Chapter 84: Breakfast discussion
I opened my eyes and found myself alone on the bed. The affect of Sophia's concentrated poison had made me sleep incredibly deep. Getting up I walked over to the bathroom for morning rituals before leaving the room to go and find the missing occupants.
Opening the door to the bedroom, a waft of cooked food beckoned me downstairs to investigate. Entering the dining room adjacent to the living room, Sophia was sitting in a chair while drinking something in a mug and scrolling through information on her data pad. As if feeling my presence, Sophia looks up and smiled. "Good morning Apollo, that was one of the best sleeps I have ever had, thank you.
Are you hungry by the way? I had my chef make you a hearty breakfast."
I gave Sophia a nod of agreement while sitting myself down and pouring myself a cup of tea from the brewed pot on the table. I was just about to take a sip before Sophia yelled. "Elias!" The surprise almost made me spill my drink over myself ,but this time I had enough control to prevent an annoying start to the morning.
A few seconds later a middle aged man with a glorious moustache wearing a chef hat and apron walked into the room from the adjourning kitchen. "You requested my presence Lady Sophia?" The man, whom I expected was Elias said. "Yes my paramour Is famished would you fetch that breakfast I had you make?" Sophia stated.
"Paramour?" Elias said in bewilderment, Only now realising Apollo's presence at the table. Elias' eye went wide in shock at the naked man sat at his employers table. For more than a decade Elias had worked for Sophia, using his metal augmentations to max efficiency when preparing the food he made her. And not once had another presence, let alone another man joined her in the morning.
Regaining his professionalism, Elias turned back to Sophia. "Of course my lady, though may I ask if he was the reason I had to wear a blindfold whilst entering the apartment this morning?" Sophia looked at Elias straight in the eyes for the first time. "I am your employer Elias, If I ask you to enter with a blindfold you will do so.
I was protecting you from seeing sensitive information and that is all now go." Sophia's tone was rather high spirited, but Elias was sweating bullets as he left the room.
He returned shortly with a plate of food before taking a glance at myself and a longer one at Sophia before bowing and excusing himself. After the man left ear shot I commented while munching on a hash brown. "So, you aware the guy is head over heels for you?" Sophia nodded her head as she sipped her drink. "Yes its obvious, most males that gaze upon my form tend to follow similar patterns.
Most I end up converting into my following and there love fizzles away into subservience. Elias however has metal implants and his genome would collapse as the implants mess up the structure of the genes."
Sophia, deciding to act cheeky commented. "Why my love, are you perhaps jealous?" I scoffed at the notion. Let them love away I could not care less. I, they and any hive bio form knows they have no shot. "Stop trying to be smart, it will get you punished. Just wanted to confirm you knew is all."
As I continued to enjoy my large breakfast a question arose. "What sensitive information were you talking about earlier soph?" "The large blue creature in my living room my sweet." Sophia's response caused me to choke on my food for a second. I had totally forgot." Shit, Orchid!"
Making my way to the living room, Sapphire was still where I left her along with Onyx laying beside her talking to the probably conscious Orchid. Walking up to Sapphire, she turns her head to me which I reward with nose scratches. "Good girl, thanks for doing this all night. Why don't you return to my Mindspace hmm?" With a lick of affirmation Sapphire suddenly dissapeared.
On the floor Orchid was just lying there in confusion. Upon seeing my face however, she began smiling radiantly. "Hello" I say cheerfully. "Good morning my love, Why was Orchid stuck underneath sapphire when she woke up?" Orchid asked while getting up and resuming the natural position of wrapping her whole body around me.
"You don't remember? You drank a lot of Sophia's Poison at my request and then went crazy." Orchid tried to recall any more information. She remembered drinking the poison at her loves request but after that feels like one big sleep.
I could see the confusion growing on her face. So I stroked her hair and calmed her thoughts. "Its ok my love bug, You did not do anything to out of hand. The reason I had sapphire weighing you down was you had the brilliant idea to go hunt humans for no reason. Now lets go get you some food."
I also extended the invitation to Onyx but she claimed to have already ate. I had Orchid sit upon my chair and continue the meal I was eating as I continued my conversation with Sophia. "Sorry about that." "No need for apologies my sweet, though that has brought a question to my mind."
I gestured with my hand to continue. "That creature that fell atop Orchid last night. What is it? It feels familiar yet no other Hive form in my memories comes close." "Ah right, Sapphire is the co-creation of one of my unique psionic abilities and a exceeding dangerous amount Of Jewels psionic energy which created her. In a way she is sort of our child."
Sophia's heart almost escaped her throat at the talk of a child. Her cult may think of themselves as her children, but a child all her own with Apollo, that was all she dreamt of.
"That was the main reason I use Sapphire in counter-Orchid operations as other than me, Sapphire is the only living thing Orchid does not hate." Orchid wanted to protest, but her mouth was full of food ,and her mate was mostly right.
We sat there for a while longer before a topic of import crossed my mind. "Hey soph, I need a favour and kind of a big one, I think. "If it is within my power to do so, you know I will do it Apollo, ask away." "Right, on the way over here, we got stopped by a checkpoint as I told you last night." Sophia nodded her head in recollection.
"Well I told the base centurion that I was an Arcon of a planet and was wondering if you could get me some identification with that key point attached."
Sophia furrowed her brow in thought for a moment before a delighted smile grew across her face. "It is a good thing you told me this morning. I am going to visit a noble in the northern hemisphere today who I have a very incriminating piece of blackmail on. The woman also happens to be able to get exactly what you need. If you desire you can accompany me today and I will introduce you."
"Sure sounds like a hoot I look forward to it." I said stealing one of the last sausages on Orchids plate which almost resulted in me losing a finger.
An hour later and I decided to get changed. Sophia had collected a large amount of clothing for me to try on and I had very little fashion sense so I shouted through the apartment. "Sophia! Can you fetch one of your subordinates to pick out an outfit for me."
If I was going to be wearing a casual outfit I would be fine Id just pick anything that looked nice alongside my new favourite jacket, but for a meeting with the up and up? I was clueless other than to wear a suit.
Five minutes later and the elevator to the apartment dinged. Out of the elevator emerged two familiar faces. "Apollo!" One of the woman shouted upon seeing me as they ran up to me with excitement and a blush on her face. "Woah life of the party herself, hey Keyla."
Keyla was a petite lady at 4ft11. she had short hair that she seemed to have dyed purple over night, beautiful brown eyes and a smile that could light up a room. What Kayla lacked in height, she more than made up for with her sweet disposition and outgoing personality.
Keyla was one of the many people I met last night that made me realise my boon was slightly altered with the females of the cult. The males, like the drones of the hive held great respect and devotion towards me, but not Love like the women. The females however were affected differently.
instead of feeling pragma eros mania, like the rest of the hive, They would feel up to 3 of those on top of their own feelings of love.
Kayla for example, from what I have concluded felt pragma, longstanding love, on top of genuine fatherly affection for me making her one of the only ones who can talk to me without heating up like the Other member that emerged from the elevator. "G-good morning Daddy." Samantha said while not being able to look me directly in the eye.
"Wow, you are seriously trying to Pavlov me into getting aroused every time I see you with the way you say that huh?"