Author's Note: Back with another one! I worked on this for a solid 10 hours yesterday, so it might be littered with errors. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it, and please review, because I know ADamnGoodName isn't the only one that reads this!

Just a warning, dark themes come up later in the chapter. It's not all smiles and sunshine anymore, folks.

Songs: Multiple. Not one fits the entire chapter. A part of it fits with I'd do Anything for Love by Xandria, another The Letter (Go Album Version) by Newsboys

I woke up to the sound of a low rumbling outside, stirring me from my slumber. Last night's sleep had been perfect, and I felt well rested and ready for the day to start. It was 8:00, and I still had to get ready for the Winter Solstice ball that was due to start in a mere two hours.

I climbed out of bed, and began getting ready. The stage manager would need my concert order a half hour before we were scheduled to begin, leaving me only an hour to get dressed, freshen up, and make it to the ballroom in time. And eat, I told myself. Eating is good. I was given a short lunch break halfway through so that I wouldn't be starving by the end, however, that was 6 hours away, and I wasn't going to make it that long.

I poured myself a bowl of Gangplank Crunch, taking it a spoonful at a time. After spending essentially the last 48 hours with company, it felt uncomfortable eating a meal alone again. I looked forward to being with Leona and Phina again today. Leona would have to be there the entire time, even though she was only there for the one song, but I'm sure she would be allowed to go out onto the floor between runs. From our shopping trip yesterday, Phina also made it sound like she would be there the entirety of the ball, which was rather unusual, not that I was complaining. I was eager to see her in all the gowns she'd bought yesterday.

I walked over to the bathroom to prepare for the day. They'd installed a brand new lighting system in the ballroom this year, and I'd been warned that if I didn't put on some makeup, I'd look very washed out up on stage. I applied a foundation all across my face, and some blush to my cheeks, which had the combined effect of slightly darkening my rather pale skin. It looked a little fake, but I knew that it would help on stage. Finally, I completed the look with some cherry lipstick, smacking my lips together with a 'pop'. Wow Sona, you don't look half bad like this.

Next up was the outfit. I slipped off my pajamas, careful not to let any of the fabric touch my face. I took another good look at the dress I picked out yesterday. The crimson fabric looked just as enticing now as it had in the store yesterday. I stepped into the dress, carefully pulling the fabric up my legs, and past my waist, fastening it onto place at the shoulder. The folds of the material accented my natural curves, drawing attention to my midsection. No wonder Phina picked it out for me, she's going to enjoy seeing this all day.

Lastly came the hair. I decided against doing my usual deal, the twin ponytails feeling slightly too childish given the apparel I was wearing. I ran a curling iron swiftly through the locks, trying to smooth it out so that I could do something with it. However, given the amount of hair that I would have to work with, I just simply didn't have enough time to do anything fancy. I worked the entire length into a very loose braid, the tip of which was halfway down my thigh. Satisfied with my appearance, I grabbed the concert order and my etwahl, and headed outside.

Just as Leona had predicted, dark gray clouds filled the sky overhead. Another rumble came from above, as it looked like it was going to start pouring at any moment. I better go wake Leona up. I had firsthand experience now with Leona's sleeping habits, and I knew that she was not going to be awake right now. I hurried over to her house, and knocked on the door. "Leona, it's me. I know you aren't awake yet, so hop to it."

Much to my surprise, the warrior emerged from her house only moments later, poking her head out the door. "I'll have you know that I set my alarm just to make sure I was up. I'm almost ready, so just give me a few minutes." She invited me in, and I plopped down on the couch. Leona was in the bathroom, struggling to get her dress on. I went up to go help her, but she shooed me away. "Just give me a second, I've almost got it." She gave the fabric another tug, and it slipped into place around her. She tapped on the amulet adorning her neck, and the modified golden armor sprung to life, adorning the dress as if it were meant to be. She smiled at me. "See? All good."

I contemplated trying to get the warrior to put on at least a little makeup, but decided against it. Leona' skin was already naturally tanned, but even so, she was already out of her comfort zone enough for today. The two of us started off towards the ballroom.

"So, about that note you left on my counter yesterday. Is that really all it'll take?" I gave her a puzzled look, but then remembered. The color drained from my face as I remembered what I had written on it, embarrassment overcoming me.

"Oh, uh, that. I was mad at you at the time for revealing me to Phina, and I wanted to get you back. Kind of stupid, now that I think about it. However, to answer your question, it'll take a lot more than that, so don't get your hopes up", I teased.

"I assumed as much. Besides, now that it looks like you and Phina are a thing, I'll leave you to that." She didn't show a hint of sarcasm on her face, and I got a little nervous. Was Leona developing feelings for me?

"So, what if we weren't a thing? Were you seriously considering taking me up on that offer? It was just a joke, and a really bad one at that."

She looked me in the eyes. "Not seriously, no. I just thought it might be funny, since you were so self-conscious about it yesterday. I'm female too, Sona. We've all got the same parts." She tried to poke my chest as to prove a point, but I playfully swatted her hand away.

"Okay thanks. I thought you were coming onto me for a moment back there, and you had me worried."

She stopped on the sidewalk, and put her hands on her hips, acting insulted. "And what if I was, hmm? How would you react to that?"

I was taken aback by the question, extremely unsure as to how to react. "Well, I'd have to think about it. I can't just dive into something like that without thinking it through first."

"Well, you sure didn't seem to think things through much with Phina yesterday."

So that's what this is about, I thought. "Leona, are you jealous? That doesn't seem like you at all."

"Well I'm not jealous, I'm worried. Phina's been like a little sister to me pretty much our whole lives. I don't want you taking advantage of her, because I've seen it happen before."

"Leona, you know me, and you know I would never do something like that! Phina's a very special person, and I intend to treat her as such. Also, what happened to her mother?"

"She died during childbirth, Sona. I'd recommend not asking her about that one, for obvious reasons. And yes, I do believe you. She's grown up now, as we both can tell, and I'm more than alright with you two being in a relationship. But if you hurt her, I'll - "

"I won't, Leona. I promise you that I will make her happy. By the way, if you say you didn't want me taking advantage of her, why was it that you repeatedly tried to tease me about it the whole day?"

The Solari gave a smirk. "Oh, I was just testing you, nothing more. So far, you've done quite well. C'mon, we need to get to the ballroom."

Well, I'm glad that's over with. We continued our walk towards the hall, making up for lost time. Leona had nothing to worry about. Even though it seemed like I had nothing to fear, part of me was still worried that she would still be the volatile person I'd bumped into the first night, and I didn't want to get too attached just in case.

We arrived at the concert hall, the last minute preparations still very much underway. Floors were being swept, lights were being adjusted, and tables were being brought out for the attendees of the festivities. I guided Leona over to the stage manager's office, where I found him, barking orders at a multitude of workers, trying to get things ready. He saw me, and ushered me into his office.

"Glad to see you, Sona. Listen, I've got some news for you this year. We've found another group that really wanted to perform this year, and we agreed to let them have at least a little bit of the time. How much are you willing to let them have?"

I was elated. I'd never been able to dance at one of the balls, because I was always asked to perform the full time. This would be my first year being out of the spotlight, and it couldn't have been better timed. I wanted to give them as much time as I possibly could, but I also didn't want Leona to feel cheated out of the show. I motioned to the director to give me a moment, and I stepped outside to consult with the Solari.

"Leona, I've got excellent news. They've found a group that wants to perform this year. I'm being asked when I'd be willing to let them take the stage, and I want to consult with you. Personally, I want to give them the full time, but I'd be willing to do one 3-hour run in the evening, if you want."

"Whatever you'd like, Sona. I'm not the one that would have been trapped up stage the whole day anyways, so I'll go with whatever you'd like. I can tell you're really torn up about the fact that you get the chance to dance with Phina", she mocked. It was true, I was having a really hard time hiding my excitement. I went back in, and let the manager know that I'd take the 4:00 to 7:00 time.

"Only want to do closing? Alright, whatever you'd like. I'll bring them in for the opener then." I exited his office, now positively brimming with excitement. I'd always wanted to dance, but I'd never had a partner to dance with. Hopefully Phina isn't some ballroom goddess, because I don't have a clue as to how to dance.

Leona could see my elation, and chuckled. "Calm down there, Sona, you look like you're about to burst. I'm glad you're excited, though."

"Leona, I can't help it! However, I do have to ask. How good is Phina at dancing? I don't want to look like a fool next to her."

"Oh, trust me, you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. I might have to give both of you some lessons though, if we're going to have to be here the whole day." She gave a slight twirl to accent her point, the bottom of her dress billowing out as she did so.

I gave her a look of utter disbelief. "Oh please. You, a dancer? Give me a break. You look like you wouldn't even know your right foot from your left one!"

She gave me an offended look, and scoffed. "I don't know much, but I'm competent, I assure you." I rolled my eyes at the Solari, and we headed outside. Now that we weren't technically working at the start, we weren't supposed to be inside, and had to wait to get in like everyone else. Outside, people were already forming a line to get in, even though there was almost a half hour before we would be allowed to enter. We got in the back of the line, more people piling in behind us.

I started getting nervous as we waited. I began playing with my hair, tugging at the fabric of my dress, anything, just to keep my hands occupied. Leona grabbed my hands, and looked me in the eyes. "Sona, calm down. You look perfect, and she's going to think so as well. Just calm down, the doors will open soon." She's right Sona, you're really working yourself up over this. I sat still for long enough, and the doors finally opened. People rushed through the doors, eager to begin the festivities.

As we made our way inside, I took in all the decorations. Wreaths had been put up all over the place, and bells hung at various points on the ceiling. The entire room was overflowing with Snowdown cheer, as people continued filing into the place. As the room slowly began to fill up, I heard the voice of my favorite Solari behind me.

"Well well well, I think I could get used to seeing you in that little number. I don't think 'cutie' does you justice anymore." I turned around towards the sound of the voice, Phina having snuck up behind me. "Oh, the front view is much more satisfying than the back." She cocked her head, before resuming. "Wait a second, why are you down here? I thought you're supposed to be up there." She pointed towards the stage, which had been set up with a soundboard. The musicians hadn't arrived yet, but they still had a few minutes.

I wanted to respond to her, but I didn't have my writing supplies with me. I didn't have a place to store it on the dress, and I hadn't wanted to carry it around all day. Thankfully, Leona saved me, noticing my predicament. "We're going to be doing the evening bit only. They found a substitute group that really wanted to perform this year, and we let them have it. In fact, here they come now."

The entire audience looked towards the stage, as the two musicians took the stage. "Hello everyone, and thank you all so much for the opportunity to perform for you. We are Warsong, and we're just two summoners that want to share our love for music with you. We're going to intersperse some classic Snowdown tunes with our regular works, so we hope you all enjoy, and have a happy Snowdown!" With that, they turned to their instruments, and let the dancing begin. They were an electronica duet, the one that spoke to us on the soundboard, while his friend performed on a keyboard. It was a very lively tune, much different than I had expected.

I turned back to Phina, soaking in the marvelous beauty that stood before me. She had started the day off with a very traditional little-black-dress, the tight fabric hugging her developing form. She drew closer to me, and held out her hand. "Shall we dance?" I took the invitation, and we walked over to the edge of the floor. We attempted to dance to the music, but began realizing that we both were clueless. Leona found us a few minutes later, and offered her hand.

"Would you like to take me up on the offer, Sona? I don't have a date to this thing, so I've got nothing else to do, really." I took it, and she started teaching me the basics. "Alright, so you're going to put your right hand on my shoulder, and Phina, you'll put your left hand on her waist. Now, Phina, you're going to take the lead, and Sona, you're going to follow her. Always start with your left foot. Let's practice." She took me slowly through the motions, as I grew accustomed to the steps. "You're getting the hang of it really fast Sona. Phina, you're turn."

She disengaged with me and went over to the priestess. The assumed the same position I was, except that Phina took the leading position. "Now Phina, it's a little harder for you, because you're going to have to tell me what to do. Use your body, and you should find it fairly easy." Phina began the steps, having difficulty with the movements.

"I'm sorry Leona, it just feel strange with you. Can I try it with Sona, and you direct us for a bit?" Leona nodded, and let go. Phina came over to me, and held my hand. I felt her warm touch on my hip, and I placed my hand on her shoulder. She looked me in the eyes, and reached up and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I'm glad that we get to spend the day together I was worried I'd have to spend the entire day watching you from afar.", she whispered into my ear. I blushed at her comment, desperately wishing I respond with more than just a smile.

"Alright you two, at least wait for me to be gone first. Phina, go ahead and try." Phina took a step that I wasn't prepared for, and we crashed into each other. I could feel her body press against mine in the brief second before she reset.

"Sorry about that one, I'll count off this time. Alright, three, two, one." We began moving in sync to our own rhythm, oblivious to the other people around us. We weren't doing anything fancy, just a simple four-count step ad infinitum, but the satisfaction was unimaginable. Out of nowhere, she held let go of my waist, and I instinctively did a spin, having seen the move done so many times in films growing up. I returned back to her, and embracing her in a tight hug. I was having the time of my life, and I wanted to show it to her however I could. She accepted the embrace. "Count me surprised. I expected you to mess up on that last move." I gave her a playful smack on the back.

"Alright, well you two seem to have gotten the basics down, so I'll leave you alone. I'll be outside getting a breath of fresh air if you need me." Leona walked off, leaving us to ourselves. We held the embrace, swaying back and forth to the upbeat music being performed by Warsong. Phina finally released the embrace, and looked me in the eyes, the golden irises melting me inside.

"We've got all day, let's make good use of it. I'm going to have to change in a half hour, so whaddya want to do?" I placed her hand on my waist, and reached for her other hand. She smiled as I put my hand on her shoulder. "Whatever you say, Sona." We spent the next while dancing to the music, trying out new techniques to spice up the dancing.

As we were nearing the end of one of the slower songs, she dipped me down. I arched my back, finding the classic pose much more arousing than I had expected. As she pulled me back up, I hungrily brought her head to mine, coming in for a kiss. Phina accepted the offer, immediately plunging her tongue into my mouth. She expertly maneuvered the pink appendage, as I succumbed to the lust. I thrust my tongue out, matching her move-for-move, and she let out a deep purr from her depths. Our muscles coiled and played with each other, as we dove deeper into the kiss. We released, panting heavily.

"I've been waiting on that for a while. I've been a hot mess the entire time, but you seemed composed, so I didn't want to push things." She looked down at her dress. The fabric was showing signs of strain, and it looked like it was about to go. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go change. I think you'll find the next one to your liking." She gave me a wink, and slid away. I headed outside to go talk to Leona.

I found the warrior against the side of the building, looking up into the clouds. "You really should come inside, it's way more fun than being all alone out here."

She looked over to me, a sad look on her face, and shook her head. "I want you two to enjoy today, and after our talk this morning, I don't want you to feel pressured to act a certain way. She likes you for you, Sona. I'd only make things awkward." I didn't want to see her like this.

"You're coming inside, and you're going to enjoy it!" I took a hold of her hand, and playfully started pulling her towards the entrance. I couldn't even begin to move the warrior, but she conceded, and walked with me inside. "At least have some fun. If you're going to be here for another five hours, at least try and enjoy yourself."

Right as we walked in, Pantheon approached us. He was in his battle regalia, either not realizing, or not caring, that there was an unspoken dress code. "Greetings, Chosen of the Sun. I was preparing to leave, however, I would like to dance with you, if you'd allow it." Leona smiled at the Artisan of War, and offered her hand.

"And here I was getting bored. Yes, I'd be happy to." Pantheon took the Solari in his chiseled arms, and the two strode off to the stage.

"Looks like you found what you were looking for." Leona turned her head and rolled her eyes at me, but then wrapped her arms around Pantheon, looking forward. I walked back over to where I'd left Phina, but found that she hadn't returned yet. I walked over to the food court, and grabbed some hors' d'oeuvres to pass the time. As I walked back to the dance floor, I spotted her from a distance, and the sight took my breath away.

She was wearing a flaming red dress, and it left very little to the imagination. It had a deep 'V' in the front, reaching to the smallest point in her waist. Excess fabric hung from the 'V', piling up around her midsection, serving only to attempt to draw away from her enticing curves, but it was to no avail. The fabric just barely made it to her thighs, which pushed against the tight fabric, begging to be set free. Higher up, the fabric did little to hide the dramatic swell of her breasts, the skin practically spilling out of the top, with nothing but a metal strip around her bust to prevent it from actually doing so. It continued upwards, into a strap that wrapped around the back of her neck, preventing the entire entity from falling down.

My eyes ignited with lust at the spectacle, who had yet to notice me. I crept up on her, which proved extremely difficult to do in heels. As I got within ten feet of her, she spotted me, and strutted closer. "I technically could have worn this all day, but I felt like it'd have the greatest impact now. How do you like it?"

I wanted to tell her everything. I didn't like it, I loved it. I couldn't get enough of it. That she should stop worrying about trying to impress me and just be herself. That she didn't have to worry about what she looked like, because it didn't matter. But I couldn't. I just looked up at her and nodded, forcing myself to keep the thoughts buried, because they didn't matter if I couldn't express them. I pawed at the fabric, feeling her toned skin beneath the silky folds. She put both her hands on my waist, and I let out a silent mewl at the feeling of her touch. Sona, what has gotten into you? My entire being longed for Phina, reaching out for her, but not reaching far enough. I couldn't express my feelings for her, as she continued pleasantly holding me, and it was ripping me apart. I have to get out of here. The disparity was eating at me, and I needed to rectify the situation. I grabbed the priestess by the hand, and dragged her outside. "Sona, what are you doing?"

We got outside, and as soon as I noticed that nobody was around, everything inside me unwound. I sunk my hands into the thick flesh of her ass, letting out a sigh of relief. This had been building up inside of me for the past two days, and it finally felt good to let it all out.

"Woah there cutie, slow down. I'm all for PDA, so long as it stands Private Display of Affection. I gave her a dumb look. You honestly expect me to believe that, after you teased me to no end outside yesterday? I started moving my hands up her figure aiming for her breasts, but she reached out to stop me. "Sona stop, you're making me feel really uncomfortable! I know I said I'd be willing to do anything, but I can't do this. It just doesn't feel right." I begrudgingly dropped my hands to my sides. Good job Sona, it hasn't even been one day and you're already messing things up. I sunk down into the grass for several minutes, the guilt welling up inside me. Phina dropped down beside me, and wrapped her arms around me. "C'mon Sona, let's go back inside. You've still got five hours until you're on call and I want to make them special for you."

I didn't want to get up, but I did. I followed her back to the dance floor, averting eye contact. I had tried to treat her like an object, when she was so much more than that. If Leona had been there, I wouldn't hear the end of it after already breaking the promise I'd made only three hours ago. We spent the next three hours silently swaying back and forth to the beats of the music. Phina kept trying to cheer me up, give me a little twirl, but nothing worked. Just yesterday Phina had come to the realization that it takes a heart to get a heart, and yet here I was today making the same basic mistake. I couldn't forgive myself, no matter how many encouraging words she offered.

"Sona, I have to go change. Please cheer up, okay? You're making me sad." With that, she again departed to the dressing rooms, leaving me alone. I went to take a seat at one of the vacant tables on the far side of the room, watching all the guests dance their hearts out. Leona found me, and took a seat next to me.

"You look terrible, Sona. Tell me, what happened."

"Leona, I messed up. I started getting way too physical with her, and she had to tell me to stop. I ruined it, Leona. She fell into my life, and I ruined it." I burst out in tears, the emotions pouring forth. I buried my head into the table, not wanting the Solari to see me like this. I could tell she was mad at me, and I tensed as her words bit into my flesh.

"You don't get to give up Sona. Yeah, you messed up bigtime, but that doesn't give you the right to throw your hands in the air and sulk about it. You go up to her, and you make things right. You're not getting out of this."

"I can't talk to her Leona! That's what caused this mess in this first place. I can't tell her that I'm sorry, or that I didn't realize, or that I love her, or that -"

"You what? Alright Sona, go. If you actually meant those words, then the fact that you're sitting down right here in your pity party needs to change right now. If you actually love her, you'll find another way to speak to her." The warrior pulled me up, the strong arms easily overcoming my weight, and set me up straight. "Go, and don't come back to me until you've made her happy."

I grabbed a few napkins on my way back to the crowd, and found a stray pencil lying on the floor, the logo on it matching one that I saw on the workers earlier this morning. Good enough. I wouldn't be able to express myself without words, even though Leona thought otherwise. I started writing out my feelings on the shoddy paper, the words coming out scratchy and broken, much like I was.

"I'm sorry Phina, I've failed you. I treated you like a whore, and you're better than that. You're better than me, and I think it's best if you move on. I can't be the perfect person that you deserve. I can't ever promise you that I'd treat you with the reverence that you deserve. Go brighten other people's lives like you have mine. I'm sure there's someone out there that can do you right."

The tears poured down my cheeks as I finished the last sentence, barely keeping myself together. I didn't want this, but I knew it was the only way. I didn't want to mess up again and hurt her; I'd never forgive myself. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and I walked back into the crowd on the dance floor, searching for the priestess. I found her, huddled off in a corner, alone. I walked up behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Sona, I'm -" I stuck the napkins in her face, not wanting to draw the pain out any longer. She took them from me, a puzzled expression on her face, until she noticed the writing on them. She folded it open and began reading. I could see tears welling up in her eyes as she scanned the item, and I lost it again. She crumpled up the napkin and threw it at her feet.

"Sona, don't you get it? I never wanted you to be perfect, I want you because you're you! I'm not leaving you, not now and not ever. You're what I want and you can't make me change my mind about that." I didn't get it. She could find anyone in the entire world, and yet she chose me, and still does, even after I'd treated her like trash. "I made a mistake yesterday, and you forgave me. Let me do the same for you today. I want to make things right, even though I can tell you can't understand why right now."

I finally made eye contact with her. As soon as I looked into her golden eyes, and saw the sincerity with which she spoke, I was immediately sure of one thing. She loves me too. If she was willing to put up with me right now, then there was no doubt in my mind. Had it been fast? Absolutely, but that didn't matter anymore. I was determined to show her that I was better than this, and right my wrong. I gingerly wrapped my arms around, embracing the priestess tenderly. "Oh come on Sona, I know that you can do better than that." She embraced me tightly and lifted me up in the air just a few inches, taking advantage of her height while she still had it. I clung on for dear life, the action catching me off guard. "That's better. Now don't let go. Ever." I dutifully obeyed, holding her for as long as I possibly could, until she eventually had to pry me off of her.

"Now doesn't that feel good? Come on, let's dance." She put her hand on my waist, this time holding me much closer than before. As we began dancing along to the fast beat, the closer position felt completely different. I could feel every minute movement of her body as we drifted around and around, and drew even closer to her, practically touching her. She smiled at me, and threw me out for a twirl. As I drew back in towards her, she surprised me by sweeping me off my feet, holding me tightly as the song came to a close. I strained my head to look back at her, and she pulled me back up and set me down. "Isn't that better? I'd love to stay and do this all day with you, but you've got a performance to go do." I looked up at the clock found that, indeed, I had five minutes until I had to take the stage. I gave her a quick hug goodbye, wishing that it could last forever. I went back over to the tables, and found Leona sitting where I'd left her an hour and a half ago, looking bored out of her mind.

"Alright Leona, it's our time to shine. You ready?"

"Sona, please tell me that you've sorted things out with Phina. But yes, I'm ready."

"Don't worry Leona, she sobered me up immediately. I can't say much this time to show my sincerity, but I promise to you that I'll try and do better."

She looked at me, and nodded. "That's all I wanted you to say, Sona. I don't expect you to be perfect, all I expect is that you try. Now, with that out of the way, we need to give these people a show that they'll never forget. And by we, I mean mostly you." She chuckled, but came up with me anyways. Fire and Ice was one of the first songs I'd put on the list, so she decided to just wait up there with me. We waited backstage, as Warsong finished up their final song.

"Alright everyone, thank you for having us. Next up, to finish off the evening, it's the Institute's very own. Please welcome Sona!" They walked backstage, and we stepped into the limelight to a deafening applause. I smiled and waved at everyone, and immediately kicked off the evening.

The hours flew by faster than I had expected. About halfway through, I rolled my eyes, as I saw Phina head back off to the changing room for the third time that day, returning back with her final dress for the evening, a purple gown that would complement her soon-purple hair. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, happy that the problems of the day just might turn out to be water under the bridge.

Leona did her part flawlessly. I had half expected her to clam up when she got in front of the large crowd, but she seemed to not even notice it. The crowd seemed to enjoy the piece for sure, actually stopping at the end of it to give a short applause.

As the night finally drew to a close, I plucked the final notes on my etwahl, the resounding chord ending the performance. I headed for backstage. I received payment for the performance, depositing the gold in a magical pouch that I kept stored away. Not wanting to get caught up in the throngs of people leaving through the main doorway, I took the backstage exit into an alleyway on the other side of the building. As soon as I stepped outside the building, two dark figures emerged from the shadows.

"Well well there, missy. Aren't you looking all fancy? You look like you got lots of money on ya."

"Yeah, so here's how we're gonna do things. Either you give us the money right now, and you walk away, or you be stupid, and we have to take it from you. What's it gonna be, little lady?"

I reached up a hand to my etwahl to play a spell, but they caught me. "Now now now, not so fast. We know about that little magic harp thing of yours."

I froze my hand where it was, but slowly started moving my other hand towards the instrument. If I can just play one note, these punks will be gone.

They noticed my plan milliseconds before I was able put it in action. One of them slugged me in the chest, and I fell to the ground. "Now what I tell you about your instrument? Now we gotta do things the hard way, and you ain't gonna like the hard way."

Their lecherous hands made my way towards my bosom, roughly grabbing me. As the one molested me, the other started searching for my wallet, which I had tucked into the folds of the dress. As his hands roamed my body, he finally felt the lump from where I had hid it. "Here it is. Help me get this damned thing"

I screamed out in my mind "Leona, Help!", hoping that she'd be able to find me. As they roughly tore at the fabric, they grabbed the pouch, and stuffed it in their pockets.

"Alright man, we got her money. Let's go before we get caught!"

"We got time. She can't say anything, so how is someone suppose to find us if they don't know to go looking?" Besides, she's awfully pretty." With that, he ripped the clasp on the shoulder of my dress off, and exposed my breasts to the night air. His hands grabbed me, violently tugging on one of my breasts. "Oh yeah, those are some knockers!"

The other one stooped down to examine me. "Hell yeah they are, let me in on the fun!" He, too, began groping me. I wanted to scream, shout, run, anything, but I couldn't. Their hands were hurting me, and I was pinned to the ground.

One of the men ripped the dress all the way off of me, exposing my entire self to the cold air. He pried my legs apart as I shook my head, tears of fear now streaming down my face, as he plunged two fingers into me. "Oh yeah, I bet you like that too, you little slut!"

My entire body ached as the two men continued raping me, their hands continuing to plunder my body. I tried to struggle, but they elbowed me back into the ground. "Stay down and take it whore." The man's hand pistoned in and out of me rapidly, my insides burning from the pain. The tears kept coming, my entire body growing numb as they continued abusing me.

"Yeah, you like it rough, don't you bitch." The man groping my breasts slapped me across the face, the searing pain burning into my flesh. I shut my eyes, as I felt his hand assault me over and over again, each hit taking more and more out of me. My breathing became choked, as I struggled to draw air, my neck having been bruised. I could feel life slipping away. I don't want to die here.

"Hey, why don't you leave her alone!" From across the alley, all three of us looked up to the sight of Leona, in her modified battle regalia, shield and sword at the ready. She charged towards the two men, bashing one of them with her shield, knocking him to the ground. She took the other and grabbed him by his shirt collar, lifting him off his feet and pinning him against the wall. The other man had recovered, and took a wild swing at Leona, hitting her square in the jaw. The warrior was unphased by the hit, and grabbed him by the wrist. She threw him to the ground, and slammed her heel into his chest, knocking the air out of him. She looked back at the entrance of the alley, where Phina had just arrived.

"Get the fuck away from my friends, you monsters!" Phina raised her staff, fabricating a giant sphere overhead. I watched as the two men started getting drawn towards the sphere. Leona picked me up, taking me back to the entrance of the alley.

The two men were floating in the air now, trapped next to the mystical orb that Phina had summoned. "Phina, I know what you're thinking, and don't do it."

"Leona, I don't care right now. These assholes were raping her. They don't deserve another day." With that, the orb detonated, a blinding light illuminating the musty alley. Left behind was a pile of charred clothing where the two men had previously been, the rest of them having been evaporated. I averted my eyes, not wanting to look in their direction.

"Phina, that was unnecessary, and you know it."

"Yes Leona, I do know it, I just don't give a damn."

I clung to both women, still crying from the trauma. I looked like a beaten dog, all pride having left my eyes. I slumped into the ground, unable to regain any composure.

"We'll discuss this later, Phina. Let's get you home Sona." Leona lifted me up, and respectfully covered my bosom, while Phina held onto my legs. Unfortunately, my dress had been torn to pieces, but they were able to find my keys, slightly charred from the detonation, in the alleyway.

The two women brought me to my home, as I was still shaking. They placed me on my bed, looking at me expectantly. I motioned for them to leave, and they respectfully locked the door on their way out. I was in bed for hours, unable to fall asleep, still haunted by the two men in the alley.