Skin Deep
14:02 - Calabria, Italy - Two years post-Totsuki
It's colder than she'd expected it would be. The table is comfortable enough, padded and covered with soft, supple leather. The scent of lavender fills the well-circulated air; the folding doors are drawn back to grant them a full-on view of the sea beyond, soft, semi-translucent curtains drifting lazily in the Mediterranean air. They'd rented out the entire property and its surrounding grounds, so it's perfectly private.
Which would come in handy, as Nakiri Alice is currently laying naked upon aforementioned table, breasts and pert nipples on full display.
"Are you sure about this, Ryou?"
Her high school sweetheart rolls his eyes. "How hard can it be? And, do you want Mozart or Beethoven?"
She hums. "Vivaldi. You know which song to loop."
Ryou does as he's told, then makes his way over to her side. "Ready?"
"No." It took forever to plan for this, and getting all their servants and staffers to leave them alone had been a hellish ordeal in and of itself, but now that they're alone and ready, she's suddenly nervous. It makes no sense – she'd been anticipating it, and she trusts Ryou with her life.
And she loves him. It feels right.
"We don't have to do this, you know." Her former aide is not one for gentleness, but god, he's all but a lamb when he touches her cheek, fingertips brushing the blonde locks from her face. "And it's not like we can't revisit the idea if you think you wanna do it another time."
She shakes her head. "No, don't be silly. We've gone to all this trouble. I'm here, I'm naked." She wriggles a little, making herself comfortable. "Poke me."
He shakes his head, then holds up the tattoo gun. The sketch rests on a table by his side – a stylised scallop shell.
The first dish he'd ever beat her with – the one that had won him her heart.
"It'll hurt," He warns.
"That's okay." And really, it is. "You'll kiss me better after."