Author's Note:
I was going to wait until Sunday to post this, but I'm in the middle of writing chapter 15 at the moment and I should probably stop hoarding, lol.

X.

"Is this too revealing?"

Triss turned completely around so that her back faced the image of her friend in the megascope. She was wearing a open backed gown that was cut very, very low. It made her ass look absolutely amazing, but Triss was certain there was still a line she should not cross in regards to tastefulness. She was just unsure in that moment where that line lied – after all, it wasn't as though she had ever attended anything like this before. Triss wanted to look good and to make an impression, but she certainly did not wish to make the wrong one, especially since as her apprentice, she would be there representing Philippa. The last thing Triss wanted to do was embarrass her.

"Yes. You can catch someone's eye without having to show that much skin," Yennefer responded bluntly. Triss pouted, as she really enjoyed that dress, but she respected Yennefer's opinion on the matter and so she pushed it off her shoulders and shimmied it down her hips. The dress pooled on the floor, but Yennefer's eyes never lingered on her friend's body. "Besides, Sabrina will be there – we'll have our fill of slutty attire, I'm sure."

"Sabrina Glevissig?" Triss asked before she began rummaging through her closet again. "She was your classmate while in Aretuza, right?"

"You spend far too much time studying the ancient history of that place, but no. I'm far younger."

Triss snorted and looked over her shoulder at the image of Yennefer in the megascope. The dark-haired woman narrowed her eyes at her, as if daring her to contradict her claim. Triss did not however, despite knowing the truth of it. Triss knew the name of every sorceress that studied in Aretuza, along with the years they were there. There was little point of lying to her, and Yennefer knew that; still, she chose to do it anyway. Pride, no doubt.

A frustrated sound ripped past the younger woman's lips after she turned back to her closet. "I have nothing to wear!" Triss exclaimed, visibly upset. Once more whipping around to face Yennefer she begged, "Please, please just come over and help me pick something. Philippa doesn't need to know that you came."

"I may not enjoy Philippa Eilhart's company, but I still respect her enough not to teleport unannounced into her home. Besides, it would be foolish to assume that she didn't have wards to prevent such an intrusion."

Triss deflated, her back slumping against the wardrobe as she stared helplessly at her friend's image. She was right, this place was warded rather thoroughly. Perhaps if Yennefer teleported just outside, and Triss snuck her in through the back…?

"I know that look on your face. Stop scheming, the answer is no. Besides, I arrived at Tretogor Palace just this morning. If you yearn for my company that badly, perhaps you could come to me."

"I promised Philippa I would be on her arm during the banquet. I cannot go on my own after making such a commitment; that would be incredibly insulting."

Not to mention the fact that Triss could not wait to be escorted by Philippa during such an occasion. She still had absolutely no idea where their relationship stood – if Philippa merely enjoyed flirting with her or if she was truly serious about getting involved with her at some point. She had been very plain in the beginning of Triss' apprenticeship that she did not get involved with her pupils, but the more their relationship progressed, the more Philippa seemed to almost regret her resolve. She made little comments here and there, even going so far as to trying to get her to sleep with her under the guise of a "lesson," and then just last week she made a point to use the word "date", which left little to interpretation.

Philippa was interested in her. To what extent, Triss did not know, but now that her self-esteem issues were dissipating and the veil of unworthiness was being lifted from her eyes, Triss would have been blind not to see it. It excited her, honestly. To have someone like Philippa want her was… rather unparalleled. What was even more grand was that the longer this went on, the more Triss began to realize that it wasn't just a physical attraction either. Philippa respected her and her opinions, and always seemed eager to hear what she had to say. She was interested in her, and not just her work. Philippa felt enough for her that she ended up inadvertently putting herself in danger. She cared enough to try to make Triss a stronger, more capable woman, and that was…

"Your eyes are going crossed again. Stop daydreaming. You're going together?" Yennefer queried, an apparent interest in her tone.

Triss snapped herself out of it, a faint blush coloring her cheeks at being caught. "Well, I am her apprentice…"

"And as her apprentice, you would be expected to keep a pace or two behind her, not be on her arm. I've seen her attend these gatherings with apprentices before. They are meant to be shadows, not an accessory."

Triss tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile. Instead she turned back towards her closet and grabbed the first dress she saw, realizing she should probably stop flashing her tits at her friend. Not that Yennefer was looking, which was fine but… annoying. Not that Triss wanted her to look, but she just should have, you know? Regardless, being half naked wasn't helping her choose what to wear, so Triss quickly slipped on a forest green gown. It was strapless and bunched tastefully between her breasts, hugging her hips in such a way that it almost made her curves look more dramatic, and Triss smiled at herself when she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"I see you have impressed her," Yennefer noted. Triss expected to hear disappointment in her tone, as no doubt Yennefer believed her to now be sharing a bed with Philippa, yet she heard no trace of it. "Well done. That dress is sure to do the same, if that is why you are obsessing so dramatically about what to wear."

Triss' cheeks flared.

"I thought so."

"You're not angry?" Triss asked, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear. A part of her wasn't just afraid that Yennefer would disapprove because of her apprenticeship and how Philippa could be emotionally dangerous to her, but because Yennefer used to date her.

(Date her, have Philippa go down on her without ever reciprocating, whatever you want to call it. There was history there, and that was all that mattered.)

"Last time we spoke I promised you I would stop being overprotective. I mean to keep that promise," Yennefer told her seriously. Triss exhaled the breath that was trapped in her chest, feeling infinitely better. "Besides, Philippa doesn't allow conquests to escort her either. She must really respect you, to willingly invite such gossip."

Triss stopped fiddling with her hair in front of the mirror and turned towards her friend, "Gossip?"

"It has been quite a long time since any of us have ever seen Philippa with someone on her arm," Yennefer explained. Triss blanched, suddenly realizing that this was a bigger deal than she had assumed it would be. "Not only that, but you have yet to graduate from Aretuza. You are her apprentice. People will talk, Triss, and Philippa prides herself on her reputation. You must have done something incredibly impressive for her to ignore all that."

Triss suddenly felt sick. She didn't feel as though she did anything impressive; after all, the last big thing she accomplished nearly got them killed. Philippa surely wasn't having her escort her because of something like that, right?

A couple hours ago, Triss had been confident about their outing. She was beginning to realize how Philippa felt about her and wished to capitalize on that, but now she felt inadequate and confused, unable to understand why someone as important and respected as Philippa Eilhart would invite such a scandal for someone like her.

"You're anxious," Philippa noted as they walked through the ornate doors leading into Tretogor Palace. Triss clutched at her escort's arm, the deep blue of Philippa's gold-embroidered doublet contrasting nicely against her olive skin. When Triss first saw her at Montecalvo she stared. She stared a lot. Philippa had always been one of the most beautiful women that Triss had ever seen, but tonight she was even more so. Her hair was slicked back into a long braid down the center of her back, her eyes shadowed with gold and dark brown. But as beautiful as Philippa was, once they arrived at their destination, Triss could barely look at her because she was so damned worried about everyone else looking at them.

"I'm fine," Triss lied, but Philippa pulled her aside before they got to the banquet hall, stopping just a little ways outside the doors. There were still some people filing into the castle, but not as many as would be on the other side of those doors. Triss bit her bottom lip as she noticed a pair of sorceresses staring, but a gentle hand was placed beneath her chin, and the younger woman was coaxed to look at one of the few people who not just looked at her, but truly saw her.

"Tell me what's wrong, pet," Philippa encouraged softly, making certain that Triss kept eye contact with her. "Do you not want to be here? Because I need to make an appearance, but it can be brief. I don't wish to make you uncomfortable."

"No, no… that's not it."

Philippa looked at her expectantly, and Triss sighed. She was tired of feeling this way, tired of always second-guessing her own worthiness, and yet even when she thought she had rid herself of the nuisance, it ended up rearing its ugly head again.

"Why did you want me on your arm tonight?" she finally asked. "Me, of all people. I know you don't usually have female accompaniment to these kinds of things, and I'm your apprentice. I'm young, have yet to even graduate from Aretuza. People are going to talk."

Philippa's expression was unreadable, which was utterly frustrating because Triss needed to know how to feel about all of this. "And do you care about what they have to say?" she queried. She sounded curious, but that was about the extent of her readable emotions – especially because Triss was too trapped in her own insecurities to feel her through their bond.

"No, but I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you. I don't want to tarnish your reputation. I'm not worth that, believe me."

Philippa's eyes narrowed. "Firstly, do not ever presume to think you know what I do, or do not, deem worth anything," she responded sternly. Triss bit the inside of her cheek. "Secondly, I value my professional reputation far more than my personal one. Let people think what they want, it bears no difference to me as I do not, in any way, care nor value their opinions. Finally, I wanted you on my arm tonight because I've come to find I very much enjoy your company, Triss Merigold. Is that not enough?"

Triss pursed her lips, feeling a little foolish for concerning herself over such things. Clearly Philippa did not care, so why did she? Why couldn't she just block everyone else out and just enjoy her night with the most beautiful woman in the room? She deserved this. She deserved a night of fun, and she deserved to have it with Philippa.

The corners of Triss' lips turned up into a smile. "It's more than enough," she told her softly, her gaze dipping she relinked her arm with her mistress. Philippa returned her smile in kind, and the pit of Triss' stomach ignited in a fierce heat.

"I'm glad to hear it."

As the two women entered the banquet hall, Triss felt her breath leave her as she took everything in. The room was twice as big than anything at Aretuza or Montecalvo. Great tapestries hung from its walls between the large ornate windows where the dining tables lied, with the eastern end of the southern-most wall being occupied by a massive glass door that opened up to the balcony. On the other side of the room was a minstrels gallery and an inviting fireplace with lots of space for the guests to mingle and dance. The room was bathed in reds and silvers and Triss' lips parted in awe as she admired the atmosphere around her.

"Wow…"

Triss could feel Philippa's eyes on her and when she turned to meet her mentor's gaze she blushed a little at the look she was being given. Philippa was still smiling at her, but as though she merely found Triss endearingly naive. She wanted Philippa to view her as an equal though, and this did not feel like that. "Stop. All of this is new to me. I'm allowed to be enamored by it."

"Nobody said you weren't."

The upbeat music and drone of conversation continued on in the background and Triss wrinkled her nose. "I may be your 'pet', but I am not infantile. I'd just rather you not look at me like I'm some kind of adorable puppy, is all."

"Oh? And how would you like me to look at you then?" Philippa queried, but the tone in her voice indicated she already very well knew what Triss wanted. Triss purposely said nothing and Philippa quirked an eyebrow. "Well?"

She wasn't going to spell it out for her. If Philippa could play coy, then so could she.

"You know how," Triss answered with more confidence than she had in the past. She held eye contact with Philippa, watching the corner of the other woman's lips hint at a smirk.

"Do I?" she responded innocently as her eyes purposely betrayed her words and she began to drink up everything Triss had to offer her. The younger woman lightly flushed under the intensity of Philippa's gaze, a fierce heat igniting in the pit of her stomach. Philippa crossed the space between them and Triss' mouth went dry as she held a staring contest with the other woman's lips, desperately wishing she had enough courage to kiss her. But Triss couldn't even do it when they were alone, let alone surrounded by hundreds of others who were no doubt already paying far too much attention to this interaction from across the room and passing judgment, and so she stood there, frozen and wanton.

"Mmm," was all Triss could murmur beneath her breath, absolutely lost in the other woman's eyes.

"Phil."

A man's voice broke the tension, and Philippa's irritated, "What?" snapped Triss out of her haze as she looked over at the interruption. Sigismund Dijkstra stood next to Philippa, a grave expression on his face.

"I need a word."

"Have you lost your sense, or are you unable to see I'm in the middle of something?"

Dijkstra didn't exactly looked pleased by the dismissal, but he pressed on anyhow. "It's urgent."

Philippa didn't look happy, but she took him at his word. Triss assumed that whatever it was concerning was political in nature, considering she doubted Dijkstra would have invited Philippa's ire otherwise. She inclined her head in recognition, and Dijkstra slithered back into the shadows where he belonged. Philippa turned to Triss, an unspoken apology in her tone. "I'll only be a minute. Drink, mingle. I will find you when my business concludes."

Triss nodded, feeling a little put-out. She forced herself to give Philippa a small smile as she untangled herself from her arm. "I'll be waiting."

Philippa's lips curled. "Oh believe me, pet, I know you will be."

Triss watched the other woman leave for probably longer than necessary before she realized she couldn't keep standing there like an idiot. She needed to find Yennefer, at the very least to say hello. It had been such a long time since she had seen her in person, and she had missed her terribly. So Triss weaved herself through the throngs of nobles and mages, hoping to spot Yennefer's mess of dark hair among the masses.

Instead, it was Philippa's name coming from another's mouth that made Triss stop.

"Did you see that young thing that was hanging off of Philippa's arm earlier? Embarrassing."

Triss' throat constricted, her gaze landing on two sorceresses in front of her who weren't exactly being discreet with their gossip. They did not notice that they were being blatantly overheard by one of the subjects of their conversation however, and the second asked, "Who is she? I didn't recognize her. A sorceress, I'm assuming."

"Barely. A student. Her own apprentice, if the rumors are true; although not like that would be a surprise to anyone," the first woman replied, chuckling through a scoff. She was slim, beautiful, but had this expression on her face like everything around her stunk of rot. "Still, some things should be kept in the bedroom. No doubt Philippa has just reached that age though… accessorizing with that child must make her feel younger, otherwise she's absolutely lost it."

"Excuse me, but I am hardly a child," Triss interrupted furiously, her anger outweighing the insecure part of her that just wanted to flee and disappear. The two sorceresses looked back surprised, but only one of them looked apologetic, and it was not the one who was doing most of the slandering. "And frankly, my relationship with my mentor is none of your business, so I'd thank you to keep her name out of your mouths because honestly, your childish need to gossip is what's embarrassing here."

"Sabrina… making friends again, I see."

Triss exhaled the fury she held as relief flooded her with the sound of Yennefer's voice. She appeared from behind her, standing next to Triss in an act of solidarity. She was in all black except for her lips, which were painted a deep red. "Forgive me for mentioning it, but was it not you who made such a stink about gossiping about sorceresses' ages? And yet here you are, partaking in the very thing you've rallied so hard against."

Sabrina looked at Yennefer like her very presence had managed to ruin her entire night. "Philippa's age was hardly the point." Her gaze fell upon Triss then, her look of disgust deepening. The pit of Triss' stomach ignited with rage.

"When you imply her chosen company is only due to a mid-life crisis, you make it about her age," Yennefer snapped, dropping the feigned pleasantries. "Find your entertainment elsewhere. I'm tired of it. There are plenty of nobles for you to gossip about here without having to turn on one of our own."

Sabrina shot Yennefer a sarcastic look, yet did not argue. She and her companion left Triss and Yennefer alone and when they were finally a fair distance away, Triss turned to look at her friend. "Thank you. I know you warned me, but I wasn't really prepared."

"You held your own better than I would have expected," Yennefer told her with a small smile. "I'm proud of you. I'm also glad your time with Philippa has encouraged you to speak up for yourself. It was what I hoped would happen."

Triss tucked her hair behind her ear, trying not to grin from ear to ear. She hadn't realize how much she had grown, but Yennefer was right; her time with Philippa was what gave her enough confidence to speak up on her own behalf. If this had been a few months ago, Triss would have fled the party and never returned. Now she knew that she deserved to be here as much as anyone else, and that she deserved to enjoy herself without fear of judgment and persecution from others.

"Sometimes I feel like a different person," Triss revealed as she linked her friend's arm in her own, leading her away from the cluster of guests. She didn't need people eavesdropping when she spoke of Philippa, considering there was enough gossip about the two of them. She smiled, her grip on her friend tightening. "But… I think I rather like it."

She led Yennefer to the balcony which was, for the most part, rather deserted. It was an unusually cold night, but at least the temperature afforded them some privacy. They fell off to the side, away from the party stragglers, and the light of the moon made Yennefer look almost ethereal. Then again, she always came off as more than human; more than most, at any rate. It was just a part of her appeal and yet, in that moment Triss realized that as beautiful as Yennefer was, she still had nothing on Philippa.

"You think?"

"I know," Triss corrected, firm. Her smile widened as she untangled from her friend and leaned against the cold stone of the castle. She looked past the balcony, seeing the gardens of Tretogor below. Even at night, they looked beautiful: fountains and flowers and statues made of marble and gold. "I know I do. I just surprise myself at times, but that's a good thing."

Yennefer's eyes crinkled as she smiled. They did not have much more time to catch up however, as it was then that Philippa found them. She barely even acknowledged Yennefer; instead, she went straight to Triss' side.

"That took far longer than I would have liked," she told her in lieu of an apology, but it didn't matter, as Triss knew the women felt apologetic despite her detest of the actual words. Philippa's lips gently brushed Triss' cheek in greeting, and the younger woman flushed a gentle pink in response. It was then that Philippa turned and acknowledged that they were not alone. "I see you were well taken care of in my absence."

"She usually is."

Triss narrowed her eyes at her friend's tone, and Yennefer sighed softly before she seemed to realize that perhaps being antagonistic towards Philippa was no longer helping matters. Not that Philippa's tone was entirely friendly when she addressed Yennefer either, but still. Someone had to be the bigger person. One of them, eventually.

"You've done well with Triss," Yennefer finally said, although it looked as though it was a little painful for her. Still, she bit the bullet for Triss' sake and extended her flimsy olive branch. "She has improved greatly in your care."

Philippa looked like she didn't exactly know what to do with the compliment, and she shifted her weight between her feet before she spoke. "As I've said many times over, Yennefer… I take my apprenticeships seriously."

"As I expect you would with any other area in your life," Yennefer responded, but the warning behind her words was clear as she watched Triss wrap herself around Philippa's arm, her body nestled against her mentor's. In the end, Yennefer was still wary about the possibility of Triss getting hurt, and while the young woman appreciated her concern, she honestly no longer believed it valid. She and Philippa might not be anything yet, but they certainly weren't nothing either.

Philippa looked like she wanted to retort to that, but Triss gently pulled the other woman closer to her, pressing her lips against her ear. "Take me down to the gardens?" she requested, hoping it would distract Philippa enough to ignore her never-ending feud with Yennefer. Sliding her hand down the woman's arm, Triss tangled her fingers in Philippa's and squeezed her hand. "Please, Mistress?" she breathed, gently placing her chin on Philippa's shoulder. "I've always wanted to see them."

In all honestly, Triss couldn't give a damn about the gardens, but she wanted to defuse the situation before it escalated any further, because she was certain that Philippa was not about to take kindly to that sort of warning. And it seemed to have worked, albeit perhaps a little too well, if the amused, yet impressed expression on Yennefer's face was anything to attest to. Was she really doing it? Was she really able to control someone like Philippa Eilhart, even for a second?

The answer, it seemed, was yes… she very much could.

"Excuse us, Yennefer; it seems we have matters to attend to," Philippa dismissed, barely giving Yennefer another thought or glance as she did exactly what was requested of her, and led Triss down to the gardens. Like the balcony, they, too, were practically deserted, but Triss led them both somewhere a little more private than the common area so as to not be caught by any wandering eyes. They found a spot near a large fountain with a quaint seating section along the eastern edge, and it was only then that Triss turned to face the other woman, a lingering smile on her lips.

"You don't have to look so proud of yourself, you know."

Triss' grin grew wider. "I do though," she insisted, riding out her high as she took a couple steps backwards until she was against a small stone wall. "I do," she repeated again, this time softer as she looked at the other woman in the light of the moon. "Come here," Triss requested breathlessly, finally finding her courage. The chill in the air was starting to get to her and her skin was littered with goosebumps, her nipples practically tearing holes in the soft fabric of her dress. Triss could barely feel it; the only thing that was consuming her in that moment was the fire in the pit of her stomach as she looked at the woman she knew she was going to have.

A small smirk tugged at the edge of Philippa's lips. She stepped closer to her. "You look cold, pet," she gently teased.

"Then keep me warm."

Triss reached out, grabbing a hold of the other woman's hand before pulling Philippa flush against her. Triss felt her breathing shallow at the look in her mentor's eyes, but she was beginning to realize that if she truly wanted something, then she was going to have to take it for herself. Perhaps Philippa was just concerned about what that meant for her work ethic if she blurred the lines herself, or perhaps it was that she simply wished to teach Triss that she couldn't just sit around and wait for things to be handed to her. Or maybe, just maybe, this tension was far too delicious to break, and Philippa wanted to ride it out as long as she could.

Right now, Triss could relate.

Philippa's gaze never wavered from hers as she gently ran her fingers up the exposed flesh of the younger woman's arm. Instead of the touch warming her, all it seemed to do was make more goosebumps appear in its wake, and Triss gently bit down on her bottom lip. Philippa leaned in, but instead of pressing their lips together she kept them a hair's width apart, a slow smile gracing the edges of her lips as she felt Triss' breathing shallow and her heart race. But Triss was not her prey in this scenario, so she grasped Philippa's hand in her own before placing it on her breast. Philippa hissed in approval and Triss exhaled a desperate groan as the other woman immediately slid her thumb across the taut nipple that pulled on the fabric of her dress. But that was it, that was all, and Triss could do nothing more than just lean against the wall and try to find her breath.

"Do you want me to beg? Is that it?"

"No, pet, I don't want you to beg," Philippa breathed, sounding a little amused at the absolute state she had managed to get her protégé into. She leaned in, gently nipping at the younger woman's ear in a way that practically made Triss fall apart. She whimpered, pressing her pelvis into Philippa's thigh as her fingers dug into the fabric of her doublet. But Philippa had something else to say, and when she pressed her lips to Triss' ear she told her sincerely, "I just want you to enjoy this, and in the cold gardens where anyone could see us is not the place for such an experience. When I fuck you, Triss Merigold, and I will fuck you… many times over and in a hundred different ways… it will just be you and I, and you will be comfortable and content. I promise you that."

Philippa stepped back from her then, and Triss exhaled. She felt so torn. On one hand she appreciated that Philippa wanted to treat her better than Keira did, with their meaningless public sex outing that ended in disaster, but on the other, she couldn't just… she couldn't just do that and then…!

"—Wait," Triss demanded. She wanted something, and she was going to have it because she knew, she knew Philippa wanted it just as badly as she did. So Triss did what she had desperately wanted to do all night, and closed the distance between them. Her hand slipped around the back of Philippa's neck, pulling them together until their lips met for the first time. The feeling that accompanied the kiss was more than Triss could have ever hoped to describe, and it got even better once it took all of about two seconds for Philippa to kiss her back with the same intense hunger that had plagued Triss for so long.

Philippa seemed to have moved on instinct because suddenly Triss' back was up against the wall once more, and the younger woman was practically whimpering in her mouth as she grasped on to every part of her newfound lover that she could reach. "Tonight," Triss begged between heated kisses before clutching the back of Philippa's skull as the woman sucked on the base of her neck. "Please."

Philippa's lips met hers once more for a brief, heated kiss. "What did I tell you about begging?"

"I could hike up my dress and show you just how desperate I am for your touch, if you'd like me to be more thorough," Triss panted, not caring anymore about how that sounded, or if she should be the one to take control. She was, truly, desperate for Philippa's touch, but she refused to be embarrassed by it. Instead, she owned it. Triss owned her sexuality and what she wanted, and what she wanted was for Philippa to ravage her. Utterly. Completely. She wanted to be at her mercy; she wanted to be consumed.

"Mmm. Tempting."

"Phil."

Triss' hand began to go up her own dress because damnit, she was serious, but Philippa just chuckled and stilled her hand halfway up by wrapping her own around it. They locked eyes, the breeze picking up Triss' hair and whipping it back from her face as her chest heaved and her cheeks flushed pink. Philippa unconsciously licked her lips.

"Tonight… I will give you whatever you wish, pet."

"You," Triss breathed, looking at the other woman with a mixture of desire and admiration in her eyes. "All I want is you."

Philippa smiled softly, encouraging Triss' hand that was in her own upwards until she could lay her lips gently over her pulse. "Then you shall have me," she promised, and Triss had never felt more alive.

TBC…