Orochi stood outside the ornately engraved door of the Lady Mikoto's chambers, steeling herself for the reprimand she knew awaited her—and not doing a particularly good job at it. Her eyes bore heavy red rings from her anxiously wiping her hands at them. Her tears had finally stopped, but she had no reserves left to quell her sniffling, which echoed through the empty, late-night palace halls loud enough for all to hear, she was sure of it, and still, she couldn't find any way to make herself stop.

Her mother and father were Diviners—who acted fortune tellers, herbalists, and all manner of other mystical roles—her whole family was, going back many generations, and now, she followed in their footsteps. The life of a Diviner could have many accolades, but it often bore far more troubles. When a Diviner prophesized a good portent, they were loved; when they foretold an ill one, they were despised. Such was the lot of Diviners. No matter how necessary their function, no matter how many good fortunes they divulged, all it too was one bad portent—no matter how true!—to turn opinion against them.

And so, here stood Orochi, a young Diviner from a relatively small noble house, who'd been granted the privilege of performing her first divination for the ruler of Hoshido, Lady Mikoto. What an amazing honor! What a sublime privilege!

What an astonishingly foolish girl, who took that honor, performed her ritual, and promptly told Lady Mikoto that she would fall face-first into a fountain before the week was out.

At the thought, Orochi permitted herself a small chuckle. She curved a finger and wiped at the corners of her eyes, dissuading further tears. Well, it was funny, wasn't it? To think of a woman as graceful and delicate as Lady Mikoto hurling herself into one of the palace's many marvelously appointed, expertly carved fountains with a sonorous splash, sending the koi scattering away, soaking her royal dress, and no doubt ruining her hair and make-up. It was so far-fetched and foolish she had to laugh, didn't she?

With a deep breath, Orochi calmed her sniffling. Touching the brass handle to Lady Mikoto's chambers, she steeled herself. Enough crying, enough laughing, enough delaying. You've been summoned, and though the Lady hadn't explicitly said it was a punishment, what else could it possibly be? What's more, she deserved it, saying such a thing out loud, not just to her ruler, but to the entire royal court. It was all but seditious!

Just as she was about to open the door and face her fate, however, Orochi heard a strange sound. The soft drip of water, and the gentle slap of bare feet against a tiled floor. Turning to face the sound, she found herself face to face with the Lady Mikoto, who was…

…absolutely soaking wet from head to toe…

"Forgive my lateness," Lady Mikoto, her lord and ruler, said.

Orochi startled to attention, straightening her posture and taking a step back. "Lady Mikoto!" She said. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Quite all right, I assume you." Without concern, Lady Mikoto began to wring the water from the sleeves of her clothing. The barest hint of a smile began to grow upon her lips. "As to what happened… well now, you should know that better than anyone, shouldn't you?"

A flutter of confusion overcame Orochi—she found herself suddenly, pointedly aware of her lady's dishevelment, and the red flush it brought to her own cheeks. She found herself unable to look away from how the Lady's soaked robes clung to her. Despite the bulkiness of Lady Mikoto's clothing, they did nothing in disguising the curves of her powerful, matronly shape.

"T-the fountain!" Orochi stammered. "My Lady, I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry?" Lady Mikoto asked. Her wise eyes seemed sly. "Whatever for?"

"F-for my…" Orochi swallowed, glancing away as her fingers unconsciously twisting at one of the bracelets that adorned her wrists. "It's… what I predicted would happen, this morning."

Lady Mikoto released a gentle, maternal chuckle. "And?"

Orochi shifted on her feet, glancing away as the embarrassment overtook her in full. "A-and, I…"

"That's quite enough dithering." Lady Mikoto seemed to have no time to waste on Orochi's dithering. With the heavenly grace of her divine lineage, she lifted Orochi's chin with two delicate fingers, encouraging the young woman to look directly into her royal eyes. "Unless you're going to confess to shoving me into that fountain yourself, that'll be the last apology we hear from you tonight, am I understood?"

Swallowing against the burning in her cheeks, Orochi gave a halting nod.

"Now then…" Lady Mikoto lifted an arm, examining her dripping clothing. She pulled her fingers through the dampness of her long, black hair, releasing a mild sigh. "I suppose fulfilling your prediction this late at night saved me the embarrassment of doing it in front of the watchful eyes of my courtiers, but next time, will you consider planning your ill omens for midday? At least as far as those involving impromptu baths are concerned? I'm soaking wet, and all my maids have retired for the evening."

Before she could stop herself, Orochi replied with a giggle. Eyes wide, she quickly realized what she'd done and slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle herself. Quickly, she stood to attention, hoping to hurry past this lapse in manners. "My lady, allow me to summon one of them!"

Already she was turning to go, but she'd hardly taken her first step before the gentle hand of Lady Mikoto rested upon her shoulder. A shudder of warning passed through her. That's right, she'd almost forgotten…

As Orochi turned again to face her lady, her heart sank inch by inch, remembering the reason for her summoning—she was going to be punished for her impudence, perhaps doubly so, now that she had giggled—giggled!—in the face of her lady's misfortune. Even so, she struggled to hold her chin high. She wouldn't show weakness, it was unbecoming of a noble—even a minor one like she.

"That won't do at all. In the time you took to rouse them, I'd likely catch a chill. Could I prevail upon you for your assistance?"

Orochi froze like a rabbit in a snare—though, in this case, the tenderness of her Lady's touch seemed like a pleasant snare to young Orochi; perhaps a velvet one, or some other soft, comfortable material one could fall into, lose themselves in. Turning her head to look at Lady Mikoto over her shoulder, Orochi blinked. "Y-yes, absolutely!"

With an unhurried pace, Lady Mikoto took the brass handle and opened to the door to the chamber, standing aside and allowing Orochi to enter. Taking her first timid steps onto the room's immeasurably plush carpet, Orochi found herself almost unable to go any further, so awed was she by her lady's royal chamber. The room was perfectly appointed in every way. Its bed, hearth, sitting chairs, and tables spoke of a cultured style. Nothing gaudy, nothing ostentatious, there was something like an aura of elegance emanating from the perfect, yet unpretentious, furnishings. A quiet fire crackled in the hearth. Without hesitant or hurry, Lady Mikoto took Orochi's hand and led her to the fire. Once they were situation, she spread her arms wide and waited for Orochi's attentions.

Only then did Orochi come to her senses, blinking. "I've… I'm sorry, my lady, I've never acted as a servant before." Her fingers toyed with the tassels tying off the front of her clothing, woefully poor compared to the fine, white robes that Lady Mikoto was draped in—even soaking wet, with her dark hair plastered to her face, the queen and her raiment radiated a wealth of certainty and luxury Orochi could never hope to obtain—perhaps it would even be prideful to do so. "P-perhaps I should go fetch your maids after all? I'm afraid I'd only—"

Lady Mikoto silenced Orochi with a soft press of her fingers against her lips. Smiling, she said, "Your queen made of a request of you, dear."

Orochi found herself dazed, her clumsy fingers undoing the ties of Lady Mikoto's heavy clothing. Often, it took her several attempts until she could curb the nervous shaking of her hands to undo some of the more difficult, intricate knots that held the lady's royal garb in place. The robe opened, just a touch, and the soft swell of Lady Mikoto's breasts were visible. Her heart seemed to beat faster and faster with each knot undone. Her trembling only worsened, and she struggled to find a place to look that would allow her to focus on her task while avoiding the gradual exposure of her lady's body that was causing her pulse to surge all the way up to her ears.

Just as Orochi thought her heart was sure to explode, Lady Mikoto gave a simple shrug of her shoulders, and her clothing slipped from her body graceful as falling water, and pooling an the floor around her ankles.

Orochi took a breath, seeing her ruler unclothed before her. Now bare except for her underthings, Lady Mikoto showed nothing less than her usual, superlative confidence. Sensing Orochi's hesitation, she lifted a hand, trailing it gently through the younger woman's tied-off hair, behind her ear, and over her cheek, tilting her head so her shirking, bashful gaze meet her eye to eye. "There's a comb on the table, will you get it for me please?"

Orochi stumbled forward in her trance, happy for the excuse to break eye contact with her lady, thinking it might slow the frantic beating of her heart. Of course it did not. With shaking fingers, she picked up the comb—a plain, simple piece of white bone and some simply cut jade—and returned to the hearth, finding Lady Mikoto already sitting cross-legged in front of if. Her long hair spilled down her back in curious tangles. Even in her underthings, just a thin shift, she was unspeakably beautiful, but she seemed distracted, her face caught in a look of quiet melancholy as she regarded the first. Orochi took yet another pause, and cursed her ongoing fearfulness.

Lady Mikoto looked up, and the momentary sadness washed from her face, replaced with a genial smile. "Have a seat."

And so, Orochi did—though she decided it would be more appropriate to kneel. Lifting the comb slowly as if it weighed a thousand pounds, Orochi tried to think of how one manages to a queen's royal hair. Of course, she had tended to her mother's many times, but this was, obviously, quite a different scenario. Lady Mikoto gave her no indication, no sign, of how she should proceed, and Orochi thought it would be uncouth even to ask. Best just to do whatever she could. Cautious as a field mouse, she lifted a bit of Lady Mikoto's glorious hair, drawing the comb through it deliberately as she could manage.

Nervousness shook her hands almost to bits, but she tried to be precise. The popping of logs in the fire and the slow breathing of her queen provided a soundtrack to her effort. At first, she worked out each tangle awkwardly, but soon found her rhythm. Eventually, bit by bit, she relaxed. This would prove to be her downfall. As she gained confidence, her pace quickened, and the comb stuck in Lady Mikoto's hair with a sharp tug, drawing a sound of discomfort from the queen. Orochi gasped. "Lady Mikoto, I'm so sorry!"

Orochi spent the next few seconds in dread as Lady Mikoto turned to face her. She flinched as the lady's hand raised, but her cowering was for naught, as she found the queen's palm resting gently against her upper leg, applying a soft pressure. "We'll find have to curb that bad habit of yours."

Dumbfounded, her legs followed along with this encouragement, and Orochi took a seat at her queen's tacit request. "Bad habit, my lady?" she asked.

Lady Mikoto made a mirthful sound. "Orochi, you apologize entirely too much."

"You… know my name?"

"Well, I'd hardly forget the name of the promising young Diviner who made such an impactful debut in front of the entire royal court." A look of affection passed over Lady Mikoto's countenance. "Why do you think I summoned you here tonight?"

A whimper of worry found its way through her, but Orochi resolved herself to stand firm. Clearing her throat, Orochi said, "Lady Mikoto, to preserve the honor of my family and my ancestors, I am ready to face whatever punishment you deem appropriate for my impudence."

"Punishment?" Lady Mikoto blinked, her head canted to the side as she drew her fingers through her long, damp, dizzyingly black hair, straightening it. "Whatever do you mean? What reason would I have to punish you?"

"Because I… because of what I…" Orochi blinked. "I-I said such a terrible thing about you. I spoke with such gall, in front of the whole court!"

"Ah, so that's why I came upon you crying outside my door…"

Orochi looked away, drawing her lower lip into her mouth and biting down on it. She nodded.

"Orochi, I didn't summon you here tonight to punish you." Done straightening her hair for the moment, Lady Mikoto folded her hands in her lap, impossibly poised, even half-naked and damp as she was. "I summoned you here because I was so impressed by your bravery that I simply had to meet you personally."

"Bravery?" Orochi asked. "But I… gave you such an awful prediction."

"You told an unflattering truth without restraint, which requires not gall, but courage. This morning, I saw a young woman—in front of her liege and all the royal court—display more courage in one moment than many Diviners twice her age have shown in their entire lives. I imagine the nobles will be murmuring about that prediction of yours for years to come." She reached up with conviction, cupping Orochi's cheek and drawing her near. "Why, I'd even say you made quite a "splash" this morning."

After a momentary pause, Lady Mikoto gave a brief, very un-royal snort of laugher. Despite herself, Orochi found herself replying in kind, and a smile crept its way across her lips. The pun hovered in the air between them like a bubble, burst by their mirth, as the two descended into a shared laughter, unrestrained by class and unconcerned of station. After several seconds, Orochi managed to calm herself, wiping tears of a different sort from the corners of her eyes.

Likewise, Lady Mikoto quieted herself, appearing prim and proper once more, the moment passed. A soft shiver rolled through her bare shoulders, and she sighed. "I'll catch a chill in this weather…" She glanced towards the window, to the starry night outside. "Ah, but the hour's grown late, and I've consumed so much of your evening already, I couldn't ask upon you further."

Orochi noticed the flush of her cheeks, she felt dizzy, and it was almost as if she could still feel Lady Mikoto's hand resting upon her cheek. "Please, my lady, I'm happy to assist you any way you need!"

To this, Lady Mikoto nodded in her regal way. "Well, when you put it that way…" Placing a hand around Orochi's, she stood, and Orochi followed suit, then, she hooked her arm at the elbow. "Then will you escort me to the royal baths, my dear?"

At the question, Orochi bristled with a confidence like she'd never felt before. Despite the dizziness in her head and the butterflies in her stomach, she felt blazing, alive, and powerful. Setting her lips into a firm line, she nodded, and hurried to take the arm of her ruler.