When they arrived home again, Lightning looked to Raina with Jihl still cradled in her arms like a baby. "I'm going to take her upstairs to our room," Lightning announced, "But I'll be back in a few minutes." She chanced a glance to Roma, then asked, "You'll still be here?"
"Yes, Claire," Raina answered before Roma could even say anything. "I'll still be here."
"I didn't authorize that," Roma glared wickedly, to which Raina completely ignored.
"See you in a few minutes, Claire."
Lightning nodded, glanced down at Jihl, then added. "A couple more than a few, that's all."
Raina grinned, "Tuck her in, Claire."
Roma wrinkled her nose in distaste as Lightning walked away with Jihl.
"You're asking for it, Raina." Roma growled when they had gone.
"What are you going to do, Roma? Take it up with Jeanne that you want to forbid time with my daughter?" Raina shook her head, "You're getting more irrational with every moment I'm here, Roma. It's kind of amusing." Departing from her, Roma's brow set darkly as she went after following Raina, who'd stopped in the kitchen doorway. Over her shoulder, Roma saw the back of Fang leaving the opposite doorway.
"Fang!" Roma called out joyously, stopping the girl in her tracks. She brushed past Raina and carried on over to the Yun, who turned to greet her politely.
"Madam," Fang greeted, and to Roma's delight, she noticed Raina twitch horribly.
"Fang, sweetie," Roma took her cheeks in her hands and brushed back fingers against Fang's scars in a tender fashion. "You're looking beautiful, darling."
"Thank you."
Roma could practically hear Raina's nerves grinding like a lyrical hymn.
She smiled, second hand lifting from Fang's unblemished cheek to stroke back into her hair tenderly. "How about a kiss, Fang? You know how I like it." Fang lifted her head to Roma to receive her lips. Roma lowered to meet that pleasing mouth that wrapped hers in a deep twist as Fang lovingly massaged over her lips. Roma encouraged her with a slip over her tongue over Fang's bottom lip, which elicited hers to come out mid-kiss in the most perfect way as she drew out the touch. Fang's breath caught unexpectedly when Roma pressed her ass in a grip that moved Fang right up to her leg. She hardened beautifully a let a short slip of a groan that came like a grunt when her delightful hard center pressed to her leg, aching to be let free.
Only when Roma felt that did she release Fang with a squeezing encouragement to her ass that made Fang dizzy when she pulled back, eyes a little unfocused when she stood there staring in Roma's arms. Roma rubbed those beautiful scars on the side of her cheek again fondly. "Feel anything different, darling?"
"You're pregnant." Fang said in her dizzy, able to feel and sense it, even without Roma's new garments of stretchy leather. Roma loved it 100 percent.
"You bet I am, baby," Roma purred, loving her face more than anything right now, and loving Raina's sickliness. She couldn't tell which was more satisfying in this moment. "You've filled me up again, you beautiful, fertile bug."
"That's enough, Roma." Raina finally managed to choke. "Leave her alone."
"Hmm, Raina?" Roma cast her a wicked smile her direction. "I'm just telling Fang the news. Fang wants to know; don't you, precious?"
"Yes," Fang replied out of duty, though it sounded more wistful than that. When Roma looked back to her, she stared at Roma's stomach.
"Poor thing," Roma purred, stroking her favorite scars on Fang's cheek, the most visible of her markings, and her first. "Now you're all hard with no place to pump it." Roma cradled Fang to her breast, loving the feel of Fang on her body. "I would do you right now if I didn't have to mother Raina, dear."
Roma kissed her lovely head of scraggled, flipping out hair. "Why don't you go and find Lightning, sweetie? Go relieve yourself with her a bit."
Fang stepped away from Roma and cast a furtive glance towards Raina, then finally said quietly. "…Okay."
"You boorish hussy!" Raina lifted her arm, having already taken the few steps to strike Roma, but a strong, unyielding grip latched hold of her lower arm and didn't release as Fang squeezed.
"Raina, don't." Fang's eyes flitted back to Roma, who smiled smugly at the incredulous on Raina's face. "Don't touch her," Fang re-emphasized, holding her arm steadfast in an unbreakable grip.
"That temper, Raina," Roma tsked. "What an ugly thing. It's gotten worse on you, living among the savages as you have." Roma smiled cruelly, "Lightning's in her room, Fang. You may leave us." Fang held a few seconds longer, then finally released her hold. "Thank you for restraining her beastliness." Roma said in dismissing, finally issuing Fang away, and missed the poor thing when she had gone. She sat at the table calmly and folded her hands. "Let's wait for Lightning, shall we?"
XXX
Lightning came down a full half hour later, flushed, Jihl trailing her behind. "I'm sorry for taking so long," she apologized, coming into the open foyer. "Jihl had other ideas…" she cut off when she found the room empty and frowningly called out, "Mom?" because she could still smell her and Roma present there.
"We're in the kitchen," Raina echoed from the adjoined room just through the small hall. Lightning and Jihl turned in there, and Lightning found her mother surprisingly behind a hot pot, stirring something. Roma sat uninterestedly at the table, though her eye picked up on them upon their entry. Lightning came up behind her mother in utter surprise to glance into the bowl.
"Jeanne said you didn't like cooking."
Raina cast Roma a gaze before she chose to answer Lightning. "Things change with time."
"When you choose to debase yourself, yes." Roma agreed.
Raina ignored her. "Jihl's feeling better?"
"Yeah…" Lightning cast suspicious eyes her way. After the oral she'd just given, Lightning had to wonder how nauseated she'd really been by the time they'd gotten home. "She does that."
Raina nodded silently. There were so many things Lightning could say to her mother. So many things she wanted to speak, but as her eyes wandered to Roma again, Lightning knew she couldn't. Not as long as Roma stayed watching them, surveying everything they spoke or said. Lightning couldn't risk getting her mother or Jihl's blamed for anything.
Raina seemed pained with it too. Instead of mentioning anything that needed to be said, she only asked instead. "You girls like Behemoth thigh? I'm making a long stew with it."
"Ooh," Jihl cooed wantonly, "With vegetables?"
"We can add them if you like." Jihl tugged Lightning's arm, who shook her head and gave in. "Okay, okay, we'll get some for your silly tastes." Lightning ventured into the cellar and came back with a wide assortment that they started chopping upstairs for the stew. It wasn't as terrible as it could be with Roma watching, but Lightning longed to have a conversation of substance with her mother, to tell Raina that she hadn't really wanted to do Fang after all and wait to let Raina mention their father so that Lightning might inquire into the Yun or Cocoon question. Hell, she even got lukewarm inclinations to mention Sage, which she still wouldn't if she were able to anyway, but Lightning wanted the choice of it anyway. These stiff conversations with her mother were beginning to wear her thin. Lightning wanted to ask all of these things and more, but they were stuck with the general and mundane.
Lightning tried to make the best of it in asking what she could. "Have you enjoyed living outside of Paradiso all this time?"
"I actually prefer it," Raina confirmed, then Roma straightened with a clearing of her throat. "Not that it matters why," Raina ticked in aggravation, narrowed eyes on her smugness about it. "But where I live is comfortable, quieter than here, and a wonderful little community." Lightning wished she could hear more details than that, but Roma's next.
"Where have you been living, Raina?" clarified why she couldn't know any further than that. Raina ticked annoyed eyes her way again.
"This is ridiculous," Jihl finally detested, glaring Roma's way. "Why do you have to be here?"
"Merely a precaution, child," Roma spoke more soothingly, "For your safety and well-being, I assure." She looked at Raina as if daring her to counter it. When Raina frustratingly couldn't say anything against it, Roma reached across the table and patted Lightning's hand. "You'll understand in time, sweetie. Raina has a poisonous tongue."
Raina lifted her eyes to the heavens for patience.
"Yes, well, I'm sure Lightning's leaving would be more frustrating to everyone."
Roma only lifted a cautious eyebrow in response. "Leave Paradiso? That's not very safe for Umbra. Especially halves."
"Raina's got by." Jihl posed in pure challenge.
"Raina is centuries old." Roma said carefully in passing, then, "You would leave your mothers, Jihl? And Paradiso and Fang?"
Jihl shrugged. "Maybe."
Roma seemed rather settled by the answer, which Lightning took as she hadn't bought it. "To each her own choice," Roma's eyes flickered to Lightning in passing as her shallow eyes finally fell to Raina at the brick oven. "That soup coming along, Raina?"
The night passed without answers, but Jihl seemed happier some. Lightning cuddled with her in bed that morning, and hoped Jihl had a plan. They needed one.
XXX
Lightning woke again two times through the day for food-getting and finally in the evening again, when Jihl was up and ready to go. "You want to see your mum again?" Jihl asked, already knowing.
Lightning wanted to, but didn't want to hog Jihl's attention with it. "We can stay with your mothers if you want today…"
"Don't be silly," Jihl admonished, "We still have to free your mum."
"You getting an idea for that?" Lightning asked, following her hopefully.
"We'll see," Jihl said. They reported to Cereza about leaving again to go to Roma's and asked if she wanted to come. She couldn't, but kissed them both before they went and told them to stay safe by Raina when they went. Lightning and Jihl arrived at the door to Raina's grateful greeting of hugging them both.
"Thank the Gods you're here," Raina told them softly, clearly exasperated with her captors, then more loudly, "You would like to train at the coliseum girls?"
Roma wasn't happy about it, but she rarely seemed happy by anything anyway. She walked with them to the coliseum, constantly suspicious like a vulture hanging over their heads. When they finally got to the coliseum, Roma took Cybele aside for some harsh words. "Don't you leave their side for an instant," Roma warned with severe intent, "I don't care if one of them's bleeding out on the ground. You do not leave Raina for a moment with either of them. Understand?"
"I know, Roma," Cybele claimed, "I won't leave."
"You better not." Roma threatened, "Don't disappoint me again."
When Roma had left, Cybele returned to the pack of them without seeming distressed. It only made Lightning worry more about the woman, if she could return back with such a straight, unaffected face. "Are you okay?" Lightning asked uncertainly, watching Roma disappear down the far, far bend of the coliseum.
Cybele seemed startled she'd even asked, and her eyes flicked to where Roma had disappeared from. "I'm fine, Lightning," she lied in a convincing tone, "Go train with Jihl and your mother."
Lightning went back to them, though still uneasy. Raina glanced at Cybele too, but didn't say anything as she started showing the ropes to Jihl and Lightning. Lightning watched in astonishment as, in demonstration of their eventual flexibility capabilities, Raina showed them a variety of 'bullet dodging' maneuvers, many of which included the stretching and incredibly talented movements of her long legs, the last of which ended in a scissoring of impossible leg angles.
"Holy fuck, Light." Jihl practically drooled in watching. "Please learn that." Lightning looked over to see Jihl checking out her mom again.
"Would you stop that?" Lightning swatted her belly.
"Pleeease," Jihl begged, "Raina! Teach us that!"
Raina smiled, mutely amused, and began to instruct them in ways of practicing to stretch taut their flexibility, and then move with it. They could come nowhere close to the lucrative moves of Raina, but this one, Jihl seemed entirely focused on training until they got there. "We're going to need it!" Jihl claimed, making Lightning all but roll her eyes concerning this, but she hadn't brought her gunblade, and Jihl only had her heels, so they could practice like this today and do something more… fight-purposeful tomorrow.
In the midst of the immense strain with Jihl trying to stretch her legs back to touch her head repeatedly, Raina stood next to Cybele in looking over them in the field. "They're growing on me fast."
Despite the uncomfortable position stretching her legs a way Lightning knew they weren't supposed to go, Lightning put that aside for the moment and listened to their conversation. "Children do that," Cybele agreed, looking on without checking Raina's direction.
"I haven't seen your little one around," Raina mentioned, then thought it back over and said, "Though, I suppose I haven't seen any of the children since arriving."
"Roma passed her off to Athena for a little while," Cybele shared freely, "An attempt to annoy Selene, undoubtedly. Aura's frequency to faint requires a lot of attention, but Athena's fond of her, so at least there's that."
"Things seem pretty bad." Raina commented offhand.
Cybele sighed. "We did what we deemed we had to, Raina. You know what happened after the war. Even then, our numbers cut by a third in simply sealing Fang, which saved both worlds, if you remember."
"It still sounds like a justification after all these years."
"I won't argue with you, Raina, if that's what you're looking for."
"I'm not," Raina corrected, and revised, "I meant things with Roma when I mentioned."
Cybele sighed and finally lowered her head. "We didn't all heal as well as you did, Raina. Roma's just trying to get by."
"She's hurting you, Cybele."
"What would you do?" Cybele asked in response, and it sounded challenging, her eyes on Raina then, "If it'd been Aletheia who'd gone a dark way back then during the war?" Cybele looked away from her again, not really paying attention to them at all, though Lightning averted her eyes just the same. Who was Aletheia? A past lover, it sounded like. "I have a daughter and another on the way, Raina. Both of them are Roma's. I'd never leave them alone." Cybele lifted her head up and away. "Besides; we deserve it, don't we? We're just a bunch of heartless rapists. Every Umbra should have a Roma lording over her like mine." She said it bitterly, almost spat in distaste.
"It's not too late, Cybele."
"Too late for what, Raina? Us to change our evil ways?" Cybele looked over at her with a smile that held no happiness or lighthearted intent, "You know, I've slept with Fang on exactly one occasion?" Raina's eyebrow rose. "It was right after Jeanne's little ploy of pretending Fang was unfertile had ended. I'll give her credit, she held us at bay for five years with that." Cybele shook her head, "Only a decade and a half after Carme, Roma insisted having another child would fix the broken things in us. And I wanted that too. I wanted my wife."
"What happened? Raina ventured, letting Cybele tell it to her.
Cybele almost laughed, so bitter. "Roma took her after me, and she fell in love with Fang." At Raina's hiked brow, Cybele added. "Not literally, Raina, don't be absurd. Fang was her pleasing sex toy, and even I couldn't bring her that kind of pleasure that Fang did. And I certainly couldn't get her pregnant, so Fang became the favorite thing. She'd stay in bed with her for hours."
"Without you?"
"Oh, I was there every time, but she wasn't making love to me. I'll say she tried to encourage me into it so I could join, but I wasn't as enthused as Roma. More of a spectator than anything, or if Roma wanted to get creative with positioning as a way to draw me in. Poor Fang really had no idea what she was getting into. I caught her crying more than once over those months."
"Why didn't you leave?"
"Hope?" Cybele guessed, "Fear of being alone as an outcast like you? She's still my wife, Raina. You know how she was before. Call me naïve, but it's what I cling to to pass the nights." Cybele breathed out a sigh, "It might take a few more decades, but she'll snap out of it again. I intend to be there when she does."
Lightning couldn't understand that; from what she'd seen of Roma, the woman was purely wicked, but then she hadn't lived for centuries and could hardly contemplate waiting like that.
"I hope you're right, Cybele."
"I am. In a few decades, this all will pass." Cybele lowered her head one last. "I don't know how you've dealt, Raina, but I hope you cherish Lightning. You don't know how lucky you are to have her back."
Raina countered with a gaze straight at her and a little, miniature shake of her head. "I do."