Ilia was the first to wake, although the sun hadn't risen just yet. She sat up and looked down at Blake's sleeping form, taking in every detail of the girl she thought beautiful. Smiling softly with a flash of pink patches on her face, she leaned down and pecked the mass of dark hair beneath her, whispering behind a cat ear, "I'll be back soon." With that, she climbed out of bed to get dressed and ready for the day.
The various scents of the marketplace wafted through the air. Shops were opening up, displays of fresh, exotic fruits and meats catching her eye. She had never seen anything like this in Mantle. It was all new and exciting to her. But though the smells of delicious food tempted her, she decided it best to wait. She was only passing through, anyway.
After a short, quiet walk and some curious detours to various shops, she found a small stand secluded away from the bustling businesses she had come to admire. The stand was accompanied with urns and bottles of various shapes and sizes, and tended to by an elderly bird Faunus whose plumage draped off of her forearms like sleeves. She smiled up at her newest customer. "Haven't seen you around before, love. Not from Menagerie, I presume?"
"I'm... from Mantle," Ilia told her, still looking around her shop.
"Well, girl, I welcome you to Menagerie," the elderly woman beamed. "My name is Fuxia. Is there anything I can help you with today?"
Ilia looked down at Fuxia. "Uh, yeah... Do you sell massage oils?"
Fuxia chuckled softly at that. "My dear, I make massage oils. Spas here in Menagerie can't get enough of them. They're my specialty. Now, do you want 'em regular or scented?"
Ilia remembered the last time she showered with Blake at Beacon, the night before her doubles match. The tea-scented soaps Blake's parents sent, she'd wanted to find something like that since. "Scented, please. Do you carry anything that smells like green tea?"
An ear-splitting grin crossed Fuxia's face. "Darling, that's my favourite. I'll bring it right out." She hobbled away from the stand and disappeared into the building behind her, what Ilia could only assume was her apartment. After a minute, she came out with a topaz-coloured bottle wrapped with a green label. She set it on the stand in front of Ilia, along with some candles and incense. "Normally a full set like this goes for around three-hundred-and-thirty Lien, but I'll give you a discount. Two-hundred-and-fifty, and I'll even throw in a coupon for your next visit." She placed the items in a basket, along with a card.
Ilia placed a trio of Lien cards on the stand and took the basket, thanking the elderly woman before heading back to the Belladonna house. As she wove her way through the growing crowds, she noticed a boy in a White Fang mask, but he disappeared the instant she saw him. Shaking her head, she continued the rest of the way to the house. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon now, so with any luck she'd be back before the Belladonnas had a chance to wake up. She wanted to surprise Blake.
Ilia slid between the doors and toed off her boots. No one seemed to be up yet, thankfully. She quietly padded back upstairs and slipped into Blake's bedroom, where the cat Faunus still lay sound asleep. She let out a silent exhale in relief. Not only was Blake still asleep, she was also still naked and lying on her stomach. That made Ilia's job so much easier. She set about lighting the incense and the candles before she pulled the blanket up over Blake's bare bottom. She could admire it all day if she let her, but right now that wasn't what she wanted. She climbed up onto the bed and straddled Blake, finally taking out the massage oil and rubbing some between her hands before setting it to Blake's back, spreading it nice and even and giving her skin a lovely sheen. As she got to work on her pressure points, Blake stirred.
"Mmm... Ilia?"
Ilia smirked, leaning forward to nibble one of Blake's cat ears. "Morning, princess." She pressed into a particularly tender spot on Blake's back, earning a mewl from the girl below.
"Oh, that feels good," Blake purred. The scent quickly caught her attention. "Is that tea?"
"Maybe," Ilia teased. "I thought I'd spoil you first thing in the morning."
Blake let out a soft chuckle. "Well, you're certainly doing a good job at that."
Ilia leaned forward a little more, so that her hot breath was right in Blake's ear as she whispered, "Tell me where you want it, my princess."
"Upper back," Blake sighed. "Inner edges of my shoulderblades."
With a kiss to the back of her ear, Ilia complied, pressing her hands deeply into the specified regions. Blake purred contentedly beneath her.
Later downstairs, Kali was in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Ghira brought in the mail. She turned to her husband while cracking some eggs. "Honey, could you go wake Blake and Ilia up? They're going to miss breakfast."
Ghira nodded, setting the mail down on the counter and heading upstairs. When he got to Blake's door, he paused. From inside, she could hear his daughter's sighs and moans, accompanied by Ilia's voice humming to her.
"Mmm, could you go a little lower, please?" Blake asked. Ilia's hands were at her sides now.
Ilia slid her hands down to her hips, pressing her thumbs into her lower back. "Right here?"
"Oh, yes," Blake mewled. "Keep that up and I won't be able to walk."
Ilia chuckled at that. "I'll carry you wherever you need to go, my princess."
Ghira backed away from the door, face beet-red in resignation. He went back downstairs to the kitchen, trying to forget what he'd just heard.
Kali was busy cutting up a fish when Ghira returned to the kitchen and opened the fridge. She glanced at him over her shoulder. "Where's Blake?"
Ghira wiped the traces of milk off of his beard and closed the fridge. "She... won't be coming down for a bit," he said awkwardly. "I think it's best to just leave her be."
Kali gave him a weird look, then shrugged and went right back to meal prep.
Blake and Ilia came downstairs an hour later, the former in a very relaxed and blissful state. They entered the dining room, where Ghira sat at one end of the table, his face hidden behind a newspaper. The smells of breakfast wafted through the air from the kitchen, making the two girls very hungry. Blake spoke up. "What's cooking?"
"Omelette rice, pan-seared tilapia, and biscuits," Kali answered, coming out of the kitchen with the plated food on a tray. "Ilia, sweetie, would you mind bringing in the tea?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ilia nodded, going to get the tea tray from the kitchen.
The four ate in an awkward silence. No one knew what made Ghira so quiet on that day.
