Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse-Chapter 141: The Heart Wants What it Wants

By the time all of the teams of two had arrived back at the boat after completing their jobs on King Island, the sun was setting.

The men appeared to be settling in for a heavy drinking session on the foredeck, with the sunset as a pretty backdrop. It was a very pleasant spot for a drink.

The dolphins were still shepherding their boat, so there was no risk of aquatic tubiàn, they were anchored in a calm bay with the boat bobbing gently, and it was cool, but not too cold.

The girls sat mingled among them. Delphi was sipping on a water, having no desire for alcohol after the trauma of that blue bottle sting.

Baer was starting to get rowdy, regaling Niko with gruesome tales of his exploits fighting various tubiàn and the Emperor’s soldiers.

Delphi looked over at Arrie, noticing she looked sad. It must be hard for her to sit in such close proximity to the man, while he largely ignored her, she thought.

"Anyone for hot chocolate in the cabin?" Delphi asked brightly.

"Ooh, yes please," said Arrie, jumping to her feet.

"Me too," said Indy.

"Me three," Loveday rose to join them.

"Opal?" asked Delphi politely, not wanting her to feel left out.

"No thanks General, I’m good," she said, raising her tumbler of muscat. "I’ll stay here with Bren and have a stiffer drink."

"Alright, you’re welcome to join us anytime if these thugs get too much for you."

"Thank you General, I will definitely call it a night before they do, I’m sure," she smiled.

The four girls gathered around the dinette in the cabin, huddled over hot chocolates, jumpers on to protect against the cold that was creeping in.

"This is nice," said Indy. "It’s like back to the old days. Sometimes it gets a bit much with all of those men. They’re not as easy to live with as you girls."

They all giggled. "So true," said Loveday. "They can be so disgusting sometimes. Have you heard the way Baer farts?"

"Not just heard it... I’ve smelt it," said Delphi with her nose wrinkled in disgust.

She looked across at Arrie with concern. "Sorry Arrie, we won’t talk about him anymore."

"No, it’s fine," she sighed. "It’s not like he’s going anywhere, so I have to get used to it. Especially while we’re all living in such close quarters."

"He’s such a turkey. He’s not worth wasting your tears over, Arrie," said Loveday. "I only wish that I was more forceful telling you not to open your heart to him."

"You did tell me not to give him my heart, Loveday. Unfortunately, he already had it by then, and I didn’t seem to have any ability to take it back. I still don’t," she whispered, ashamed of herself.

Delphi shook her head in sympathy, "the heart wants what it wants," as they say. "It’s an incredibly powerful pull, and you have no control over it Arrie, so don’t beat yourself up."

She of all people should know that, thought Delphi. Despite her promise to herself not to have a relationship with a man until the Rebellion was won, she seemed to be embarking on a campaign to capture the heart of one...

"None of us has experienced heartbreak before," said Indy, "but the consorts did warn us that losing your heart to somebody is beyond heady stuff. I don’t think any of us will be immune, Arrie, if that’s any comfort. You’re just the first of us to go through it. But don’t think you’re alone. We’re all here for you, and we love you unconditionally."

"Thanks Indy," said Arrie, her eyes filling with grateful tears. "I know it, but it’s nice to be reminded."

Indy gave her a hug.

"What about you and Niko, Inds," said Delphi. "Are you falling for him?"

She smiled fondly. "I know he’s a big crazy troublemaker, but there’s something very sweet about him that I can’t help finding endearing."

"He’s very good to you," said Loveday, "and he’s a nicer man than Baer. He has a good heart. But I guess I would say that about my big brother," she laughed.

Indy nodded, "it’s true though".

"If he hurts you, I’ll kick his arse for you," said Loveday.

"Thanks Lovie. I’m taking things pretty slow with him. He’s an old-fashioned guy. I don’t think there’s much for him between the brothels and marriage, and I know I’m not ready for marriage!" she giggled.

"Madonna-whore complex?" teased Delphi.

"Oh my God, don’t talk about my brother’s sexual proclivities in front of me," moaned Loveday, and they all collapsed with laughter.

"I’m going to turn in for the night," yawned Delphi. "I’m still completely destroyed by the blue bottle wrapping it’s tentacle around my boobie. Never had anything so painful in my life!"

"What about when the General hit you in the girly bits, that looked like it really hurt too," said Indy.

"Oh! Don’t remind me of that, that was incredibly painful, but the blue bottle sting lasted for hours, and I had to hike back to the boat with no treatment."

"Why didn’t you ask the General to pee on it for you?" Arrie couldn’t help throwing it in there.

"Arrie!" all three girls cried in horror.

Delphi gave her three little pretend smacks for her lewd remark. "Naughty girl. That’s an old wives’ tale anyway. It doesn’t work, hot water is the cure, believe me, I know!"

"I suppose the General had to unwrap the tentacle for you, Delph?" Loveday teased her, reaching out to poke her bust.

Delphi blushed.

"Oh! He did, did he?" Loveday squealed.

"I’m off to bed," Delphi turned on her heel, waving airily.

"I’m going to bed too," said Indy, "I need to be ready for Delphi’s dawn exercise regime. Can you give us some warning if you’re planning star jumps or tuck jumps this time? I need to wear my sports bra not an itty-bitty bikini if you want to do real training."

Delphi smiled back at Indy, "only yoga tomorrow morning, I promise".

"Thank goodness," said Loveday, "Indy nearly knocked herself out doing star jumps in that string bikini".

"You can hardly talk girl," Indy pouted, "I saw you desperately holding onto your boobs too".

"Niko was spying on us, you know," said Arrie.

"No! He wasn’t, was he?" asked Indy.

"Yep, and Brenner too," she replied.

"What the heck!" called Delphi, who had caught that comment from the hallway as she was leaving.

She was completely incensed.

She thought back to what they might have seen, and her cheeks were suddenly even redder when she remembered exactly what she had exposed. Alton was one thing, but those two were another...

"It was your fault, Delphi," called Loveday, "if you hadn’t had the dumb idea of heavy exercise in tiny swimsuits, it never would have happened".

"Truer words have never been spoken," said Delphi, nodding in resignation as she wandered off despondently.

The girls all made their way to their tiny cabins.

Opal checked in on the girls not long after, and saw they had all gone to bed.

She wandered back up onto the deck where the levels of drunken loutishness were getting beyond even her tolerance levels.

She bent down and whispered to Niko, "Indy said to tell you to come by and say goodnight".

He looked up with the bleary smile of a happy drunk, "did she?" he slurred in wonder. "I mustn’t let her down then!"