Burning of the midnight lamp.

[WetNoodle]

"Whew..." Dorian breathed, slumping down into his chair after finally getting everything moved in. The visage of everything in it's correct place bringing him an errant sense of satisfaction. "Now what...?" he said aloud to himself. Something he did often. Some say talking to oneself is a sign of insanity, but it was the other way around for him. Kept his thoughts focused and concentrated, as his mind was prone to wander. His eyes peered around his apartment for something to occupy his mind.. TV... computer.. stereo.. pile of books.. guitar.. canvas.. "Might as well commemorate the new pad.." he muttered.

Dorian opened the bottom drawer of his desk and opened up a lockbox he had stashed within. From it, he removed a small square of paper, placed it under his tongue and quickly locked it back up and closed the drawer before approaching the blank canvas he had set up in the corner. He was by no means a professional painter, but a hobby he enjoyed on occasion. Before starting, he turned on his stereo, making sure it wasn't loud enough to disturb any of his neighbors. As the hypnotizing wails of blues and classic rock guitars began to emanate from the speakers, he set to work.

"Happy trees..." he smiled to himself as he began mixing paints. With no image in mind, he began spreading colours, drawing lines and curves to whatever the music and his mind guided him to. Eventually his body began feeling very light and incorporeal, the lines of coloured paint he drew stretched off of the edge of the canvas, floating in the air like neon lights in the sky. The soft words from the music speaking directly to him as the sound of the music visualized in the air like a flowing tapestry. He suddenly noticed he felt very warm and seemed to snap back for a moment. "Oh man..." he set his brushes and paints down and wiped his brow, "I need some air.."

He reached into his pocket for his pack of cigarettes and almost instinctually lit one up before he caught himself. He was unsure of the landlord's policy about smoking in apartments, and figured it better to take it outside. Best not to get kicked out after the first day, after all. He took a deep breath before opening his front door and heading out into the hallway. Fortunately, it was late and there wasn't anyone else around. The hallway seemed to stretch infinitely as he made his way towards the back entrance. He eventually made it and stepped outside, feeling the cool night air on his face.

Lighting up his smoke, he took a slow, deep inhale, feeling his anxiety lower slightly as he exhaled. He scoped out the surroundings, while trying to look as "normal" as possible. Scoping out his surroundings, he took note of the clubhouse as well as the pool; a couple places he'd have to check out one of these days. He stared up at the night sky.. infinite darkness with millions of little twinkling eyes in the distance staring back at him. "Home sweet home.."

[Chiyako]

"Chiyakooo~. Why're you awake so early?"

The sleepy brunette rolled towards one side of the bed only to find a face full of soft messy blonde hair. Some noises had awoken her, but it was not her room mate. In fact the shorter woman was still slumbering contently next to her. And so Emi slowly sat herself up, stretching her arms out overhead. Looking down to her side she could mostly make out her friend's half uncovered, completely nude body. Upon noticing lilac colored sheets she remembered that she'd spent yet another night within Chiyako's room.

Her room is always cleaner anyways.

With a smile she leaned down, planting a soft kiss against the sleeping girl's lips. A goofy smile spread across the blonde's face, although she did not awaken from her slumber. After fixing the blankets and sheets Emi dragged herself out of bed, slipping on her glasses. Clothes were gathered before she exited into the main living area of their shared apartment, and then finally into her own bedroom.

As usual it was messy. Multiple desks and tables were covered with bits and pieces of various projects. One wall was covered in monitors, and this one she approached. Each one flickered to life and following a few clicks Emi managed to pull up live video of multiple cameras she'd stationed around the apartment complex. Of course right now she was most interested in the front door.

"Oooh. Someone is moving in! Neat! I should pay them a visit. Not like I got anything else to do today."

After a quick check for any new online projects she made her way into the living room. An apron was slipped onto her front before she went to work on preparing some cookies. Half the batch would stay here of course but the other would make for a fair present for the new tenant! Or at least she hoped. Who didn't like chocolate chip?

Once the cookies were finished Emi hustled off to shower up. She didn't need to show up smelling of sex. Well, okay, fooling around but it was close enough. She shared an interesting relationship with Chiyako, a sort of friends with benefits thing. Although they were perhaps a little closer to that too. At the same time it was open! Sort of? It was strange but it worked.

Today's underwear selection consisted of a matching pair of white and blue horizontally striped undergarments. A pair of khaki shorts and a simple yellow t-shirt rounded out the outfit. Of course she was just heading up the hall so she decided to stick with a pair of simple white socks and a set of pink bunny slippers. Why not go in comfort?

With the cookies piled into a cheap plastic tupperware container she ventured off for the new tenant's room, knocking upon the door once she arrived!

[WetNoodle]

Dorian had been reflecting in his apartment, drifting in and out of moments of sleep after a long night. The music still softly playing in the air, was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"..what!?" Dorian jerked into consciousness, taking a few moments to acclimate to his surroundings. He hadn't realized it was morning already, yet was oddly refreshed and invigorated despite his late night activities. Though being a slightly paranoid individual, he felt suspect of who could be knocking on his door this early. Making a quick scan over his apartment to make sure everything was in order, he also gave himself a quick check. Still the same clothes he had been wearing all night, none the worse for wear apart from a couple odd paint splatters on his shirt.

Stealthily making his way to the front door, he walked lightly, making sure whoever it was wouldn't detect him, just in case. He leaned forward, looking through the peephole cautiously then stepped back... thought for a moment.. then checked the peephole again to ensure his mind wasn't still playing tricks on him.

More curious now than anything, he opened the door to greet the girl he saw waiting on the other side, "H..hello..?"

[Chiyako]

Oooh. He's cute. I should invite him over.

A wide grin spread across the girl's face as the new tenant finally revealed himself up close! Red hair. Golden eyes. Also glasses! See? They already had something in common! She did notice the spots of paint, although she assumed he'd been working on painting the interior.

"Hello! My name's Emi! I live in 123 with my friend Chiyako. She's still asleep. Long night. I noticed you just got here so I figured I'd bring you a welcoming gift!"

The little plastic bin of cookies was lifted. Chocolate chip. Nice and simple but still hopefully good. She usually did the cooking around their apartment. Chiyako wasn't very great at it. At least not with baking things. Some things she did fine with. Things that didn't rely quite so heavily upon exact ingredients.

"Did I wake you?"

[WetNoodle]

"Yeah... I mean.. no... I mean..." Focus, idiot... Dorian stumbled, a bit perplexed and overwhelmed. He didn't want to mess up his first meeting with one of his neighbors by being weird and awkward. She was sweet, cute and... brought him cookies!? Plus he couldn't help but smile when he noticed she had bunnies for feet. "Don't worry about it..." he chuckled lightly, "I'm Dorian."

[Chiyako]

A soft giggle left the girl. There was no effort to conceal it. Was he embarrassed or just really sleepy? It was kind of cute regardless. "Nice to meet ya. You have breakfast yet? Could always come to my place. Or I could come in there. I mean I suppose you could just eat alone too. Or sleep more. Really whatever."

Pancakes. Yes. That'd be a fine breakfast if he came on over. She could do pancakes. Chocolate chips too. At least for Chiyako. She loved her chocolate chip pancakes.

"Might see Chiyako if ya do come over. Heck, you might even see her birthday suit! Actually that'd be pretty funny."

Then again the idea of seeing another girl naked out of the blue might have been a bit much for the guy who was clearly stumbling his way over one who was dressed! Oh well. If they ate here she could at least see his place, right? Maybe something else too!

[WetNoodle]

Dorian blinked for a moment, processing what she had just said. She was very forthright, which wasn't a bad thing, but something he'd probably get used to. But now that she had mentioned it, he was quite hungry. He had spent all day yesterday moving in and most of the night.. well.. indulging. He hadn't had the time to stock up on any groceries. He had become enthusiastic enough at the idea of cookies.

"As... tantalizing as that sounds, wouldn't your roommate get upset if a stranger saw her.. like that?" he asked. He didn't want to refuse the opportunity to hang out with her, either. He had a feeling she could be an interesting person to spend time with and didn't want to spend all his time by himself in his apartment. "I'd offer you something, but I haven't done any shopping yet, so I don't have much.."

[Chiyako]

"Mmm. I suppose she might. A little. Ah, well, perhaps another time then. We could go and grab some coffee if you'd like? Or I suppose I could go and wake her up before ya hop on over."

As options were listed off a hand drifted up, cupping around her chin. They had plenty of options available to them. It really depended upon what the new tenant wanted. He was the one to choose in this situation, right? Or perhaps she should just choose something herself?

"She wouldn't get upset at you though. Eh, well, whatever you wanna do. So what'll it be?"

[WetNoodle]

Dorian was never a fan of these situations, mainly due to his indecisiveness. He didn't want to keep the lady waiting, so he decided to just go for it. What did he have to lose? Free food and possibly a show? Worse things could happen. "Well.. since you were nice enough to offer, some breakfast does sounds good if you don't mind.. hopefully your roommate won't get too mad." he laughed.

Looking over the situation and himself, he realized he should probably get out of these paint-spattered clothes he had slept in and freshen up a little bit before he went anywhere. He turned back to Emi who had been waiting patiently, "Is it alright if I change and clean up a bit before we go? I should put these cookies away, too." he rubbed the back of his neck, "You can come on in while you wait." he said as he held the door open, "It shouldn't take long."

[Chiyako]

Score!

Not only was she bringing him to her place, but she'd maybe get to play a little prank on Chiyako! Or things could just get sexy. Really, really sexy. It was a win regardless. "Sounds cool! You'll be fine. She might get a little grumpy at me but I'll make it up to her later. You'll love her. She's just the cutest thing! Can't speak a word so if she doesn't talk to you don't think it's cause she dislikes ya or anything." But fate wasn't done being kind to her yet!

"No problem! To be honest I was curious as to what it was you were actually painting in there. And which color. You got quite a few splattered."

With the invitation given Emi slid her way past the larger man and into the apartment, curious brown orbs already darting about in order to take in her surroundings! "I'd probably offer to help wash ya up if I hadn't just taken a shower myself. I mean I suppose I still could."

[WetNoodle]

"Thanks, but if you want me to be quick, we'd probably not." He half joked.. not completely sure if her comment was a joke or not. He closed the door behind her as she entered, looking about curiously. He thought for a moment, making sure he didn't have anything particularly incriminating laying about, but the only things he could think of were locked away in his desk.

"Nothing very interesting in here, I'm afraid.. just moved in yesterday and all.." He gestured. Most of his furniture and necessities were all set up, yet were still some boxes filled with various items. Music still softly played through the stereo system and the painting which he hadn't really seen himself through normal perception... a barrage of colours arranged in eloquent patterns. He chuckled, gesturing to it, "I guess I got a little carried away. I'm no professional, but I like to experiment from time to time with different paints.. oil based.. watercolour.. even body paint..." He figured that last one may peak her interest. "But.. I shouldn't keep you waiting.. make  yourself at home, I'll be right back."

Dorian excused himself to the bathroom for a quick shower, purposely leaving the door partly open.. wondering exactly how curious this girl was.

[Chiyako]

"Fair enough."

Of course Emi was joking, but she was also totally not joking. She'd always wanted to do fun naughty things. Home had been a little too restrictive to let loose, but ever since she'd moved into the apartment she'd been free to do as she pleased! And just as importantly: who she pleased! Chiyako was just the start of her grand adventures! Thankfully Chiyako was also totally okay with that.

"Still has that new apartment smell, huh? Nice. If you want any help finishing with the moving maybe we can swing by later."

Most of the heavy work was at least finished, right? They could surely assist with the little things. Heck it might even get them dirty enough for another shower! A three-way shower!

That'd be pretty hot.

The music was a pleasant greeting. She also managed to finally locate just where all the paint had gone. As it turned out Dorian was an artist! That was pretty neat! "Haven't even unpacked and you've already got something made, huh? That's pretty productive. Well, I mean, as far as the whole making art thing goes."

Body paint? Oh now he was just flirting. Or perhaps not. It did bring a wide grin to her lips. "Maybe you could teach me that one sometime. Oh! Do you ever do paintings of people? If you need a model or two I'm sure I could drag Chiyako over for something."

When the man excused himself for a shower Emi didn't follow. At least not initially. She lingered behind, taking her time to look around, but after giving it a couple of minutes she decided to explore the apartment in the general direction of the shower! And of course when she noticed a cracked open door she peeked right on in. Why would he leave it open if he wasn't up for some peeking?

[WetNoodle]

Dorian wasn't used to taking fast showers, typically predisposed to enjoying the amenity of the hot water and the solitude, but he didn't want to keep Emi waiting long. Nonetheless, he made certain to clean the.. essential areas... just in case. Though the thought had crossed his mind that if he stayed in here long enough, maybe she would join him. Then again, he was looking forward to meeting her roommate as well.. not just for the possibility of seeing her birthday suit.. But had he heard Emi correctly earlier when she mentioned that she couldn't talk? Or was it just that she didn't talk? Either way, no wonder Emi seemed so sprightly if she had to talk for two, in a sense.

Dorian finished, stepping out of the shower. He smirked to himself, feeling that he had eyes on him, but he didn't make it known that he was aware.. taking some time to dry himself off. Once dry, he slid on a pair of clean boxer shorts and pants. Looking around for a fresh shirt, but to no avail.. he figured they were in a box out in the living room. If she had been watching him dry off this whole time, he didn't think she'd be too shocked to see him come out of the bathroom shirtless. With that, he turned to make his exit.

[Chiyako]

Oh my. Steamy.

With such a quick shower Emi repeatedly was forced to clear away her glasses. But once Dorian exited she was treated to a fine show. She almost whistled in approval! However she was able to just hold herself back. Legs pressed together, squeezing in glee at the thoughts that came to mind. But she didn't want to keep all the fun to herself! Besides, once the boxers were on the show was essentially mostly over.

And so she crept away, flopping onto the man's couch to await his return. When she heard him exit Emi sat up on her knees, peeking up over the back of the man's couch.

"Oooh. Nice. A show."

[WetNoodle]

"Sorry for the wait.." Dorian apologized as he looked through some of the various boxes he had scattered around. "Guess I haven't unpacked all my clothes yet."

After finally finding the box where he stashed all his shirts, he pondered for a moment which to wear, though it was mainly an exercise in futility considering a majority of them were black t-shirts with a band logo. Figuring it didn't really matter, he just grabbed a random one and threw it on.

Taking a moment to evaluate everything, he turned back to Emi whom had been watching him from the couch. "Er... we done in here, then?"

[Chiyako]

"No problemo."

Hands settled upon her cheeks, allowing her head to rest while she observed the topless boy. Hips playfully swayed from one side to another behind her, concealed thankfully by the back of the couch. "I wonder what else ya haven't unpacked."

Once the new tenant was finally dressed Emi rolled off the bed and to her feet! Arms stretched out overhead. It was a pleasant show while it lasted.

"Yep! Shall we?"

And with that she turned to lead the way out for her apartment! They weren't too far. Room 123 was their ultimate destination. Upon arriving she'd unlock the door and lead the way in, waving for Dorian to enter! The place was modestly decorated. There weren't many works of art and most things present were more for utility. Of course they had multiple gaming consoles hooked up to the living room's television and it was open concept between it, the dining room, and the kitchen.

Immediately Emi ventured into the kitchen, slipping an apron on over her clothes! Then she'd begin retrieving the necessary ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes!

"Anything special you want on yours? Or any other requests?"

[WetNoodle]

Dorian followed Emi out of his apartment and into the hallway, which didn't seem as imposing this morning as it had the previous night. His eyes couldn't help but wander and check her out as she walked ahead of him. It wasn't too far away to their place as he followed her in. Their place seemed relatively simple and efficient and no sign of a nude roommate so far.

Emi had promptly entered the kitchen and began preparing. Dorian stood awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat at the dining room table.

He thought for a moment when she asked him a question, "Hm.. do you have any.. bananas?" he chuckled, at hearing how strange that sounded out loud.. but banana pancakes are delicious!

[Chiyako]

"Bananas? Sure! What, you want em inside? Or on top? I could do some caramel bananas. Or I could just stuff em right in here."

Ah yes. Innuendos. The highest form of comedic art, clearly. Regardless of what type he desired they would need to be chopped up, and so after preparing the batter she'd get right to work on that! A couple of bananas were peeled and chopped into coins. Then she set them aside as an ingredient to either add into the pancakes or to top them with!

A large skillet pan was set up over a few of the stove's burners to heat up. Butter was carefully applied to allow for a proper non-stick surface. It also helped with the flavor. While things heated up she carefully leaned up to grab three plates and three glasses from a cupboard! And then one of the bedroom doors opened up.

Out shuffled a tired Chiyako. Messy blonde hair reached down to the very short girl's waist. A set of loose silken black sleeping robes covered her pale petite body. While it was tied off at the waist by a sash and was enough to cover her nether regions it was still left loose enough up top that, every now and then, one might spot one of her soft pink nipples behind the sleek fabric. Having a flat chest probably didn't help either.

Right on past Dorian she wandered, not even initially noticing the boy. Emi glanced back towards her, grinning ecstatically. "Morning Chiyako" she managed to get out just as the girl's arms wrapped around the little chef's waist, clinging briefly with a tired hug. With some scooting Emi turned to face the girl, leaning down to plant a brief kiss upon her lips. One of her hands even snaked on down behind the blonde, squeezing at the girl's rump! This seemed to wake her up a little more, although what really did the trick was Emi breaking off the kiss and turning her room mate around to face the seated Dorian!

"Meet the new tenant! His name is Dorian. He's cute, right?"

Of course at this point Chiyako's cheeks were starting to glow a soft red. However she didn't actually attempt to fix her clothes, opting instead to raise a hand for a timid wave.

[WetNoodle]

"Caramel bananas..." Dorian's eyes widened as his brain painted the image and his stomach agreed, "Yeah.. do that, please." he requested, watching Emi get busy cooking. Perhaps he should have offered to help, but as he saw how meticulously she collected all of her ingredients and utensils he figured he probably would have just gotten in her way.

Dorian's mind, as it is often prone to, began to meander. Slow, funky jazz began to play in his mind with a smooth saxophone wail over top amidst visions of caramel banana pancakes as Emi began to move in slow motion and then---

He snapped out of his haze as he saw a figure move past him. It caught him off guard for a moment, but then he realized this must be her roommate. As she walked over to Emi and they kissed, Dorian raised his eyebrows. Interesting.

As Emi introduced them, Dorian smiled and waved back to her, "Good morning."

[Chiyako]

Chiyako smiled despite her embarrassment. He seemed nice. And then she jumped just a slight bit as one of Emi's hands snaked their way into the front of her robes, groping once against one of her breasts! Both of Chiyako's hands shot up, playfully smacking at her friend's arm.

"Why don't you entertain our guest while I finish making breakfast?"

With a nod Chiyako shuffled her way on over, sitting next to Dorian! At this point she very clearly noticed that her top was loose. Sitting so close to Dorian meant that her chest was pretty much freely on display. But she didn't really care. If anything getting seen actually felt a little nicer for the blonde. It was even more evident still as she scooted even closer to the boy.

Emi went right to work on caramelizing some bananas. A few chocolate chips were dropped into the first batch of three pancakes. Chiyako's favorite. While they cooked Emi hurriedly rushed to the fridge, grabbing butter and syrup in order to ferry both over to the dining table. Then she rushed right on back over to tend to the pancakes while they cooked!

Ultimately breakfast was completed. Chocolate chip pancakes were settled before Chiyako, caramel banana pancakes for Dorian, and some plain pancakes for Emi! She took a seat opposite Dorian and Chiyako.

"Dig in!"

And with that both Emi and Chiyako started to eat!

[WetNoodle]

Dorian smiled at Chiyako as she made her way over and sat next to him. As she scooted closer, he noticed her top was loose, catching a peek but trying not to stare all the same. These girls sure were friendly and uninhibited. Not that it bothered him at all, he just wasn't used to it.

After a short while, Emi came over and served the pancakes. "Thank you." he nodded before digging in, trying to not make it too obvious how hungry he was. He wasn't poorly off or starved, he just often had a habit of getting easily distracted and forgetting to eat sometimes. They were every bit as delicious as he had imagined, smooth jazz for his mouth... so to speak. "My compliments to the chef." he said to Emi, appreciative of her marvelous pancake cooking abilities. Amidst the eating, he attempted to break the silence with some casual conversation, "So how long have you two been... friends?"

[Chiyako]

While they devoured their food Dorian would probably feel Emi's foot repeatedly rubbing against his legs! The little bunny slipper did at least keep low, brushing occasionally against the boy's ankle. Still it was clearly flirting! Thankfully Chiyako didn't even notice, too hungry to focus on much else.

"Mmm? A few months since we moved in together. We kinda hit it off pretty quick too, huh?"

Chiyako nodded a couple of times, now patting her lips off with a napkin. After swallowing a mouthful of pancakes, the last in fact, Emi continued speaking. "Pretty great friends. With benefits! Kinda have an open thing? We like sharing too. I mean, if anything got serious we'd probably talk it out, so to speak, but, I mean, we're both open to going in together on something, right?"

Again Chiyako nodded her head, although a bit more meekly now. One hand moved up, timidly twirling a bit of blonde hair around one of her fingers.

"What about you? Single? Perhaps looking for something fun?"

Standing from her seat Emi moved to gather up any dirty dishes. She still had the apron on after all, so she'd then venture over to the sink with the intention of doing the dishes! Of course with her back turned Chiyako scooted closer still to Dorian, resting her head against the man's closest arm.

[WetNoodle]

Dorian looked across at Emi with a smirk, feeling the mysterious rubbing along his ankle as she explained their situation to him. They seemed to have quite an open, free relationship. He had to admire it, liberating as it had to be.

As she asked her questions and got up to clean the table, he pondered for a moment. Not that there was much to ponder about. Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations, and all that.

"Yeah.. I'm not seeing anybody at the moment.." he began to explain as Chiyako appeared to nuzzle up to him. "I'm always open to.. trying new things." as he stated, moving his hand under the table over to Chiyako's leg.

[Chiyako]

The tiny blonde girl's cheeks warmed up once more with a tint of red. Now one of Dorian's hands were on her leg! It was still somewhat covered by the silken robes but it'd be quite easy to invade the sleek fabrics. Beneath that she wore nothing at all. But as it turned out she didn't seem to mind.

One of Chiyako's hands drifted off to the side, fingers brushing teasingly along the taller man's thigh. It stopped just an inch away from his dick, pressing down for a light squeeze. Her other hand was less subtle, lifting up to open her top just a bit, allowing a complete view of her bare flat chest. Of course her head remained where it was, nuzzling affectionately. She did enjoy a good nuzzling!

"Oh? Well perhaps we could have some fun today if you're up for it. I'm sure Chiyako might be. Right?" she asked, somewhat oblivious to Chiyako's advances due to her being occupied by the dishes.

[WetNoodle]

Feeling himself begin to swell slightly as he felt Chiyako's hand move over his lap, he returned her affection by leaning his head against hers. The re-nuzzling! This of course also gave him a clear view of her chest as he worked up the robes on her leg with his fingertips until he felt skin. Maneuvering beneath them, he slowly began to slide his hand up her inner thigh.

These interactions of course making Dorian completely oblivious to what Emi was saying, "Um... yeah.. right!" he improvised.