Castle Vrbada, 6pm

Laughter howled from The Boy's Room as they called it, when Prince Tomáš, cigarette and whiskey glass in his hand, walked around the room mocking his father.

"You got to show these kurvas who's the boss, my son, fuck these bitches like you mean it!"

More laughter erupted when the prince added, "I had to sit here and watch my father gyrating against a desk showing me the moves, like what is he doing?!"

Bi Han did his line of coke, then he walked over to Tomáš and took his hands into his. "Did he look at you like this, oh mighty prince?", looking lovingly into his eyes.

Tomáš blushed at the sudden intensity, when the elder Lin Kuei dipped him down and said, "Your big fat dad came banging on my door at 5 am screaming that I took you to a whorehouse, poor Kuai Liang is in the corner terrified!"

"Oh yeah. About that..I uh..kind of told him we went when I turned eighteen."

The prince cringed, waiting for Bi Han to yell at him, when Cyrax intervened. "Remember that woman Meleda with the white dress? No Panties Meleda?"

"Jesus Christ, I hope I never remember her!" Tomáš shouted in laughter, "she had freaking herpes, tried to kiss me, then she grabbed my hand and tried to put my finger in her, I was terrified!"

"Yeaaahhh that was kind of rape." Sektor said. "Uh yeah, definitely." Tomáš said. He looked at his fingers and trembled. There was silence until Kuai Liang spoke up. "Didn't she overdose and die recently?"

"She had an STD, I think she died from." Sektor said. "UTI, it was." Bi Han said, "I mean, they're treatable, but if you let it alone and let it decay..she probably had STD's, too. That woman had a reputation."

"What the hell is a UTI?" Tomáš asked.

"It's when you get an infection down there. That's why they tell you always piss after sex." Bi Han said.

"Hold on, you're telling me No Panties Meleda had this UTI thing and wanted me to touch her? I would have lost my fingers!" Tomáš yelled.

Everyone screamed and Tomáš fell off his chair laughing. "You guys laugh at poor me and I would have had to explain to my dad why my hands are gone!"

"Yeah, sorry King Václav, your son fingered some icky broad and whoops!" Sektor said.

"Oh fuck you guys!" Tomáš yelled, laughing, throwing his cards at Sektor.

"You know, they've made strides in technology, you'd be just fine with prosthetics, Tomáš."

"Not you too, Kuai! How dare you betray me?!"

Everyone laughed again, when Kuai Liang approached Tomáš and hugged him. "Sorry, little brother, the joke just wrote itself."

"Give me that coke, damn it." Tomáš said, walking back to the table. He kept himself in Kuai Liang's embrace when he did his line, and leaned back into his friend's arms.

"Now I'm ready for the party." He grinned.

Bi Han got up from his seat, when he lay sprawled out the gambling table.

"Hey Tomáš, come here."

Everyone watched in curiosity, when Tomáš approached him.

He reached out and grabbed the prince, who was now situated between his legs. "Hold on, what are you doing, Bi Han?" Sektor asked.

Bi Han ignored Sektor and asked Tomáš, "Did your father teach you anything about positioning with sex?"

Tomáš looked down at Bi Han and nodded. "He told me about this thing called missionary position." "Yup. That's us right now, that's typically the traditional way, but there's a bunch of things you can do here to really please a woman." the elder Lin Kuei said, "watch me."

Bi Han then pushed Tomáš back and spread his legs further, "You have a whole range of motion here, and then," he bent his legs at the knees and pulled them back to his shoulders, "now this one, this is the good one. Fold your girl just right, and," he made a kissing sound, while the others cheered.

"Well damn, Bi Han, I didn't know you were that flexible." Cyrax said.

The elder Lin Kuei shrugged. "Just teaching our prince a few things in case he meets a girl and gets laid tonight."

"Tomáš never meets a girl he likes, come on now."

"I can hear you two, you know." Tomáš growled, lighting up another cigarette. He kept his eyes on Cyrax, "Well, got anything else to say?"

"Wow, sassy little attitude, Prince Tomáš." Cyrax said. Tomáš smirked at him, challenging him.

"Alright, since we're here,", the elder began, "how come you never got a girl? I mean, even I got three girls at one of these parties, once."

"I even had a threeway." Sektor said, raising his hand.

Tomáš rolled his eyes, taking a drink of his whiskey. "I don't know, maybe I just don't like the girls here." "Have you seen the babes that come through here on Fridays? They're tens, man!" Cyrax said. "Ten out of what?" Tomáš said. "He means ten out of ten." Bi Han said. "And they're all here for a piece of that royal dick of yours, Prince Tomáš." Cyrax said, causing Tomáš to roll his eyes and sigh again.

The prince was silent in contemplation, before beginning, "See, that's why I'm not interested in these vapid women. So they're hot, so what. What do they have to offer me?"

"I don't know, sex?" Sektor said.

"Sex is sex, who cares. Excuse me for not being so excited about it as you two are." Tomáš said, "besides. If that's all I am to them, then what's the point? I'm a prince to everyone here. With you guys, I'm Tomáš Vrbada."

"Prince Tomáš Vrbada." Sektor said, causing Tomáš to groan.

"It's not that I'm ungrateful for my position. But maybe I want a woman who would want me for me. See the man beyond the crown, you know?"

"Oh come on, Tomáš, you're too young to think like that, just enjoy all these women willing to throw themselves at you. You can focus on all that romantic shit later." Sektor said. "I'm sorry for not having your same mindset with this. Obviously, you and I have different views when it comes to sex and intimacy. You can go throw your dick around for all I care, but me? I want something more."

Everyone was silent for a while before Tomáš added, "Besides, what are you doing getting with women at my party when you're supposed to be guarding the forest outside?"

"Your parties go on for a long time, once our shift is over, Sektor and I go get some ladies." Cyrax said, "And you, Bi Han, Kuai Liang?"

"I'm celibate." Bi Han said.

Cyrax and Sektor froze.

"What?"

"I'm celibate." the elder Lin Kuei repeated with a shrug. "But..you just.." Sektor said. "Yeah. I used to be sexually active, but I made a vow of chastity after meeting Tomáš."

"Seriously? Bi Han, you didn't have to!" Tomáš said, suddenly feeling guilty.

"Eh. Some things are more important than pleasures of the flesh. I dedicated my life to him and Kuai Liang."

"If I knew that, I would have..." Tomáš said, before Bi Han raised his hand up. "Don't fret your pretty little face, my prince. I'm at peace with my decision. Now Kuai Liang, he can do as he chooses, but I have to at least meet anyone he brings home."

Kuai Liang blushed and looked away. "Maybe some day."

"Take your time, Kuai. Meeting someone special takes time." Bi Han said, approaching his little brother. He took his hand into his, and added, "I want you to be happy. Woe into the person who dares break my little brother's heart."

"Same goes for you, Tomáš. Love and marriage are long-term, it's important to meet someone you get along with, and who's right for you for your own reasons, not your parent's."

He yawned, then leaned against Kuai Liang, who put an arm around him. "Are you ok, my brother?" he asked. Bi Han nodded. "A little tired. But I'll be fine. Had a long day, you know."

Hours earlier, 4am.

Queen Jindřiška knocked and entered the bedroom of Bi Han and Kuai Liang, the younger Lin Kuei nearly jumping out of his bed in fright.

"Bi Han, are you available now? I need to talk to you."

Kuai Liang turned on his bedside lamp, his eyes bleary from being woken up, long hair strung about his face.

She spoke some more until Kuai Liang said, "Excuse me, my lady, but I am Kuai Liang, Bi Han is-"

"Right here." Bi Han said, coming into the room. His eyes were on his little brother, then to his queen before saluting and bowing to her.

"How can I help you?"

Queen Jindřiška gestured with her finger and said, "Come, Bi Han, I would like to speak to you."

Bi Han held the towel around his waist tight and replied, "May I have a second to get decent? I just got out of the bath."

"Of course." she replied, averting her eyes from the topless Lin Kuei.

He closed the door behind him, looking at Kuai Liang.

"What does she want? Did she do anything to you?" he whispered, getting close enough to his little brother. Kuai Liang shook his head. "Ok, good. Queen or not, she'll lose a limb if she touches you."

Bi Han left his brother's side, removing his towel, letting the cool breeze touch his naked body. He changed into a simple shirt and pants, then left the room where the queen was waiting, still elegant even in her night robes.

"You wish to talk, my Queen?" he asked, fixing his hair into a bun as they began to walk towards her parlor.

Once they got there, she extended her arm out to the balcony, and Bi Han followed.

He was a bit apprehensive when they ventured outside, she could push him off the ledge, no one would ever know. Instead, she looked out into the distance. Into the quiet fog surrounding the forest around them.

"Bi Han, it has come to my attention that we have vigilantes acting out in the castle town." Bi Han almost choked on his spit. He had no idea that she knew. He thought this conversation would be about Tomáš.

"Based on your expression, you know what I am talking about."

The elder Lin Kuei nodded.

"Yes. Kuai Liang and I noticed something had happened in the castle town last night. One of the buildings in the drug section we've been trying to clean up was raided by a SWAT team and the vigilantes."

"What SWAT team? Václav and I know of all the law enforcement agencies in the city and we have never seen such a thing."

Bi Han looked at her with worry.

"Then..?"

"Perhaps it is possible that the vigilantes were brought into a trap?" he added.

"Kuai Liang and I found a rose on the floor in all the destruction."

"A rose?" she asked.

"Earlier in the night, I took Kuai Liang out for dinner and to follow the lead on the vigilantes that Cyrax gave me. We had extra time, and I took him to see a concert at Klub 007 Stráhov..there we saw a woman performing with the band. She had a mask on, but I could tell she was gorgeous. Beautiful voice, great stage presence, too. The girls in the crowd went crazy over her. Apparently, she has a gimmick where she throws roses into the crowd."

Queen Jindřiška raised a thin eyebrow.

"A rose hit me in the head, so I kept it."

"It matched the rose Kuai Liang and I saw at the building after the raid."

Once again, Queen Jindřiška raised an eyebrow.

"So you believe you've found one of the culprits? And it's a woman? Well..she must have allies, no woman can do that much damage alone."

"Cyrax said there were three."

Queen Jindřiška hummed, crossing her arms.

"I am tasking you, Bi Han, and your brother, to find these people. Bring them to me alive, then I will decide what to do with them."

Bi Han bowed. "Yes, my lady."

She nodded, and clutched her robe at a cool gust of wind. "Thank you. I trust that you two will not fail at this mission."

He watched as the queen left, and let out a sigh, looking at the moonlight above him.

"Don't worry. I'll catch them. I won't let any of this come near Tomáš."

Current time, 7pm

"Let me get some sleep. A quick nap before the party." Bi Han said.

After his talk with Queen Jindřiška at 4am, it took Bi Han hours to get back to sleep. Then he had to deal with King Václav screaming at him at 5am about bringing Prince Tomáš to the whorehouse on the hill.

He began researching what he could about the vigilante attacks, but found nothing, even went back to the site of the attack, all signs of anyone being there, gone.

When he returned to the castle, he had breakfast with Tomáš and watched his mother once again fuss about brushing his hair.

They bickered back and forth, "mami" this and "zlatíčko" that, and Bi Han smiled, laughing at them.

Now that it was 7pm, the five left the boy's room, and Tomáš returned to his room to take a bath.

"I hate Fridays." he muttered, sinking beneath the waters.

He had a strange feeling about tonight's party. An itch he couldn't scratch, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He attempted to distract himself by washing his body and hair, swimming beneath the water, then staring outside the window, letting the cool breeze hit him.

It was almost crazy how a week changes so much.

He felt more confident talking to his father's advisors after going to the Brutal Assault festival, his adult conversations with both his father and his friends, he just felt stronger.

Still..what was this odd feeling?

Standing in front of his mirror, he looked upon his nude form, his slender body, sleek muscles that allowed for stealth and precision, the light grayish hair on his chest and lower.

Eighteen was such a weird age, as Bi Han said. Not yet a man, yet not a child anymore. Something in between.

Tomáš once again looked at himself in the mirror, not that he was vain, but curious about his still growing body. He was fit, handsome, he heard what the girls in Czech society say about him.

His eyes went lower, blushing as he looked between his legs..a decent size, thick at the base, a nice length, if he really thought about it.

Then again, sex was not often a thing on Tomáš' mind. That was why he was confused about both his father's, Cyrax and Sektor's words from earlier. Did they expect Tomáš to suddenly begin bedding women?

The young prince kept his eyes on the mirror, when he suddenly took himself in his hand.

He allowed himself a few strokes, then gasped, pulling his hand from himself.

"Too much.." he said.

Not that he wasn't trying, but years of abuse can do horrible things to a person...it was only Bi Han and Kuai Liang's touches that calmed him, he didn't mind his parent's affections, but..he knew it was something he'd have to fight through.

He wanted affection, maybe even love, if he could just fight through his psyche.

"I have to try...every week I say I'm going to try, but I get scared. Every time, I think about their hands on me..they hit me, touched me where no boy should ever be touched..held me down and abused me..how can I expect to get over this?!"

He almost punched his mirror, instead, he grabbed his towel and stomped away.

"Be strong, Tomáš. You're the prince of the Vrbada family, the heir...there's no time to cry. No time to be weak.."

He changed into the fine silks and robes his parents left him, a black and gold-plated waistcoat that went down his whole back, and silk black pants with gold trims on the sides.

Bi Han fixed up his hair and handed him his masquerade mask before holding out his arm for him.

"Ready?"

Tomáš nodded. "But first..I need one more line." Bi Han smirked and shared one more coke line with the prince before leaving him to assume his duty of guarding the castle.
_

Kampa District, 7pm

"I can't believe you idiots convinced me to go to this stupid party. There's gonna be so many snobs, and just..eww."

"This is the most exclusive party in the Czech Republic, sweetheart, it's not every day that you get to go to one of these." Kabal said, brushing Hesperia's hair.

Her magic bracelet allowed for her to design her hair any way she wanted, and today, she went for a high ponytail that Kabal helped style with silver chains.

Kurtis helped pick out a gold dress with purple and maroon flower designs, the dress had thin straps and was corseted at the bust. It was backless, zipped at the waist, with a high slit on her left side, allowing for free movement.

It was accented by gold and maroon chains around the waist, and a single black glove that went all the way up to her elbow, matching the black cast on her left arm.

There were still bruises on her legs and thighs, by the hydra tattoo on her left thigh. Bruises on her face as well, she knew she'd stick out, despite Kabal doing the best he could with her makeup.

"Sexy.." she said to herself, looking into the mirror.

She could feel Kurtis' judging stare, and he said, "Well..you sure look beautiful, Hesperia. I picked out this dress, but I didn't expect it to look so.."

"Oh lighten up, Kurt, let a girl have fun. Who knows, she might meet that prince who lives in the castle." Kabal said.

"I thought we said a princess lives there." Kurtis said. "Nah, I got some intelligence, a prince lives in the castle with his parents." Kabal said.

He looked at Hesperia as she sprayed herself with a shiny mist.

"But be careful there, Hesperia, the prince is protected by the Lin Kuei, they'll be watching your every move."

"The Lin Kuei? In the Czech Republic? I thought they were based in China.." she said.

"That's as much as I know." Kabal shrugged. "Anyway, it's 8pm, you should get going."

"I called you an Uber. Be safe, ok? Text us when you get there."

"Ok, see you two later!" Hesperia waved at the two as she left, her heels clicking against the floors. "I hope she brought her knives."

"I'm sure she did." Kabal said, catching Kurtis as he jumped on his lap.

He carried his lover into the bedroom as Kurtis planted kiss after kiss on him.

"She'll kill us."

"We'll just clean the bedroom once we're done."
_

Castle Vrbada, 9pm

The masquerade party was in full swing by the time Hesperia got there.

Queen Jindřiška and King Václav sat at their thrones mingling with their advisors while Tomáš walked around in the crowd talking to all his guests.

Maybe it was the words of encouragement from his parents, Bi Han and Kuai Liang, maybe it was the coke and whiskey, but tonight he felt more comfortable talking to the men and women in the crowd.

He simply laughed off any women's attempts at flirtation, thanking them for their kind words, and moved on to the next group of people.

Bi Han, meanwhile, kept his eyes on the ballroom, a sinking feeling running down his spine.

"There's danger afoot..but where is it coming from...?"

Hesperia was in awe at the castle when she walked in. With her mask on, she handed in the invitation she found at Klub 007 Stráhov and was able to get into the party.

It was magnificent, like in the stories she read of medieval times. Giant, golden, filled of splendor and opulence. There was a mixture of medieval goth as well as modern decor, a radiant mix. As she walked through the narrow corridors, a plum carpet was at her feet, on the walls, portraits of each member of the Vrbada royal family through the decades. Candles lit up the hallways, leading to the ballroom, where she could hear people talking, and walking in and out. There were men in suits, looking like bodyguards, observing everyone who walked in, like bouncers in a club.

She froze. Despite gaining entrance to the castle, was she going to be stopped at the ballroom? What if they discovered her ticket was falsely gained? Would they kick her out? Or worse...

"Ma'am?"

A voice called out to her, and she gasped, looking at a bodyguard in front of the ballroom. "Please enter this way."

Hesperia blinked, before allowing the bodyguard to lead her into the ballroom. "Thank you." she said quietly, walking in.

When she walked into the ballroom, she was again in awe. It was like a fairy tale, beautiful women in ballgowns, men in suits, calm and sophisticated orchestral music played in the background as people danced and mingled amongst themselves. With the lights dimmed, to a golden light, there was an air of sensuality through the room, couples were dancing together, holding hands and kissing against the walls.

She felt so out of place here.

A woman from a small village in Switzerland, these women here were from rich cities, standards of high society in the Czech Republic.

She sighed. Yet, she truly felt like a princess.

Hesperia knew she stuck out like a sore thumb with her muscular body, bruises and an arm cast, compared to these perfect, and thinner women.

Still, it wouldn't deter her from having a good time.

Tomáš was caught in a boring conversation with a blonde when he looked for the refreshment table, his way of escaping. The woman put her hand on his shoulder to drive his attention back to her, but he quickly nudged her hand off.

He then looked to the side, when he noticed a woman in a gold dress, high ponytail and arm cast.

It was like time stopped, his eyes locked on the woman, completely frozen.

He watched as she wandered around, her eyes taking everything in around her, then his eyes traveled down the rest of her body.

"How stunning..." he said to himself.

The blonde cleared her throat to get his attention once more, but he was already leaving her side and following the woman in the gold dress.

He had never seen her before, and he knew he had to catch up before she got lost in the crowd.

Hesperia knew there were people looking at her, she could feel their bitter, judgmental stares as she wandered around the ballroom. They were whispering about her, that body, that dress, she was out of place, she looked out of place.

It was almost becoming too overwhelming.

Her eyes went down a maroon tapestry, elegant, beautiful maroon and plum drapes along each glass-stained window, her heels clicked upon golden plated floors...

Until...

She felt a presence behind her, her fingers itching to pull out a knife from the holder around her thigh. It was well hidden under the fabrics of her dress, yet easy to grab if needed.

"Hello...how fascinating. It's not every day that I see a woman so..damaged, if you will."

Hesperia's eyes narrowed into a glare.

A man with a soft, yet breathy Czech accent was behind her..and those words...

"Excuse me...?" she snapped.

"French..how did a French girl get into this party?" he said to himself.

Tomáš stood behind the woman, and he could inwardly slap himself.

What was he doing? Was that the best he could do to start a conversation? Look at her superficial wounds and ask her about them? Yet he was fascinated by her imperfections. Too many plastic, vapid women, and here was a woman with bruises, with a cast on her arm, a little bit of a disfigured nose.

"I'm not French, so you can get that thought out of your mouth." she snapped.

Tomáš sighed, looking down at her ample bottom, then gasped. "How inappropriate, I shouldn't..." he thought to himself.

"I am sorry. Your...look had me curious. How did you...become injured?"

"None of your fucking business."

The prince was nearly taken aback at her words, and the clear malice in them.

She kept her back to him, giving him a perfect view of her toned back muscles and shapely ass, Tomáš couldn't look away.

Annoyed, she let out a sigh.

"You're still here."

"You're interesting." he quickly replied.

Not once has he ever heard a woman so mean, so aggressive. He was used to women fawning and falling all over him, well..maybe not used to it, but it was too much of a common occurrence.

And here comes this woman flipping it all upside down.

"And you're about as interesting as toxic shock syndrome, now what the hell do you want before I throw my drink in your face and throw you out a window."

"...I..i...don't even know what that means..." he stammered, face turning red in mortification.

But something about this woman's aggression. It was arousing. Tomáš found he couldn't leave. This woman wouldn't dare hurt him. Not when he knew that Bi Han or Kuai Liang could jump down from the ceiling and chop her head clean off.

Instead, he came closer, almost brushing up against her body. She let out a tiny gasp, and instinctively reached for under her skirt for her knife.

He grabbed her wrist and whispered in her ear. "I'd advise against that, Ma chèrie"

"Unhand me." she said coldly.

"The Lin Kuei have this place surrounded." he whispered coldly, "I'm sure the royal family would not like to clean up a dead body tonight."

"So this is what the Lin Kuei does, coercion."

"I find that I simply can't look away from you."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Go be a pervert somewhere else." she growled, "or go find some other girl who'd be glad to open her legs for a prissy Czech loser like you."

She pulled herself from his grasp, then finally turned to face him.

He almost looked like royalty. Wearing what almost looked like an armored black and gold waistcoat, black silk pants, he could have been mistaken for a prince, if she knew what Prince Vrbada looked like to begin with.

She looked at his greyish white hair, his slender stature and laughed.

"You're a Lin Kuei? You look like a daisy, a pushover."

He was silent, taking in all her beauty behind her mask. "Not so tough now are you..." she challenged.

"...I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Why I suddenly came so close like that."

It sounded more Iike he was taking to himself, and she smirked, crossing her arms.

"Sounds like you've got something on your mind."

She sighed.

"Ok. I'm sorry, too. I was a little too harsh back there.."

Her apology made his ears grow warm and he looked up at her.

"I should be more behaved in public. Especially in other people's homes."

"I admit I had it coming. I should have approached you better."

"You're Lin Kuei, I assume people like you don't often talk to women."

She finished her drink and smiled at him. "Word of advice, women don't like being approached like that."

"You brought a knife to this party."

The sudden change in subject made her look at him seriously.

"I did. It stays with me always."

"The royal family would not like violence here. Tell me, are you a danger I should look out for, or is it for your self-defense?"

"Self-defense." she replied.

The two were silent for a few more seconds, then Tomáš quietly excused himself from their conversation. Hesperia hummed and watched him leave with her head tilted in confusion. "Now where is that little shit going...?" she asked herself, taking a plastic glass from the refreshments table. "Plastic...how ingenuous." The shot glasses were of plastic cups instead of glass, less of a mess, she supposed. Or less damage to the grand ballroom floors. It wouldn't do to have people dancing upon glass.

Tomáš made his way out of the ballroom and held his hand to his quick beating heart as he leaned against the wall around the corner. Bi Han immediately caught up to him and asked, "Hey Tomáš, you ladykiller! How come you're out here, you were doing so well mingling in the crowd."

"Seriously?! Bi Han, I'm in way over my head here. I'm nervous, I'm sweating, I feel like..I could just collapse and die." Tomáš said, trembling against the wall.

"Oh no, you better not die. I don't want to have to explain to your parents, and well you know, I'd be upset too." Bi Han said, wagging his finger at him.

He placed his hands on Tomáš' shoulders and said, "Alright, breathe. One, two, three...that's it." The prince breathed deeply, then closed his eyes in deep thought. "If you'll excuse me for a second, Bi Han." he said, once he felt a bit calmer.

"Down the hall and to your left." the elder Lin Kuei said, "I'll keep an eye on the ballroom, don't you worry." "Thank you, Bi Han." Tomáš said. The elder Lin Kuei simply waved and walked back into the ballroom.

He yawned and assumed his position again, keeping an eye on the revelers when once again, something bounced off his head. "What the..-again?!" he yelled, watching as a plastic shot glass fell to his feet. "If I find the bastard who keeps throwing-"

Bi Han stopped when he saw a familiar sight within the crowd. A woman's muscular back stood out amongst them, and he narrowed his eyes on the woman. "Wait a second, that's the woman from Brutal Assault! The pink tornado! She threw a beer can at me at the festival...then she must be the one who threw the cup just now."

"Either she has really bad aim, or she somehow hates me." he added, crossing his arms.

He was about to approach her, when he saw another man in a blue suit and yellow mask approach her first. He kept watch, just in case.

"Hello beautiful."

Hesperia didn't even acknowledge the man, merely tilting her eyesight at him. She paid him no mind, instead, she turned away from him.

"I was talking to you!" the man yelled, suddenly reaching out and grabbing her long ponytail, pulling her towards him. "Don't you dare ignore me, you foreign slut!"

Hesperia screamed out in pain as the man grasped her and pulled her. "Yo! Let her go!" Bi Han yelled, running through the crowd to get to them.

Instead of Bi Han getting there, Tomáš got there first, and forcibly shoved the man away from her. The shove caused him to release Hesperia, and he slammed her against a table, hitting the side of her head against the edge.

"Master Jákob, what is the meaning of this?!" Tomáš snapped, standing in between them. "Stay behind me, miss." he added, holding his arm out in protection. The man named Jákob laughed and said, "What's this French bitch doing here?"

"For fuck's sake, I'm not French..." Hesperia sighed to herself, holding her hand to her head, wincing in pain.

"It doesn't matter." Tomáš snapped. "You don't put your hands on women without their consent! Not here, or anywhere!"

"I thought to give her a good time, but it seems she wasn't interested." the man was drunk, gesturing towards them, "Is this what you like? Croissant pussy..your parents would be so proud of you."

"Get out." Tomáš snapped coldly, "never step foot in this castle again."

"Did he just call me croissant pussy?" Hesperia asked out loud, looking over her shoulder at the two men.

With her hair in tatters, Tomáš turned to her and asked, "Are you ok?" His eyes grew wide, and he said, "Oh my god...I didn't realize he-" "I'm fine." Hesperia said, "just a little bump. I'm not bleeding, am I?" She declined his help and rose up from the floor, allowing herself to recover from the shock.

"I..certainly didn't expect to be harmed here tonight..." then she smiled, blushing. "How heroic of you, to just swoop in here like Spideman to save me."

"Spiderman?" he asked.

"Eh...well, he was the first superhero to come to mind. I used to watch him when I was a child." she said, suddenly embarrassed.

"He is my favorite, too. My friends will tell you; I would try to climb the walls and pretend I was Spiderman."

She giggled, and it made his heart soar.

He looked at her sadly, even through his mask, she could see his expression. "Your hair." "No worries." she said, "So, who was that guy? Do you know him?" "His parents know mine. He's a jerk." he shrugged. "Ohhh...one of those son of a rich kids." she said. "More like son of a bitch. I hate his father, too." he said.

"Czech society, everyone with their head so far up their asses, all they smell is their own shit. Jákob thinks he can just touch you, harm you if you ignore him, it's all drab and plastic and superficial in here and everyone has terrible perfume on." he growled, "Humanity suffers in the face of greed."

"I'm not French, by the way." she said, crossing her arms, "that asshole really called me croissant pussy." He chuckled, and she growled. "I'm sorry, that was kind of clever." "Oh shut up. The offer to throw my drink in your face is still valid. Keep running your mouth and your face will be in that punch bowl."

They were silent for a little bit, until Tomáš spoke again. "I like this."

They watched the crowd around them, the incident with this Master Jákob long gone in their heads. Now, all they did was dance and hope that the prince would notice them.

"You like what?" she asked.

"This. Talking with you. Remember, I said you were interesting?" he said. "Oh yeah. Now I remember." she groaned. He smirked, then held out his hand. "I meant to ask this to you earlier, but...may I have this dance?"

"I'm too busy being a wallflower. Ask someone else." she replied with a smirk.

"Alright. But don't get jealous if I twirl past you with a blonde."

"And here I thought you said all the women here were plastic."

He smiled, then held out his hand again. "You don't look like a barbie doll."

"Are you saying I'm not pretty?"

She took his hand and he pulled her towards him, gently running his hand down her back. She shivered from his touch.

"I'm saying you're the prettiest thing in this room tonight, croissant pussy."

She groaned, laughing as she allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. "Call me that one more time and I'll throw you out the window."

"You must think of a better threat, my lady. You used that one twice already."

He spun her around, and she pressed her back against him. He inwardly groaned, feeling her rump brush against his crotch, and his hand brushed against her hip. His eyes followed his hand, and he saw the tattoo on her hip. "What's that?" he asked. "It's called a thigh. You ever touched a woman before?" she asked.

"I meant the tattoo." he said. "Oh...it's a hydra. The monster of the sea." she replied, dancing gently with him. "A hydra. Why did you choose that?" he asked. He took his hands into hers, and he moved along with her, trying his best to keep up.

"I was born by the sea in Norway. The water gives and the water takes. Demons do as demons do. You must respect the waters, unless it sinks you beneath the waves." "And there are demons in the waters?" he asked. "Perhaps. Maybe there's demons all around us." she replied.

Once again, his hand trailed down her hip, and she placed her hand on top of his, leaning her head back into his shoulder. "You're a terrible dancer." she said with a smirk.

She spun around, putting her right arm around his shoulder. As she could barely bend her left arm, he let it lean against his body, being careful not to bump against it. His arm wrapped around her waist, and he said, "Then teach me." "Follow my lead." she said, attempting to place his other arm around her waist. Instead, she groaned in pain, and he stopped her. "Let me.." he said, wrapping his arm around her waist instead. "So..what happened?" he asked. "I'm what you would call a wildcat." she smirked, "went a little too wild and was put through a table. I must have a thing for tables."

"Put through a table? Who would do such a thing?" he asked. "You'll be surprised what someone can do at parties." she winked. Not that she was about to tell him the real reason why. He did not need to know she was a vigilante and the real reason why her arm was broken was because of becoming injured on the job.

"I'm sorry. I hope it heals quickly." he muttered. "Thank you." she whispered, "because I do not like being confined to just one arm. I feel like I'm off-balance dancing with you."

Together, they moved, dancing a sensual dance against each other. Despite their masks, their eyes were on one another, his arms around her svelte waist, her arm around his slender shoulders. He tried his best to keep up with her body slithering and moving against his, hips and breasts brushing against him as the music in the background became slower and almost more romantic.

Both of them could feel their body temperature rising the more they danced together, and he brought her even closer to him, hands resting on her hips. When the music began to speed up, she took her hands into his and together, they stepped in a rhythm, Tomáš trying his best not to trip over his own feet.

"You can't expect me to fall into a tango with you, lady." he said, barely keeping up with her. "Seriously? I can't even do a tango here to begin with, too many people here. Besides, half the bitches here looked like they wanted to trip me the moment I stepped in. They'd really knock me down if I tried." she said.

"Kurvas.." Tomáš whispered quietly. "Hmm? What was that?" she asked. He came close, whispering in her ear. "I said, kurvas...whores." he said. She laughed. "Is that what they call them here? We call them pute in France. Then again, I'm not French. So, I just use whore." "Naturally, I don't like to insult women, but.."

She shrugged. "What of it, tell these sewer trash what you really think of them."

The two were silent, letting their bodies speak for themselves as they danced. In the background, she could hear people whispering about them, people even pointing at them. It was curious. She tried to ignore it, instead, chose to pay attention to her dance partner.

Tomáš could feel the stares burning into him from behind, he heard the whispers around him, too. Instead, he pulled his dance partner closer, doing his best to protect her. She wasn't Czech, she most likely did not understand what they were saying, but Tomáš knew. The words weren't pretty. "Come with me." he said, gently pulling her to another part of the dance floor.

"You feel it too, then?" she asked. He looked down at her, "Yes." "Something wrong with me being here. I get it." she said. "Ignore it. Stay by my side." he said, "I will protect you."

She grew warm hearing those words. How sweet his man was...

Once again, the two were silent, moving together to the rhythm of the background music, when she found herself pulled into his embrace, his arms holding her against his shoulder. What was it about this woman, Tomáš thought. He never met anyone like her. Not only was she beautiful, but sharp toned with her words, full of icy malice, but also vulnerable and terrified. "Are you ok?" he asked. "Y-yes..." she said, but quickly changed her tone. "No. I'm not ok."

He looked at her with worry. "This castle will eat you alive..it's beautiful, but there's demons around who would love nothing more than to see you burn." he said. "Of course..." she said. "Look at me." he said, and she looked up, into the man's mask. "It's just you and me here. No one else matters. You're an amazing dancer, and I can tell that you're a good person, too."

"You don't know me." she said. "Hard to know someone you just met. But I'm glad we can converse like this while dancing. It's a language I barely know.." he replied. She smiled. "Yeah, you're a pretty bad dancer..I'm kind of surprised. If you're Lin Kuei, I'd imagine you'd have to move your body often." she said. "Hmm? There's a big difference between fighting and dancing." he said.

"No there isn't. Maneuver your body when it comes to avoiding your opponent, dodging any killing blows, attacking your enemy." she said. "Take a swing at me, let me show you."

"I couldn't!" he said. "Just do it." she said.

Tomáš sighed. "As you wish." He assumed a fighting stance, then swung his arm at her. She swiftly, and elegantly dodged with her healthy arm, twisting her wrist to entwine her fingers with his. "What is your fighting style?" she asked. "Currently, I've been learning Mi Tzu Quan." he replied. "A fighting style full of deception and elegance. Work on your dancing skills, and you'll be invincible."

"Thank you." he said, smiling. "There's as many different dancing styles as there are fighting styles. Always remember that dancing and fighting go hand in hand." she said.

"As stealthful as the night, and deadly as the dawn. That's our motto."

She hummed, then wrapped an arm around him again, continuing their dance.

"Protected by a deadly assassin. Lucky me."

Then she realized, they had been dancing for what felt like so long, and they hadn't even exchanged names. Maybe it was better this way, but she was curious. She was unfamiliar with Czech culture, the only things she knew was hockey, and that was from when she and Kabal went to a few Flyers games when they had Czech players in their club.

"You know..I never asked for your name.." she said, blushing, terribly embarrassed that she didn't ask him sooner. "She really doesn't know I'm the prince.." Tomáš said to himself, "I could use this to my advantage. I could be...not the prince tonight, but just Tomáš.."

"Call me Smoke." he replied.

"Smoke? No... I don't smoke..." she said, looking at him curiously.

"No, that's my name. Smoke." he said.

She laughed. "Your name is Smoke? Ok, whatever, keep your secrets."

The two kept their eyes on each other, like there was no one else in the room, when he spun her around, facing her back again. She moved against his body, and he leaned into her, his lips moving against her neck and shoulder. The small touch made her moan, and she lay back against him. He was growing hot and aroused from their sensual dance, and he allowed himself to leave a small kiss on her neck. She smiled and turned around, pulling him towards her, into a tender embrace.

It was so romantic, being in this Smoke's arms, like a fairytale. He was gentle with her, caring. Yet there was an innocence about him, something precious. Her hand then trailed to his cheek, "You're getting better, Smoke."

He leaned into her touch, smiling and blushing. Something about holding this woman in his arms, having her against him made him feel so warm and dare he say loved.

Bi Han and Kuai Liang watched as Tomáš was pulled into the woman's embrace, he bent her to the floor, and she raised a leg up in a dramatic flair, pulling him down with her, his nose brushing against hers, their lips almost touching. When they rose back up, he spun her around, pulling her close to him, their faces close enough to almost kiss.

The elder Lin Kuei had a big smile on his face, even cheering Tomáš on as he danced with the woman. Kuai Liang, on the other hand, felt a shiver of fear, and said to his brother, "Heads up, Jindřiška's coming!"

"What?" Bi Han yelled.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Queen Jindřiška suddenly yelled as she pushed her way through the crowd. "Who is this...whore all over my son?!" "Guards! Catch this woman and bring her to me, now!"

Tomáš overheard his mother's angry footsteps and her loud voice roaring through all the cheers and whistles, and yelled, "Lady, get out of here, now!"

"What?" Hesperia yelled, when Tomáš released her from his hold. "Leave here now! Guards are coming!"

Tomáš felt himself being pulled by his mother off the dance floor and Hesperia disappeared into the crowd. Instructed by Smoke, she ran off the dance floor and out of the ballroom, the castle guards hot on her trail.

"Bi Han!" Kuai Liang yelled. "I'm on it!" Bi Han yelled, dashing out the door after the guards. He removed his dress shirt and pants, revealing his Lin Kuei outfit and chased after the guards who were chasing the woman.

"Never a dull moment, huh, Sektor?" Cyrax asked. "What did we miss? I see this yellow tornado fly past us then I see the guards, then I see Bi Han flying by." Sektor asked. "Tomáš was dancing with a woman, his mother got angry and sent the guards after her." Kuai Liang said.

"Huh? Wait Tomáš finally got a girl tonight? And I missed it? Damn!" Cyrax said, "But I thought the Queen wanted Tomáš to meet a girl, why is she so angry?" Kuai Liang shrugged, "I think someone said she was French."

"Ah yeah... that'll probably do it." Sektor said. "What's wrong with French women?" Kuai Liang asked. "I think it's more so that she isn't Czech. King V doesn't want to do diplomacy with some other country, I guess." Sektor said. "Regardless, I'm going after them, to make sure Bi Han doesn't kill the woman." Kuai Liang said, running out towards Bi Han, the woman and the guards.

"Mother, let me go!" Tomáš yelled, trying to get out of her grip. "I am trying to protect you, my son! Protect you from foreign temptresses like her!" Tomáš, however, ripped himself from her grip and ran out of the ballroom, running in the direction everyone went. "Oh Tomáš..." Queen Jindřiška sighed.

Hesperia found herself at a standstill, nowhere else to run except for a balcony, and if she jumped, who knew what was down there? Maybe a great abyss? Monsters? But there were now monsters, guards who had her cornered, laughing and taunting her. "We've been tasked with hunting you down, lady. Queen's orders."

"What the hell did I do wrong?" she asked herself.

The guards lunged at her, but she did the unthinkable, and dove off the balcony, Bi Han caught up to them, only to see her jump. He looked on in fright and screamed as the guards dove over the balcony, plunging to their deaths.

"Oh my god..."

Bi Han yelled, when all there was was silence. "Hello?! Miss?!"

"Yeah?" she asked, using her good arm to hold on to a piece of brick. Her grip wasn't strong enough and she was quickly losing it. "If you're a bad guard looking to turn me in, I'm going to jump, but if you're friendly, I'll come up."

Bi Han leaned over the balcony and saw her, holding on for dear life. "With one arm, too?" "The other one's broken. Or fractured. Something." "Alright, come on. Crazy lady." he said, leaning down to pull her up and back onto the balcony.

"Wow. You really are pretty." he said, when they were both standing across from each other.

She glared at him, he looked her up and down and she snapped her fingers. "Hey, eyes up here."

He walked around her and said, "You're in big trouble, missy." "What did I do?" she asked. He shrugged. "The people in this castle don't take kindly to foreigners."

"More importantly. I remember you from the Brutal Assault festival."

She looked up at him, he leaned against the balcony, looking up at the sky. "Yup. You were there, you threw a beer can at me."

"I did?" she asked. He nodded. "Strawberry Mango Truly, it was called." "I... I'm sorry. Johnny did say he thought I hit someone, but I must have been too drunk to notice." she said softly. "No harm no foul. But then you hit me with a shot cup today. And now you got me thinking you've got something against me. You can say it, is it because I'm Asian?" he said.

"I don't even know who you are." she said.

"My name is Bi Han."

He began forming an ice ball in his hand, and she looked on in awe. "Cyromancer of the Lin Kuei. Protector of Castle Vrbada and all around generally nice guy."

"And yourself?"

She shrugged.

Before she could speak again, Kuai Liang dashed into the balcony, yelling, "Bi Han! What's going...on?"

He was surprised to see only Bi Han and the woman standing under the moonlight, it looked like they were having a conversation. He was confused.

"And this cutie, is my younger brother, Kuai Liang." he said, gesturing towards the approaching man in the yellow Lin Kuei suit. "Hello." Kuai Liang said. "Hi." Hesperia said. "Um..the guards?" Kuai Liang asked. "Smarty skirts over here made them dive over the balcony to their deaths." Bi Han said.

Kuai Liang looked at her heels and asked, "How did you run in those?" "When you feel like your life is in danger, you run no matter what you're wearing." she replied. She breathed, and then asked, "Am I free to go now?" "Sure, go on ahead." Bi Han said.

"But just a warning, the exits are all blocked by guards. There's a secret passageway out, but you'll have to find it." he added, "ah..too late, she's gone."

"Bi Han, why were they after her?" Kuai Liang said. He took a seat beside his brother on a small bench under the stars. "You know about hierarchy, right?" Bi Han asked. Kuai Liang nodded. "She is a commoner from France. Tomáš is a Czech prince. Under royal law and all that nonsense, she isn't even fit to breathe same air as him. And, according to the Queen, she's a whore."

Kuai Liang frowned. "That's not fair."

Bi Han shrugged. "Not our place to argue. But for what it's worth, I don't think it's fair either. Tomáš seemed to get along well with her. Also, calling her a whore isn't right. The Queen doesn't know her. She shouldn't judge."

He frowned. "She seemed nice, the woman. If I were her, I'd stay far away from Castle Vrbada and all its politics. They'll eat her alive."

Hesperia walked back into the castle, when more guards began chasing her. "Jesus Christ, where are Kabal and Kurtis, get me the hell out of here!" she said in a panic, as she ran further down the halls. The guards were getting closer, she was running out of breath thanks to her sternum injury, plus she could only run so far in these heels.

Just when she thought she would be dead meat, a bomb was thrown at the guards, causing a plume of smoke to flow into the room. "With me!" she heard a voice yell and take her hand. She began coughing, but she followed the voice and saw another Lin Kuei dressed in black and grey facing her. "Hurry, this way."

With nothing to lose, she held her hand to her mouth and followed the assassin further into the castle, down the steps towards the basement and into a secret section of the castle.

"No one will find you here, my lady." the assassin said. He wore a gas mask, and his dark brown eyes examined the darkened halls, then looked at her, without his eye mask in the ballroom, now he could see her more clearly. Gods, she was beautiful.

"Are you safe?" he asked.

She had trouble breathing, then she began to fall to her knees coughing. "Hey, hey, hang in there!" he yelled, pulling her up from the floor. "S-sorry. I..have a chest injury...hard to..breathe." she stammered. He took the woman into his arms and led her into a guest bedroom, where he knew she would get to recover safely.

"Rest up." he simply said, leaving the room.

"Hey, wait!" she said, going into another coughing fit.

She had a hard time breathing, and stared into the moonlight, praying to get through this. She hadn't exerted this much energy in what felt like so long since she last had a hit job, but this felt different, more desperate. "Sure, I can dance just fine. But running? I feel like I could die."

Once she felt her breathing come back into control, she examined the room, or as much as the moonlight would allow. It was small, cozy, with an unlit candle at the bedside table. The bed was right by the window, allowing a cool breeze to fly into the room, taking the silk white curtains into the wind. She lay back on the bed, looking out at the pale moonlight.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Hesperia took her karambit in her hand once the door opened, jumping up to sit upright. "Hey hey, it's me, Smoke! Someone told me you were down here and I had to come check on you."

There he was, the man from the dance floor, holding a glass of water with a small piece of cucumber inside. He held his hands up in surrender, then she sighed, putting the knife back into her bosom.

"Take this." he said, handling her the glass. "Thank you." she whispered, finishing the drink slowly. She held her hand to her heart, her breathing returning to normal.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "Calmer." she replied. He smiled, then looked at her. As there was no light in the room, Tomáš removed his masquerade mask, then lay it on the bedroom table.

"The knife is in your chest? Does that hurt?" he asked. "I can put it on the table, if you want." she said, placing her karambit on the bedside table. "What is that, anyway?" he asked, looking at the knife. "Karambit. It's a weapon used in Pencak Silat, fighting styles from Indonesia." she replied, "I stole it a long time ago, it's my weapon now."

He hummed, knees accidently brushing against her in the small room.

"Is too small in here?" he asked.

"No. It's just right. Reminds me of my home. I'm from a small village in Switzerland, Appenzell." she replied, moving to lie back on the bed again. His eyes watched her as she moved, her skirt lifting around her thighs, accidentally showing off her panties. "Oops. Sorry, that's terribly unladylike." she said, attempting to pull her skirt down.

He chuckled, then asked, "Didn't you say you were from Norway?"

"Yes. I was born there, but I moved to Switzerland later on."

"Geneva first..then Appenzell." she added.

"That must be why everyone thinks you are French."

"If I hear the word French one more time, I'll-"

He smiled, then placed a finger on her lips. "Let's talk about something else. May I...get on the bed with you?"

After a few seconds of contemplation, she moved aside to give him room beside her in the bed. She lay on her side, attempting to keep her skirt from flapping up, and watched as he got onto the bed beside her. Tomáš felt his heart beating heavily through his chest as he lay on his side beside her, looking down at her. She looked up at him, her heart pounding, before taking off her mask, trying to reach over him to place it on the bedside table next to him. He reached out, his fingers brushing against her wrist to take the mask from her hands. "Let me.." he said, placing the mask on the table beside him.

Now they were truly alone, away from the prying eyes, the whispering gossip. It was only them, the darkness in the room, and the moonlight around them.

His eyes trailed down her body, she was genuinely gorgeous, inside and out, and he felt himself growing warm and aroused by her image.

Just maybe...he could...

Gently, he reached out and brushed a stray hair from her face. He could barely see her through the darkness, but his eyes made out the shape of her face. His eyes went to her lips, and he came closer, "...may I...may I kiss you?"

She gasped, looking up at him in surprise. "You...want to kiss me?" He nodded. "Forgive me if I am too forward..." She looked away. "Despite what you've seen on the dance floor, I must warn you that I am rather shy. Especially when it comes to affection." "So am I. I barely have any experience to speak on." he replied.

"Then.." she said, looking at him curiously. "I don't know, something about you...I just.." he said, before stopping himself.

A cool breeze flew into the room, and she shivered, when he placed the bedsheets over her. "Too cold?" he asked. She shook her head, yet still curled into the sheets. He went into the sheets with her, looking down at her. They both chuckled awkwardly, blushing, looking away. She sighed. "I really am awful at this kind of thing. I'm surprised I even managed to get a boyfriend once."

"I assume no longer together then, right?" he asked. "Oh no, definitely not." she replied, "we're still friends, but...well, first, my father did not approve, secondly, we decided we're better off as friends. And yourself? No girlfriend?"

"I wouldn't be here in bed with you if I did." he replied. "...huh..you're right. Not that I know you, but you don't look the type to run around on a girl. You seem..I don't know, loyal? Is that the word? Like if you're with someone, you'd be dedicated to them." she said, "you protected me in the ballroom. You made me feel welcome and safe." He looked at her sheepishly, then scratched the back of his head. "Well..I tried my best. I just didn't like watching you get judged the way you did."

"Thank you, then, for protecting me." she said. He smiled and said, "You're welcome."

The two were silent again, Hesperia looking at her feet when she brought them closer to Tomáš. "You're cold." he said. He moved closer to her, looking into her eyes as if to ask for permission, when she curled into his hold. With her head on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her in his arms. "You're warm.." she said. He smiled, watching her put her hand on his chest. He held her hand, his heart pounding beneath her palm.

"He's just as scared as I am...why can't I go through with this? He's unlike any man I ever met...and curse me for even thinking this of a man I've only known for a few hours at best. Am I really this weak? Maybe weak isn't the word. I don't know what is, but.."

While she fought an inward battle with herself, Tomáš did not fare much better. His only experience, if he can even call it that, was with prostitutes and-well, he'd rather not think of the other-women who did not care for him, women who only cared about the image and the crown, that's all he was to anyone, a title. But to her? The woman in this bed? He was simply Tomáš Vrbada. Not that she knew his name anyway, but still..

For once, he could choose intimacy, have it for himself, rather than have it taken away from him. It was a wonderful feeling, if he could just get over his own demons.

The two stared at each other again, awkwardly trying their best.

They brought their lips towards each other, but quickly pulled back, both turning red in embarrassment.

They both laughed, then bit their lips, looking away. "Hovno..." he muttered. "I have no idea what you just said, but I agree." she said, "we both really suck at this." "How do I ease this situation, do I do a song and a dance?" he asked, "because please don't make me dance, you saw how bad I was upstairs." he asked.

"No, we can just stay right here. You're warm." she said, "and don't you dare ask me to start yodeling. Once my ex found out I was Swiss, he asked me to sing the Sound of Music with him." "Hmph. Your ex is a stupid man." he said.

He suddenly became jealous at the idea of her ex, whomever he is, was. She smirked, when trailed a finger on his chest. "Well..don't worry about that right now. It's just you and me here. And us being terribly awkward."

He watched as her fingernail danced over his shirt, and he pulled her closer.

"Fuck...kiss me, Smoke.." she said, bringing her lips towards his. He brought his lips to hers, then they finally touched. To him, it felt like heaven. Her lips tasted delicious, like strawberries on a summer day, warm, sensuous. Like seeing the sun after a dark rainstorm, her lips danced across his. On his part, he was awkward, sloppy, his kisses full of spit and saliva that began trailing down to her chin.

When they parted, his eyes were lidded, breathless. She wiped the saliva from her chin, looking up at him tenderly. He saw the look on her face, he could have mistaken it for disapproval, and he sheepishly smiled. "That was awful, wasn't it?"

She gave him a softhearted smile, then booped his nose. He giggled. "Am I a puppy now? Because that's what my friends call me." "They call you Spiderman, they call you puppy, too?" she asked with a smile, "you friends must love you." "Woof woof." he said, causing both to laugh.

"So... uh...anyway...that's the thing about first kisses. You always get another try." she said, bringing her lips back to him. "I get more?" he asked, "oh thank god, I thought you'd..."

She silenced him by brushing her nose against his chin, reaching up to kiss his lips gently. He hummed once they kissed again, and she stroked his cheeks, nails brushing against his skin delicately.

"Slowly." she instructed, when they parted. She leaned back into him and kissed him once more, putting more force into the kiss. He followed her lead, kissing her as slowly as she kissed him, his lips moving in tandem with hers.

When they parted, both were wearing blushes, and she said, "Much better?" "Much better." he said, breathing heavily. He began to feel aroused, though also afraid to scare her off, when she leaned in for another kiss. He answered with a kiss of his own, and she suddenly pulled him on top of her.

Their kisses became more intense by the second, he pressed himself against her, and she moaned into his mouth, when her tongue brushed against his lips. He opened his lips and allowed her tongue to press in, and he almost exploded in his pants. "God damn..." he moaned, when she grasped his hair, pulling him down for another kiss.

She giggled against his lips, he followed her lead with his tongue, and slipped his inside her mouth. Sloppy and inexperienced again, she moved her tongue with his, opening her legs further, allowing him to rest in between. She moaned as he ground himself against her, and he moaned too, his lips parting from hers, moving to her chin, and then the underside.

He then trailed kisses down her jawline, and to her neck, as he nudged her with his nose, then gave that a little lick.

"Too much?" he asked. "No..keep going..." she moaned, leaning back, giving him access to her neck. "Ok..." he breathed against her neck. It was hot, and she trembled against him, "stop me if I go too far..or if you ever want to stop."

She nodded, and stroked his hair as he kissed up and down her neck, pressing himself against her.

Consent, that was of course important, he wanted to please the woman beneath him, but he also wanted to give the consent he was never allowed to have. For once, for the first time in his life, he could experience intimacy on his own terms. And it felt amazing.

Tomáš returned from her neck, reaching back up to kiss her lips, when she began to rise from the bed.

"Too much?" he asked, when they parted.

"No, I want to get out of this dress." she said, leaning against the wall beside the bed. He approached her, and she pulled him back to her, her lips pressed against his. "But I also want to keep kissing you." "I like kissing you, too." he said, when their lips touched. Passionately, the two kissed as he held her up against the wall, and then he went back to kissing her neck. She lay back against the wall, moaning as his kisses trailed lower, towards her breasts. As he kissed her, her right hand moved down his arm, grasping the sleeve of his waistcoat, then moved her hand up, one arm around his shoulders, her left hand brushing against the wall.

His hands went to the straps of her dress, and he kissed her shoulders, pulling the straps down, being mindful of her injury, as he kissed down her body, as more skin was exposed.

Stopping to take a short break, he lay his head on her chest, and she cradled his head in her bosom. "Are you ok?" she asked, kissing his forehead. He nodded, cuddling into her. Both of them were growing hot, sweat forming on their bodies as they held each other against the wall. "I'm ok.." he repeated, pulling back and turning her over, to where she was facing the wall, and she careened her neck back towards him, when he moved her ponytail to the side, allowing him access to the back of her neck. He nibbled her on her ear, then began kissing down her neck. She leaned back against him, moaning as she reached back behind him, grasping his hair, while his hands moved to her hips. His lips then moved down to her shoulders, then trailed more kisses down her spine, when he reached for the zipper of her dress.

"If you don't get this dress off me now, I will burn it to the fucking floor." she said. He snickered, then slowly began to pull down the zipper, removing the dress from her body. "Oh thank god..." she breathed, watching as the fabrics fell from her breasts, exposing them to the cool air. "God?" he asked curiously. Gods, his accent is so sexy... she thought, especially now that he was breathy and amorous. She hummed and said, "That corset was too tight on my tits, my girls couldn't breathe."

He followed the dress as it pooled around her feet, falling to his knees, lightly brushing against thigh bruises and the elegant hydra tattoo that that went from her left thigh and reaching upwards just under her left breast, then he touched the bracelet around her thigh. "Be careful with that!" she yelled, when he accidentally triggered a knife to pop out from the bracelet. He flinched, just barely missing being slashed. "What technology.." he said curiously. "My father made this for me." she said with a smirk. "He must be very smart. Create something to protect his little girl.." he said to himself. He leaned back to allow her the room to bend over and carefully remove the bracelet.

"As you said, the royal family would not like to clean up a dead body tonight."

On his knees, he looked up at her, watching as she removed the black glove from her right arm, throwing that down with her dress.

She stepped out of the dress and moved it aside, and stood before him, wearing only a gold thong. On his knees, Tomáš lay his hands on her hips, then moved them towards her toned bottom. He squeezed, and she squealed, giggling. "I'm ticklish, you jerk." she said. "Hmm..ticklish, here?" he asked with a smile. "Oh shut up." she grumbled. "It's cute.." he said softly, humming as he lay his head on her bottom. "What are you doing back there?" she asked with a smirk. "Admiring you.." he replied. "I take it you're an ass guy, huh?" she asked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Gee, I don't know, you're laying your face on my ass." she said with a laugh, facing the wall.

Looking over her shoulder, she gently moaned as he kissed down her derrière, her thighs, then to her hips. "I guess I'm particular about some things. Please don't think I'm too weird." "No...it's nice to be admired.." she moaned, feeling him grasp her ass again. He nibbled and grasped her thong with his teeth, teasing her with a snap. "Are these things not too uncomfortable?"

"I only wear them on occasion. I suppose I could have thought a little better tonight." she replied. "I'm glad you chose otherwise." he said. "Oh I'm sure you are, Smoke." she said with a laugh. He giggled, then rose up from the floor, turning her around, taking her into his arms. "Is not a problem, yeah?" he asked, "I don't want you to think I'm some kind of weird pervert with an ass fetish."

"Believe me, you're fine." she said with a smile, "I've had men fetishize worse things about me. It happens when you're in the public eye." Tomáš inwardly growled. "Jdi do prdele.." he said to himself.

Holding her in his arms, she wrapped her good arm around his neck, when pressed his nose against hers. She felt so exposed, wearing nothing but a thong, and he, fully clothed, yet he felt warm against her body, and she felt safe and protected. He then placed her on the bed, fluffing her pillow, before getting in beside her, placing the bedsheets over them.

"Comfortable?" he asked, settling himself between her legs. She nodded, nuzzling his chin. She then hummed, and he looked down at her, bringing his lips to hers. He kissed her, pouring his desire for her with each touch of his lips, and she wrapped her arm around him, returning his kiss with passionate fervor.

As they kissed, Tomáš' hands moved up and down her hips, then he reached up to grasp her breasts. His fingertips brushed against her nipples, and he kneaded them in his hands. She let out a small moan, whining as he thumbed her nipples, and she stroked his cheek, brushing her lips against his. When she began to drag his face towards her breasts, he gasped and froze.

"Too much..:" he whispered to himself.

"Hey...everything ok?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He looked into hers and nodded, smiling. "Yes, yes..I'm ok."

"Alright..come here." she said, bringing his face to hers. She kissed him, then her hand trailed to his crotch, and to the erection jutting through his pants. He gasped at the feel of her hand and jumped out of her arms. "Hey, Smoke, are you ok?" she asked. "Huh? Oh..." he said to himself, almost forgetting that he did not give her his real name, instead told her to call him something else.

"Yes, I'm fine." he said, "just...no one ever touched me like that...nicely, I mean."

She looked at him sadly, "Nicely...say no more, Smoke. We don't have to go any further."

"Hey, wait.." he said, watching as she got out of the bed and began walking towards her dress. She picked it up from the floor and pressed it against her body, leaning against the bedside table, looking at her feet. "I understand. What you must be feeling. I...was in a similar situation to yours. If it's what I think it is."

He looked at her as she continued. "I was abused, sold as a sex slave to the highest bidder. It took me so long to even try to become intimate with someone, none the less even try to kiss anyone. All I could think about was the abuse, the rape, the torture.."

She looked away. Why did she feel the need to tell him all of this so quickly? Maybe it was the way he reacted, opened up the floodgates.

Tomáš looked at her sadly. Perhaps this was why she had taken so long to kiss him. Had he forced himself on her? A wave of anguish suddenly hit him, he felt like the castle's biggest jackass.

It was like she had taken all the words out of his mouth. Misery was soon replaced with a sudden anger. "Who hurt you?" he asked. "The Black Dragons. I was a child sex slave taken by them." she replied, looking away in shame.

Tomáš froze.

The Black Dragons? Were he and this woman cut from the same cloth? Shared the same fate? The same abuse by the same group of-

"Jesus Christ..." he muttered, running his hand through his hair, "I...I... too suffered in their capture."

She gasped and looked at him. "You, too? Then you..must know of a man named Kano."

"He was my captor. He had this face plate; they said the side of his face was messed up..."

"I did that to him." she said, growling, narrowing her eyes, "I finally had enough of his abuse...of his words, I..jumped on him, stole his karambit, cut up his face until it was nothing but ribbons..."

"He never touched me in that way, but he pimped me out to the highest bidder. When I refused to sleep with clients, he would hit me."

"His associates molested me." Tomáš said, looking down at the floor. "I never told anyone, not my parents, not my friends, I suffered in silence."

"I'm sorry." she said, turning back to him. She kneeled by his side as he sat on the bed, tears in his eyes. "I was only eight years old when I was kidnapped. I'm a..child of high society, so I was worth a lot of money. Money that rich pedophiles were willing to pay to bed a child of my stature."

She lay her hand on his knee, and he placed his hand on top of hers. "Were you...raped?" she asked. He nodded, holding his head in his hands, wiping away his tears. "How stupid of me to ask, of course you were. Sex with children is rape...I'm sorry." she said.

Looking into her eyes, he said, "I remember it all...their hands all over me, choking me, slapping me, if I tried to say no, they would stick their fingers in my mouth until I stopped screaming. I cried for help, for my parents.." he shook his head, stopping himself from saying more.

"That's why I freeze up like this. I really tried, to be intimate with you...I... like you. I thought we could go well together."

She gave him a delicate and sweet smile, trying to ease his pain. "And I wanted to be intimate with you. I think you're a nice guy. You're sweet, caring."

"But I understand. Abuse shocks us to our cores. We never forget, no matter how much time passes."

"Then..." he said, taking her hand into his. "Let it be your touch I remember. Please, for a night, can I forget about the Black Dragon, and only think of you?"

"Smoke, I..." she muttered. "I don't want to mess this up."

"I trust you..." he said. "You shouldn't." she said. The two looked at each other, and he pulled her up from the floor, onto his lap. He leaned in for a kiss and she leaned into his lips, kissing him. When they parted, she blushed, looking at him with heavy lidded eyes, her hands trailing down the front of his waistcoat.

"Are you sure about this? Don't just do this because you're trying to prove a point..." she said. "I do. I want this. I...want you." he said, "what we were just doing before I chickened out..I liked it. For the first time, I felt that I could try intimacy on my own terms..that I could experience my own pleasure and..." he looked away with a shy blush.

She caressed his cheeks, bringing his face back to hers, "It's a good feeling, I know." she said, "you...want to go with this then...like...you want to have sex?"

"Yes...is that ok?" he asked, blushing a harder red, "I want you to make love to me."

His hands then trailed down to his waist coat, unbuttoning it, dropping it to the bed beside him. Hesperia stood in front of Tomáš and watched as he unbuttoned his dress shirt, exposing his slender chest, his toned abs, his greyish-snowy chest hair. Topless, he pulled Hesperia to him, kissing her. "Yes...I want you, too, Smoke." she said. He smiled, then kissed her again.

As they kissed, he put her on his lap, hand running down her back as she nuzzled his cheeks, using her tongue in between kisses. He pressed himself against her, grinding his crotch against hers, causing her to let out a small moan, kissing him again. "It's like I'm fucking addicted to kissing you.." she said, stroking his cheeks. "Me too. You're amazing.." he said.

During their many kisses, he moved his hands from her back, gently brushing against her hips, when he brought his hands to own pants. She watched as he unbuttoned himself, and she moved back, out of his lap, to allow him to unzip his pants. She grabbed the waistband of his pants, pulling them down as she began to sink to her knees.

Her eyes questioned, and he said, "Yes...yes please..." She gave him a seductive grin, "Ever have a woman go down on you then?" He shook his head, "Only been touched there by a prostitute." "Hmph.." she snorted, pulling his pants all the way down.

He kicked off his pants, then raised his hips to remove his briefs, opening his legs to show off his impressive erection. "Hmm...I like what I see." she said, "May I?"

"Yes...yes.." he moaned.

She smiled, taking him into her hand. He let out a low groan, and she giggled, wrapping her hand around his cock, stroking him.

"Haahh...that's nice..." he moaned, watching her hand move up and down. Already, he was growing wet, precum sprouting from his slit, letting her stroke him faster. Her hand then moved lower to cup his balls, and he moaned out loud, thrusting into her hand.

She looked into his eyes, then leaned forward, dragging her tongue across his slit. He let out a deep moan as she kissed his tip and ran her tongue down his thick base. He groaned, placing a hand behind her head as she licked up his base, stopping at his head, looking into his eyes as she closed her mouth over his tip, taking in his length.

He spread his legs further, allowing her to move closer to him, and she went further down, trying to take in his whole cock. At first, she coughed and gagged, pulling back to wipe tears forming at the edge of her eyes, and he looked down at her with worry. "Too big?" he asked. She looked up at him incredulously. "Enculé.." she said with a laugh. He laughed too and said, "Sorry...is a little.." "Little ain't the word we're looking at here, Smoke." Hesperia said with a smile.

"Fucking rookie mistake...Kurtis Stryker and Kabal Corrente didn't raise a quitter." she added with a laugh, jerking him gently. She spit on his length, causing his cock to twitch, and tried to take him in her mouth again.

"You can do it, kočička.." he breathed, encouraging Hesperia to take him deep into her mouth. She didn't know what that meant, but the use of his native tongue in that breathy accent aroused her, motivated her to give it her all. He again lay his hand behind her head, gently leading her further down his length. "Mmm..." she moaned, taking him further, until she managed to get his entire member in her mouth. Once her nose touched the greyish-snowy hair between his legs, he moaned, breathing heavily. "That's it..that's it.." he cried out, feeling her wet lips suck him the way in. Her eyes were lidded, looking into his, cheeks blown, looking upon him with lust as she took him deep into her mouth, sucking slow and hard.

"Haaahh...yes...so good, kočička.." he moaned, leaning back, spreading his legs further as she began to slowly pull off him.

Her lips then moved off, a line of saliva trailing from his head and her lips, and she licked his slit, running her tongue down underside of his cock. "You should tell me what that means..." she moaned, stroking him as she eyed his balls. "Little kitten.." he moaned, thrusting his hips to go with her strokes. "Mmm...I like that. You should call me that often." He looked down at her with a smile, and she looked up at him smiling. "Mon minet."

"I thought you said you weren't French." he said with a smartass smirk. "I only speak French when I'm sucking a really good dick." she said. Her words caused them both to blush, and she giggled, spitting on his cock again. "This ok?" she asked. He nodded, moaning as she stroked him softly.

She licked her lips, then moved forward, kissing his wet tip, then moved lower to lick at his balls. He cried out as she took them into her mouth, sucking gently, working one, then the other, jerking him off in time with her sucks. She then licked the underside of his balls, then back up to the underside of his member, moving back to his tip, before taking him back into her mouth in one swift movement.

Empowered, she took him all the way in until her nose brushed against his pelvis, and she sucked hard and fast, keeping her eyes locked on him. Her hands moved up his thighs, towards his v line, and to his hips, where she grasped and held onto them as she tried to bring him to completion.

He held her head against his pelvis, gently thrusting into her mouth, moaning deeply as he felt himself getting closer to his orgasm. She moaned as well, taking one hand from his hip, bringing it to herself, touching herself as she pleasured him, and he watched in awe as her own finger dipped inside her.

Her hair had fallen out of the intricate ponytail Kabal styled for her, and he held her hair up as he tried to pull out of her mouth. He didn't know if she would like him to come in her mouth, but she showed no signs of slowing down her movements. Instead, she moaned as she reached a sensitive spot inside her, and she felt his cock twitching in her mouth. She looked him in the eye, he was moaning and incoherently whining, whispering the words, "Close...close...gonna.." before he came hard, and right into her mouth.

She squealed, quickly pulling his cock out of her mouth, and spitting into a tissue she grabbed from the nightstand. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean.." he said, looking at his twitching and now flaccid length. "Shhh.." she moaned, placing a finger on his lips. He noticed it was the same finger she had inside her, and he licked it, looking at her with lust in his eyes.

"Wow.." he moaned, leaning back on the bed, catching his breath. His cock and hips and lower body still tingled from his orgasm, when he helped her rise from the floor, and sat her on his lap, kissing her. He tasted himself on her lips, but it didn't matter when her breasts dragged across his chest as she kissed him passionately. He felt himself growing aroused again, and she leaned back, dragging his face to her breasts. He nuzzled her large breasts, grasping them as he kissed in the space between, looking at the bruise on her sternum. She hummed, when he cupped her right breast, bringing his mouth towards it, licking her nipple slowly. "Mmm...nice..." she moaned, as his tongue circled around her areola, then back to her nipple, hardening it. He closed his mouth over her nipple, sucking, as she moaned, grasping his head, stroking his hair.

"This ok?" he asked, pulling back, looking at the bite and kiss marks on her nipples, then back to her eyes. "Yes..." she moaned. "Keep going?" he asked. She nodded. "I would like it if you would." she replied, causing him to smile, then return to her breasts. He caressed her breasts, fingers brushing against her now-hardened nipples, then cupped both, bringing them to his mouth. "Nice and big..." he said, causing them both to laugh, "just the right size.." "Wanna hear a funny story? They were actually larger before. I had to get breast reduction surgery. They were about an F cup, but they gave me terrible back pain. I couldn't dance or move around with them being that large. I had them reduced to a DD instead. Much easier." she said. "I'm glad. No more pain, yeah?" he asked. "Well..if I have any pain, it's from being put through a table." she said with a laugh. He smiled, then returned to her breasts, giving each nipple a kiss before sucking on them gently.

He switched between each nipple, giving both equal love before gently placing Hesperia on the bed. She looked up at him and touched his cheek, stroking gently as he leaned down to kiss her lips. As they kissed, he grasped the sides of her thong, pulling them down. She kicked out of them, and he leaned back, looking upon her naked form.

Her nude form illuminated by the moonlight, he could make out a perfect feminine figure; toned, svelte, slender...she was hairless, muscular, and he looked down at her in awe.

"Beautiful..." he said.

He smirked, poking at her center, and she squealed. "Funny...you don't look like a croissant pussy." "Oh shut up!" she yelled, throwing her hair back in laughter. He laughed too, then kissed her, taking her into his arms.

She spread her legs, rubbing herself against his cock, and they moaned into their kiss. She was wet and aroused, trembling as his tip brushed against her sensitive opening, when he began to remember Bi Han's words of sex positions.

He ran his hand down her stomach, stroking her between her legs, teasing her once, then grasping her hips before kissing her, and flipping her over, laying her on top of him. "Oh..you want to try it this way?" she said with a smirk. He lay beneath her, grinning, as he ran his hand down her back. "My father warned me never to let a woman be on top, but I want to give a try.." he said. She leaned down for a kiss, rubbing her wetness over his tip. "Mmm...that feels nice." she moaned through the kiss. "Yeah?" he asked. "Oh yeah..." she replied, "want you to put it in me already.."

He chuckled and said, "Alright, let's...try it.." They kissed again, and moved back to spread her legs over his member. He watched in awe at her open legs, stroking her thighs, looking at her center as she attempted to sink down on his length. She cried out in pain, and pulled back, taking a breather, then attempted again to sink down on him.

"Fuck..." she moaned, pulling back again, before curling up on the bed. "Are you ok?" he asked. She chuckled, running her hand through her hair. "Yeah...I'm alright." she replied. But in reality, she was throbbing between her legs, in an attempt to get her lover's member inside her, it was painful. "I..guess my body was fighting against you."

He frowned. "I'm sorry." "No..no it's ok." she said, "my fault for thinking I could take such a big dick without proper prep." "Do you..." she bit her lip shyly, blushing, "have any lube around here?"

:"Lube?" he asked. "Ya know...lube...lubricant?" she asked. He looked away with a frown. "Hey." she said, looking back at him. Her eyes grew wide when she noticed his furrowed brows. "Hey, Smoke...I-"

"Am I not enough to satisfy then?" he suddenly asked. "Smoke? What are you talking about?" she asked. "All we did, I thought, you were...I don't know wet enough, did I not make you wet enough, did I not please you enough?"

He was suddenly despondent and feeling immensely inadequate, insecure. "Are you kidding? I'm soaked. You wanna feel? It's not that you haven't satisfied me at all..it's just..sometimes a body needs some extra...oomph or so to make things work." she said.

When he was still looking away, she curled her hand under his chin and made him look at her. "Look at me, Smoke." "My name is Tomáš." he said, his voice laced with a bit of anger. "Tomáš...ok...Tomáš look at me." she said. Despite his voice being a bit angered, hers was calm. "What's the matter?"

He breathed. "You're asking me for lube like I haven't done a good job pleasing you...it makes me feel..inadequate." "Tomáš..." she said quietly, "...I like that name..thank you for telling me." "You shouldn't let this make you feel bad." "And why not? When my friends and I watch porn, the two can immediately get into it, like, they don't need prep or lube, or whatever you call it, why shouldn't I feel bad?" he asked.

She groaned, looking away, annoyance now creeping up on her. "You compare what we're doing to fucking porn?!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Porn, Tomáš, seriously?" "It's all sex, isn't it?" he asked. She sighed. "You do realize it's all studio magic, right? That it's all editing and other computer shit. They do all the lube and whatever behind the scenes, and there's people there and drugs whatever to keep the men keeping their dicks up. They even have a name for it that I can't remember. But for fuck's sake, do you realize what you're even saying?"

He noticed there was a sad look on her face, then he looked at her in surprise. "I'm sorry." he said. She sighed again. "I'm not good with women, as you have already been able to tell. I say hurtful things, don't I?" he said. "Yes." she replied. He took her hand into his, but she ripped it away. "Tomáš..." she sighed, looking at the wall.

Tomáš sighed, curling up to Hesperia, taking her hand into his. "I'm sorry. I..just..I got frustrated and I felt.." "I should have explained things better, too." she replied, "instead of making you feel bad." She turned into his hold, looking into his eyes. "Sometimes, despite all the foreplay and the kissing and all the wet in between, and I guess sometimes women can have natural lubricant, but it's not enough. Especially when...dealing with someone of your stature. I could use the extra help, and that's where lube comes in. It doesn't, shouldn't make you feel any less than a man. If anything, it helps make the glide easier. Makes sex easier."

"Especially if I'm trying that position..." she blushed, hiding her face in his shoulder. He embraced her, curling her into his hold. "If you're willing to have me again, I'm willing to try again. I'm sorry for being so immature about it." He released her from his hold, leaving the bed to look around the room. "Where would I find?" he asked. "Hmm...the drawers?" she asked.

She watched as he squatted, opening the drawers and rummaging through them to look for a bottle of lube, watching his abs curl under his squat. How attractive he was...his eyes furrowed in concentration, until he made a sound of discovery, smiling as he took the bottle out. "Is this it?" he asked, handing her a small blue bottle. "Yup, water-based lubricant...I wonder how this ended up here to begin with."

"Maybe one of the guys comes down here and...I don't want to think about it." he said with a smile.

He returned to the bed, and she ran her hand down his cheek when he came back to her, pulling him in for a kiss. "I'm glad we could talk about this. I don't want there to be bad things between us." "Me neither.." he said, nuzzling her cheek with his.

Looking into his eyes, she lay back on the pillow and spread her legs, giving him the bottle of lube. "Tomáš, dear...would you do the honor?" "I'd be honored..." he said, his breathy accent against her lips. Before he could act, she took his hand, kissing it, "Call me Hesperia."

He smiled. "Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.." She blushed, stroking his cheek again. "Tomáš is a nice name, too." "Named after my grandfather, what did you name after?" he asked. She shrugged. "I never knew." "Hmm...that's ok." he said with a smile.

Taking a deep breath, he looked into her eyes and then looked at her spread legs, the wetness around her opening, then to the bottle in his hands. "Ok..so.." he began, "just pour a little...and.."

"You look nervous." she said, looking into his eyes. "I..i'm not too familiar with this kind of thing." he admitted. "You don't touch yourself? Or play with yourself?" she asked. "No..no never tried.." he replied. "Ok, I can help.." she said with a smile. He smiled, too, when he poured lube onto his fingers. "Is cold..." he muttered, blowing on his fingers. "We can wait.." she said, pulling him in for a kiss. He replied to her kiss, moving his lips gently over hers. Once he felt his hands were a little warmer, he brought them to her center, stroking down her slit softly.

She moaned, closing her eyes, leaning back as she felt his fingers stroke her. "Mmm...that's nice..." she moaned, spreading her legs more. "Go inside?" he asked. "Yeah, you can.." she replied, breathing heavily, moaning as he poured more lube onto his fingers, pushing them inside her. "God...yes..." she moaned, opening her legs further, watching as he thrust his fingers inside and out, stretching and spreading the lube around her. He moaned, watching his fingers move in and out of her, watching her thrust down on his fingers, then he was pulled into a kiss. "Tomáš.." she moaned against his lips, and he felt his heart grow warm. "Is good?" he asked. She nodded, then moved away from under him.

Hesperia gave him a lusty smile, then gently pushed Tomáš back to the pillow. "Let's try that again.." she said, watching as he lubed up his erection, moaning as he stroked himself. She looked into his eyes, stroking her clit gently, watching him stroke himself. "Ready?" she asked, when he pulled his hand from his cock, gesturing towards her.

With a smirk, she took the fingers she was stroking herself with, bringing them to Tomáš' lips. He licked them, then brought his hands to her hips. He watched on as she spread her legs over his erection, stroking herself with his tip. "Oh god...much better.." she moaned, as she began to slide down his cock. He was quiet, yet breathing heavily through his nose as she sunk down on his cock. Pulling back, she breathed out, then tried to slide down again, throwing her hair back and moaning as she finally managed to get his entire length inside her.

"Ah fuck...fuck..." she cried out, grasping his chest as she tried to get used to the stretch of his length inside her. "Oh god...Hesperia...!" he cried out, feeling her warmth clench around his cock. The two breathed out, her looking down at him, he looking up at her, breathing heavily.

"Are you ok?" he asked, stroking her cheek. "Yes...Tomáš...gods, you feel incredible..." she whispered, "you're so big..." He blushed, his body growing hot at her praise. She grimaced as she again lifted herself up, then thrust herself down on him, the slide easier, faster than before. Once more, she lifted herself up, then thrust down on him harder, causing moans to slip out of their mouth. Once he was fully sheathed inside her, she looked down at him with a grin, her hair wild and spread freely around her, as she dug her nails into his pectorals, stroking his chest hair. "Ah fuck yeah.." she moaned, licking her lips, looking down at him with crazed lust.

"Holy shit..." he moaned, looking at the wildness in her eyes. "Oh you're gonna get it good, Tomáš." she said, grinning as she began to move, thrusting, frantically bouncing on his cock. He cried out, grasping her hips, looking into her eyes, watching in awe as she bounced on him. He watched her breasts and ass bounce with each of her hard thrusts, he replied to her thrusts with upward strokes of his own, grasping and slapping her ass in rhythm with their thrusts.

The room was filled with the wet sounds of skin slapping against skin, and their moans as she took him deep inside her, riding him hard and fast. As she rode him, he grasped her lower back with one hand, the other, lifting himself from the pillow, pulling her towards him as he sat up, thrusting deeper inside her. She cried out at the new position, looking into his eyes, watching as sweat poured down their bodies. "You're...so...fucking..good, Tomáš.." she moaned, leaning back, moaning again as he began to suck on her nipples, thrusting upwards inside her.

She stroked his hair, crying out as his movements slowed down while he licked and sucked on her nipples. "Tomáš..." she moaned, scratching and clawing as his neck with her other hand. He moaned as she slashed his back, biting her nipples, then going back to sucking on them, before reaching up to kiss her lips. She returned his kiss, her hand going from his back to his cheek, gently stroking as they further deepened their kiss.

As they kissed, tongues wagging to their rhythm of their thrusts, she slowed down her own movements, giving him leeway to plunge hard and fast into her. He grabbed her ass and held her still as he thrust upwards, looking deeply into her eyes, her moans and cries in his ear. He then pulled out until just his tip was inside her and flipped her over to her back, lifting her hips, placing her legs over his shoulders, folding her beneath him.

She cried out in pleasure from their new position as drove himself deep and hard inside her. Sweat poured down his body as she felt the full force of his powerful thrusts, crying out his name, one hand grasping the back of his neck, the other grasping the bedsheets. He looked deep into her eyes, hot and sweaty, his hair blocking his eyes, she reached up and pulled his hair back, pulling him back down for a kiss, swallowing all his moans. It felt so intimate, being able to look at her lover in the moonlight, and it made her heart soar.

"Gods...so good...you feel...so good.." he moaned, breathily against her lips. She leaned back, digging her nails into his forearms, scratching him in pleasure. He moaned as he felt her break his skin, feeling his member twitch inside her.

He knew he was not going to last much longer; he looked down at where they were entwined and reached between their bodies to stroke her clit in time with his thrusts. She nearly shrieked, moaning at the extra pleasure, when she came on his cock, crying out his name. She trembled at the intensity of her orgasm, her lower body soaked, causing him to slip out from inside her.

"Oh god..." she cried out, catching her breath, leaning back towards the bedpost. She then wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a kiss, before turning her head to cough. "Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded, holding her hand to her chest. "Yes..yes..fine." she breathed. He then kissed her forehead, and she lay back down, spreading her legs. He looked at the wetness around her opening, and stroked with his fingers, before bringing his member back, pressing against her entrance.

She moaned, still sensitive from her orgasm, when he fully sheathed himself inside her, continuing his hard and deep thrusts. She grabbed his shoulders and held on, digging her nails down his back, slashing him as he put more force into his thrusts, moaning as she felt herself already about to come again. They kissed, tongues wagging, when she moaned into his mouth, hitting a second, and fast climax.

"Oops..." she giggled, holding her hands to her face, almost embarrassed that it did not take her that long to come again, but he smiled down at her, stroking her cheek. "Jsi krásná.." he breathed, closing his eyes, moaning as he felt his cock twitch inside her. She didn't know what he said, but she moaned, arousal spreading through her body every time he said little words in Czech to her.

"Almost there.." he said, inwardly.

The way she had squeezed his cock during her orgasm nearly drove him headfirst into his, and he thrust deep and hard into her through it, moaning in her mouth as he pulled her in for a kiss. He was speaking, breathlessly moaning incoherently against her lips, something like "close...gonna...come..." and she kissed him again, whimpering into his mouth.

"Fuck...!" he shouted, giving her a few more thrusts before quickly pulling out, hovering over her, jerking off until he came on her chest. He watched as ribbons of come splattered on her stomach and breasts and moaned, catching his breath before leaning down to lay against her. "Mmm...Tomáš..." she moaned, wrapping her arms and legs around him, nuzzling him. She coughed, and grimaced, his weight on her chest and sternum, and he said, "Oh, I'm sorry..", moving off her chest, and more to her side. "I...forgot about...your injury.."

The two were drenched, covered in sweat and come, holding each other, she held him against her neck as they felt the aftershocks of their climaxes, catching their breath.

Tomáš fought to catch his breath as he lay against her, and she stroked his wet hair, kissing his forehead. "Thank you.." she whispered. "Thank...you.." he replied, kissing her neck. "For believing in me, showing me that sex can be..so amazing."

She smiled, watching as he left her embrace, rising up from the bed. She then looked on in confusion, as he left the room, closing the door behind him. "Where is he going...?" She felt tingles between her legs, a wet puddle on she sheets beneath her, and come on her stomach. "I'm gross..." she giggled, "mm...", there was a heaviness between her legs, and she smiled looking at the moonlight in her post-coital haze. She smiled as her hand trailed through the wetness between her legs, thinking of his thick cock.

"Hey..." he whispered, gathering her attention. She squealed, having been caught touching herself, and he chuckled, bringing her chin towards him.

He returned to her with a warm cloth and began to clean her body. "Ohh..that's nice." she sighed, watching as he cleaned her between her legs, then cleaned the come off her stomach and breasts. She stroked his cheek and kissed him.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome."

His voice was scratchy, his throat hot from all his moaning, as was hers, and it sent another shot of arousal down her body. He lay back in the bed beside her, curling up behind her, moving her hair aside to kiss the side of her neck.

She moaned, feeling his warm lips kiss her neck, feeling his warmth against her. "You were amazing..." she whispered, moving her head back to give him a small peck on his lips. "So were you...you looked incredible bouncing on me like that.." he whispered, pulling his face away to cough, "I can't talk." "My voice is gone, too." she laughed.

She then turned to him, and looked into his eyes. "This is one moment I'll never forget, you know.." he said, kissing her hand. She smiled, "I'll think about this moment often...maybe I'll even think of you when I'm in the shower."

They both laughed and he said, "Permission to touch myself thinking about you in the bath?" "Uh yeah...you better be thinking of this bomb ass croissant pussy in the bath.." once again, they both laughed, then she pulled him towards her, wrapping her good arm around his shoulders. "Can you stay a little bit longer?" he asked, "the guards won't find you here."

"I can stay." she said, pulling his face into her neck. He lay kisses on her neck, nuzzling her, "I don't want this night to ever end.." He closed his eyes, humming as she stroked his hair with one hand, her other hand lacing through his as he lay his arm around her waist. "I wish...you could hold me forever."

She cuddled close to him, leaving a kiss on the side of his head. If only, she thought to herself. But she knew how reality was. She couldn't stay. Girls like her just don't meet men like him. They don't get to have good things in life.

"I didn't want to give you my name at first." she began, "because I didn't want to get close." "I...really thought this would just be a throwaway dance, if it lead to anything else, then I would just get up and leave."

"You would just leave?" he asked. She nodded. "Why? Does what we did mean nothing?" he asked. "That's not it." she said, sighing. "Girls like me don't get to meet boys like you."

He froze.

There was no way she could have found out that he was the prince! He never gave her any inclination or any hints..so how did she?-

"When we're led to believe everything is our fault, the abuse because you've been a bad girl, or for whatever reason, we don't get nice things in life. We don't get to meet nice boys like you."

He rose up from her embrace, looking down at her sadly. "Why do you believe this? Hesperia, if I could, I would give you everything...you deserve this, deserve to have something good in your life." She looked away, but he curled his finger under her chin, making her look at him. "Hesperia, believe me. I chose you tonight, I approached you and began this whole thing. I could have merely walked away, but you were so enticing, so beautiful, I had to get to know you."

"Did you already set the plans in motion to get me into your bed, too?" she asked. "No. You would accuse me of being so predatory?" he asked, "if anything, all I wanted was a dance. Everything else just fell into place."

He sighed, laying his head back on her shoulder, making sure not to crush her beneath him. "And I chose to stay by your side. I could have ran home after the whole thing with the guards...maybe I did think, for just one night, I could try something new." She breathed, curling close to him. "I enjoyed our time together, Tomáš, I really did..."

"But.."

"But..."

"Please don't go. What if I...don't get to see you again?" he said. "That's the thing about one night stands, we don't get to see each other again." she said, yet her voice was laced with sadness. "That's...typically how they work. But, I'm not foolish enough to say that's all you meant to me."

She kissed the side of his head and added, "I wasn't supposed to be here tonight. I happened to find a ticket to tonight's event on the floor at a concert venue. It was never supposed to mine. Maybe, there was...whatever god you chose to believe in, thought of some kind of cosmic shit to bring us together. Someone decided we should meet."

"Whomever they are, I'm happy. Hesperia, I'm happy we met." he said. "So am I, Tomáš." she said with a smile, "even if I never see you again, I'm glad to have met you."

"If I could have something sunny, a silver lining in my life, even just for a moment, then I am satisfied." she added.

When there was no response from Tomáš, she looked down, noticing that his breathing had come to a calming, and that he had fallen asleep in her arms.

She let a stray tear fall from her eye and curled into him, before slowly removing herself from his embrace, being careful not to wake him. "Be safe, Tomáš. Have a great rest of your life...if I can ask for anything, just, don't forget me."

More tears fell from her eyes as she gathered her clothing, doing her best to put them back on with one arm. Looking into the mirror, she brushed her hair with her nails, and grimaced in pain as she reached behind her to zip her dress back up.

Taking one more look at Tomáš, she steeled her resolve, then jumped out the window, into the night, not realizing that she left a single rose petal and a tour itinerary on the floor.