Rogue Heart

Poof! Pop! Up Top! Won't Stop! Part II

Chapter Seventeen: Poof! Pop! Up Top! Won’t Stop! Part II

TATIANA

While Sabrina looked incredibly overwhelmed, there was also a gleam of happiness in her eyes that was undeniable, warming my heart as she reluctantly relayed the reasons for her current anxiousness...

The first, unsurprisingly, was figuring out her and Otto’s clothes for the wedding as they had never had any need for any formal attire, her fear being that she would be an embarrassment to the happy couple, which again, was a worry that I was able to quell quickly, offering to make her a dress while Aruna offered to take Otto down to one of shops to purchase a nice dress shirt and pants. Both of us also informed her that Anabelle would be arriving soon to talk with Charlotte about hairstyles, something that, if she would like, could absolutely be discussed with Sabrina as well...

The second heavy thought in her mind didn’t come as much of a surprise. Carson’s mother was fretful that the difficulties she had bonding with Carson would translate into the same struggle with her grandson—

“Openly showing affection is not something that I have ever done well. Even when I feel the emotions and greatly desire for the act to be effortless—like moments ago, to show my joy for Carson. It comes out stiff and unnatural, despite my best attempts to make it otherwise. Children can sense that. Carson did when he was young, which is part of the reason why I stopped trying. I don’t want Cyrus to feel the same awkwardness around me and I have no idea how to fix whatever is broken inside.”

“The answer may be rather easy, Sabrina—don’t give up,” I kindly returned, “Allow your hug with Carson to motivate you to keep trying to break through the barriers you put up to protect yourself following a traumatizing childhood—something I too know very well. And what I took away from that experience is that being challenged in life is inevitable—being defeated is optional.”

Her lips expanding out into a smile of deep admiration, Sabrina admiringly replied, “You sounded like Charlotte when she made me promise to not disappear from hers and Carson’s life again.”

Taking hold of her hand, Aruna tranquilly encouraged, “Maybe that’s the biggest lesson you can take away from this experience, Sabrina—hope. Knowing that Carson and Charlotte desperately want you to be a part of their lives. That they love you—that Cyrus will love you—all three wanting you to come home to Crescent Moon—often.”

Looking down at their joined hands, Sabrina thoughtfully replied, “Maybe, Aruna.”

I received confirmation that Carson’s mother had taken our words to heart, extending out my hand as I offered, “Would you like to see something that will prove our theory?”

Her brown eyes reflecting a dubious glint, Sabrina took a rather shaky hold of my hand, her fingers falling limp in my grasp as I showed her what I had just seen. Little Cyrus eagerly toddling towards her as Sabrina and Otto appeared. Not much older than a year old, his chubby cheeks were bouncing, still mastering his gait as Carson and Charlotte laughingly followed behind their beaming son, who was ecstatically clapping his chunky hands, an instant crooked smile crossing his sweet face as Sabrina crouched down in front of him, appearing completely at ease and enamored with the child as she eagerly urged Cyrus to reach her. The deep love and adoration between them clearly evident...

“How remarkable,” Sabrina breathlessly choked out, “Look at Cyrus’ face—he’s so excited to see me. Will this really take place one day, Tatiana?”

“I believe this vision came to me because it’s in the realm of possibilities, Sabrina,” I thoughtfully murmured, “Making it a reality will be up to you.”

***************

Staring into the mirror as I attempted to get ready to meet Carson and his parents by the lake for their departure, I was in awe of the pop that had unceremoniously occurred—and not where I expected...

Softly knocking on the door, Horacio worriedly asked, “Hey, beautiful. You’ve been in there a while with the door shut. Everything okay?”

Once again pulling on my undergarment in a futile attempt to make it more comfortable, I grunted, “Not really, but fortunately, I’m going shopping with the girls next week and my first stop will be with a favored lingerie shop.”

“I like the sound of that,” Horacio animatedly sang out before curiously asking, “But your tone tells me it’s not for the same reasons I hope it’s for. Care to tell me why?”

Reaching out for the doorknob, I threw the door open, frustratingly holding my hands out in front of my suddenly overly-buxom breasts that were popping out of my bra, exasperatingly out in a heavy exhale, “Apparently, you got your wish—I’ve popped!”

His eyes instantly went wide—and hungered—as Horacio zeroed in on my chest, mesmerizingly rasping out, “Holy s**t, Tati! When the hell did that happen?”

A wicked grin spreading across his face, he enthusiastically—and laughingly—added, “And please don’t singe me, but it really won’t hurt my feelings if those—you know—stay that way.”

Swatting his arm, I pouted, “That’s not funny, Fury! This busting at the seams happens to be very uncomfortable and I’m starting to worry about another pop that may occur beneath my clothes that could be very embarrassing!”

Letting out a hard fit of laughter, my King continued his dirty play, bringing his hands up to softly caress the bulging excess, enthusing, “They’re still perky. You could always go braless.”

Narrowing my eyes, I deadpanned, “Still not helping, Horacio.”

Winking at me, his tone turned sweet as he adorably suggested, “Tell you what. Get through sending Carson’s parents home and then you and I can pop together—over to your little village bazaar to visit this favored lingerie store of yours and whatever other shop you wish for me to spoil you in.”

My arms weaving around his waist, I smiled, amorously returning, “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Horacio adoringly replied, though his next words reverted back to one of an overgrown teenager, pulling me in tight, playfully rubbing his torso against me, “After we enjoy a little pop in bed for me to enjoy this unexpected great joy of pregnancy. Now, back to my earlier question—will these luscious breasts stay this way? If you really love me—the answer is yes!”

Rolling my eyes, I admonishingly ribbed, “As I plan to breast-feed, you will be happy to hear that they may engorge themselves even more before all is said and done, you dirty old man.”

Lifting me up in the air to place sweet kisses on each side, he huskily retorted, “Well, hello my favorite new friends! Hopefully you will be joined by a beautiful belly pooch soon, making me the happiest Daddy in the world.”

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t help but incessantly giggle as Horacio continued his fun, which in turn had me in a bit of a rush as my bra ended up being popped to serve up a sensual appetizer before I had to hurriedly make my way down to the lake...

***************

CARSON

I can’t believe my first thought as my parents were saying their goodbyes—a big part of me didn’t want them to go...

We crammed in a lot on our last day together, starting with visiting Talon, who confirmed Auntie’s magical diagnosis—Lottie and I were expecting—news that had both of us over the moon. We even got to see our little peanut—Mom and Dad joining us for the ultrasound—all of us already in love with Cyrus and excited for the future.

After that, Auntie sent us over to Moonlight Tide where we showed them our wedding spot and talked about plans before walking along the beach. Unsurprisingly, receiving a lesson on the different algae from Mom and the origins of several shells and pebbles from Dad, who took a few of the larger unique rocks as souvenirs from our visit. A cool idea that I decided to partake in as well...

While Mom was reluctant to visit Grammy’s house, instead choosing to have tea with Auntie, Aruna, and Charlotte to discuss her dress for the wedding, Dad and I went back over, which led to my offering for them to stay there on future visits. Dad thanked me, saying that he would discuss it with Mom, but wasn’t sure how she would feel about it, opening the door for me to ask why she was so uncomfortable coming there. His reply was yet another heartbreaking truth—her last visit here ended in a heated argument between Grammy and Mom—the harsh words furiously said between them ending up being their last...

Standing by her bench with Auntie, Luna Aruna, my folks, and Charlotte, I couldn’t hide my sadness about their departure, causing Mom to ardently try to ease my mind, “Your father and I have meticulously planned our next round of testing, Carson. Based on our calculations, we will be able to finish them in eighteen days, allowing us to return that afternoon just before dinner. A prolonged visit, staying until after your wedding.”

“If you’re not too busy, maybe Lottie and I can come visit you one afternoon or something. Bring some dinner to your tent,” I eagerly offered as the thought came to mind.

Mom seemed surprised initially, but after a moment she and Dad both looked as excited by the thought as I was, “That would be lovely, Carson, though I don’t want Charlotte around all the molds and chemicals in her current condition. But there is a nice little spot not far from our tent by a tiny brook we could have Tatiana send you to, after say four o’clock on whatever day you choose.”

“It’s a date,” I enthusiastically sputtered out, “On Friday, so we don’t have to worry about me having to work the next day.”

Laughing softly, Mom came up to hug me—an embrace that, while still feeling stiff, didn’t feel quite as forced —as she replied, “Friday it is.” Releasing me, she pleasantly added, “Thank you for giving your father and I something to look forward to.”

As Mom embraced Charlotte, Dad hugged me, ecstatically stating, “Maybe your Mom and I can find time to go to one of our hidden storage spots and find that huge flannel blanket you always used to love picnicking on.”

Leaning back, I curiously asked, “Hidden storage spots?”

Releasing her hold on Charlotte, Mom nonchalantly explained, “Yes. Over the years, we have built up quite a collection of tools for our research, but found carrying them all to be quite burdensome, so we tend to prefer only bringing the necessities to our testing sites. Your father is also a bit sentimental, gathering little keepsakes wherever we go. So, we have developed a system of storing some of our belongings in hidden caverns in areas that no one else would dare explore.”

“Oh,” I despairingly breathed out, before kindly offering, “Maybe we can talk about you using Grammy’s shed or something so you can make sure all your stuff stays safe. The guys and I can help you move it all.”

There was heavy reluctance in her reply as Mom impassively replied, “Perhaps. Thank you for your sweet offer, Carson—and for your concern about our things. Your father and I will discuss it and let you know our decision when you visit.”

Saying our final goodbyes, my folks both gave me warm smiles, waving as Auntie coated them in green. My heart fell slightly as they were suddenly—Poof! Gone!

Making my best attempt to hide my despair, I hugged Auntie and Luna Aruna, thanking them again for all they had done before Charlotte and I headed towards Zixin and Zahlia’s house, where I was hopeful that between our pregnancy news and my relaying of how well things had gone, I could ease a little of the tension between the four...

****************

JOSIE

It was our first visit to this remote area of Crescent Moon territory and truthfully, I didn’t like the idea of being here at all, but the money offered by the band of rogue thieves who had heard of our talents was too good to pass up...

Walking around the little bazaar, I pushed those thoughts out of my head, enjoying my new supervisory role that not only enabled me to escape the wretched feel of sweaty, grimy hands all over my body, but also allowed me to do a little shopping with the allowance Oralia had graciously started giving me. She had also approved funds to keep our girls appealing to the vulgar men who sought out our services, advising me to get a few new items for them while also making a few personal purchases for her...

After first completing Oralia’s list, I had circled back around, finding some herbs I needed in another tent, finishing up my purchase when I overheard a conversation between the two neighboring shopkeepers that had all the air leaving my lungs in an inaudible gasp—the Fairy Queen, Tatiana and her mate, the Spirit Walker Beta, Horacio—they were here—in the village!

Immediately peering around as they continued to excitedly gush about how kind and pleasant the two had been, I spotted them, standing at a food vendor enjoying a caramel apple together. Blown away by Horacio’s gargantuan girth, especially in comparison to Tatiana’s miniature size, I went against my better judgement, cautiously nearing them as I found myself captivated by the duo, especially him...

As much as I hated to admit it, I found Horacio very attractive. Aside from his impressive stature and confidence in the way he carried himself, he was quite regal looking with his mussed, short spiky black hair that held just the right mix of white sprigs, as did his closely shaven mustache and beard, laughing as he sweetly offered Tatiana a bite of the treat before sinking his teeth in to tear off a huge hunk of it, overhearing him tease that perhaps she should have gotten one of her own.

I was caught off guard when they proceeded to another shop hand-in-hand where the woman running it warmly greeted Tatiana like they were old friends before being kindly introduced to her mate. The elder woman immediately turned on the charm, holding up several crisp colored dress shirts against his taut, muscular frame that came nowhere near fitting Horacio before enthusiastically offering to custom tailor them as many as he wished for a perfect fit...

Making sure to keep a safe distance, I continued to closely follow and monitor them while they shopped, unable to stop myself from doing what I should have done—turned and hurriedly walked—ran—the other way. Distractedly looking at items where I meticulously stopped, I even quickly made a few purchases until I saw them enter the large lingerie tent, where Tatiana enthusiastically greeted, “Armenia, how wonderful to see you again! I’m afraid I’m in great need of your expertise. Do you have a few moments to help an old friend out?”

Watching as the two quietly chatted for a few more minutes—Armenia chortling out that it was nice to see a man like Horacio who didn’t mind perusing her offerings—I made my way forward as they strolled towards the back of her tent, looking through a rack of lacy underwear while side-eyeing the couple as Armenia ushered Tatiana into a dressing room while Horacio turned to look at a rack of nighties with a cute humored grin. I continued to greatly admire his confidence as he held up a few hangers containing sexy lace teddies, completely unbothered by the fact that two other women nearby were staring at him with incredulous gazes, peering at the delicate garments thoughtfully before throwing them over the curtain and lovingly asking Tatiana’s opinion, a gesture that only made Horacio more fascinating to me.

Suddenly hit with overwhelming anxiety when he took several steps forward, looking at a rack that was a little too close in proximity to me, I returned my full attention to the panties, unable to move my feet and fear-stricken as I pulled out a few pairs for the girls, deciding it was finally time for me to inform Oralia who I had just stumbled across in the village—and find out what I should do next...

****************

ORALIA

While Josie and the other girls were busy with an early appointment requested by a group of traveling rogues who had heard about them through the grapevine, I was keeping myself busy with a new physician that Temora and Theodora had brought to the tunnels to examine Igor. But the elder rogue doctor proved to be just as useless as the others, the same advice given to just give my husband time...

After he left, I was lamenting about the visit with the sisters over tea when Josie suddenly echoed out in my mind, sounding utterly panicked, Oralia! She’s here—Tatiana—shopping in the village with the Spirit Walker Beta, Horacio!

Stunned, I relayed the shocking news to Temora and Theodora, all three of us agreeing that we needed to bring the girls home—which we immediately did, minus my precious girl—before I staunchly instructed Josie to quickly make her way out of the market so we could bring her forth as well...

Okay, I don’t want to be too obvious, so I’ll finish up this purchase and get to the tree line as quickly as possible. I’ll link when I’m ready, Josie urgently replied.

“Had it not been for the fact that suspicions would have been raised about a sudden disappearance in the middle of the bazaar, I would have already had brought the girl forth,” Temora furiously muttered as I informed them of her reply.

“Remain calm, Sister. Josie is in the middle of a bustling market and the last thing we need is for suspicions to be raised, especially with Tatiana,” Temora warningly seethed, “Fortunately, my spell enabling her and Oralia to link has proven more valuable than we realized. Perhaps in the future, we should go with my other suggestion—for us to bring prospective clients to a safer specified area closer to home.”

“Need I remind you that Josie was also sent to that village to make some necessary purchases of items not found around here? Including some herbs and roots on my list that you two are in dire need of?” I authoritatively condoned, “It’s simply an unfortunate coincidence that Tatiana and Horacio happened to show up at that particular market. One that has been swiftly remedied and, as they have no idea who Josie is, no harm was done.”

“Need I remind you of the immense power of Tatiana’s visions? If she somehow catches wind of Josie’s presence and who she is—or better yet, sees that it’s our powers being used to bring them all back, she will inevitably—” Theodora adamantly fired back, though I didn’t allow her to finish, beginning to panic a little myself as I furiously spat—

“As Josie is leaving now, that obviously won’t occur! We will simply chalk this up to a lesson learned today and, moving forward, will find a safe spot to hold any future dealings with those who seek us out from far-reaching areas. End of story!”

While my resolve was firmly voiced, my mind was growing more and more anxious for word from Josie that she was ready for her safe return, worried that until she was back in the tunnels, there was still a chance that my darling girl would be discovered and captured by the Fairy Queen, who had already taken my son away from me—

And I couldn’t—I wouldn’t let Tatiana get a hold of Josie too!

******************

TATIANA

I had quite enjoyed mine and Horacio’s little impromptu trip to the village, introducing him to the long-time shopkeepers who had become friends as Persephone, Reina, and I had visited the enormous bazaar many times over the years spent living in our little cottage. Though, admittedly, our appearance today had brought forth many stares and curious glances for several reasons as we made our way through, each met with a kind smile and approving nod as we walked by...

As luck would have it, Armenia sweetly offered to make a few adjustments, adding more comfort and room for growth to several bras I picked out, all Horacio-approved as he made the unusual move to join me in the shop, something my old friend found admirable, further impressed when he chose a few other things for me while she worked on my fitting...

Making our way back after some more shopping—stopping along the way for a delicious turkey leg, scrumptious homemade potato chips, and two funnel cakes, as Rani made it very clear that was something she preferred me to consume all on my own—Horacio delightedly informed me as we reentered the lingerie shop, “This was fun. I can see why you like it here. All the variety of different treasures to be found. We’ll have to come here more often.”

“I’m so glad you have enjoyed yourself, Horacio,” Armenia kindly sang out, holding my items in her hand as she made her way behind the old make-shift counter, “I can assure you, thanks to the excitement you and Tatiana have stirred up at the market today, we will all welcome you back anytime.”

Setting my small stringed purse on the counter, I amusingly replied, “Based on his love of food alone, I get the feeling you will see us both often, Armenia. Now, how much do I owe you?”

“You only owe me for the alterations, Tatiana. Horacio already paid for—"

The rest of Armenia’s reply became muted as the back of my hands came to rest on the table after pulling out my bank notes. The green doors in my mind bursting open to reveal a shocking vision that Horacio was privy to as well, both of us taking in sharp intakes of air as it finished playing out...

“Are you two alright? As you are a long-time customer, I’m more than happy to give you a little more discount if you feel the price is unfair,” Armenia apologetically offered as my eyes refocused.

Telling her a little white-lie—that I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to pick up some herbs to help settle my stomach several shops down—I thanked my old friend for her time and effort before walking out with Horacio, who steadfastly muttered under his breath, “Quick look around before we head back to Nicholas’ office with your news?”

“Not necessary,” I quietly confirmed, peering around with unease, “The girl is gone, as are the rest of her group and the rogues who summoned them. I just wish the first part of the vision had come to me well before now—and that the last part revealed itself to me in time to capture Josie to learn more about the plans being set forth, especially Romulus’ planned misdeeds.”