Tethe'alla was pretty, even prettier at night. Prettier, too, than the one in Raine's memory from when she was just a kid.
Goddess, 'just a kid'. She wasn't even 25 years old yet! But things in her life had aged her so rapidly she felt more like someone's mother than a young woman. And really, hadn't she been a mother to Genis, not to mention Lloyd and Colette? Only Sheena seemed to be roughly close to her in age and disposition.
Add to that this entire World Regeneration quest that now had the five of them hurtling through a dimensional rift and crash-landing on a mountaintop, and pretty much everyone was exhausted. Unfortunately, according to Sheena, they still had a good little hike to make it to the city of Meltokio that no one was prepared to make just yet. Well, poor Colette was quite content to just putter around as an angel for the rest of forever. Just one of fifty different riddles that needed solving. Raine added the angel toxicosis to her mental list of troubling developments.
Also on that list was the fact that Raine was from Tethe'alla to begin with but had been keeping that a secret. And now they were back, though it hardly felt like anything worth celebrating. If things were anything like they had been before, she and her brother were essentially abominations. If any of their family was still around, they were either living in a ghetto or hiding out somewhere. She didn't want to deal with that, not now.
Of course, her thoughts were starting to get away from her. They always did, and she had long since grown used to it, even if no one else had. "Alright, alright, it's obvious we're not going to get any further right now, and I think we'll all feel better after we've had some food and rest."
This was normally cause for celebration, but things were still rather high-tension. So instead, they set up a site for themselves while Colette kept her eerie, silent watch. No one really said very much, and no one was expected to. Raine was actually beginning to believe that she might make it through a full twelve hours without having to deal with some bizarre or exhausting conversation. She was able to sit by the fire, finishing her stew, staring into the flames and letting her mind wander until it finally felt like time for bed.
Well, that had been the plan anyway. Raine had rather assumed Lloyd or Genis would be the one to disturb her contemplation. Instead, it was Sheena who came to settle in next to her. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing. She had some rather wild behavioral patterns, but that meant when she was calm, she could be particularly calm. And nobody was in the mood to be riled up tonight.
"Raine? I was wondering if you had a second to talk. Uh... damn, this is stupid, it's not important. It can wait. I won't bother you."
Well, that was fast. Sheena was already starting to get back up to leave. Raine hurried to set her empty bowl aside and placed a hand on Sheena's shoulder with a warm smile. "With everything that's happened, everything that's going on, I could do with a little small talk. And I bet it's not as stupid as you think."
Sheena managed to get as far as lifting herself up from the log they were using as a seat before plopping back down next to her. "Right. Right, yeah. Hah, thanks." She took a sip of the water in her canteen, fiddling with it as though it might distract her somehow. Despite playing it cool, whatever the matter was, it weighed on her heavily. "At the lake, when we were deciding who would go down to rescue the unicorn. You assumed that neither of us would count as 'maidens'. Why?"
"Oh, well, given the standard biological, legal, and cultural norms, it seemed safe to assume that you wouldn't-"
Sheena held up a hand to stop her before she could prattle on any further. No secret that sometimes Raine allowed herself to hide behind a wall of text so she didn't have to think naturally about whatever was going through her mind. "You and I both know that magic is arbitrary, but not that kind of arbitrary. Let's just cut to it. 'Maiden' is just a pretty term for 'virgin'. Despite our closeness in age, you've clearly had far more experiences than me. And... I guess the fact that you assumed I had done more than I really had, it got to me. I can move like the wind, leap and climb and hide with the best of any of my clan. And now I'm learning how to form pacts with spirits! But I can't... I mean, I've never..." Raine flinched as the ninja growled in frustration and pounded her fist into the log beneath them, actually causing it to splinter slightly. "I slept, I ate, I trained. That was it. But somehow it's because of what I haven't done that I'm worthy of being called 'maiden'?"
The professor let the silence hang for a few moments as she tried to think through it all. She never really expected to have a conversation like this. It was so unpredictable, and that left her swinging in the breeze without any reliable grounding.
So. Perhaps it would be best to simply... speak, for once. It was not her strong suit. But then, Sheena wasn't looking to be impressed, she was looking to be comforted. "I'm sorry, Sheena. I didn't think about how that decision could make you feel. And that's mostly because at the time I was... too focused on hiding myself." Raine paused and swallowed, staring into the fire as though it might give her some life, some confidence. "The fact is... that I had no way of knowing whether or not I would actually count as a maiden or not. From the time I was barely a teen I was looking after Genis. And while it was a full-time job, once he learned to do things like cooking and cleaning, and he knew how to read and teach himself new things, he didn't need me as much. So I thought... maybe I should find someone to be there with us so I could focus more on teaching the other kids and perhaps earning some kind of degree."
Sheena looked at her in surprise, and something in the wideness of her eyes made Raine feel... strange. She wasn't sure what kind of strange, but definitely something. "You wanted to get him a new brother-in-law? Trying to find a Mr. Sage?"
"No. I dated one or two men, but they never felt right. Then, I was out on a study excursion just outside Iselia and I ran into a family of half-elves. They had a daughter my age, Elia, who turned out to be a very enthusiastic learner and she became my assistant. And then my..." Here she cut herself off with a cough as her face began to glow. "Well, she became something more than that. But her family was nomadic and eventually they moved on somewhere else. I had hoped perhaps I might run into them, or at least her, on our travels. But no such luck."
Sheena shook her head, though Raine thought she spied a smile on her lips. "But what does that have to do with the unicorn at Lake Umacy?"
Raine gave a sharp laugh and shifted closer to Raine, not wanting the boys to hear this conversation. "I spent so much time with Elia, and we did a lot together. I didn't want to meet with that creature – a beast who knew nothing about me, my story, my desires, my needs – and be told that I was still a 'maiden'." She spit out that final word with more hatred than she meant to. "So I acted like it was obvious and hid there by the water instead. I'm sorry for that."
The ninja's hand made its way into her own, their fingers twining together. It was strong yet gentle, and it grounded her. She wasn't prepared to let go of that hand any time soon. "It's okay. You couldn't have known, and I couldn't have known. Nobody knew. And considering the way things are going lately, we may have to get used to the experience of not knowing" Sheena's hand squeezed her own softly. "And... so what if you're a maiden! Or if you're not? Raine, you are so smart it's infuriating, and graceful, and beautiful. And strong! And it's completely ridiculous to let yourself be brought low because of this meaningless terminology!"
It was hardly a new thing to see Sheena get angry. But it was pretty nice to find her getting angry on her own behalf. Kind of touching. "So you really spent all that time just training?" Raine's voice was lower now, a kind of breathy whisper. Lloyd and Genis had long since fallen into their usual deep sleeps, and Colette was standing a steadfast guard. But it felt good to have this private moment be as absolutely private as it could be. "Didn't you ever have time for fun and games? To spend an afternoon in a field watching the clouds? Or an evening to go stargazing? Surely there must have been someone in Mizuho, a boy with shimmering eyes and a wicked smile, that was able to distract you at least once?"
Sheena attempted to glare at her, but mostly just looked confused. "Some day we're going to have a conversation about how you know so much of my world." Of course, any frustration that showed on her face was gone soon enough as she came back to the present moment. "But... no. Mizuho is a tiny village, basically one extended family. So for the first 19 years of my life, there was no opportunity. Then, I was given the order to seek out and destroy the Chosen. Only, the Chosen turned out to be a bright-eyed and charming girl being led about by a crew of equally charming bodyguards. I can safely say that this is a first for me."
Raine was almost too distracted focusing on their joined hands to realize that something Sheena said didn't exactly make sense. "This? What this? This what?"
The laugh that followed was wonderful, something rare to be heard from someone who tried so hard to be so stoic. "Growing close to people. Going on a big adventure. Falling for someone..." Raine barely had time to process that either before Sheena was leaning in close and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Even in the dark, it was easy to tell that she was burning alive from embarrassment. Sheena stood, using the hand she was holding to bring Raine up with her. "Look. It's been a crazy day and I think the two of us could use a wash in the river over there."
Well, everyone else was either asleep or spiritually altered by a metaphysical disease, so... Raine smiled and nodded, trailing after her over to where the water burbled past, making the most wonderfully calming sound. However, as they reached the edge of the stream, Raine halted again and their hands finally separated. "I-It's not too deep is it? It's hard to tell in the dark..."
Even though Raine was technically the more 'experienced' of the two, Sheena was capable of great confidence. She shed her clothing so smoothly, so easily, and set it aside after folding it. "I was checking it out earlier, it's just the right depth for bathing. You're going to be fine. We're going to be fine." With steady hands, Sheena started undressing her too, occasionally letting the tips of her fingers brush against her skin as she did so. Each little connection sent shivers along her spine. "It's instincts, by the way. In case you're wondering. I don't have a clue what I'm doing. But I can guess what works. And... this... seems to be working. Feel free to let me know when it's not working anymore."
Sheena's voice was soft and her hands were softer and it was enough to lull her into a sense of actual security for once. With just a little teamwork, she was also freed from her clothing which joined Sheena's on the ground, and then they settled into the water. Though it was definitely cold, Raine tried to let it jolt her into greater awareness. Not only that, but it inevitably provided an excuse for the two women to press in close together for a bit of warmth. After the ninja had shown her so much bravery, Raine knew it was time to take a leap of her own. She reached out and took Sheena's cheeks in her hands and kissed her full on the mouth, sighing happily. It was fiery and electric and soft. No doubt she would remember it for quite some time.
Sheena's hands slipped around her and held her close until it felt as though they were melding into one person. Hands began exploring more and more, and before she really knew what she was doing, Raine was allowing one hand to find its way between Sheena's legs. She drew out one moan and shifted her hand slightly, then drew out another moan, then another and another.
Raine thought she would remain haunted by the uncertainty of whether her desires made her a maiden or a woman. But now she was not so sure it was actually a problem. Sometimes magic could be arbitrary, but the real world was not so cut and dry. She was a woman. She was a maiden. She was both. She was neither. And now she had a partner. Together, she showed Sheena everything she knew – which wasn't so much. The much more exciting part was knowing that they had a great deal left to learn. Together.