Satsuki was at a party. She found it very annoying.
"WHAT?" she shouted, for the fifth time to Nonon over the blaring EDM. A man, obviously drunk, waddled behind her to get to the bar, crashing into her on the way. Satsuki sneered and lurched forward, stabilizing her red solo cup to keep whatever god-awful craft beer inside from sloshing out. Nonon grabbed Satsuki's lapel and dragged her head down to her mouth, this time screaming directly into her ear.
"WHERE. IS. SANAGEYAMA?" Nonon released Satsuki, then puzzled at the lapel she was just holding. "Why are you wearing a blazer?" Satsuki sighed and flipped her hair over her shoulder, but quickly flipped it back when she realized it was dangerously close to the "mood lighting"-a collection of black candles that obviously came from a sex shop.
"If I knew I wouldn't still be here." Satsuki idley dipped a finger into the puddle of body wax dripping onto the table, "and I thought this was a different kind of party." Nonon scoffed.
"You knew the monkey was throwing it, right?" Satsuki narrowed her eyes and didn't answer, instead reaching up to dot Nonon's nose with the wax on her fingertip.
Satsuki screeched as a pair of sticky hands covered her eyes, but the loud music kept anyone from noticing.
"Guess who?" Sanageyama said in a sing-song voice. Satsuki batted his hands away. "Awesome party, right?" He insisted on chewing his gum right in Satsuki's ear, and she backed away quickly.
He paused to drunkenly pull his phone out of his pocket, attempting a few times to shove his hand into the tiny decorative pocket on the inside of his sidekicks. "Satsuki, check this out," he said, offering her his phone. "The…" he paused to waggle his eyebrows "The girl… I brought to this party thinks you're hot." Satsuki cocked her head, puzzled.
Is he proud that he managed to convince a girl to come to his party? She scanned the room, confirming it was filled with men and women alike.
"Who is this girl?" Her question seemed to deflate Sanageyama, and his face, already red from the alcohol, quickly turned purple.
"Well, I, uh," he coughed, casting his eyes towards Nonon in a plea for help as Satsuki continued to stare at him. "I invited… I mean I paid… There's a girl here." Nonon only shook her head, seeming to enjoy his discomfort.
"Yes, Sanageyama," Satsuki said sharply, her voice growing shorter and shorter as her patience deteriorated, "there are lots of girls here." Satsuki snatched his phone and read the words on the screen.
Ryuko 3 3 smiley face with a tongue sticking out said at 9:53PM:
By some hot chick.
Satsuki scanned the crowd again, this time looking for someone who looked like they'd be willing to go out with Sanageyama.
Ah. There she is. Satsuki's eyes alit upon a girl who looked like she'd just finished her shift at Hooters. Satsuki held eye contact with the girl as she shuffled a little before stepping towards their group. She continued to hold eye contact the entire time the girl walked, daring her to say something to her. Satsuki watched her saunter up, pause, then reluctantly wrap her arm around Sanageyama's neck.
"Hey there, hot stuff," she drawled, and Satsuki kept staring at her, this time more shocked than anything. "This is an amazing party."
"No, it's not" Satsuki said, right as the music paused, and everyone surrounding them turned to stare at her as she shouted over what used to be loud music.
"You could say that," Sanageyama said, totally ignoring Satsuki's outburst and puffing up his chest and possessively locking an arm around the girl's hip.
"Why don't you introduce me to your friends?"
"Guys," Sanageyama said, "can I introduce you to my…" he seemed to falter for a moment, once again pointedly avoiding Satsuki's stare. Nonon began to outright laugh, holding onto her solo cup with both hands as if for dear life.
"Friend," the girl interjected, flashing a toothy grin. Satsuki hated that tooth.
"I'm sorry," Satsuki growled, drawing her eyebrows down into a frown as if to scare Ryuko's incisors back into her mouth. "Who the fuck are you?" The girl let out an exasperated sigh, her stance and demeanor openly mocking. Lazily, she reached into her back pocket and drew out a red and black business card. She all but tossed it at Satsuki.
"Matoi Ryuko, pleased t'meet'cha." She flashed her teeth. Again.
Satsuki narrowed her eyes, hiding that she had to squint to read the red text printed on the black card in the dimly lit room.
Matoi Ryuko. Tasteful service. Professional fun.
What does that even mean?
Satsuki unzipped her clutch and pulled out one of her own business cards, assuming Ryuko expected one of hers in return.
"Kiryuin Satsuki." She offered the card out to Ryuko who took it with a lot more hesitation than Satsuki had been expecting. She didn't even look at it and unceremoniously jammed it into her back pocket before turning to whisper into Sanageyama's ear.
The audacity of Ryuko's actions was enough to garner even Nonon's reproach. Satsuki looked down at her and they shared a knowing look.
"Rude is as rude does, Satsuki." Nonon quipped.
"What the fuck was that?" Ryuko all but barked and Satsuki could feel a certain excitement welling up at the context of a fight breaking out. Especially if it meant she was going to get an opportunity to slug Ryuko in her already far too crooked mouth.
To her chagrin, Sanageyama stepped in to intervene. He swayed precariously, his drunken center of gravity shifting further than he was expecting.
"Now, now, ladies, c'mon," his voice was meant to be charming but it all came out as a mess of slurred vowels. "There's plenty of me to go around."
Satsuki restrained herself from scoffing. The absolute absurdity of anyone finding Sanageyama attractive- let alone any more than one- was truly a joke. She watched on in amusement as Nonon and Ryuko both angled their fury at him. With an abrupt movement, Ryuko slammed her foot down on top of his and he yelped.
"The hell was that for?!" Satsuki could tell by the way his mouth angled down into a frown that he was disappointed his charge didn't find him charming. "I'd expect that sort of behavior from Nonon, but not from you too, Ryuko!"
"Well, I was planning on doing something much worse if you would prefer that, monkey." Nonon's voice was filled with venom.
Satsuki found herself repressing an eye roll. Her head felt like it was swimming and the music was starting to grate on her nerves. It seemed her evening was going to end prematurely, regardless of her desire for wanting to leave already.
"Well, this was…" she started, trying to find a word that was both telling and polite at the same time. "Something."
Nonon piped up beside her. "Satsuki and I are gonna leave this shit party now, monkey."
"What?! But you just got here!" he whined. "At least drink some more!"
Satsuki, whose cup was still almost entirely full, suddenly realized that if that's all he wanted she could certainly oblige. So she upended the cup into her mouth, slamming it back despite the mixed taste of hops and the sweetness of citrus, before handing the cup over to Sanageyama when she was finished.
It took her everything she was worth not to cringe as the flavor set into her tongue.
"Thanks again for the invite, Sanageyama. See you on Monday." Satsuki kept her words clipped and immediately turned away, her brain swirling around in her skull as she did so. She hoped it would be enough to keep Sanageyama from complaining the next time they saw each other.
XXX
this is the. best. party. ever. Ryuko typed out over the filter on snapchat. The picture was of herself- a selfie in a dimly-lit room surrounded by what felt like at least a hundred people. She sent the story off, receiving near instant gratification when a text from Sanageyama popped up in her notifications.
where you at?, it read.
by some hot chick, she replied, glancing from her phone and up at the woman in question. She was good looking, Ryuko thought to herself, regal and elegant but with just a little bit of a resting bitch face. Totally Ryuko's type. she's wearing a blazer? who does that?
After a few moments of waiting for the "replying" bubble to appear in the chat, and getting only slightly frustrated when it never did, Ryuko again went back to ogling the lady in the business-casual attire. It took her a second, but as soon as Ryuko caught sight of her she realized she'd been found out. Across the room and through a swath of people they'd, unfortunately, locked eyes.
It was with a mix of curiosity and reproach that she found herself scrutinized, and there was a sudden urge that rose up in Ryuko to immediately walk over and mince some finely chosen words with the lady. Except, Sanageyama was standing right beside her, and he too was looking Ryuko's way with something akin to a puppy's love in his eyes.
Swallowing back a bit of nervous anxiety, Ryuko shoved her phone back into the tiny back pocket of her short-shorts and began to wade through the crowd to where Sanageyama was. He had, after all, paid for her services that evening. At least five hundred dollars worth, which for Ryuko, meant that he got to pretend that she was willing to be anywhere near him and maybe a little extra if he wasn't a complete and utter ass.
It was only when she was within three feet of him that Ryuko was finally able to join the tight little knit of people he was talking with- himself, a gremlin-looking girl, and the woman who was bound and determined to to melt a hole into Ryuko's face with the glare she was giving.
"There you are," Ryuko drawled, hamming up the affection in her voice as she draped an arm around Sanageyama's neck. "Your party is really kickin', huh?"
He shuffled a bit, his face flushing an even deeper shade of red as Ryuko purposefully pressed herself into his side. "Y-you could say that."
"Aaw, c'mon, there's no need to be nervous," she cooed in his ear despite the absolute lie it was. "Are these friends of yours?"
Recovering from his sudden bout of embarrassment, Sanageyama assumed a more confident pose, his arm wrapping around Ryuko's waist as he gestured at the length of her body. Ryuko tried not to take offense to the action but could feel herself bristling regardless.
"Guys, this is Ryuko." he paused when the two women pinned him with blank stares. "My, uh,"
"Friend." Ryuko interjected before he could sputter anything else that might frame her in a bad-light.
He deflated a little but recovered in record time when the gremlin spoke up.
"Friend?" she asked with an air of disbelief.
"I'm sorry," the woman in the blazer spoke up, finally relinquishing the death-glare to close her eyes and scrunch her eyebrows together in confusion. "Who are you again?"
Ryuko groaned internally, reaching into her back pocket and retrieving one of her business cards. With an absolute lack of grace she held it out between them.
"Matoi Ryuko." she said, giving the friendliest smile she could in the process. The woman gave it a cursory glance before unzipping a pocket on her clutch and producing a business card of her own. Ryuko wasn't certain what to do when she offered it to her, but she took it all the same.
"Kiryuin Satsuki." Ryuko almost couldn't make out what she'd said as the music began to pick up again. She acknowledged the transfer with the slightest bow of her head, jamming the card into her back pocket before turning to Sanageyama and whispering in his ear.
"What the hell?" he shrugged his shoulders before turning and whispering back.
"She's sorta just like that." Ryuko made a soft mmm noise in response, even though she knew he likely wouldn't hear it.
"I see rude is as rude does," the gremlin spoke up, her voice so high and nasally that Ryuko thought it might shatter glass.
"What was that?" Ryuko growled, pinning her with a look that she hoped was menacing enough to pacify such a meager person.
The girl looked like she might throw down right there, and probably would've had Sanageyama not physically put himself between them. "Hah, now, now, ladies, there's plenty of me to go around."
They both shot him daggers but Ryuko was first to physically punish him, jamming the heel of her shoe into his toes.
"Ay-! Hey!" he gave her a look, attempting to relay some sort of confusion about what might have upset her. "I expected that sort of sour behaviour from Nonon. Not you, Ryuko."
"Oh, trust me monkey, I was just about to do something worse." Nonon shot back.
"Y'all are so damn mean to me, even after I invite you to my party!" Ryuko rolled her eyes at the pouting tone in Sanageyama's voice. He was definitely not going to be getting any sort of special treatment that evening, she decided.
An awkward tension was beginning to build between the four of them. Ryuko looked up to find that she was yet again the center of attention; all of their eyes on her. She wasn't entirely certain what the cause was, but she knew she absolutely hated it.
God this is going to be a long fucking night. Not worth the money. I wish some old sugar momma would just pay me to fuck her. That would be sooo much easier.
"Well, this was-" Satsuki started, her eyes darting between Ryuko and Sanageyama. "Something."
"Yea, Satsuki's really just trying to tell you she wants to leave your shit-ass party, monkey." Nonon translated.
"What?!" he had the audacity to look like none of it was his fault. "But you just got here! Drink some more, at least!"
As if taking his words as a cue, Ryuko watched as Satsuki lifted the solo cup in her hand to her mouth and chugged the entirety of it. The swill Sanageyama had chosen for the beer of the night had been absolutely undrinkable to Ryuko, so she watched on in amazement as Satsuki's throat bobbed over and over to drink the liquid down. When she was finished she held it out to Sanageyama who dumbfoundedly took it.
"Thanks again for the invite, Sanageyama. See you on Monday."
With that, she turned on the toes of one foot and disappeared, Nonon following on her heels. Ryuko watched on as the throngs of people seemed to inherently know to move out of her way. Luckily for her, it meant she got a big eye-full of her ass as she walked out. It was, Ryuko decided, probably the nicest ass in the whole building. Even though it was wearing a skirt that looked at home on an elderly woman.
"Well, she was nice." Ryuko looked up at Sanageyama with a knowing grin. He just sighed and scratched at the back of his head.
"That's Satsuki for you," a chuckle left him as he disengaged from Ryuko to grab her hand, "she's not really one for social events."
"You don't say?" her tone was mocking. "Well, I'm out too. Your money went as far as it's gonna for the night, dude."
"What?!"
With the grace of an expert, Ryuko wormed her fingers from his and winked in his direction before slipping away.
The rest of the night, which Ryuko spent hopping from club to club handing out her business cards, was uneventful. As she finally flopped into bed at three in the morning, all that was on her mind was hoping that her client base would grow soon so she could stop having to rely on Sanageyama's slimy money to get by. The whole ordeal at the party was like a far off memory by the time she slipped into sleep, and when she woke the next morning she'd forgotten about it entirely.
XXX
I must have drunk that too fast. Is it drank or drunk? I'm drunk.
Satsuki managed to wobble up the steps to the house, clinging harder than usual to the polished marble balustrade. She found herself in much better spirits after extricating herself from that horrible party and spending some time enjoying walking home under the stars, but the longer she walked the more she could feel the alcohol pulsing in her veins.
Oh god is that why the beer was in a punch bowl? He spiked the beer? Satsuki smacked her lips together, searching for the taste of hard alcohol.
Ah, there it is, she mused as she finally caught the bitter taste of tequila hiding under the IPA. No wonder it tasted so bad. Satsuki slowly went down on her knees, nearly falling over as her long pencil skirt restricted her movements. She was content to slowly crawl up the stairs, but the crunch of tires on gravel behind her had her heart beating in her ears.
Oh no. Mom's home. Satsuki tried to stand up and dart through the double doors of the mansion, but for some reason she just continued to crawl at a snail's pace as the doors seemed to move farther and farther away. Before she was even aware of any time passing, the limousine was parked directly behind her with the brights shining directly onto her as she pulled herself up yet another step. Woozily, Satsuki turned around and shielded her eyes, glaring into the tinted windows.
"Go away!" she shouted, slowly falling back onto her elbows, still not even halfway up the steps. Defeated, Satsuki crossed her ankles and resigned herself to pretending to be casually lounging on the steps as her mother stepped out of the limousine.
"Hello, Mother," she said, slowly and deliberately to hide any slurring.
"Oh Satsuki," Ragyo said, easily scaling the steps to stand over her.
Show off. Satsuki thought.
"Satsuki, you're drunk!"
"I certainly am not, Mother. I am enjoying the evening."
"Do you really think I haven't looked in the mirror enough to know what drunk looks like?" Ragyo took Satsuki under the arm and pulled her to her feet, gently ushering her inside. Satsuki's face burned, but she allowed Ragyo to help her inside before pushing her away. "You have to be careful, darling. Someone might take advantage of a beautiful girl like you."
"Oh wow," Satsuki said, venomously, "Wouldn't that make you jealous?" Ragyo laughed and pinched Satsuki's cheek. Satsuki swayed and Ragyo pulled on her face to keep her upright. "Ow, stop it!"
"Look at you! What did you drink?" Narrowing her eyes, Ragyo took Satsuki by the shoulders, "You were only drinking, Satsuki?"
"Yes, Mother, you know I don't-Cut it out!" Ragyo was rifling through her pockets, pulling the contents out and dropping them on the floor. She found some change, a pen, two pipe cleaners and Ryuko's business card, but no drugs. Ragyo sighed in relief.
"If you ever feel like you need to turn to drugs," Ragyo said, making eye contact with Satsuki. Satsuki rolled her eyes, but stopped when the circular motion made her feel like throwing up. "I want you to come to me."
"Why, because you have all the good stuff?" Ragyo huffed and released her, crossing her arms and pouting.
"Why do you fight me, Satsuki? I do nothing but take care of you."
"Yeah, I wish you would finally 'take care of me' and strangle me to death."
"You're no better than that dog of yours."
"Still better than you, Ma!"
Satsuki struggled a bit to adjust her clothing after the pat-down, but it was getting to the point where she could barely hear what Ragyo was saying to her. In as dignified a manner as she could manage, she spun on her heel and headed for the basement. She was certain Ragyo was saying something, but she could spare no effort to do anything but struggle to close the door behind her.
She really hoped Ragyo didn't hear her falling down the stairs.
XXX
The place was enormous. Ryuko couldn't have imagined in a million years that she would have the opportunity to stand in front of such a marvel of- of- a mansion? She figured the correct term had to be mansion. After all, it looked like it had over fifteen rooms, at least, and the front doors were adorned with golden lion head knockers. She puzzled at their shimmering rainbow manes ?
I've finally done it, she thought. I've finally hit the jackpot!
So she took one of the lion heads in her hand and swung it against the door three times. The wait was filled with the thought of the phone call she had received that morning. The voice that had been on the other end of the line had been… sultry. It had melted through the earpiece and drowned Ryuko's mind in a warm blanket; smooth as shea butter.
"I'd like you to join me for brunch today," she'd cooed. "Two sharp- I assume, ten will be enough?"
"Ten?" Ryuko had asked dumbly, not certain what the number was specifying.
"Oh, darling, ten thousand dollars. That's enough for your tasteful service, isn't it?" Ryuko choked on the bite of cocoa pebbles she'd been about to swallow. It took her a moment, sputtering and attempting to cough up the food that had fallen into her windpipe.
"Sh- yea! Ten-thousand, o-of course!" she had jumped up from her seat and was pacing in her kitchen, a hand nervously combing through her hair.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Matoi Ryuko."
The line had went dead before Ryuko could respond. Good thing too, because she had nearly passed out from the excitement.
Her attention snapped back into focus when she heard noises on the other side of the door. There was the distinct sound of bare feet slapping against tile before the door was wrenched open to reveal-
Oh shit, Ryuko gawked, that's the crazy lady from last night.
Indeed is was. Satsuki stood, frozen in place, her eyes bleary and blood-shot. She looked exhausted, her hair mussed up on one side and the bath robe she had on barely concealing anything at all. Ryuko let her gaze sink low, drinking in the vast amount of skin revealed between flaps of white soft-looking cotton, before realizing she was staring at Satsuki's breasts.
Before Ryuko could ogle any more the door slammed shut in her face and she was left to stand there stunned, mouth gaped open and her eyes flitting about.
What the hell is Kiryuin doing at my client's house? Ryuko wondered. The woman that had spoken to her last night had sounded much older- much nicer- than Satsuki had at the party the night before.
The door swung open again, the hinges creaking like only rich house doors do. This time, the woman on the other side of the door was definitely not Satsuki.
"Mon cherie, Matoi Ryuko," the woman offered an elegant hand out to Ryuko. Each digit was long and thin, and a fat diamond ring sat on her right ring-finger. Ryuko, never missing an opportunity to be suave, cupped those fingers in her own and leaned over to deposit a gentle kiss to the bony knuckles there. "My name is Kiryuin Ragyo, welcome to my home."
Puzzle pieces were starting to fit together as Ryuko's brain attempted to hammer them into place. This was her home? Her client was Kiryuin Ragyo? So, what, Kiryuin Satsuki is-
"And this is my daughter," Ragyo stepped to the side, her pure white ball-gown trailing her with almost ethereal weightlessness, revealing a Satsuki who was staring at Ryuko with a mix of consternation and fury. Ryuko could swear that if she knit her eyebrows together any further they'd look just like a chubby black caterpillar. "Kiryuin Satsuki."
"Excuse me," Satsuki spoke up, her tone exactly as short as it had been with Ryuko last night. "Why are you here?"
"Oh, Satsuki, you should really be more polite to my guests," Ragyo spoke, her voice a silk cloth with a dagger concealed beneath.
Satsuki leaned back on one of her feet, crossing her arms over her chest and waggling an index finger. "Your guest?" she started, closing her eyes in concentration. "That-" she pointed at Ryuko, who had the audacity to look hurt by the action, " is your guest?"
"And that-" Ragyo gestured to the disheveled bathrobe Satsuki had on, " is what you're wearing to brunch today?"
"I'm sorry," Satsuki responded, mockingly contrite.
"Uh, should I come back another day?" Ryuko asked, feeling awkward watching the verbal battle ensue between mother and daughter.
"Absolutely not! I'll have no such thing," Ragyo snaked an arm around one of Ryuko's, pulling her inside the mansion as Ryuko's sneakered feet squeaked on the marble flooring, silently protesting. "After all, we have all day to enjoy each others-" she shot a look at Satsuki who sneered in disgust, " company."
"Well, you certainly found someone worthy of your company, Mother," Satsuki scoffed.
"Come now Satsuki, it's nearly brunch time," they had already swept past Satsuki and down the hall. Ryuko swung her head back, glancing over her shoulder to give Satsuki another curious glance before Ragyo brusquely guided her from the entryway.
"Holy shit," she exclaimed, her eyes having just managed to catch a glimpse of Satsuki's bruised knees and shins. "You look like you got thrown down a flight of stairs, Kiryuin."
The room they'd entered into was like the fancier version of a hospital cafeteria. All white sterile walls with the longest white and black marbled table Ryuko had ever seen sitting smack dab in the middle of the room. Satsuki, who had followed the pair into what Ryuko figured was the dining room, scoffed so loudly it reverberated in the wide space. "Oh, you see, I spend Saturday evenings giving blowjobs out of the kindness of my heart."
"I do hope you saved room for brunch, sweetie," Ragyo remarked as she pressed Ryuko down into a seat at the end of the table. With the utmost grace she sat herself adjacent to Ryuko, at the head of the table, before setting her chin on her fingertips and pinning Satsuki with a playfully predatory look.
Ryuko caught the moment that Satsuki's lips parted briefly, poised to spit something out, before being abruptly shut with the force of a frown. She stomped her way around the table and, while giving Ryuko the most reproachful glare she'd been given in her whole life, yanked the chair out from underneath the table with such force that the legs squealed against the flooring. Ryuko found herself suppressing a yelp in the back of her throat at how painful the sound had been in her ears.
The silence that ensued was painfully awkward. There was the faintest sound of a clock ticking in the distance and try as she might, Ryuko never could pinpoint the direction in which the ticks seemed to come with every passing second. Ragyo, who had long since stopped staring at Satsuki, was now angling her sharp crimson eyes at Ryuko. It felt like there was nothing left to bare in front of her, and Ryuko fidgeted slightly, attempting to give her a polite smile while feigning ignorance at the big toe she felt slowly creeping up her shin.
There passed only the briefest moment where Ryuko feared she might have gotten a lot more than what she had bargained for. Then she remembered the fat-stack of cash she was going to get for putting up with everything and suddenly found herself caring a whole lot less. Even when that toe began to slide into the territory between her thighs.
"Tell me, how do you know my Mother?"
At the other end of the room from them the double-doors swung open dramatically, heralding the entrance of another woman that Ryuko was unfamiliar with. She bobbed when she walked- too much toe and not enough heel in her step- and her blond pigtails bounced along with her. No one but Ryuko seemed to even notice her, hell, she didn't even seem to notice any of them as she sat herself down next to Satsuki. The headphones that she had on were blaring music. Ryuko listened intently and eventually deciphered the song as "Hollaback Girl" by Gwen Stefani.
The unmistakably electric feeling of her clitoris being touched through the scant material of her panties brought Ryuko's attention back to Ragyo even as she attempted to stifle the gasp that haphazardly left her with a sharp intake of air. Ryuko, her face starting to feel hot, glanced about the room and attempted to concentrate on the conversation at hand even as she felt herself being stroked in a manner that shouldn't have even been possible for toes to achieve.
"Huh?" she tried not to sound as dumb as she was certain she looked.
"I asked-" Satsuki started, getting cut-off by the clatter of food carts being rolled into the room.
"Now, now," despite the tone and words being meant for Satsuki, Ragyo never let her eyes wander from Ryuko. "Satsuki, you should know better than to ask our guests such unimportant questions. Isn't there something more interesting you could talk about?"
"Sorry, the only thing you seem interested in is me and I'm, sadly, not a narcissist."
Ryuko, who was caught up in watching the professionally dressed crew place covered plates on top of the plates that had already been set out in front of them, barely registered the words being spoken. Between the whirlwind of bodies around them and the persistent sensation between her legs, Ryuko was having a hard time focusing on anything at all. She'd always been a light-weight when it came to sexual experiences. In fact, Ryuko had always been unabashedly proud of that fact since it made sex a particularly fulfilling event for her no matter how lackluster the performer usually was.
And, unfortunately for her, she was beginning to realize that Kiryuin Ragyo was far from lack-luster.
Before she could even begin to reign in the sensation of it, the downhill slide into her orgasm had already begun. Ryuko found herself attempting to hide her pleasure by vigorously coughing into the crook of her elbow, partially concealing her telling face there as well. When the sensation subsided Ryuko felt the invading foot retreat away from her body and upon stealing a glance in Ragyo's direction she'd found to be finally freed from her rapt attention.
Satsuki, on the other hand, was still glaring at her. Even as the servants revealed the food, completely in sync as they removed the shiny cover that had been concealing the food from them, she continued to pin Ryuko to her seat with just her eyes.
With a thick swallow Ryuko averted her attention from Satsuki to the food in front of her. The bowl there was rimmed with gold and filled with a bright-green soup that Ryuko couldn't even imagine what was made of. Probably some kind of vegetable? She pondered the curious dish, idley debating with her hand outstretched what utensil to use for it. Eventually she settled on a spoon that was both significantly more flat and wide than the others. When she looked up and found that no one was paying attention to her, she figured it was probably fine to just eat with whatever she wanted and began to dig in.
"Hur-" the first bite was DISGUSTING and Ryuko struggled to swallow it down. She'd been expecting a normal soup, something hot and savory, but this was ice-cold and sweet.
"What is it, Matoi?" Satsuki asked, her voice betraying a hint of amusement. Ryuko, who was putting another spoonful into her mouth, nearly spat it out. "Don't appreciate palate cleansing dishes?"
"Isn't that what water is for?" she asked with absolute seriousness.
Satsuki closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose before sighing heavily. "This is what you invite to brunch?" she gestured at Ryuko, while directing the question towards Ragyo.
"I just figured I could use some extra professional fun today," Ragyo winked at Ryuko before continuing on, " and ever since your poor father passed- God rest his soul- I've been so lonely. Especially since I have a certain daughter who never pays me any mind."
The conversation, shifted by Ragyo's obvious call-out, forced Ryuko's attention onto Satsuki even as the servants began to bustle about. She was surprised to find that while Satsuki was still staring at her, she was more so staring through her. Far away in thought. Her eyes were darting about, angling down and to the left, then up and to the right, a deep-seated line forming between her eyebrows. It smoothed out a second later as her eyes widened in a sudden moment of clarity that shone through.
It was like Ryuko could read her mind at that moment, Satsuki's eyes becoming a side-scrolling LED sign that read in bright-red lettering.
THE BUSINESS CARD.
A moment later it was gone and Ryuko was chilled to find absolutely no emotion left in Satsuki's hollow blue eyes. She shifted her gaze down to a new plate that had been swapped for the empty soup bowl she had cleaned well before Ryuko got distracted.
The new dish looked more familiar to Ryuko, though only from old episodes of Chopped that she had binged out of boredom. It was a type of eggs benedict, plated in full five star glory with chives sprinkled across the top and a bright hollandaise artistically splattered across the white plate. When Ryuko cut into the egg on top of English muffin with a butter knife the yolk drooled out across a thick piece of lobster that had been concealed beneath a layer of cooked spinach. She moaned audibly as soon as the flavor of it hit her tongue.
"Do you find the food to your liking, Ryuko dear?" Ragyo drew her name out, all emphasis on the ooo and koh.
"Fuck, this is the best food I think I've ever eaten," she spoke without thinking.
"Oh? Consider this but the appetizer," with an arm so long and lithe Ryuko swore it could wrap around her twice, Ragyo reached out to feed Ryuko a bite from her plate. She took it between her teeth without hesitation. Satsuki made a noise somewhere between choking and puking.
"Well this has been lovely," Satsuki stood up so fast her chair slid across the floor and came to a rest a few feet behind her.
"Come now Satsuki, at least drink your tea before wandering back off to that dreadful hole of yours," with a languid wave of her free palm Ragyo gestured to the full cup of dark liquid that sat beside Satsuki's untouched brunch. "Even you deserve to have a wonderful Sunday."
Even to Ryuko's untrained senses she could feel the predatory malice behind those words. Ragyo's eyes shone like rubies in the stained glass lighting of the room. Ryuko only then realized that the angels depicted in the panes of shimmering glass, in their stunning detail, looked an awful lot like Satsuki. Their countenance all long flowing black hair and stunningly pale skin.
Without a word, Satsuki reached down and picked up the tea between her fingertips. There seemed to pass a tangible vibration of excitement from Ragyo as she did. The buzz of anticipation faded with a "tsk" from Ragyo as Satsuki swapped her teacup with the one that sat beside the other unnamed girl at the table. The girl, still blasting music, the song now "Toxic" by Britney Spears, picked it up without even realizing, and sipped gingerly at it.
"Thank you again for a wonderful brunch Mother, I couldn't be happier to be part of this family," Satsuki spoke, her words drenched in sarcasm, before hastily leaving the dining hall. The double doors she passed through slammed shut behind her.
Ryuko found herself relaxing once her presence had left the room, only to have her anxiety pique again at the feeling of cold fingers spidering across her shoulders. There hadn't been any noise and yet Ragyo stood behind her. An instinct, somewhere deep in Ryuko's psyche, told her to flee. One word continued to cross her mind.
PREY.
"Now, my lovely Ryuko," those fingers, so freezing, so demanding, slipped up the length of her neck and cupped around her chin to tilt her head up. With a firm and wanton lust that Ryuko found intoxicating, Ragyo pressed their lips together. "Shall we move on to the third course?"
"H-how many courses are there going to be?" she managed to sputter.
"Oh, huehue," there was amusement in the way laughter spilled from Ragyo's grinning ruby lips. "My dear, this is a culinary experience. There should never be any fewer than five courses for such."
Ryuko swallowed hard enough for it to be audible. She thought again, and not for the last time that day, that she most certainly had bitten off more than even she could chew.