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Description
*THERE IS A STORY BELOW THE DESCRIPTION...WITH LIGHT SPOILERS FOR BUG FABLES WITHIN*

I've been talking about a game called Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling lately, a game that I'm rather fond of. After finishing it in 32 hours, doing the large majority of the side-quest and some of the post-content, I couldn't simply not have something done about it, especially given that there's a certain character whose design, behavior and side-quest that were quite memorable to me.

Kali, the seamstress.

Drawn here by SnakeGalSkye , who took an immediate liking to her design, this is one of the pose she takes in battle, dancing in a way that is actually pretty sweet to see in the game, spreading her wings and pheromones all over the place.

She's a moth who designs clothes and dresses herself in the garments of a belly dancer, actually dances in battle and does a lot of thing that I simply couldn't ignore as she became a character that I quickly became very fond of. She was a mini-boss designed by a backer for the game, with her encounter apparently being made in tandem with the developers and whomsoever created her has all my respect...You're someone I definitely want to know, for certain.

Because I liked her (and of course the whole game) tremendously I couldn't help but write some more about the game, a tribute to make it so people would be interested in playing it. If you like old-school Paper Mario, solid RPG's and cute aesthetics, it's a frankly fascinating game and it is very much worth it.

Now, as noted above, the story does contain some light spoilers for her quest and for what happens after the game is done. Nothing too big that would ruin the game (which does have twists and turns), but if you'd rather play the game with the full intent of being utterly surprised, it might be wise not to read the story now...But you can certainly check out that pic still as Kali dances and spread her pheromones.

Also, obligatory reference to my Patreon right here: www.patreon.com/incredibleintr…

And now, if you don't mind spoilers, read ahead.

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

KABBU'S DESIRE

Kabbu couldn't sleep.

It had been a long while since the whole adventure with the Everlasting Sapling and all that it entailed. An epic quest, to be sure, but right now the ordinary life of an explorer, with the role of a royal blade as well, doing job for regular folks was enough for him and the rest of his team. They were sleeping in an inn currently, the one at Defiant Roots. It had been a while since Kabbu had stopped there for a spell, breezing along usually for quests and to see his friend the mayor on occasion, yet whenever he stopped in this place there was one person whom he had conflicted feelings about, who made him waver in ways that he couldn't quite understand yet.

Kali the seamstress.

Vi, Leif and himself had undertaken a request for her, get her expensive silk back from bandits and give it back to her. They had been successful in this, retrieving what had been stolen and then they received a reward. Nothing too troublesome, but then a complication arose, a lengthy tale which ended with him controlled by her through pheromones, acting at her beck and call like a slave as he had been made to fight his friends. It had been a messy event, one which he didn't really want to talk or even do much about as therein laid the problem: he was uncertain about her. She had been the soul of politeness and consideration one moment, then she had been vindicative and rather obstinate. Things had been resolved somewhat, yet Kabbu both wanted to have nothing more to do with her, a fair response to such events, yet part of him was dying to see her again.

She was beautiful, strikingly so in fact as the silkworm moth had danced for him while he had been forced to fight and the way she moved, amplified by her natural allure, had stuck with him even to this day. Those motions of her were not only enticing, but they gave him legitimate boosts that made him feel better, that made him want to protect her, gave him an efficiency that was hard to match in a way. Her strange curves, the way she used her abdomen, her silk trail and that beauty of hers to perform were haunting, visions which he could not shake off as he had been seduced by Kali completely...But she had taken control of him, used him against his will to harm those he loved as well. His heart was torn in two as he wanted to confront her, but also perhaps receive an apology...Or perhaps just see her again. Usually those thought only occurred when he knew she was in the same town, in her shop just past the mayor's home where he had resided in the past.

He got out of bed, doing so silently so as to not wake the others as he wandered outside to get some fresh air. It was cold and his shell, his chitin shivered a little as he kept on venturing a little further still, back where the merchants could be found, where the forge was located...Where he could find Kali. He didn't quite like lying to himself, being faced with uncertainty. He needed some closure...Or some hope. He didn't quite know what he needed, if he was to be honest with himself, yet it would all start and end with Kali as while it was late, part of him felt that he had to at least try to see if she was open. He ventured closer to the forge, her own shop right beside it and there was a half-open door and some light seen through the crack. This meant that someone was there...and that he had to be brave. Fighting The Beast had been tough, the challenge of a lifetime, yet this...this felt somewhat harder.

“Is anyone there?” he asked, pushing the door slightly to peek inside and he saw her, working on something, focused entirely on her work. She was still perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her cream-colored chitin, her antennas, her pink wing and her lavender colored silk, worn as an open skirt, a sash and a facial veil. She seemed preoccupied over something, not noticing him as Kabbu thought that perhaps this was a bad idea after all, that he might just go back and forget about all the incident and...

“Sorry, we're closed. I keep on forgetting to close up when I'm on a project and...” Kali began to speak, even her voice sounding melodious to Kabbu as he froze in place, retreat still being possible yet certainly impolite right now. “Kabbu? It's been...quite a while.”

And then she recognized him and Kabbu knew that he had to face the music. He opened up the door a little wider and stayed in its proximity, not having being invited in yet and still facing the idea that he wasn't entirely sure what her deal was. “It has been...quite a while, yes,” he said, his repartee certainly weak but there was indeed an awkwardness between those two. She did remember what had happened, how she acted and everything and just like him she didn't quite know what to say if what Kabbu saw was to be trusted. This should comfort him in a way, to see that she struggled, but it didn't, leaving them both uncomfortable for now. “I see you've been busy.”

“Yes, plenty of new projects, lots of high demand for my silk products,” she said, rising up and putting on a front of comfort and strength where there might just be close to none. Her gorgeous appearance and her veil helped sell this illusion, yet Kabbu was too empathetic and perceptive not to notice. She got closer, though kept a certain distance for her sake as well potentially as his. “I've heard a lot about Team Snakemouth and their exploits...What you've accomplished, how you saved so many people...About your bravery...”

This somehow made him feel both happy and confused as while news of their adventures did spread around, the fact that she cared and did follow that just a bit, noting his bravery, was gratifying in a way. To be praised by such a beautiful woman...who just happened to take control of him and put him under her power...it made him feel puzzled and hesitant. What did he even hope to achieve here? Part of him knew and thought him foolish for it, a naive bug vying for something dangerous and wicked...While another hoped against reason that things would be better. “We've been quite busy, yes. I was in the region and...Well...” Kabbu began to say, trying to continue his sentence yet he did want to see her...but to meet her, to relive a humiliating and kind of painful, but also utterly sweet and seductive moment...He didn't quite know about that. “Well...I was...”

“Unable to sleep?” Kali said, finishing his sentence as her body language told of a certain desire, yet for what he couldn't quite tell. She kept on leaning slightly forward, as if she wanted to get closer yet would not dare to do so. “Look...After what happened...I...”

“You apologized and you got a new vase...It's okay. Water under the bridge,” Kabbu said, half-lying as obviously this wasn't remotely okay, yet a white lie for the sake of others, for their feelings, was something he wasn't against vocalizing. Ever one to believe the best in people, to resort to reason and logic, he did want to believe in Kali in a way, yet her past deeds didn't speak that highly of her temper.

“No it's not. You ventured into a bandit lair, got my product back and then because of something petty I used my pheromones to take control of you and then tried to beat down your friends,” Kali said, speaking plainly on what they both knew, on the subject which they avoided. “I apologized for my temper, but while I still hold a slight grudge on Vi for that incident...It wasn't fair in the slightest for you. And for that, I apologize.”

This felt like a start, something which Kabbu hadn't quite realized he needed as he stepped a little further in, subconsciously wishing to get closer to Kali now that she wasn't just the one who took his control away, but rather someone who tried to do better. It had still happened, yet this personal apology felt appropriate and sincere, her tone seemingly genuine enough. “...You're right. I did get here a few times and avoided you because I...I feared a few things about you and about myself.”

The conversation was going to bolder places, to an area of earnest revelation, baring themselves a little more bare with each syllables that were pronounced. “I knew, but I didn't seek you out. Not because I didn't have the time, but because I felt ashamed,” she explained, herself getting a little closer, one or two steps as if she wasn't quite conscious about how she was near enough in the first place. “An interaction with a great and noble hero and I almost turned him into my toy and servant against his will...to battle against two other heroes. It's...a move that did not showcase my passion, my talent and my best behavior, to say the least.”

The fact that it ate away at her, that the two actually sought one another in some weird way almost felt funny. He pictured her simply forgetting about the incident, discarding any thoughts on the matter in favor of her work and yet it was clear that she had been as tormented about it as he had been. They were both afraid of something that they could have settled with a conversation...the one think Kabbu always wished that people would use more often than stingers, horns and other weapons. How ironic.

“I'm glad I got to talk to you then. I wanted to confront you, to see you again but...I felt afraid that you might...Try it again somehow...And that I wouldn't be able to defend myself,” Kabbu said, opening his heart to this woman, this flawed, unique and beautiful individual whom he had seen the worst and best of her somehow...Or at least that's how it felt to him. “Not because I'd be defenseless...But because I'd...Enjoy it...If that makes any sense.”

“My pheromones are powerful, powerful things, Kabbu. If someone is attracted to me, then it makes those sentiment much stronger and the fact that you were made it very easy to overwhelm you,” Kali revealed, showing that she had been aware from the start that indeed Kabbu had thought her as alluring, mysterious and pretty. This made him blush, feeling a pressure on him that he wasn't sure he could handle. Fighting wasps, honey monsters and seedlings would be easier than this, he felt. “The fact that I abused of those feelings is what made it feel so wrong to me after I had calmed down. It had been so easy to essentially hypnotize you that it only dawned on me afterward that you were smitten with me.”

He couldn't quite deny it and it would serve no purpose to say otherwise. He couldn't take his eyes off her, not because she was talking and it was the polite thing to do, but rather because she was the single most eye-catching bug in Bugaria, perhaps in the entire world. He owed it to her and to himself to speak the truth. “Yes...I find you very lovely and extremely attractive and I did want to see you again...And us talking like this is a true boon to my heart, Kali,” he said, his voice getting a little stronger, his courage returning as if he felt empowered all of a sudden. This had been a good decision to come, finally, to try and resolve this like a responsible bug. “I couldn't keep your dances away from my mind, how it made me feel strong and tough, how it made me want to protect you...The only thing that makes it difficult to think about them and you is how it all happened.”

“Then we should work on new memories, on a fresh start,” Kali said as she walked away to the corner of her shop and then picked back up a long piece of lavender silk, the one she had used to highlight her motions and her arms while she performed to boost his capacities. Kabbu's heart skipped a beat, as if he realized where this was going, yet didn't have the audacity to say it out loud as he felt hotter despite the ambient cold desert temperature outside. “Would you be willing to do that for you, to repay for my mistake?”

A part of him which he wanted to silence couldn't help but doubt this. Would it be another trick? Had she truly reformed? Would she use him to get revenge on Vi even after so long? Those were not thoughts he liked to fathom, to focus himself upon and yet he couldn't stop it. A certain anxiety came with his own eagerness as she got nearer and he noticed how tall she was when compared to him. His own sight was locked on her abdomen, then looked up as her eyes told a story of how much she seemed to want this. The mood in the room was that of awkwardness on his part, yet both anticipated what might come next and he didn't want to throw caution to the wind...But he wanted to sincerely believe that she was changed, better. To do that, he'd need to trust her and thus with a light hesitation, a certain stutter in his voice, he gave his true opinion on the matter. “I would love n-nothing more than t-that.”

A faint giggle, a slight amusement on her part due to his response and how he had struggled to say so and right then Kali opened and spread the wings on her back, giving a pink background for her to dance in front of as she began to swing that slender body of hers. Her own waist and hips were the first thing to move and immediately there was some apprehension coming from Kabbu, a tension which arose as when he got to see such movements was when he wasn't in control, caught in some kind of entrancing euphoria which made him hers in a damaging way. It slowly subsided, though, as the only thing which was happening was a seductive and slow performance as the silk trail she held with her hands was lifted up, attached to bracelets around her wrists now so that it would follow her hands and arms. Her arms went to the side, rising in bent angles to undulate them as the silk was spread, accompanying her wings to create appeasing colors to look at...but nothing was more awe-inducing than to see how nimble a bug like her could be.

“I was taught to dance from a young age...I was to be a performer, someone who might grab herself a powerful and influential husband...Or wife, perhaps,” Kali spoke, opening up not just her dance but her past though as she took on a different stance, rising her arms up in the air and entwining them in loops that kept on spinning while she twisted her hips slowly, then sucked in her abdomen in undulations to create a particularly entrancing effect for Kabbu to latch onto. “It's a style that comes from far away, focusing on the abdomen which is a style few bugs can perform, unfortunately...But I can, as you most assuredly see~”

Her tone was that of confidence as she spoke of herself not as a businesswoman or someone merely conversing about her craftsmanship. This was Kali trying to be someone else rather than someone who made a heavy mistake and Kabbu couldn't help but be transfixed. Every rolls, waves on her chitin and smooth-looking appearance, on her abdomen, made it so it was easier and easier to just listen, to watch. It was akin to when those pheromones hit him, but he knew that not to be the case as this was merely seduction...the most effective kind as far as he was concerned. He stood there, his eyes darting away to her upper body and her midriff and when his eyes met hers, they were met with a playful wink and immediately his heart throbbed for her. Part of him hoped for such a result when meeting her, yet never he thought it might actually happen.

“I'm known for such moves, for what some refer to my exotic dance...Very few have seen it in Defiant Root, but I'm very pleased that I can count you among them~” Kali said, her voice honeyed in a way that it might provide far too sweet for some to contend with...But Kabbu was very much into what was happening and Kali would be blind not to notice. Her hands went on to lower themselves down, lowering themselves to the fur around her neck as her wrists still spun against each other, the silk trail masterfully handled so that it would never entangle itself. That piece of smooth clothing produced a low-hanging arch as Kali looked at Kabbu with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, a plan forming in her head as her antennas twitched slightly in anticipation...and then she struck as she twirled rapidly, her wings moving out of the way so that the veil she was holding behind her back would move forward...and essentially capture Kabbu as it move behind his own back. This made it so the two of them were very close to one another, which made Kabbu blush severely. “Caught you...My knight~”

So lost in her motions, Kabbu hadn't seen this coming at all and a slight part of him had been afraid on the spot, but seeing her abdomen so closely, smelling her perfume made it so he calmed down. It was an alluring and intimate spectacle, one done just for him and he began to relax more and more, learning to appreciate this and to stop being so ready to let his own turmoil overshadow everything. Her scent was potent, exquisite and without the two realizing it...pheromones were in the air. There were two ways in which Kali could release those, one being a direct way through a blown kiss, while another would be an indirect way in which she herself would be excited and aroused...And this was the latter. Her pheromones were there to help the mood in such circumstances and a fine blue powder, turning into a very faint mist, swirled around Kabbu as he was beginning to feel light, entranced even. The hypnotic motions of the silkworm dancer made it so he felt helpless, but not afraid either. Unlike last time, there was no struggle, no stress related to this loss of control but rather a bliss which was immediate.

“Dancing is one of my passion. It is not at the same level of sewing and crafting the finest vestments...But there is definitely a lot of fun to be had when one perform for a special someone...Wouldn't you agree?” Kali asked, looking down at Kabbu who had fallen on his knees now, leaning softly against that veil which kept him somewhat stable not because it was solid, but because it was an extension of Kali in a way. The veil had absorbed some of her perfume, of her pheromones, of her aura and thus being in its proximity was very soothing and relaxing for Kabbu who was in a slight daze, yet a very pleasant one by the looks of it. “I'll take your silence as a yes~”

He wanted to speak, but he couldn't quite think clearly right now, not enough to formulate an answer at the very least. She made slow motions with her waist, spinning it in lazy circles so that her abdomen would stretch forward and backward, given way to a sight in which he felt like he could be engulfed in it...and it wouldn't be so bad. His chance of perception, with Kabbu being unaware that he had fallen to his knees, made her seem grander, more seductive and beautiful. She towered over him, her appearance and that moment of charming kindness made him swoon as he fell further into a trance, breathing in those pheromones which made all of this even more mesmerizing. Those lazy spins turned into push and pulls on her abdomen region, slow and methodical as waves of incredible skills just popped up there, captivating him thoroughly. He wanted to feel that with his hands, with his face...To kiss is in whichever way would be good for him and not dangerous for her given that he did possess a mighty horn. Yet for now watching was more than sufficient as he felt himself turn mellow and soft, relaxing even further.

By then, however, Kali had begun to notice that Kabbu wasn't talking, that his position was bizarre and when she glanced down she witnessed that there was something different in his eyes as he was glued to her abdomen...and she realized that her pheromones were in the air too. Embarrassed by this, getting too lost in the moment to realize that her own desires had perhaps tainted this moment, she stopped her dance, removed the silk veil from behind Kabbu and saw that, indeed, he was completely mesmerized, entranced, as if hypnotized by her allure. It seemed like she had been doing too good a job as she opted for her healing pheromones, bringing one hand to her mouth below her facial veil as she blew him a kiss which sent a green and sparkling mist toward him, which he inhaled as if he had been commanded to. And right there...Kabbu began to wake up slowly, groggily.

“I'm so sorry, Kabbu. It wasn't my intent to do that...To put you under...My pheromones just released and...And...” Kali said, at a loss for words as she felt like she had messed up a second time. She wanted to help him up, yet touching him right now after doing such a thing might not be advisable, she thought, as she gave him some personal space, moving backward slowly. “It was an accident...I swear.”

Kabbu was indeed still dazed, yet now the world and his senses were clearer. He got up at his own pace, which was slow, and then he sighed as he did realize something rather crucial about things, as if all of this had been an illumination of some kind. “I am fine, Kali...And I believe you when you tell me you didn't mean for this to happen,” he said, calm and collected as the situation called for cooler heads to speak up, which was his in this specific case. “You woke me up when you saw what happened and you apologized...and I think I see that we are both alike in some ways.”

“W-what do you mean?” Kali asked, a little confounded by such a statement as she kept a light distance between them, though she got closer progressively nevertheless, a reflex on her part.

“We ask too much of ourselves and aren't really prone to forgiveness when it comes to our mistakes. I chastised myself for falling for your tricks back then...and for enjoying it too,” Kabbu explained, himself crossing the distance as to try to alleviate the situation. “And you chastise yourself for having acted in a petulant and impulsive manner...and you want to be better yet one more mistake and you were ready to punish yourself over this. I truly do believe you've changed and...if it helps anything...I really loved that moment between us, even with the pheromones...Or perhaps, if I am to be honest to a fault, they made everything feel better somehow.”

A moment of silence passed, the two processing what had been said. A moment of vulnerability, tension simply going out as what it all meant was clear, yet it was difficult to properly express anyway. It was a start, right now, a hopeful one which both seemed to be quite happy about in their own discreet way. “I...Thank you. I was afraid I'd screw this up somehow,” Kali said, the anxiety in her eyes dissipating for her usually confident and pretty glare in her expression. “If that helps, I loved performing for you...You were a very receptive spectator, Kabbu...And you come see me anytime you're in Defiant Roots. I'd be most glad to see you again.”

“I most definitely will,” Kabbu replied, not one ounce of hesitation or confusion in his voice or demeanor as he had resolved this problem in the best way possible. He could understand the subtext here, that they both needed time to comprehend what had happened, what they wanted and how this could go...but this was a brilliant start anyway. “That is a promise.”

Heading back in the night, outside her shop, Kabbu still couldn't help but think of Kali, yet the regret and shame associated with her had dramatically subsided for better sentiments. Elation, anticipation, seduction...Absolved of guilt and with a better vision of the seamstress, he sighed as he looked back at her shop, the door now closed yet he knew somehow that it might just be always open for him as he thought of that new dance and of possible new memories, and perhaps something more, which they would build together.

He'd certainly be very eager for the next mission in Defiant Root and to see her again.

Description
*THERE IS A STORY BELOW THE DESCRIPTION...WITH LIGHT SPOILERS FOR BUG FABLES WITHIN*

I've been talking about a game called Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling lately, a game that I'm rather fond of. After finishing it in 32 hours, doing the large majority of the side-quest and some of the post-content, I couldn't simply not have something done about it, especially given that there's a certain character whose design, behavior and side-quest that were quite memorable to me.

Kali, the seamstress.

Drawn here by SnakeGalSkye , who took an immediate liking to her design, this is one of the pose she takes in battle, dancing in a way that is actually pretty sweet to see in the game, spreading her wings and pheromones all over the place.

She's a moth who designs clothes and dresses herself in the garments of a belly dancer, actually dances in battle and does a lot of thing that I simply couldn't ignore as she became a character that I quickly became very fond of. She was a mini-boss designed by a backer for the game, with her encounter apparently being made in tandem with the developers and whomsoever created her has all my respect...You're someone I definitely want to know, for certain.

Because I liked her (and of course the whole game) tremendously I couldn't help but write some more about the game, a tribute to make it so people would be interested in playing it. If you like old-school Paper Mario, solid RPG's and cute aesthetics, it's a frankly fascinating game and it is very much worth it.

Now, as noted above, the story does contain some light spoilers for her quest and for what happens after the game is done. Nothing too big that would ruin the game (which does have twists and turns), but if you'd rather play the game with the full intent of being utterly surprised, it might be wise not to read the story now...But you can certainly check out that pic still as Kali dances and spread her pheromones.

Also, obligatory reference to my Patreon right here: www.patreon.com/incredibleintr…

And now, if you don't mind spoilers, read ahead.

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

KABBU'S DESIRE

Kabbu couldn't sleep.

It had been a long while since the whole adventure with the Everlasting Sapling and all that it entailed. An epic quest, to be sure, but right now the ordinary life of an explorer, with the role of a royal blade as well, doing job for regular folks was enough for him and the rest of his team. They were sleeping in an inn currently, the one at Defiant Roots. It had been a while since Kabbu had stopped there for a spell, breezing along usually for quests and to see his friend the mayor on occasion, yet whenever he stopped in this place there was one person whom he had conflicted feelings about, who made him waver in ways that he couldn't quite understand yet.

Kali the seamstress.

Vi, Leif and himself had undertaken a request for her, get her expensive silk back from bandits and give it back to her. They had been successful in this, retrieving what had been stolen and then they received a reward. Nothing too troublesome, but then a complication arose, a lengthy tale which ended with him controlled by her through pheromones, acting at her beck and call like a slave as he had been made to fight his friends. It had been a messy event, one which he didn't really want to talk or even do much about as therein laid the problem: he was uncertain about her. She had been the soul of politeness and consideration one moment, then she had been vindicative and rather obstinate. Things had been resolved somewhat, yet Kabbu both wanted to have nothing more to do with her, a fair response to such events, yet part of him was dying to see her again.

She was beautiful, strikingly so in fact as the silkworm moth had danced for him while he had been forced to fight and the way she moved, amplified by her natural allure, had stuck with him even to this day. Those motions of her were not only enticing, but they gave him legitimate boosts that made him feel better, that made him want to protect her, gave him an efficiency that was hard to match in a way. Her strange curves, the way she used her abdomen, her silk trail and that beauty of hers to perform were haunting, visions which he could not shake off as he had been seduced by Kali completely...But she had taken control of him, used him against his will to harm those he loved as well. His heart was torn in two as he wanted to confront her, but also perhaps receive an apology...Or perhaps just see her again. Usually those thought only occurred when he knew she was in the same town, in her shop just past the mayor's home where he had resided in the past.

He got out of bed, doing so silently so as to not wake the others as he wandered outside to get some fresh air. It was cold and his shell, his chitin shivered a little as he kept on venturing a little further still, back where the merchants could be found, where the forge was located...Where he could find Kali. He didn't quite like lying to himself, being faced with uncertainty. He needed some closure...Or some hope. He didn't quite know what he needed, if he was to be honest with himself, yet it would all start and end with Kali as while it was late, part of him felt that he had to at least try to see if she was open. He ventured closer to the forge, her own shop right beside it and there was a half-open door and some light seen through the crack. This meant that someone was there...and that he had to be brave. Fighting The Beast had been tough, the challenge of a lifetime, yet this...this felt somewhat harder.

“Is anyone there?” he asked, pushing the door slightly to peek inside and he saw her, working on something, focused entirely on her work. She was still perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, her cream-colored chitin, her antennas, her pink wing and her lavender colored silk, worn as an open skirt, a sash and a facial veil. She seemed preoccupied over something, not noticing him as Kabbu thought that perhaps this was a bad idea after all, that he might just go back and forget about all the incident and...

“Sorry, we're closed. I keep on forgetting to close up when I'm on a project and...” Kali began to speak, even her voice sounding melodious to Kabbu as he froze in place, retreat still being possible yet certainly impolite right now. “Kabbu? It's been...quite a while.”

And then she recognized him and Kabbu knew that he had to face the music. He opened up the door a little wider and stayed in its proximity, not having being invited in yet and still facing the idea that he wasn't entirely sure what her deal was. “It has been...quite a while, yes,” he said, his repartee certainly weak but there was indeed an awkwardness between those two. She did remember what had happened, how she acted and everything and just like him she didn't quite know what to say if what Kabbu saw was to be trusted. This should comfort him in a way, to see that she struggled, but it didn't, leaving them both uncomfortable for now. “I see you've been busy.”

“Yes, plenty of new projects, lots of high demand for my silk products,” she said, rising up and putting on a front of comfort and strength where there might just be close to none. Her gorgeous appearance and her veil helped sell this illusion, yet Kabbu was too empathetic and perceptive not to notice. She got closer, though kept a certain distance for her sake as well potentially as his. “I've heard a lot about Team Snakemouth and their exploits...What you've accomplished, how you saved so many people...About your bravery...”

This somehow made him feel both happy and confused as while news of their adventures did spread around, the fact that she cared and did follow that just a bit, noting his bravery, was gratifying in a way. To be praised by such a beautiful woman...who just happened to take control of him and put him under her power...it made him feel puzzled and hesitant. What did he even hope to achieve here? Part of him knew and thought him foolish for it, a naive bug vying for something dangerous and wicked...While another hoped against reason that things would be better. “We've been quite busy, yes. I was in the region and...Well...” Kabbu began to say, trying to continue his sentence yet he did want to see her...but to meet her, to relive a humiliating and kind of painful, but also utterly sweet and seductive moment...He didn't quite know about that. “Well...I was...”

“Unable to sleep?” Kali said, finishing his sentence as her body language told of a certain desire, yet for what he couldn't quite tell. She kept on leaning slightly forward, as if she wanted to get closer yet would not dare to do so. “Look...After what happened...I...”

“You apologized and you got a new vase...It's okay. Water under the bridge,” Kabbu said, half-lying as obviously this wasn't remotely okay, yet a white lie for the sake of others, for their feelings, was something he wasn't against vocalizing. Ever one to believe the best in people, to resort to reason and logic, he did want to believe in Kali in a way, yet her past deeds didn't speak that highly of her temper.

“No it's not. You ventured into a bandit lair, got my product back and then because of something petty I used my pheromones to take control of you and then tried to beat down your friends,” Kali said, speaking plainly on what they both knew, on the subject which they avoided. “I apologized for my temper, but while I still hold a slight grudge on Vi for that incident...It wasn't fair in the slightest for you. And for that, I apologize.”

This felt like a start, something which Kabbu hadn't quite realized he needed as he stepped a little further in, subconsciously wishing to get closer to Kali now that she wasn't just the one who took his control away, but rather someone who tried to do better. It had still happened, yet this personal apology felt appropriate and sincere, her tone seemingly genuine enough. “...You're right. I did get here a few times and avoided you because I...I feared a few things about you and about myself.”

The conversation was going to bolder places, to an area of earnest revelation, baring themselves a little more bare with each syllables that were pronounced. “I knew, but I didn't seek you out. Not because I didn't have the time, but because I felt ashamed,” she explained, herself getting a little closer, one or two steps as if she wasn't quite conscious about how she was near enough in the first place. “An interaction with a great and noble hero and I almost turned him into my toy and servant against his will...to battle against two other heroes. It's...a move that did not showcase my passion, my talent and my best behavior, to say the least.”

The fact that it ate away at her, that the two actually sought one another in some weird way almost felt funny. He pictured her simply forgetting about the incident, discarding any thoughts on the matter in favor of her work and yet it was clear that she had been as tormented about it as he had been. They were both afraid of something that they could have settled with a conversation...the one think Kabbu always wished that people would use more often than stingers, horns and other weapons. How ironic.

“I'm glad I got to talk to you then. I wanted to confront you, to see you again but...I felt afraid that you might...Try it again somehow...And that I wouldn't be able to defend myself,” Kabbu said, opening his heart to this woman, this flawed, unique and beautiful individual whom he had seen the worst and best of her somehow...Or at least that's how it felt to him. “Not because I'd be defenseless...But because I'd...Enjoy it...If that makes any sense.”

“My pheromones are powerful, powerful things, Kabbu. If someone is attracted to me, then it makes those sentiment much stronger and the fact that you were made it very easy to overwhelm you,” Kali revealed, showing that she had been aware from the start that indeed Kabbu had thought her as alluring, mysterious and pretty. This made him blush, feeling a pressure on him that he wasn't sure he could handle. Fighting wasps, honey monsters and seedlings would be easier than this, he felt. “The fact that I abused of those feelings is what made it feel so wrong to me after I had calmed down. It had been so easy to essentially hypnotize you that it only dawned on me afterward that you were smitten with me.”

He couldn't quite deny it and it would serve no purpose to say otherwise. He couldn't take his eyes off her, not because she was talking and it was the polite thing to do, but rather because she was the single most eye-catching bug in Bugaria, perhaps in the entire world. He owed it to her and to himself to speak the truth. “Yes...I find you very lovely and extremely attractive and I did want to see you again...And us talking like this is a true boon to my heart, Kali,” he said, his voice getting a little stronger, his courage returning as if he felt empowered all of a sudden. This had been a good decision to come, finally, to try and resolve this like a responsible bug. “I couldn't keep your dances away from my mind, how it made me feel strong and tough, how it made me want to protect you...The only thing that makes it difficult to think about them and you is how it all happened.”

“Then we should work on new memories, on a fresh start,” Kali said as she walked away to the corner of her shop and then picked back up a long piece of lavender silk, the one she had used to highlight her motions and her arms while she performed to boost his capacities. Kabbu's heart skipped a beat, as if he realized where this was going, yet didn't have the audacity to say it out loud as he felt hotter despite the ambient cold desert temperature outside. “Would you be willing to do that for you, to repay for my mistake?”

A part of him which he wanted to silence couldn't help but doubt this. Would it be another trick? Had she truly reformed? Would she use him to get revenge on Vi even after so long? Those were not thoughts he liked to fathom, to focus himself upon and yet he couldn't stop it. A certain anxiety came with his own eagerness as she got nearer and he noticed how tall she was when compared to him. His own sight was locked on her abdomen, then looked up as her eyes told a story of how much she seemed to want this. The mood in the room was that of awkwardness on his part, yet both anticipated what might come next and he didn't want to throw caution to the wind...But he wanted to sincerely believe that she was changed, better. To do that, he'd need to trust her and thus with a light hesitation, a certain stutter in his voice, he gave his true opinion on the matter. “I would love n-nothing more than t-that.”

A faint giggle, a slight amusement on her part due to his response and how he had struggled to say so and right then Kali opened and spread the wings on her back, giving a pink background for her to dance in front of as she began to swing that slender body of hers. Her own waist and hips were the first thing to move and immediately there was some apprehension coming from Kabbu, a tension which arose as when he got to see such movements was when he wasn't in control, caught in some kind of entrancing euphoria which made him hers in a damaging way. It slowly subsided, though, as the only thing which was happening was a seductive and slow performance as the silk trail she held with her hands was lifted up, attached to bracelets around her wrists now so that it would follow her hands and arms. Her arms went to the side, rising in bent angles to undulate them as the silk was spread, accompanying her wings to create appeasing colors to look at...but nothing was more awe-inducing than to see how nimble a bug like her could be.

“I was taught to dance from a young age...I was to be a performer, someone who might grab herself a powerful and influential husband...Or wife, perhaps,” Kali spoke, opening up not just her dance but her past though as she took on a different stance, rising her arms up in the air and entwining them in loops that kept on spinning while she twisted her hips slowly, then sucked in her abdomen in undulations to create a particularly entrancing effect for Kabbu to latch onto. “It's a style that comes from far away, focusing on the abdomen which is a style few bugs can perform, unfortunately...But I can, as you most assuredly see~”

Her tone was that of confidence as she spoke of herself not as a businesswoman or someone merely conversing about her craftsmanship. This was Kali trying to be someone else rather than someone who made a heavy mistake and Kabbu couldn't help but be transfixed. Every rolls, waves on her chitin and smooth-looking appearance, on her abdomen, made it so it was easier and easier to just listen, to watch. It was akin to when those pheromones hit him, but he knew that not to be the case as this was merely seduction...the most effective kind as far as he was concerned. He stood there, his eyes darting away to her upper body and her midriff and when his eyes met hers, they were met with a playful wink and immediately his heart throbbed for her. Part of him hoped for such a result when meeting her, yet never he thought it might actually happen.

“I'm known for such moves, for what some refer to my exotic dance...Very few have seen it in Defiant Root, but I'm very pleased that I can count you among them~” Kali said, her voice honeyed in a way that it might provide far too sweet for some to contend with...But Kabbu was very much into what was happening and Kali would be blind not to notice. Her hands went on to lower themselves down, lowering themselves to the fur around her neck as her wrists still spun against each other, the silk trail masterfully handled so that it would never entangle itself. That piece of smooth clothing produced a low-hanging arch as Kali looked at Kabbu with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, a plan forming in her head as her antennas twitched slightly in anticipation...and then she struck as she twirled rapidly, her wings moving out of the way so that the veil she was holding behind her back would move forward...and essentially capture Kabbu as it move behind his own back. This made it so the two of them were very close to one another, which made Kabbu blush severely. “Caught you...My knight~”

So lost in her motions, Kabbu hadn't seen this coming at all and a slight part of him had been afraid on the spot, but seeing her abdomen so closely, smelling her perfume made it so he calmed down. It was an alluring and intimate spectacle, one done just for him and he began to relax more and more, learning to appreciate this and to stop being so ready to let his own turmoil overshadow everything. Her scent was potent, exquisite and without the two realizing it...pheromones were in the air. There were two ways in which Kali could release those, one being a direct way through a blown kiss, while another would be an indirect way in which she herself would be excited and aroused...And this was the latter. Her pheromones were there to help the mood in such circumstances and a fine blue powder, turning into a very faint mist, swirled around Kabbu as he was beginning to feel light, entranced even. The hypnotic motions of the silkworm dancer made it so he felt helpless, but not afraid either. Unlike last time, there was no struggle, no stress related to this loss of control but rather a bliss which was immediate.

“Dancing is one of my passion. It is not at the same level of sewing and crafting the finest vestments...But there is definitely a lot of fun to be had when one perform for a special someone...Wouldn't you agree?” Kali asked, looking down at Kabbu who had fallen on his knees now, leaning softly against that veil which kept him somewhat stable not because it was solid, but because it was an extension of Kali in a way. The veil had absorbed some of her perfume, of her pheromones, of her aura and thus being in its proximity was very soothing and relaxing for Kabbu who was in a slight daze, yet a very pleasant one by the looks of it. “I'll take your silence as a yes~”

He wanted to speak, but he couldn't quite think clearly right now, not enough to formulate an answer at the very least. She made slow motions with her waist, spinning it in lazy circles so that her abdomen would stretch forward and backward, given way to a sight in which he felt like he could be engulfed in it...and it wouldn't be so bad. His chance of perception, with Kabbu being unaware that he had fallen to his knees, made her seem grander, more seductive and beautiful. She towered over him, her appearance and that moment of charming kindness made him swoon as he fell further into a trance, breathing in those pheromones which made all of this even more mesmerizing. Those lazy spins turned into push and pulls on her abdomen region, slow and methodical as waves of incredible skills just popped up there, captivating him thoroughly. He wanted to feel that with his hands, with his face...To kiss is in whichever way would be good for him and not dangerous for her given that he did possess a mighty horn. Yet for now watching was more than sufficient as he felt himself turn mellow and soft, relaxing even further.

By then, however, Kali had begun to notice that Kabbu wasn't talking, that his position was bizarre and when she glanced down she witnessed that there was something different in his eyes as he was glued to her abdomen...and she realized that her pheromones were in the air too. Embarrassed by this, getting too lost in the moment to realize that her own desires had perhaps tainted this moment, she stopped her dance, removed the silk veil from behind Kabbu and saw that, indeed, he was completely mesmerized, entranced, as if hypnotized by her allure. It seemed like she had been doing too good a job as she opted for her healing pheromones, bringing one hand to her mouth below her facial veil as she blew him a kiss which sent a green and sparkling mist toward him, which he inhaled as if he had been commanded to. And right there...Kabbu began to wake up slowly, groggily.

“I'm so sorry, Kabbu. It wasn't my intent to do that...To put you under...My pheromones just released and...And...” Kali said, at a loss for words as she felt like she had messed up a second time. She wanted to help him up, yet touching him right now after doing such a thing might not be advisable, she thought, as she gave him some personal space, moving backward slowly. “It was an accident...I swear.”

Kabbu was indeed still dazed, yet now the world and his senses were clearer. He got up at his own pace, which was slow, and then he sighed as he did realize something rather crucial about things, as if all of this had been an illumination of some kind. “I am fine, Kali...And I believe you when you tell me you didn't mean for this to happen,” he said, calm and collected as the situation called for cooler heads to speak up, which was his in this specific case. “You woke me up when you saw what happened and you apologized...and I think I see that we are both alike in some ways.”

“W-what do you mean?” Kali asked, a little confounded by such a statement as she kept a light distance between them, though she got closer progressively nevertheless, a reflex on her part.

“We ask too much of ourselves and aren't really prone to forgiveness when it comes to our mistakes. I chastised myself for falling for your tricks back then...and for enjoying it too,” Kabbu explained, himself crossing the distance as to try to alleviate the situation. “And you chastise yourself for having acted in a petulant and impulsive manner...and you want to be better yet one more mistake and you were ready to punish yourself over this. I truly do believe you've changed and...if it helps anything...I really loved that moment between us, even with the pheromones...Or perhaps, if I am to be honest to a fault, they made everything feel better somehow.”

A moment of silence passed, the two processing what had been said. A moment of vulnerability, tension simply going out as what it all meant was clear, yet it was difficult to properly express anyway. It was a start, right now, a hopeful one which both seemed to be quite happy about in their own discreet way. “I...Thank you. I was afraid I'd screw this up somehow,” Kali said, the anxiety in her eyes dissipating for her usually confident and pretty glare in her expression. “If that helps, I loved performing for you...You were a very receptive spectator, Kabbu...And you come see me anytime you're in Defiant Roots. I'd be most glad to see you again.”

“I most definitely will,” Kabbu replied, not one ounce of hesitation or confusion in his voice or demeanor as he had resolved this problem in the best way possible. He could understand the subtext here, that they both needed time to comprehend what had happened, what they wanted and how this could go...but this was a brilliant start anyway. “That is a promise.”

Heading back in the night, outside her shop, Kabbu still couldn't help but think of Kali, yet the regret and shame associated with her had dramatically subsided for better sentiments. Elation, anticipation, seduction...Absolved of guilt and with a better vision of the seamstress, he sighed as he looked back at her shop, the door now closed yet he knew somehow that it might just be always open for him as he thought of that new dance and of possible new memories, and perhaps something more, which they would build together.

He'd certainly be very eager for the next mission in Defiant Root and to see her again.