"Hey, Mom?" Eis's voice was quiet, thoughtful, breaking the peaceful quiet.
"Yeah, sure, sweetie," she murmured, completely relaxed against him.
"Anything for you."
He was silent for another long moment, his chin resting on the top of her damp head. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper, filled with a genuine, searching curiosity.
"Why, though?"
She shifted slightly, turning her head to try to see his face. "What do you mean, sweetie? You can ask me anything."
"Well, I just mean… why do you allow me to… to have sex with you?" he asked, the words tentative. "I mean, I like it. I love it. But you are my mother. Is it not weird to you?"
She was quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his forearm under the water. "Well, I think I know what you mean," she began slowly.
"But it's not weird at all. It is completely normal. Mmm… or, I think so. I haven't seen many mother-son relationships myself, because many people didn't want to interact with me.
But I saw a lot of brother-sister relationships, which is normal. And when your wife is not around, you can have the mother… well, if she wants to mate, which is most likely because it's tradition."
She settled back more firmly against him.
"Your first mate was your sister, and I just happen to be her mother and your mother at the same time. Plus," her voice softened, "even if you hadn't taken your sister, I would still want to mate with you. How could I not? You are just so handsome."
She tilted her head back and planted her pink lips on his in a soft, lingering kiss.
"Wow," Eis breathed when she pulled away, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. "Now I understand. It's… amazing. Well, weird or not, I would have mated with you. Look how sexy you look."
"But, Mom," he said, his voice taking on a strained note. "I thought I told you not to play with that."
Her hand, which had drifted under the water and found him growing hard again, stilled. "Sorry," she whispered, a mischievous glint in her eye despite her blush.
"I just got too carried away."
"But it's hard now," he stated, the evidence pressing against her.
"I can suck it if you want," she offered, her voice barely audible.
Eis let out a low, incredulous laugh.
"Wow. This is the person who did not want to look into my eyes a few minutes ago."
"Do you want me to suck it or not?" she protested, her face turning a deep, beet red.
"No," he said, though it took visible effort. "We should go. We've already spent a lot of time in here."
He gently moved her off his lap and stood up in the tub, water sluicing off his body as he stepped out and reached for the large, fluffy towels.
"Son?" she called, still sitting in the water.
"Can you dry me, too?"
He glanced over his shoulder at her, her voluptuous form visible through the clear water.
"No. I'm already hard. If I look at you now, you'll be on the ground shouting my name and making that face again."
"Heyyy!" she yelled, splashing a little water in his direction, but she was smiling.
"Okay," she conceded. "I'll wear something first, then you can dry my hair."
After that, she got out and began to dress. He turned his back, but just as she was bringing the simple dress down over her hips, he glanced over his shoulder.
"Wow," he said, his voice appreciative. "We need to buy some clothes. And some… up-to-date underwear. After breakfast."
He turned fully then and began to gently towel-dry her long hair. Once they were both presentable, they left the steamy bathroom and were immediately blessed with the rich, comforting smell of eggs, sizzling meat, and fresh bread wafting from the kitchen.
"Morning, guys," Eis said as he walked into the sunlit dining area.
His sister, Lyra, was at the stove. She turned, a smile on her face until she saw their mother clinging to Eis's right arm.
Her smile vanished.
"Hey, get away from him, leech!" Kaela snapped, putting down her spatula. "The tradition allows you to be with him when I am not here. Well, right now, I am here."
She marched over and tried to pry her mother's hands from Eis's arm.
"Well, I am not doing this as your mother, but as his mother," their mother retorted, holding on tighter. "I am allowed to leech onto him."
Their aunt, who had been quietly sipping tea at the table, just sighed and got up.
"Well, I am going to take a bath, you guys."
"You press the..." Eis began.
"I know what to press!" their aunt interrupted, waving a dismissive hand.
"I have been in the city before."
Eis's head snapped up, a playful, suspicious glint in his eye.
"What? What were you doing in the city? Were you with men, you whore?"
"You plucked my assence, you ungrateful bastard!" she shot back, but there was no real heat in it.
"Ooooh, right. Sorry," Eis said, breaking into an awkward, chuckling laugh. "Heh, heh, heh. Okay, I'm starving. Is that bacon ready, Kaela?"
The domestic chaos, now laced with this new, strange normalcy, settled around them as they gathered for the meal.