FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(The second Dragosect Tale my muse was inspired to come up with after watching the related picture being created. The attached picture is once again by the artist Slushy(http://www.furaffinity.net/user/slushy/) over on FA, with the picture itself posted with his permission in order to give the story some context and visuals.)

Paying your respects

"Make sure to pay your respects to the Queen."

When the captain had said it, shortly after suggesting a particular bar/club to spend his shore-leave at, Jacob just laughed, figuring it was another one of the captain's pranks, taking advantage of Jacob's ignorance and newness to deep space and the different races found there.

(He still remembered when the captain had informed him that their buyer for a shipment, a Nuian, was to be greeted with a bow, 'forgetting' to mention that that was how the lords of that race acknowledged their servants. He must have spent hours trying to smooth over that blunder, all the while the captain was trying his best, and failing, to hold back laughter in the background.)

After checking to make sure the bar the captain had pointed him to actually existed, and a quick change into some more casual clothes than his usual, Jacob soon found himself outside the large doorway leading inside. Looking up he had to do a double take as he read the name of the club, 'The Queen's Court', emblazoned in glowing pink holographic text.

Figuring he'd found the source of the captain's joke, Jacob chuckled and hit the button to open the door, seeing a short but large hallway before it opened up into the bar proper. As he walked through the entryway, he saw an absolute plethora of species, more in one place than he'd ever seen before. A handful could almost pass for human in the dark and neon lights of the bar, while others... others were so strange, so alien that he struggled to wrap his mind around them.

Looking around he spotted several crescent shaped bars along the walls of the large room, of various sizes, with seats to match. Heading over to what looked like a human-sized one, he was surprised when, after sitting down, he looked up at what looked like a massive, human sized amoebae, with tentacle-looking extensions coming out of it at various places, several of them holding bottles, and pouring drinks to the handful of other people at the bar.

Never having seen anything like this before, Jacob could only stare, snapping out of his surprise by a 'chuckle' coming from what he assumed was the bartender. "First time here?" the bartender asked, the voice somehow clear despite Jacob not being able to see any obvious mouth on the being.

"Yeah."

"Thought so, haven't seen you around before, and I always remember a customer."

Before he realized it might not be the most polite question, Jacob couldn't help but ask, "See?"

Letting out another chuckle, the bartender replied. "Yup, definitely new, and not just to the bar I reckon. While I may not have 'eyes' in the regular sense, my people are capable of 'seeing' the electrical field that most living creatures have. With enough practice, we can even discern the little details between them, allowing us to tell the difference between races, and even individuals within a race."

Not sure how to respond, Jacob simply replied with, "Oh."

"Since this is your first time here, what would you care for, first drink is on the house." Reaching under the bar with one of his protruding tentacles, the bartender set a surprisingly 'normal' mug in front of Jacob. More of note though, was the surface of the bar, which upon having the mug set on it, changed, suddenly displaying a menu of drinks, and even several entries that looked like light appetizers.

Not recognizing any of the drinks listed, or the snacks, Jacob looked back up at the bartender. "Uh, I'm not sure exactly, any recommendations?"

Looking about as contemplative as a man-sized amoebae can, the bartender moved his tentacles this way and that under the bar. "Hmm, something easy on the tongue I'd think, can't have a new customer getting smashed, gotta save that for your next visit." Pausing for a moment, the bartender brought out a bottle. "Think I've got it, how about a Gargle Blaster Light, always a nice drink for a new customer to try, just the right mix of kick and flavor." As he spoke, the bartender poured the bottle into Jacob's mug, the liquid almost glowing in the light, with tiny specs of what almost looked like glitter catching the light as it flowed.

Once the bartender was done, Jacob cautiously lifted the mug up and took a sip, surprised at the taste. A mix of sweet and tart, with an aftertaste that he would swear was lemon one moment, cherry the next, and some mystery flavor in between, it was most certainly an interesting drink. As it settled in his stomach, it almost felt like it was still flowing, gently moving back and forth, creating quite the sensation.

Reaching out, the bartender placed a tentacle next to the mug after Jacob set it back down. "Before I forget, this being your first time here, you'll want to introduce yourself to the Queen. She always enjoys meeting new people, especially smaller individuals like yourself."

"Uh, 'smaller'? I'm pretty sure most humans are my size."

"Oh, you'll see... anyway, you see the doorway over there?" with one of his tentacles the bartender motioned towards a large arched doorway along a nearby wall. "Take the stairs up and you'll find her." Not having any better plan, Jacob turned to leave and head up the stairs. As he was about to stand up however, he felt something come to rest on his wrist. Looking back he saw that the bartender had shifted the tentacle slightly so it was resting on his wrist, while several others were bringing out various bottles and mixing them into a much larger mug that had been set on the bar. The thing had to be gallon sized, at least.

"Actually, as long as you're going up there, you mind bringing the Lady her drink?" the bartender asked, as he finished with his task and presented Jacob with the massive mug, the contents shifting in colors in an almost dizzying fashion. "Uh, sure," Jacob said as he carefully picked up the mug with both hands, holding it and trying not to let any of the liquid slosh out. Looking down at his still mostly untouched drink, he was unsure how he was supposed to carry it as well, given his hands were taken up. Apparently noticing his confusion, the bartender pushed a button, and a small bot of some sort scooped the drink up, before coming to hover at his side. "Don't worry about your drink, the server bot here will carry it for you."

As he walked over to the archway, Jacob couldn't say for sure, but it almost seemed like people were moving out of his way, and once or twice he thought he heard someone mutter something like 'tribute'. Finally reaching the steps, he noticed that they were much larger than he was used to, wider and taller, and curving slightly to the left.

Carefully watching his steps, it was only once he made it to the top of the stairway that Jacob finally looked up, and when he did, he almost ruined all his hard work by dropping the drink in shock. Though he hadn't paid much attention to them below, the walls here were impossible to miss. Not sure if they were real, or merely projections, the walls were a mix of neon blue sections framing what looked like an amazing view of the stars, sprinkles of light on a black and blue backdrop. The room itself was circular in shape, with the walls curving up around it, meeting at the top in a dome shape, and allowing a stunning view no matter which way you looked.

However, as amazing as the view was, the individual lounging in the center of the room almost made it seem mundane.

Large, easy twice his size, she(Jacob assumed this was the 'Queen' the others had mentioned) was an amazing mix of green and purple, with the later parts shot through with what looked like glowing, golden highlights. Bi-pedal, she had several insect-like features to her, from the sectioned body, to the short mandibles framing her mouth on either side of it. At the same time however, her body was remarkably human, with similar(if backwards jointed) legs, arms and hands, and even face. Situated on a massive red couch, one arm resting on a glowing side-table, she made for a truly striking sight indeed.

Struck speechless and still, he watched as she slowly turned to look at him, drawing a mouthful of smoke from a large glowing hookah at the base of the couch, before blowing a glowing pink steam of it back out, the smoke gradually settling down and joining the cloud of it already covering the floor.

Looking his smaller form up and down, she appeared to smile, before speaking, her voice carrying a sweet, smooth tone to it, though with an almost hidden strength underneath.

"Ah, a new visitor to my little kingdom, welcome. I see you've brought tribute as well, if you could set it down on the table here, that would be wonderful."

Snapping out of his surprise, Jacob walked over and carefully set the large mug down on the glowing table top. Reaching over, she carefully grasped what he'd thought was just a decorative part of the mug, and unwound it from around the edge, shortly holding what looked like a large straw/hose, attached to the base of the mug. Placing the hookah mouthpiece on top of it's jar with one hand, the other brought the 'straw' from the mug to her mouth, before taking a long drink from it. Setting the hose back down on top of the mug, she turned once more to regard him.

"A nice refreshment like that is always a pleasant occasion, especially when delivered by one such as yourself."

Trying his best to be polite, Jacob couldn't help but ask. "One such as myself My Lady? What do you mean by that?"

She smiled at him in response. " 'My Lady', oh, and so polite as well, a very promising start indeed. I was merely referring to your being human dear boy, your kind always seem to have the most fascinating stories, as well as being so very small, such an... endearing combination." Sitting up some, she scooted over slightly on the couch, patting the space besides her. "Come, I certainly can't have you standing there while we talk, sit, I promise not to bite..." here she grinned, a spark of mischief in her eyes. "... much."

Not having any polite way to decline, Jacob moved over and gingerly sat down on the couch, finding it firm, but with enough give to be comfortable. As he settled in, the bot carrying his drink carefully set it down alongside the larger mug, before zipping off back down the stairs. Sitting right next to her, the size difference was much more apparent, as she almost towered over him, though her smile as she looked over and down helped calm him somewhat.

Looking over a bit, the 'queen' relaxed against the back of the couch, one arm resting against her side, the other laying across the edge, above where Jacob sat. Once settled back in, she looked down at him and spoke.

"Well now, I believe introductions are in order. I am known as Sklee'ah, though 'My Lady' would also be acceptable."

Gathering up some courage, Jacob interrupted. "Oh perhaps 'Queen'?"

"There are some who call me that, yes," she replied with a quick smile. "And I must admit, being addressed as such by my 'subjects' is always flattering."

"Hence the name of the club?"

"Indeed, a... friend of mine came up with it and thought it would be fitting." Reaching past him she picked up the straw to her drink, before taking another sip and placing it back down. "Now then, you know my name, perhaps you would do me the favor of giving yours."

Not sure if he was quite ready to be overly casual with one such as her, he decided again for the polite route. "My name is Jacob good Lady, a pleasure to meet you."

Looking pleased as she gazed down upon him, she smiled once more. "And again so polite, a pleasure indeed, and so very rare. So then Jacob, tell me about yourself."

Momentarily confused, Jacob reached over to take a sip of his drink to steady his nerves somewhat. "What exactly do you wish to know?"

"Whatever you wish to share. As you might expect, I don't do much traveling, and I always find the stories of different planets, stations, creatures and people so fascinating. Even more so however, is hearing about the lives of travelers such as yourself, why you travel, what interests you, and so on"

Looking over her form as he tried to think of what to say, Jacob couldn't help but be impressed once more, by her size, exotic form, and the eye-catching coloration of her body. Realizing he might be staring, he tried to cover his gaff with a compliment. "Surely you jest, a lady such as yourself confined to an out of the way station such as this? I'm sure you would be welcome wherever you went."

Again she laughed, this time reaching down with the arm above him and stroking his head and hair gently with her fingers. "Flattery will get you everywhere dear one, but please, tell me of your travels, the sights you've seen, even, if you so wish, yourself and your... interests." At this the finger that had been stroking through his hair gently ran up the side of his face, causing a spark of surprise to shoot through him.

Taking another sip of this drink, to calm himself and wet his mouth, Jacob tried to bring his thoughts in order. "As my lady wishes. I suppose I can begin with my home planet, a lovely place filled with green..."

**

Several hours later, and after much talking and several drinks for the both of them, Jacob was interrupted mid-sentence by a large yawn. Looking down at his wrist, he was surprised to see just how late it was. As time had passed, they'd gradually become closer on the couch, and by this point he and Sklee'ah were both quite relaxed with each other, with his smaller form almost cuddled next to her larger one.

Looking up he barely stifled another yawn as he looked into her eyes, about to explain that he needed to get back to his ship. However, before he could get a word out he found a large finger across his lips, as her glowing eyes looked into his.

"Ah, no need to say a thing dear one, I can see it in your eyes." Sitting up she pulled him up with a hand, looking down fondly at him. "Come, you clearly need to rest, I have a bed where you can sleep, can't have you walking the halls of the station this late, I would be quite remiss in my duties as a host if I allowed that, after keeping you here for so long."

As he was nudged up, finally standing, though a little unsteadily after spending the past few hours reclining on a plush couch(the three, or maybe four drinks he'd had since then perhaps not helping his balance much), he looked up at her back, as she headed towards the doorway. "You've got a bed, a spare bed, here, at the club?"

Looking back she flashed him a grin. "A little more than that as a matter of fact. Actually, I have my apartment underneath the club, you would have walked right past the doorway leading to it on your way up the stairs here, though it's not surprising you didn't notice, I do value my privacy, and it's rather well hidden." Walking back until she stood next to him, she looked down at his smaller form, running a hand across his shoulder, and as her grin turned more than a little naughty, she gently guided him forward, alongside her as she headed back towards the doorway.

"And I never said it was a spare bed..."

**

As he stumbled back through the ship's airlock the next morning, still exhausted from all the talking and... other things, Jacob came face to face with the captain, who looked to have a grin a mile wide.

"Well my boy, glad to see you back aboard, I was worried when you didn't return to the ship last night. Find yourself some other place to bed down I take it? Perhaps with some other to share it with?" By the end the grin on the captain's face had became more than a little lecherous, no doubt fishing for juicy details.

Shaking his head to clear it a bit, Jacob replied in a tired voice. "I did enough talking last night, thank you very much. If you want to know what happened..." here he pushed past, intent on reaching his cabin. "You can figure it out yourself!" At this point he'd reached the other side of the airlock, and with a hand, he hit the button to close it, leaving the grinning captain on the other side.

However, as he slumped against the wall, still very tired, Jacob couldn't help but grin a little, remembering all that had happened, and the invitation to come back the next time he was on station. Thinking back on the enjoyable evening, and the night that followed, it wasn't in question really.

One must always pay their respects to the Queen after all.