A Bottle of Dreams, pt 2
by Tal Greywolf

-----

Friday

The ringing of a phone woke Andrew out of a sound sleep.  He grumbled low, and
started reaching out to the handset on a nearby nightstand.

"Hello."

"Andrew?  It's Ed."

Andrew looked at the clock.  7:53am.  "Ed, it's almost 8am. Couldn't you have
waited?"

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

Andrew turned over in bed, looking at the sleeping form of Aluria. The night's
activities came back in a rush as he saw that she was still very much the
tigress, purring softly.

"To be honest, Ed, I have company here."

There was a giggle on the other end.  "Whoo whoo, our lone wolf actually is
getting some tail for once?"

Ed's statement made Andrew chuckle.  "In more ways than one, and you wouldn't
believe me if I told you."

"Save it for another night.  Anyway, CNG's server crashed last night.  Major
crash.  They're trying to recover, but they think they lost all of the last
revised web pages.  I need to know if you've got copies of them."

Andrew sat up in bed, making Aluria stir slightly.  "Yah, I've got them on a Zip
disk here.  They want a copy I take it?"

"You got it.  Go down to their office and reinstall it on a local machine there.
Their MIS director can do the reinstall without any problems.  He just wants to
make sure the files get where HE'LL have a backup this time."

"As long as they're paying for this."

Ed chuckled.  "Oh, they're paying.  Believe me.  Nothing in the contract
covering restoring lost files, and it's clear they are responsible for it."

"Ok, ok.  I'll get dressed and head over to their offices.  Tell them I'll be
there at 10am."

"Gotcha.  Give the lucky lady a hug and kiss from me, and I'll see you later
on."  The line went dead, and Andrew hung up the phone.

Sighing, he was just about to slip out of bed when two furry arms wrapped about
his waist and pulled him back.  "Leaving already?" Aluria purred, snuggling
against him.

For a few minutes they lay there, snuggling.  Then Andrew finally responded,
sighing.

"Yah, I need to go here.  Work related problem that I have to take care of."

Aluria looked disappointed, then smiled.  "But you'll be back, won't you?"

"Oh, I'll be back, dear.  And when I do come back, we'll see what else we can do
together.  Sounds good?"

Aluria grinned.  "Oh, it sounds very good."

"Glad you agree."  Andrew winced slightly and looked at his chest, where several
thin claw marks were left.  Aluria looked a bit chagrined at that, eyes
downcast.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help myself."

Andrew instead smiled and kissed her lightly.  "It's ok.  And right now, you
should be something other than a walking furry wet dream." Aluria shivered
slightly, and slowly reverted back into her human form, only keeping the golden
hair.  She sighed softly, rubbing her arms and looking behind her.

"I'm already missing the fur and tail," she commented.  Slipping out of the bed
herself, she arched her back and shook herself.

"Don't worry," Andrew commented as he rummaged in the closet. "You'll have it
back soon enough.  Right now, I do need to get ready for this job."

Whistling idly, Andrew headed into the bathroom, taking a good hot shower.  When
he exited, he smelled breakfast being fixed and smiled. He sauntered back to the
kitchen, where Aluria was already eating breakfast.

Two eggs and toast later, Andrew gave Aluria a warm kiss at the door.  "Go ahead
and look through the books and magazines again, dear. I want to hear what ideas
you'd want to try and see if they mesh with the ideas I've had as well."

"I'll do that, Andrew."  Aluria smiled, then closed the door. Andrew made sure
it was locked, then headed down the street to the bus stop.

---

Several hours later, Andrew walked up the steps to his home.  It had been much,
much worse than expected, having to rebuild the entire web site from backups.
But at least the job was done, and the paycheck to come would be well worth it.

He opened up the door, and leaned against it.  "Gah, I hate my work sometimes."
He shook his head, and headed inside to see Aluria again with all sorts of
magazines and books around her.  Grinning, he stepped carefully and kissed her
in greeting.  "So what have you been thinking about?"

"A lot."  She stood up and hugged him tightly, then brought him down to the
floor.  "How can so many people have the same sort of interest in forms and
shapeshifting?"

That managed to get a chuckle out of Andrew.  "It's a long story. Why don't we
discuss it over dinner?  Did you get something to eat earlier?"

"I had some fruit earlier, and some of those crackers."  She pointed to the open
box of Oreos, causing Andrew to chuckle again.

"Come on, let's get you looking presentable and head down to Napoleon House.  I
feel like getting something special for dinner."

Aluria smiled and winked.  The books and magazines went back in place, and she
wore a long, green dress that hugged her in all the right spots.  Andrew grinned
and nodded, giving her another warm kiss, then together they headed out of the
house.

Napoleon House stood at the corner of Chartres and Conti, just across from the
old State Courthouse.  The place got it's name from the fact that back in the
early 1800's several citizens of New Orleans including Jean Lafitte bought the
place while planning to spring Napoleon out of exile.  Although it didn't
happen, the house remained a landmark, and more recently a restaurant.

Requesting a quiet table, they were seated in a corner, near where the fish tank
stood.  Andrew looked at the fish for a moment, smiling to see a few new ones
then gave his attention back to Aluria and the menu.

"So why do so many people want to be different?" Aluria asked while looking at
the menu.  "I'd think that most would be satisfied with what they are."

"Most would be," he replied.  "But there's some who always want to be something
else for reasons.  Personal reasons.  A dream.  To see what being someone or
something else would be like.  Escapism.  A lot of the magic has left this
world, and some wish it would come back."  He sighed softly, laying down his
menu.  "I'm like that myself, sometimes. Wishing I could be something different,
even if just for a while.  A wolf, a lion, a fox, a tree, whatever might be
interesting and unusual."

Aluria nodded and was about to make a comment when the waitress came over.
Andrew ordered a steak dinner, and she ordered the chicken salad. Drinks were
quickly provided, and they were left alone once more.  She sipped her wine, then
looked at Andrew again.

"What would you do if you could change forms?"

Andrew sighed softly.  "I don't know," he admitted.  "Likely I'd want to try
quite a few changes, but exactly what, I don't know.  I'd feel like the kid in a
candy shop with $5 and everything's a penny."

Aluria smiled at the analogy, nodding in understanding.  "But if you could,
would you do it?"

"Probably would," he said.  "I mean, I'd like to try.  But I know it's not
possible."

"Don't say that," she chided.  "If it's possible for me, it's certainly possible
for you."

"Yes, but you're a djinna, dear.  I'm not."

"Doesn't matter.  Remember, I can affect you with my magic."

Andrew mulled it over.  He remembered her mentioning it, but didn't take it
seriously then.  "I'd have to think about it," he said slowly. "It's not
something I think I'd want to rush into..."

Aluria surprised him by agreeing.  "Don't rush into it.  Take your time and
think about it.  I'd like you to, but I have my own selfish reasons there."

Andrew laughed and leaned over the table, giving her a light kiss. "And some
very good reasons, no?"

"Oh, a few."  She giggled, giving him a sly wink.  "Last night being a very good
one to begin with."

"It was good for you, wasn't it?"  Andrew smiled softly, remembering the sight
of her over him, arching back as she was climaxing.

"More than just good, it was incredible.  That form must have been made for sex,
there's no other explanation.  I thought I was going to go insane from the way
every touch and sensation affected me."

Andrew chuckled gently.  "My fault, I think.  The image was from a picture I saw
online, and liked.  And since I associated it with a houri, I must have turned
you into one."

"Oh, don't apologize, you were enjoying it just as much as I was."

Andrew grinned as a response, then kissed her lightly again.  "We'll see what
else my mind can come up with later on.  Here comes dinner." He winked as the
waitress came up with their tray, the smell making both of their mouths water.

"Enjoy your dinner, and if you need anything else, just ask."  The waitress
smiled and left, leaving them alone one more.  Andrew dug into his meal,
occasionally watching Aluria enjoying hers.

They took their time, chatting idly as they finished their meals. Aluria asked
about Andrew's upbringing and hobbies, while Andrew questioned her about her
past owners and experiences she's had.

Late afternoon turned into evening, and finally they departed Napoleon House,
feeling a touch mellow.  They wandered down the streets, pausing in Jackson
Square to look at the buildings bathed in lights, then down to the French Market
to pick up some fresh fruits.  Finally they ended up back home, settling down in
the living room once more.

Andrew walked back into the kitchen, then reappeared with two glasses of wine.
Aluria smiled and took a sip, then found a place for her to sit down.  Andrew
sat opposite her, a glass near his elbow.

She took another sip of wine, then leaned back.  "Mmmm, this is very nice.  A
lot better than any other owner I've had."

Andrew chuckled softly, taking a sip of his wine.  "Why, because I'm concerned
about you?"

"Truthfully?  Yes.  And you're willing to share things with me. It's every
djinn's wish to have someone who's more concerned with the djinn's needs than
their own."  Aluria sighed softly and shook her head. "I thought that I'd never
find someone like that."

Andrew shifted in his chair.  "Ah," he said softly.  "Well, I'm no one special.
I just feel concerned about you, that's all.  Even though we've only known each
other what, three days now?"

Aluria nodded.  "That's part of it, Andrew.  But there's another part, something
you should know.  When you opened the bottle, I said I was bound to you.  Well,
I am.  I can't be separated from you until you die.  Nor can I be given away.  I
am essentially your property now."

Andrew sighed and shook his head.  "Not property, no.  I will never treat you as
property.  As a companion, yes.  As someone to share things with, definitely."
He surprised her as he gave a sly grin.  "As someone to treat as silly putty,
every chance I might get."

Aluria shivered a bit, then giggled softly.  "I hope so," she replied.  She
reached for her wine, and was startled to feel her fingers wrap around the
glass.  "What the..."

Andrew blinked at the sight, then slipped out of his chair to go next to her.
"Hrmmm, I wonder," he muttered.  Reaching out, he poked a finger into her
shoulder.  It sank all the way down to the knuckle.

Aluria shivered in surprise.  "Oooh, that feels strange."  She looked at his
hand, and when he moved his finger, the indentation slowly disappeared.  "What
happened?"

Andrew looked sheepish.  "I... made you into silly putty, I guess. Or something
that's responding like it.  I could turn you back..."

"Don't," she interrupted.  "I'd like to stay this way a while.  It feels so
different and unusual."

Andrew chuckled softly and gave her a hug, squeezing her warmly and watching her
suddenly become distorted.  "If you want to, go ahead."

She giggled from the squeezing, then slowly her form went back into shape.
"Oooh, this might be a lot of fun."  She stood up from her chair, laughing
lightly.  "Going to watch me play with this?"

Andrew kissed her warmly.  "I want to see you deal with this."

Aluria threw her arms around his shoulders, draping herself against him.  "Let's
see what this form can do."  She moved away, then started stretching herself
about, rapidly distorting her body.  Andrew grinned and watched, sipping his
wine idly as Aluria made herself into a twisted blob, then slowly untwisted back
into shape.

She giggled as she worked her form about, stretching arms and legs, twisting
herself into knots and strange shapes.  Looking at Andrew, she could see he was
really enjoying her show, giving her a wink.  She stretched her head and neck to
his, grinning and kissing him lightly. "This is incredible."

"You're incredible," he replied.  "You really enjoy the shifting, don't you?"

She unwound herself and settled down in his lap, leaning against him.  "I am.
More than you could imagine.  You've shown me more in the few days than anyone
else has in lifetimes."

He kissed her warmly, then winked.  "You're showing me quite a bit, too."
Grinning, he tickled her lightly, letting his fingers push into her pliable
body.  She squealed in delight, then wrapped her arms and legs around him.
"Come on, I want to see what this body can do."

He laughed, and carried her into the bedroom.  Once there, she proceeded to wrap
herself around him, covering him in a living blanket. She easily slipped him
inside of her, kissing him passionately as they both lay together, making love
together in a very unusual and erotic way.

The rest of the night passed quickly, falling asleep together with Aluria
remaining wrapped about Andrew snugly.

-----

copyright 1996, 2015
by Tal Greywolf
all rights reserved