started to cry. "Oh, boo. And a hoo, too. Boo hoo."

Manny rolled his eyes, then spread his arms. "Come here, my little Emerald. I was just asking. I don't want you to change."

"'Kay!" she said cheerfully. She hopped into his arms and cuddled against his chest. "Then I won't." She sighed as his body warmed hers.

"You were teasing about the year, right?"

Emerald rolled to face his chest, idly picking at his shirt. "Do you want me, right now, Master? Or would you like to get to know me first?"

"Trick question," he said. "I've wanted you since seeing you. But I don't... I don't want to hurt you. Or, you know.... rape you."

"Sweet, sweet, self-denying Master," she said. With a purr she melted her form even more closely against his chest. "Waiting for his pet fairy to let him pet her."

He snatched his hand away from her hip. "I'm sorry, Emerald, I wasn't... I didn't...." She giggled sleepily.

"It's not a problem, Master. You cannot offend one devoted to your desires." She yawned, mouth wide open. He watched her white teeth retract into her jaw, showing the gold fangs. As she finished the yawn and relaxed, the teeth extended again. They reminded him of a cat's retractable claws.

She sighed and snuggled even further into his grasp, a light smile on her lips.

"Wow. Just watching you is making me sleepy," he said. "But there's so much I want to-"

She squirmed and raised one dainty leg. A foot rested on his lips. "Hush. You smell like you've traveled this day. Let's get you to sleep."

"'Kay," Manny said. He stood, holding her in the crook of his arm as he turned off lights. He did remember to pour a saucer of milk, without being reminded by her. She clapped her hands in glee.

She sat astride the shower rod and looked down as he washed himself off. "So hairy," she muttered. "Like a troll."

"I am?" he asked in surprise. "Is that....bad?" She giggled and rolled backwards, snatching at the shower ring and flinging herself towards his sink.

He rinsed off the shampoo, turning off the water in time to hear a terrific clatter. He yanked back the curtain and saw her sprawled on a pile of unrolled toilet paper, holding his can of shaving cream tightly.

"I meant to do that," she said.

"'Kay," he said, grabbing a towel and stepping out..

"I can help!" she said. She jumped up to the counter, leapt for the towel rack and landed gently with a wash cloth. She ran to his feet and knelt in front of him. "I'll dry between your toes."

"Oh, no, I'm too ticklish..." But she already had a toe lifted up gently and was rubbing vigorously with a corner of the towel. It didn't tickle. "Whoa," he muttered.

She leaned down, her hair spreading out to block her from his view. Well, everything but her ass. He smiled and dried himself off.

Emerald ran into the bedroom before him. By the time he was there, the lights were dimmed, the bed turned down and his stuffed penguin down by the pillow.

"I, uh, I don't usually sleep with..."

"He smells of snores and dreams," she said, standing on the pillow. "Of course you sleep with him. I assume, only when the other side of the bed is unoccupied?"

He shrugged and lay down. She knelt, knees pressing gently against his skull. Elbows touched his temples and hands gently drew his eyelids down.

She massaged his forehead, wicking stress up and out of the body with her fingers, flinging it off into the air. He melted into the mattress. She sang a lullaby he could barely hear, nothing he could understand.

He still knew that she promised him gentle dreams, a deep rest and to guard him against mares of the night. He gave himself up to the night and sank into the darkness.

He noticed when she rose and tiptoed away. He opened one eye to see her standing beside his pillow. "Hush!" she said, though he wasn't saying anything. He closed his eyes again and didn't open them until morning.

He even slept through the crash of his alarm being yanked to the floor, and profanity from the little woman wrapped in the cord.

------

Saturday morning, Manny woke as if a light switch had been thrown. He didn't even want coffee, although he was very hungry. He had a taste for milk, which was odd. He only kept any in the house for Diana's sake.

He swung his legs over the side, noticing that his alarm clock was upside down. He righted it and started his morning routine.

The bathroom sparkled after he threw the light switch. It was so clean, so shiny, he felt like he was under assault. He cried out and stepped back.

Connie must have been horribly bored while he was on the business trip to clean HIS bathroom. He shaded his eyes and went into the shower.

He remembered an interesting dream the night before. The memory caused him to look up at the curtain rod. He recalled wondering if the rod was going to scratch the gem birthmark or the other way around.

Manny tried to remember exactly what sort of gem had been in the dream. He wanted to say ruby, but that was wrong... Cabochon? No, that's a shape... Ah! Emerald.

"Emerald!" he shouted. He ran out of the bathroom. "Emerald?"

He saw more than a few signs of the fairy. The hall was dusted. The kitchen was shiny. The back of the easy chair was broken off and laying on the floor. He paused in the doorway for a second. Then he shook his head and called for the fairy again.

He paused again at the doorway to the laundry room. The lid of the washing machine was down. He left it open unless a load was in progress.

He tried to remember if he brought his travel laundry in last night. Then he opened the washer.

Murky blue water filled the tub. He saw the corner of a shirt sleeve sticking out. A dress shirt he'd worn for the presentation.

Pinching it between two fingers, he pulled it up out of the water. It was a lot paler blue than it had been in Chicago. And the sleeve used to be connected to the rest of the shirt. He watched water cascade off the frayed ends.

Something bubbled in the water. He watched as Emerald surfaced. She looked up at him. "I'm, uh... A water nymph would probably be better at the washing, Master," she said. "And I'm not a water nymph."

"Come here," he said. He dropped the sleeve and reached into the water to pick her up.

"No, no!" she protested, kicking back in the water. "I'll stain your... What are you wearing?"

Manny glanced down. Curds of shampoo slid down his thigh. "Not to worry about it. We'll wash off together." He lifted her to his shoulder and shut the washing machine.

He placed her on the floor of the still-running shower, stepped in next to her and picked up a bottle of soap.

"Hey!" she protested. "How am I supposed to wash your back from down here?"

"We'll get a shower organizer you can use as a scaffold," he promised. He knelt down and rubbed his hands together. "For now, I'll take care of you."

"Ooooooooh!" she said, turning her back. He moved the mass of her hair aside with his little finger. Blue stains and streaks covered her from shoulder to ankle. He gently but firmly rubbed the soap over the smooth, smooth skin.

She moaned happily and leaned into his touch.

"It's so weird," he said softly.

"Never touched a woman in the shower before?" she asked. Adding, "Master?" after a second.

"No, it's your size. I can feel both shoulder blades with one thumb. And the skin's so soft, but the muscles under it...are so firm. I guess I expected you to be more fragile." He laughed, turning her around to wash her front.

"What's so....Oh! My, Master, what a touch!" She swallowed, grabbing his wrist with both hands. "But what's so funny?"

"Well, if you were all that fragile, you'd probably have broken apart by now." He finished cleaning the body and lifted her up.

She lay limp in his hands as he rinsed her under the shower. "Now, for the hair... Maybe we could borrow some shampoo from Connie?"

"No need, Master!" She smiled and shook her head. The long locks flipped back and forth, spattering blue dye around the stall.

"Cool!" he said, lifting her up a bit and ducking his head to avoid being hit. "Wait...If you could do that with your hair, could you do that with your skin?"

"Yes," she said. "But you must know, doing anything alone is not as fun as doing it together." She smiled, then flipped out of his hands and over to the faucet. She posed carefully on top of it and gestured at him. "Now hurry up, finish yourself off. We've got a BIG day ahead!"

"Yes, ma-... Hey. Don't _I_ order YOU around?"

"Technically," she said with a smile. "Now hurry!"

Emerald watched as he dressed, smiling idly from a perch at the foot of his bed. She noticed a smile on Manny's face.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh, probably the first woman in my life that won't take as long as I do to get ready."

"I'm always ready," she said. "Wait, ready for what?" He laughed. "What? Ready for what, Master?" She stomped her foot as she demanded an answer once more.

The mattress that was firm under fairy weight flexed under fairy strength. The springs shot her up into the air. She grabbed a blade of the ceiling fan and hung from it. Her little legs kicked a bit as she tried to improve her grip.

"Now that's a sign of love," he said. She stopped kicking and looked down at him.

"What is? Flashing you from over your head?"

"No," Manny said. "Although I really enjoy that, too. No, it's the fact that I really want to turn the ceiling fan on." He stepped over to hold his hands out. He could just touch her toes with his extended hand. "But I won't."

She dropped, grabbing onto his forearm as she reached it. "And....that's love, Master?"

"That, or I'm just afraid you'll smash through the window when you let go." He pulled her in for a quick hug, then lowered her to the bed again.

She twisted in his arm, eyeing the mattress suspiciously. She dropped to the floor and stomped out of the room. The little woman paused at the doorway and half-turned her face towards him. "Well, then, my oh-so-pragmatic master, let us get started. Do you have beer?"

"It's a little early in the day, Emerald," he protested.

--------

An advantage of having a fairy in the house was the wide range of contractors she could put him in contact with.

She stood on the TV and directed him in the placement of a can of beer on the remains of the broken easy chair. Then he spread a tarp over it all and tucked it in. If the beer was sufficient, dwarves would perform the repairs soon.

"Quite literally while you're not looking," she said as she inspected the tarp.

"But good enough, though? Dwarves work for domestic beer?"

Emerald rolled her overly expressive eyes. "Master, from the dwarves' point of view, everything in your fridge is an exotic import."

"Ah," he said with a nod. "Still, it's only Pabst Blue Ribbon." She stared at him, waiting for him to make sense. "It was a sale," he shrugged. "I just wonder if I should put two cans under-"

"NO!" she said, aghast. "You don't want to make it a union job!"

------

She did suggest two beers in the washing machine. One for repairs that she claimed it needed but wouldn't explain, one for the top-down cleaning. There was dye in places she didn't want to discuss, either.

After another tarp covered that disaster, she had him bag the dress shirt. "Plastic do?" he asked.

"Burlap would be better. Do you have a burlap sack about yea big?" She held her hands apart, but had to run back and forth to indicate the full length. "From here....to...here!"

"No," he admitted.

"Well, plastic will have to do, then. And put a piece of fruit in the bag." The plastic tub of applesauce fascinated her. She honestly had no idea if the tailoring fae would accept it or even recognize it as fruit. But it would be interesting to find out.

Then they inventoried the house. Emerald discussed several things that would have to be acquired. A doggie-door or a cat-flap for at least one door. Certain live herbs that could grow in a window. Burlap.

"Clothes?" he suggested.

"I told you, Master, the tailor elves will fix it!"

"No, no. For you," he said.

"What?" She spun, hair spreading out and bouncing for quite a bit after she focused on his face. "Don't you like naked Emerald?" Her lip quivered. "You want to cover me up? Okay." She grabbed the spaghetti pot that was still on the counter and turned it over to turtle herself.

Manny clapped a hand to his forehead as the pot inched across the counter. She'd speak, heave and clank the pot down a few inches further.

"It's okay, grunt," CLANK!, "Master. I can, hurff!" WHANK, "myself from your sight."

"Emerald, come out," he said. She moved a few more times, nearly overcome by the rejection. "Emerald!" he snapped. He yanked the pot clear. "Get over here!" he said in firm tones. She smiled up at him, mouth slightly open.

"Emerald, I only worry about how others will react to you. You're beautiful, but people aren't comfortable with casual nudity."

"Oh, Master, no one will care," she promised.

"Wanna bet?" he asked. He held up his hand before she could answer. "Never mind. I'm not sure I want to enter a wager with a creature of fae." He was afraid she'd be offended, but she just nodded.

Everyone loves a quick learner.

They also decided a few things about her responsibilities. He would continue to do his own laundry, for one thing. Emerald would clean, but if there was anything she didn't understand the purpose or use of, she'd defer it to Manny.

And as Master, he insisted he'd rather that something was done right a day late than that it was done horribly.

He did get her to promise that the no-spoiled-milk protection extended to cover his sister's fridge, though he wouldn't make her clean the other half of the duplex.

Then they went out shopping. Manny thought that a local nursery should have the herbs she wanted. He wasn't sure how they'd take to Emerald, but she insisted that she had to inspect the plants he'd buy.

He pulled into the parking lot of the florist/greenhouse. They also had a farmer's market open on weekends. "Emerald? If I get corn to grill for dinner, how many ears would you eat?"

"I don't know how to grill corn, Master," she said quietly.

"Aw, hell, I was going to do the cooking," he said with a wave of his hand.

"Really?" she said with more than a little awe in her tone.

"Oh, yeah. Can't have you playing with fire," he said as he got out of the car. She smiled at the remark, fangs glinting in the sunlight. Then she scampered to exit the car before he shut the door.

She trotted along before him as he approached the tables of produce. He'd kind of hoped that she'd be invisible to other people, but when she jumped up on the first table, everyone gave a start.

Emerald stepped along the baskets, lightly touching the displayed vegetables.

"That's a very pretty kitty, sir," one of the customers said.

"And curious," the grocer said.

"Cat," Manny said slowly.

"Yeah, what breed is that?"

"Cat," he repeated.

"A mix, huh?" He nodded. "Well, that's some striking coloring." He noticed that Emerald was looking closely at a stalk of asparagus. "Whoa, kitty, no free samples." He scooped the fairy up and started to hand her to Manny. "Can you keep her off the tables, sir?"

"Yes, of course," Manny replied as the took her into his arms.

"Told you they wouldn't mind my being naked," she said. He grinned and shifted her to his shoulder. She straddled him and held his head as he bought half a dozen ears.

She was very particular about the herbs, rejecting several for no difference he could see from the ones she selected.

When they were done, he turned to see one of the florist's workers standing in a corner, staring at them. He must have watched Manny lift each little plant up for the cat's inspection, and taking her decision for it.

"She, uh, likes to think she's part of the process," he explained. The guy shook himself and went back to work.

--------

The hardware store was a bit quicker. Her only opinion on the little door was that it was big enough.

At the supermarket, he told her to stay in the car.

"Okay, Master!" she said cheerfully. "Which lever releases the parking brake?"

"Do not threaten me with your klutzy potential, Emerald. Just sit quietly, enjoy the breeze through the windows, watch people go by. Okay?"

"You want to come back to find the nice policeman asking you why you left a tiny, pretty cat ROASTING on the dashboard?" She started to tear up. "Poor defenseless kitty-cat. Sob. All alone, when she only wanted to go see the city with her mean owner. Hoo."

He turned to lean down over her where she lay on the passenger seat, face down and sobbing with careful precision. He stroked her back from shoulder blade to hip.

"Emerald, they don't allow pets in the store. I'd love to take you with me, but if you appear like a cat, they're going to ask me to leave."

"Oh! Okay!" She stood up and stiffened. Only her eyes moved. He looked at her suspiciously. "Fick me up, Maffer," she said through a clenched smile.

"What do you look like now?" he asked.

"Id'll ve okay, Maffer. Twuff me." He bowed to the inevitable and picked her carefully up. People they passed on the way into the store smiled at him. He slowed to look at the glass window, trying to see the reflection.

"You look like a doll? I'm carrying a doll to the supermarket?" he whispered. He could feel her smile widen.

Two teens started to laugh as he grabbed a cart. He lowered his tone as deep as it would go. "It's part of my therapy," he said. "I can't kill anyone if Emmy is watching, that would make her sad." They paled and ran. His dolly giggled. "Shut up," he muttered.

--------

Manny was thinking on the drive home. "Okay," he finally said. "I don't ever want you to appear to other people as a dolly when I carry you. That's an order."

"Yes, Master," Emerald said. She sounded sincere. He had been afraid that she's burst into tears or some other reaction, but she just accepted the order as if he was allowed to give it. But he'd have to see if she actually obeyed.

He stopped at a Wendy's drive-thru for lunch. He got her a kids' meal because of her size, but she devoured that and half of his fries before she was full.

At home, they leaned the kitty door against the door to the patio, put a beer under it and a tarp over it.

"They'll get the idea," she assured him. The dwarves... or someone... had fixed the chair and the washing machine, and even stacked the empty cans in his recycling bin.

He listened for a moment as Emerald arranged the herbs in the kitchen window. He heard her addressing them by name....and waiting for a reply. He shook his head and went to do his laundry.

Connie was supposed to be back that evening so he grilled three steaks with the corn. Emerald watched from the patio table. She stared at every move he made with a strange intensity.

"What, never seen a man cook before?" he asked.

"Oh, sure, several times," she said. After a moment, though, she shook her head. "Ohhhhh, you meant, have I seen a man DO the cooking. No, not often."

I won't ask, he thought to himself. I won't like the answer. So I won't ask.

"Don't you cook corn in the husks, though?" she asked.

"No, that steams them. You can do that indoors." He turned the ears, lifting one to show her the grill marks. "Letting the fire kiss it? That caramelizes the sugars inside." The ear was a deep golden brown with gentle black lines from the cast iron grill.

But from her expression, all Emerald heard was 'sugar.' He laughed and put the ear back.

"Who are you talking to?" Connie asked. She was coming out her back door as he closed the lid and reset his watch.

"My cat," he said. "Emerald." He nodded towards where she perched.

"Oh, very pretty," Connie said. "Can I...?"

"I suppose," he shrugged, eyes on his fairy. She smiled and nodded, leaning back on the table and stretching. Connie picked her up and pet her.

"Very soft fur," she said. "Emerald's an odd choice for such a red cat, though. Oh! Must be from the eyes. Hmmm." She went on petting, moving the cat around in her arms.

"EEK! Hands in new places! HANDS IN NEW PLACES!"

"And a girl cat!" Connie exclaimed. "I'd have thought you'd get a boy to even up the sides." She sat down in a chair, stroking the tiny woman who slowly calmed down again.

"Mmmph," he shrugged, trying not to let either woman see how tightly he was biting his cheek. He made a drinking gesture.

"I'll take a beer," Connie agreed. He went inside and grabbed two bottles. His watch timed out and he dashed back outside to turn the corn. "Why are you going through the garage door?" she asked.

"Oh, the patio door needs some work," he said. The steaks were also ready to be flipped. As he turned them, Connie stood up suddenly. "Did I hear three steaks sizzle?" she asked. Emerald wiggled and the human let her drop to the ground.

"Yeah," Manny said.

"You're giving your cat an entire STEAK?" She stared at him. He stared back. Over her shoulder, he saw Emerald tilt his beer back for a drink. It looked like she was trying to balance a kayak on her face. He bit his cheek again.

"What is going on, Manuel?"

"Hey! Only Mom got to call me that!"

"Manuel is your name," Connie pointed out.

"Manuel is your name?" Emerald asked with a smile.

"Hey! After seven years of being Manual Transmission to my class, I'm sticking to Manny."

"Yes, Master."

"Tell me what's going on, then, Manny," Connie said, stressing the name.

"Okay. Well. Emerald's really-" Emerald was jumping up and down, a look of horror on her face. She shook her head violently side to side. Manny kind of remembered something she'd said, some rule about telling people what she really was. In mid-sentence he shifted. "An alien. Sent to observe humanity from within the household."

"Fine," Connie said, picking up her beer. "Don't tell me."

"She has some interesting powers, but severe limitations one how she can use them. She tries to observe humanity through me. I'd...appreciate it if you kept our secret?"

"Brother," she said, "you have no worries on that score." She sat back to find Emerald sitting on the table next to her shoulder. "Did you at least say, 'we come in peace,' Emerald?"

"Tell her she needs a manicure," Emerald snarled. Manny kept very quiet.

------

Connie picked at her food. It wasn't on purpose, her fork just kept missing her steak as she was staring at Emerald.

Manny had cut up the fae's steak and placed it on the table. Emerald picked up a bite-sized (to Manny) slab and took dainty bites from that. She also ate from her corn cob, one kernel at a time.

Exactly what Connie saw as the 'cat' did that, Manny wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"This is flavorful food, Master," Emerald said. "I've never had anything like this."

"Flattery will get you everything, Emerald," he replied.

Connie twitched and glared at him. "Okay. You're encouraging a cat to eat on the table. To eat people food. To eat veggies. Whatever. If she gets sick, I know you'll listen when the vet tells you you're being an idiot."

"Vet?!" Emerald said with outrage.

"Quiet," Manny said without rage.

"I won't be qui- Oh," Connie said. "You're talking to her. More. That's what I was saying. Lots of people talk to their pets. I have no problem with that. I talked to Diana from day one.

"But you're listening to her, Manny! You're going to get into a bad habit. People will think you're crazy!"

"But Emerald's got a lot to say," Manny replied. "She has a lot of questions, like about how Earthling's grill corn. And she-"

"Oh. Right, the alien thing. Pretend she's the Great Gazoo. Just tell me you'll take her to the vet on a regular basis?"

"I honestly don't think a vet is equipped to deal with a creature like Emerald," Manny said sincerely.

"Maybe find one whose practice is near a psychiatrist's," Connie muttered.

There was a metallic clink somewhere on the patio. The humans turned around, trying to figure the source of the sound.

"Cat door's done," Emerald said. Manny stood up and walked over to the recycling bin. There was another can on the stack. He took the tarp down from the door.

He had to say, the cat flap swung easily as he touched it. Hardly any pressure at all was required. The sides were flush, rubber gaskets keeping the weather from entering the house. The alignment was perfect. It's just....

Connie stepped over to his side as he stared at the dwarf work. "Why did you put that at the top of the door?" she asked. "Isn't it supposed to be down where Emerald can reach it?"

There was a patter of tiny feet, then a split second break as Emerald pounced to his shoulder. He got a flash of her hair streaming by as the fairy dove through the door. "It's perfect!" she shouted from inside the house.

"She can reach it fine," he said with a shrug. Connie shook her head and went back to the food.

"Come back out and finish your steak, Emerald!" he called.

"Yes, Master!" she shouted happily. There was a thud and the door shook. The flap quivered a bit but didn't actually open.

Manny opened the door, already reaching down to the floor. Emerald knelt there, holding her head with both hands. "Need a step-stool?" he asked as he picked her up.

"Maybe they can move it down a bit..." she said.

"That'd be worth a beer," he agreed.

------

Connie offered to do the dishes. It was their usual arrangement when he cooked. Emerald stopped probing at her forehead and looked up at him.

"Actually, Emerald's people tend to pride themselves on their cleaning abilities. I'll have her do the dishes." His fae smiled happily.

"Remind me never to eat off your plates again," Connie said sourly.

"Ye of little faith," he replied. He looked Emerald directly in the eyes. She looked hopeful. He'd noticed that she didn't seem to resent orders, they actually made her happy. So he'd give her orders.

"Emerald? I order you to clean up the dishes and silverware. You can leave the grill for tomorrow, but once it cools I want you to clean that, too."

"Ohh, YES Master!" she said. She grabbed the plates and stacked them, piling the cups and forks and knives above them. She looked like a circus performer as she waddled over to the garbage.

But as she swept her hand between the plates, snapping the bones into the trash can, he thought more of a martial arts movie.

He'd left the door open a crack. She opened that with her foot and spun through. He walked over and replaced the garbage can lid. Then he made sure the air vents were shut on the grill. He sat back down and looked at his sister.

After a sip of his beer, he reached over to lift her chin and shut her gaping mouth.

"Beer?" she asked.

"In your hand," he replied.

"Thank you," she said.

-------

Manny took a while getting Connie back into her side of the duplex. She was having a problem slotting what she'd seen into what she knew to be possible.

He finally shrugged and told her to think about how Diana would react to a kitty that did the dishes. She smiled at that thought and went inside.

Back at his back door, he tapped the kitty flap with a finger and pondered it for a moment.

"So what do you think?" he asked as he entered the kitchen. "Would they move it lower for two beers? Or should we just get you a rope ladder?"

Emerald was wrestling plates in the sink. Her grip on the sponge as she scrubbed made him think of a surfer trying not to drown in the surf.

"I, uh, well. Hmm. I don't know, Master. Two beers seems like a lot." She wouldn't look up to see his face.

"I thought one beer for the little door, one beer to repair the big door. And an apology that we weren't clear on what we expected them to do."

Now she looked up at him. "We? You'd apologize?"

"Yeah, sure," he said. He moved plates to the dishwasher. She leaned over the counter to watch. "I mean, there were assumptions made by both of us. I can certainly admit to being part of the problem."

"Wow," she said softly. Then she ducked back to feel around under the suds for the silverware. He nodded thanks as he took them and slotted them in place.

She watched him set up the dishwasher, clearly making mental notes. Then pulled the plug out of the sink drain.

He grabbed the spray nozzle to rinse her off. She spun around in the sink until she was clean. Then he wrapped her in a towel and lifted her out.

He eased into the easy chair, just now noticing that the leather had been tooled during the repair. She sat on one thigh as he looked over the armrests. Dwarves were fighting monsters in the scenes.

"Goblins?"

"Kobolds, Master. They're the traditional opponents of Dwarves."

He nodded, running a finger around one head being split by an axe. "Dwarves are kicking ass," he said.

"They always do," Emerald replied. "At least, on Dwarf furniture they do." He laughed. She giggled at his laugh, then shifted. She straddled his thigh and leaned against his belly. He leaned the chair back. One hand made lazy circles on her lower back.

"Emerald? Do you resent it when I order you around?"

"You're SUPPOSED to, Master," she said.

"But do you resent it?" he persisted. "I don't want to make you angry even if you're supposed to smile instead. Especially if you're only smiling because you have to."

"No!" she said angrily. Little fists bunched up and waved in the air. "No! NO! DON'T go all EMPATHY on me! You order me. You care about me. Those are TWO DIFFERENT THINGS!"

She rolled out of his lap and jumped to the armrest. For the briefest second he thought he saw two fighters move to avoid her feet. Then she was jumping to the floor and running across the room.

"EMERALD!" he shouted. The little fairy paused. She even froze in place. Her big head of hair turned slowly around until she was looking at him. She looked sad, he thought. And hopeful.

"Emerald, come HERE. Right now, young..um, woman." He slapped his lap. She smiled and flipped over backwards. With a running leap she jumped to his foot and somersaulted up his leg, to land on his thigh, legs spread.

"Yes, oh puissant Master?" she asked with a small smile. It grew as she stared. "It means powerful, Master."

"Ah. Okay, then. Well. Um, I want you to... I ORDER you to explain to me how you feel about orders."

"La," she said. "Well. Okay. There's a lot of iron in your world."

He nodded. He'd read about fairies hating iron. Or even burning on contact. But she'd held steel things, so it wasn't like kryptonite. He nodded again.

Then he realized she wasn't waiting for him to finish absorbing the line. She was through talking.

"More," he said.

"Oooh. Well, iron makes things orderly. There's no iron in fairy." She shifted to make herself comfortable. One foot caressed his crotch. He moved her a bit higher up on his chest. First things first.

"That makes fairy chaotic. Everyone living there is in chaos. Things change. If you're not ready, you're caught. You can be hurt by the change.

"So you miss the chaos?" he said, trying to understand her.

"No, no, no. Not here. There's much more order. But..." She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. He stared where her face had been. Her little breasts rose and fell as she tried to form the words. Suddenly he was willing to wait as long as it took.

"It's like, I don’t feel I fit in here. I'm not part of the place." She bunched her fingers together and cracked her knuckles. "I'm aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall alone. Except for you. And the rules.

"Rules are order. Rules fit this Earth." She paused and looked up at his face to see if he was following. He nodded.

"Fairies on Earth need orders. It helps us match the pace of the place."

"Pace?"

"Sun up, sun down, dark. Over and over and over and over and over..."

"You've been here for two days, Emerald."

"And by the HUNT that gets BORING!" Then she rolled over and gripped his shirt. "Or it would be...without you. You're stable. I want to be stable for you. I want to be stable...with you."

He lay his hands on the small of her back, on her butt, and hugged her to him. "I can live with that," he promised her.

He picked up his remote and set the music to playing. They sat for a while, just touching each other as the twilight faded to evening, then night.

"Emerald," Manny said.

"Master?"

"I think I'm about to give you an order. No. I think I'm about to give you two orders."

"I await your whim, Master," Emerald said with a smile. She started to squirm under his hand.

"Emerald, in a minute or so, I will order you to climb up here and kiss me."

"Why do I have to wait so long?" she asked with a pout.

"So I can also say, if anyone ever catches us doing anything intimate, you're going to have to show them what you really look like. That's an order. I don't care if you say you're a fairy, or an alien, or a shrunken woman, or a mutant spider monkey bitten by a radioactive supermodel, or a Leprechaun, or what. We just can't have my sister or niece thinking I'm kissing or fondling my cat."

Emerald rolled her eyes and blew air out from pursed lips and waggled her fingers. She pretended to consider the idea long and long. "Oh, oh-KAY," she finally agreed. "If people who have 'save the whales' on their bumpers can't find it in their hearts to add 'kiss the kitten,' then we'll have to let them see you're just attracted to an ugly little girl of a mere 452 years of age."

"You're not ugly."

"I am," she insisted.

"Come up here and kiss me, that's how beautiful you are," he said softly.

"You're just horny," she replied. But she was crawling up his shirt as she did.

"You make me horny and you think that means you're ugly?" As a response, she leaned up and placed her lips against his.

Her touch was electric. His lips parted almost involuntarily and her face pressed forward. She found his tongue and nibbled on it.

He brought his hands up to cup her thighs, her ass. She squirmed, bringing her legs together to trap one finger. He moved the tip, pretending to be caught. Or he tried to.

Her muscles held him in place like a vise. "Wooser," he ordered. Her teeth parted and his tongue was freed. "No, your legs," he said.

"No," she said. She squirmed some more, rubbing her pussy against a knuckle.

"That's it, "he said. "Stand at attention." She jumped back from his face then hopped to the armrest. She snapped tall, straighter than a Marine honor guard. He watched happily as her breasts bounced then settled.

"Okay, go back to the bedroom, turn down the sheets, lay on the bed and wait for me."

"Yes, Master!" she shouted. She did a cartwheel over his lap, jumped off the other armrest and ran. He stood and walked to the bathroom.

He carefully brushed his teeth, cleaned his face and otherwise removed the smoke of the fire and the beer smell on his breath.

When he finally reached the bedroom, Emerald was on her back below his pillow, spread across the sheet. Watching. Her knees flexed and her heels drummed just a bit as he stepped through the door, locking it behind him.

He stepped to the side of the bed and looked her over. She smiled, but the wattage went down as he just stood there. "Master?" she asked.

"Hush," he said sternly. She smiled and gestured that her lips were zipped shut. He reached down to reposition her arms. One finger pressed against her elbow until it moved, sliding down along her sides.

He also closed her legs together. She pouted. Then he licked one fingertip and stroked both her nipples. She hissed and arched herself, pressing herself against his touch.

"Stay," he said. He turned his back and started taking off his clothing.

"MMPH!" she didn't say in reply.

When he was naked, he crawled onto the bed, ,kneeling over her. She started to wiggle a bit. He pushed a finger under one shoulder and rolled her over.

Lowering himself down to laying prone, lifted by his elbows, he ran fingers through her long, lovely hair. Long, lingering strokes from the top of her head to her tailbone. She relaxed a bit.

"So soft," he said quietly. "So smooth. So beautiful." He looked at, but refrained from touching, her ass. The cheeks were round and perfect, little smiles curving around the top of her thighs.

He started to press her hair more firmly, massaging the muscles it covered. She moaned a bit.

Then he stretched out his tongue and dipped his head. It speared into her backside, pushing her thighs apart.

She gasped, reflexively tightening her leg muscles.

"WOOSER!" he ordered urgently.

Emerald giggled and spread her legs. Not far, Manny's hands stopped her knees once his tongue was free.

He rubbed the tip of it against his teeth to make sure nothing was missing or pinched beyond hope of recovery. Then he smacked his lips, kissed her derrière, and started licking once more.

"Oooooh," she moaned happily.

"Qwite!" he ordered without interrupting his efforts. She bit her lips and tried to endure in silence.

He licked and sucked, marveling in the taste of her, in the barely restrained power quivering at his touch. And he luxuriated in the flow of her muscles, flinching against his cheeks.

The fairy's hands rubbed at her thighs, then grabbed at the sheets. His tongue slid down from her cheeks to her pussy, spreading the lips and tantalizingly poking inside her. It made her hot and wet, feeling a hollowness inside her that he promised to fill.

And he was ordering her. Not to fetch or shut up or service him like a slave, but to just take what he was dishing out. She felt aligned to this world as never before. Like she was a compass needle, pointing straight at her Master.

Although at that exact moment, she was shaped more like a dowsing rod and she was centered on his tongue.

Tiny fistfuls of fabric were ripped from the sheet as his licking shoved her a hand's breadth up the bed.

Despite his command, a moan escaped her once more. He growled, a rasping noise that shook her whole body. Then he lifted his face up.

Terrified that she'd failed him, that he'd stopped because she couldn't obey, she turned her head to apologize.

Fingers speared under her body, under her belly and hip, then flipped her over like he had done with the steaks.

His smiling face hovered over her for a moment, then dipped back down. He spread his legs again, using his chin, and kissed her. The tongue returned. She trilled in glee.

Then gasped, covering her mouth with both hands, eyes wide. He must hate her! A simple order like 'quiet' and she'd disobeyed twice! Oh! He must think that her begging for orders was mockery!

He left her pussy and licked his way up her torso. It was really hard to tell if he was frowning as the mouth never fully closed. If he wasn't licking he was kissing or sucking.

But the eyes... She saw his eyes and he was not a disappointed man. He wasn't angry. His eyes met hers and he did smile. Wide and showing many teeth.

"Oh, Master," she said. She grabbed his temples to pull herself up and kiss him. He kissed her belly, then tried to take both of her breasts into his mouth at once.

He couldn't quite do it. They were too small for his lips to really get any purchase on. But he lavished a lot of attention on them anyway.

"Oh!" she said, then repeated. Then he just opened his mouth and sucked on her entire chest for a moment. She raised a leg to stroke his neck.

His hand found it and pressed it back down on the bed. Then he raised his head again. He considered her for a moment. She writhed under his gaze, wishing it was under his touch.

Then two fingers pinched a thigh and started to roll her over again. He stopped halfway, though, holding her leg in the air as he lay down beside her, behind her.

She twisted, trying to look at him. Then the little finger of the hand holding her brushed her pussy.

"Eep!" she yelped in surprise. It stroked her a few times, then pressed against her. She twisted her hips for a better angle, then it was inside her. He was inside her. There was the feeling of being filled, full from her thighs to her ribs.

She gasped and tried tor each around to grab his wrist. "No, no," he said softly. "Touch yourself. Play with yourself. Your breasts, your pussy, whatever you can reach."

"But Master," she protested. "I want to-"

"That's an order, little fairy. Do what I say, Emerald."

"Oh, YES, Master!"

She licked her hands and squeezed both of her breasts. "Oh! Oh!" His finger started to wriggle inside her. Two more stroked her legs, her inner thighs. She flinched and moved one hand down to lightly circle her clit.

He rewarded her by starting to pump the finger. She squealed and writhed, squeezing her legs a bit, but not more than he allowed.

Then the stroking fingers stopped, though his little finger never paused. She had a moment to wonder if he'd lost interest or was thinking of something else, or was punishing her.

Emerald heard licking, then two of his fingers touched at her breast, moving her hand to the side. They were wet and smeared his saliva over her.

"Oh, Master!" she cooed. "I'm so..."

"Come for me," he said.

She screamed and convulsed, a small orgasm taking over her body. Manny barely managed to yank his finger free, fearing that she might crush it. That jerking slide out left her free, she didn't have to hold back for Master's safety.

That pushed her over the edge for a second, full orgasm. She rolled over and grabbed at Manny, pushing herself against his body, her face into his ribs, screaming muffled by the skin.

He grabbed her with both hands and hugged her tightly. She came once more from his attention, his concern. His love.

"Wow," he said as she finally rolled to a stop, going limp against him. A hand around her ribs lifted and dragged her up to his pillow. She lay beside his face, gasping.

Emerald managed to lift one hand to stroke his forehead. "Thank you, Master," she whispered.

"It was quite literally my pleasure, Emerald," he said softly.

------

Manny rested on the pillow, watching her closely. Emerald smiled at him, breathing deeply. He reached over to stroke her bare leg, from hip to knee.

"What can I do for you, Master?" she asked.

"Well," he drawled. "You know I hate to make demands."

"Demand," she said happily, "demand."

"Okay." He rolled onto his back and looked down. Emerald followed his gaze. Her master's cock rose up straight, long and hard. "I order you to do something...pleasing to that."

"Something?"

"Indulge your imagination," he said. "As long as we get to that guacamole thing you promised."

"PINK guacamole, Master," she corrected. Then she clapped hands over her mouth. "I mean, yes, sir, Master, sir."

She rolled over and onto her her hands and knees. She climbed up onto his chest. There was a brief pause to turn and lean over his lips.

Their kiss was a long, loving exploration of each other's features. She kissed lips and tongue, he sucked softly at chin, cheeks and face.

Emerald giggled and started backing away from him. He raised his head and shoved a pillow behind it. They kept eye contact as she backed all the way down his body.

Her toes started to gently tug at his pubic hairs when she reached them. Her ass bumped against his cock. She pushed a little against it, then started to rub up and down.

Still staring at his eyes, her legs wrapped around him, tickling his balls. 'Come here," she said softly.

Manny raised his hands to where she knelt. She touched him, guiding him into making a fist and placing it under her belly.

She grabbed his wrist and used his knuckle as a fulcrum. The hot, wet pussy slid up and down the top of his cock, while her feet reached around and gently pushed and pinched the underside.

Top to bottom, up and down, sometimes squeezing with her thighs. He used his free hand to fondle her ass.

"This is for you, Master," she said, pushing his hand away.

"Hey, touching that tush works for me, too," he said. He stroked and squeezed. She giggled and went on.

Manny started to moan, squirming a bit under her. She laughed and sped up. She lowered her face all the way to his skin, nibbling lightly at his flesh. Her thighs squeezed the end of his cock, spreading precome across her thighs.

She smeared it back down towards the base, then back up again. Another squeeze, another bite. He flexed and surged.

Emerald sped her pumping, but spent longer squeezing each time. "I wish I had a flower," she murmured. "Maybe next time I'll show you how useful they are to a fairy."

"Hrrghk!" he said. She paused, legs and feet at half-mast. "Was that an order, Master?" The fire in his eyes amused her.

He stopped rubbing her ass. Forming a claw with his fingers he started to reach for her head. A low growl shook his chest, vibrating through his hand and into her belly.

"Aw, Master wants me to -" Just as he started to wrap fingers around her head she dropped her butt to the base of his cock. "Look!" she said. "Boobies!"

He pinched the perky breasts and started to shake. She wrapped her arms around her back and around his cock, pulling him close against her. She writhed, dropping her head to lick at his fingers. That broke eye contact for the first time.

Manny threw his head back, arched his back and came. She leaned back, aiming his come onto his thigh.

When he finished, she tossed her head back. Her hair spread out and covered him like a warm, clingy blanket.

"Guacamole, Master?" she asked.

"That's a big ten four," he murmured.

"Good!" she said. Then she climbed up his ribs, sliding over the side to cuddle in his armpit. He hugged her close and sighed. He relaxed into sleep and started to snore.

Emerald nuzzled her face against his skin, deftly activating a ticklish spot of nerves. He flinched, slamming her against his ribs with his arm.

The little fairy pushed the arm away and sat up, shaking her head. Her eyes uncrossed after a moment. She took a deep breath and lay back down. She nuzzled him again, remembering to suppress his nerves this time.

One hand stretched across his side possessively. His arm moved in to cuddle her close.