I've paid for you with tears
And swallowed all my pride
-Madonna, "Beautiful Stranger"
Her eyes cast themselves on the otherwise silent Mercurian who hadn't said much during dinner. She knew though that she was listening, and true to her notions, a few moments after Artemis had left a pad of paper and pencil were withdrawn from under the cover of the table. Avoiding dinnerware and wine glasses, it was set down, filled with notes of what had been said; even without looking the literal genius had taken down every important point that had come up.
"See what you can do to get expedited what you need. Throw around names if you have to." She finished, refilling her wine glass. Being drunk sounded great right now, save that she felt far too sober despite her rather enthusiastic drinking. "Oh, and make sure you take a break. Same for you Makoto. We have an unknown amount of time before this will all come crashing down."
"I can talk to a few in the Palace that will look the other way. I would go so far as to say I could secure a shuttle to get there and back myself, but it's been too much flying as of late. I'll see what I can do to get my parts faster. It would be nice if Lunar technology was even worthwhile but-" she shrugged, "I don't know how much the Queen's presence is within the system."
She nodded, toying with the wine glass a moment as she looked to the Jovian next.
"You know I got half the staff fussin' over the blooms right now. S'like they ain't ever had a dip in temperatures." The taller woman lamented, gesturing with a dinner roll. "These things are too tough. Someone over kneaded the dough."
"Let them, it's petty revenge but I don't care." She wanted to find more of this vintage. "A week, Makoto. Artemis all but gave us permission. But if you'd still cook for us I'd love it."
"Already know I will. See ya in the mornin' or somethin'." With that, she joined Ami who gathered her notes in leaving.
Silence reigned after that, probably for five minutes if she had to mark the passage of time. The Martian said nothing, merely watching her as she finished off the last of her drink. Maybe she would put more effort into the becoming drunk task, collecting her wine glass she made the decision to rise suddenly. It could have been classified a traipse as she made her way to the closed window, acknowledging the opening door as servants moved with their silent efficiency and judging eyes to clear the table.
She waited until they left, setting her glass on the table by the two couches before opening the shutters. The pane of glass was no issue as well, sliding the window up until it locked into place. Satisfied, she returned for the remaining decanter and her glass, knowing that Rei was following her movements with likely numerous questions. Eyeing the space she debated how she was going to pull this off.
"What are you doing?" Maybe it was too much, but the question came out at last.
"I'm going out."
"Through the window."
She turned, looking at the woman while cradling both items in her arms. Maybe she should just leave the glass and take the bottle. It wasn't like she needed to act any more civilized than she likely was. The bottle would be perfect to drink from anyway, if she really needed to justify why she was doing anything to anyone. "Ahh see, if I go through the door there," she gestured, "then I'll be seen. I am not really in the mood to be Commander Minako at the moment, nor am I in the mood to put up with some crassly speaking guard about how well he could fuck me like the Venusian whore I am. So, the window is really the best method to leave."
That stunned look came back; oh right, her word choice was probably the cause, before a glimmer of fire flared within that gaze. "Which guard."
Wanting to leave but the fact there was conversation was the reason she sat in the open window instead. "Too many to make it look like an accident." She used to entertain thoughts like that, about killing a guard here and there and make it look completely accidental. On the trip to Jupiter, she had a rather elaborate plan, ticking off numerous names on her mentally kept list of slights, before she came to the conclusion that it was beyond suspicious if over nine tenths of the army was no more.
"It's not right."
A rather sad nod of her head followed; damn the wine for fucking with her emotions at times. "It never is. C'mon, you know how to climb out of a window. I'll show you something." With that, she left the wine glass on the floor; it really was too much, slipping through the window with the bottle firmly in hand. Her sandaled feet found purchase against some decorative nonsense below, balancing on it as she carefully let go of the window ledge. Content against the side of the palace, it was just a simple bit of climbing down the rest of the way from the height she was at, finally feeling the firm ground beneath her feet she rewarded herself with a swallow from the bottle. It gave her the chance to watch as Rei debated before following after her, considerably more nimble than she had been but, the Martian also wasn't trying to do this with a bottle in hand either.
And to think, Makoto bitched about running the obstacle course with a spear. She could invent some exercise of slipping from windows, in dresses, carrying bottles.
"Are you going to be warm enough." True to form, it wasn't a question, but it was asked as one while Rei looked at her.
"Mm no, but that's why you're here. Let's see." Turning away from the palace, her gaze went to the sky before nodding more to herself. "This way." Bottle firmly in hand she made her way over the lawns and gardens that the Lunarians kept and begged Makoto to help on with their condescending ways. She knew how the guard patterns worked, when the patrols would come by, and while a sober her knew how incredibly lax the whole thing was, she avoided them all the same with a few well placed pauses here and there.
Rei, she noted, followed behind her. A frown was there, probably displayed because the other thought the night sky would hide it. It didn't, but she wouldn't draw attention to it. The Martian blended in as it was anyway to the darkness; here she was the embodiment of light between her hair and sundress. She was glad for complacent guards, knowing right where to go even if it was dark outside. A few more minutes of walking, now well outside of the range of any sort of patrol pattern save for the most errant saw her smiling, taking a seat on the ground with little fuss.
There was a moment of debate from Rei she could tell before she finally sat next to her, eyeing her critically. No, she wasn't going to stay warm so yes, being outside at this hour wasn't the wisest thing but she was rather serious about why she had Rei come with her. For one, there were things that probably should be discussed, but more importantly, the raven haired woman was a virtual furnace of heat and warmth. Raising the bottle to her lips she took a careful sip from it; it would be horrible to spill it at this rate.
The bottle set aside she raised her hand, pointing to the sky. "There, see? The one with the reddish hue?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
Oh good, questions for real. She wasn't sure if her wine-addled senses could handle them as statements right now. "That's your home, Mars."
"Oh." It wasn't some flippant remark, but a thoughtful sort of 'oh' that was given. The woman sat there for a bit before asking with her own raised hand. "What's the one there, shining brightly to the left?"
"Hmm?" Her attention admittedly was not on the sky anymore but her companion sitting next to her. She was trying to figure out how to absorb some of her heat without it being obvious before she gave up. Her mind was not in being clever in that regard, leaning against her instead without any stubblety to her actions. Rei was smart, she'd figure it out. Looking up she found Mars easily enough again, looking to the left. "Venus. It always shines brightly, the first to appear at dusk and the last to disappear at dawn." She missed home now, again, still.
For countless reasons she could rattle off in her mind, and hopefully a few that were true, she felt Rei shift until she sat behind her, trying to share what extra of her robes she could to ward off the chill of the night. "Are they always that close?"
"No. It's always around this time of year though that they are."
Rei hadn't said anything and remained silent still, letting the sound of the night speak instead. Insects and a few nocturnal things sounded off, a soft serenade as she drank. Ingrained manners or not she had offered the bottle to the other but was waved off. All the more for her then, that numbing feeling taking over. That was one of her long standing goals, just let her be able to forget. To not always have to have the answers.
It was like everything else though she wanted and just chalked up to their reality. Wistful thoughts for a wistful girl. Woman. Whatever. Another drink was pulled from the bottle.
"Are you drunk?"
The truth. "As much as I would love to be, no."
"Why's that?"
Oh thank the Goddess for questions. "Because I get tired of having to think all the time. You made a remark about it, on Mars. I have control issues, s'true. Always gotta be in control. S'pretty tiring at times though, and hard, and prolly other things that I can't find words for." Her answer came with some slurring but whatever, it wasn't her fault. The wine was far too good to drink and pass up. It could also be why she just didn't leave it at that. "S'why that's my favorite part y'know? She didn't have to think anymore. She just had to feel."
Far too much sharing, raising the bottle again. It weighed less and less each time she did.
"I used to lay out on the balcony of my room back home. I'd watch the sky, no matter the time. Venusian days are longer than their year, so it seemed to always be light out. Unless it was dark but whatever. You could see stars though sometimes, if it was right. I'd watch them and wonder about that book. S'rather famous back home, think every girl had a copy of it at some point in her life. I'd just lay there and day dream. Sometimes my mother would catch me and she'd chastise me for doin' so, especially since I was in a gown of some sort. Wrinkles in the fabric, my hair was gettin' messy, whatever."
"How did she react to you coming here?" Oh, Rei and her distracting questions and how she kept answering them all the same. There it was, that pleasant buzz she had been striving for all evening. Now all she needed was a nice-
Oh right, questions. They came first.
"She understood. I probably had countless suitors on Venus but I wasn't interested in any of them. I wanted more than that."
"So… how many were you uhm… intimate with?"
She rolled her eyes, sitting up to fix her with a hard glare. That relaxed buzz was dying again and there didn't seem to be enough left in the bottle to find it, much less revive it, anew. "Look, if you're going to lambast me because I slept with a few people before I even got here then you can go fuck off."
Rei had the decency to at least look ashamed. "I'm not, I'm just trying to understand."
Nature provided the noises, finally heaving a sigh to finish off the wine. Lowering it she set it aside, wrapping her arms around her drawn up legs. "Five. Which isn't much all things considering."
"Did … you enjoy it?" Her gaze narrowed even in the dark and prompted Rei to rephrase her query. "I mean, like … how … were you able to … get what you wanted?"
She took a deep breath, releasing it before looking back up to the night sky. "I learned what I liked."
"Did … you ever … use your book?"
A thin smirk, probably seen but she didn't care all the same. "No."
"Why not?"
"For starters, giving up that level of control to someone is daunting and scary. It's a huge display of trust, for another. You haven't finished it yet, so sorry for spoiling the ending; they were in love. That sorta thing I'd only do if I was in love with someone. When I was younger… really wasn't."
There was more silence that followed. Maybe if her mind wasn't so mushy she'd realize that she just gave away so very much about herself. She'd maybe then realize that she just gave permission for Rei to do so much for that matter.
Hindsight was what it was though.
Her gaze distractedly went back to the sky, picking out things she knew. Between Venus and Mars it skipped, forgetting, finally, where she was at. The night time chill was a thing of the past. Numb. That was almost good enough. Save she wasn't numb, she felt warm. Warm and content and safe and not having to think and and and. The list went on, and she didn't bother to keep track anymore.
Her eyes opened slowly, almost wincing. The sunlight was far too loud for her tastes, more so her senses. Especially that of sight. Not that sunlight could have a sound, but for her mind, it did, and it was too loud.
This. Wait. Her mind was trying its best to shrug off the haze that clung to it much like the sheets did to her otherwise rather naked body.
She made a second rally, then a third, finally managing to think and process the world. A familiar ceiling gave way to familiar walls. The decor was familiar as well, picking out details of her room.
A groan as she rubbed her hands over her face, willing that lingering hangover headache to be gone. Sitting up her gaze refused to stop, picking out things that were not right and out of place. Her nightstand held a glass of water; lukewarm but she didn't care, and two small white pills that she knew well enough. The hangover killer. Taking both the glass of water was downed, catching next a note.
Huh. That was not a normal fixture. Neither was the glass but her mind wanted to selectively call out things and who was she to tell it not to do so?
Getting her eyes to focus was a chore, but a few more blinks rewarded her with precise script. "The one on the closet door. Wear it tonight. See you at 8."
What. Maybe she hadn't read it right, maybe the lines were moving in their own and making up shapes and symbols she didn't understand.
Blinking her eyes again, she rubbed them for good measure before another look at the note said that the letters did not squirm into something else. It still gave the same almost cryptic message, setting it aside she looked at the closet and what hung outside of it. She knew that gown; she had worn it on the night of the ball. The night when things changed in more ways than one. Part of her wanted to frown in memory but as her eyes strayed back to the note she found it easier to sigh.
8 it was then. Some part of her questioned why she was going to follow through with it, but she ignored it to run her hands through her hair. It gave her a few more moments to just collect her thoughts from the haze that was cast over them. A suspicion told her the note's author, likely the same person who brought her back inside last night. Heaving a sigh, she decided that it was time to get up and be productive, more so if she had plans for the night.
A shower and trip to the common room found it devoid of anyone else. She did find a made sandwich though and a happily written note from Makoto for her to enjoy. It worked for her, refilling her glass from before with more water then collected her free food. There were countless hours available to her until this secret meeting at 8.
Something constructive.
She returned to her room, closing the door behind her the meal went to her vanity. The sun might be shining but it felt too chilled to consider opening the window to catch a wayward breeze. Instead, the curtains were cast open to let more of the light in, absently looking around outside as she consumed the meal without any care for manners.
Her mother would be both mortified and amused.
The plate and glass set aside, a drawer was opened before her hand reached inside, finding the hidden compartment to retrieve a quill, inkwell, and already started letter, numbering two dozen pages at this point. It took a few moments to prepare everything, before she finally dipped the quill to continue writing.
Venusian was a language that could really only be described as fanciful, flowing, and to a non-native, a bitch to read. So many likely pointless flairs were part of each letter, but how beautiful it looked all the same. The last time she had been able to write was the night before she left for Mars; she would do well to continue it, perhaps even finish it, as she had the opportunity now. Later, she might not.
The hours ticked by without much realization, her letter growing by another two dozen pages before the setting sun alerted her that there was hardly enough light left to continue at it. More so, her "scheduled" meeting was but two hours away.
A glance went back to the pages, looking over what she had written. In the interest of security she made no mention to what happened to her or her trip to Terra. It could almost be considered silly the things she wrote of; the politics of the Moon, fashion, the weather, but she knew her mom would find the hidden truth among the superficial topics. The last thing she wanted to deal with was someone intercepting her novel she wrote and bringing it to the wrong party's attention.
Another piece of paper in her retrieved stack told her who was on guard rotation at the mail center. As much as she didn't want to, she signed her letter and prepared it for mailing, requiring a change clothes from the blouse and skirt to her uniform. Commander Minako would have to make an appearance to mail things off. Goddess forbid that regular Minako just wanted to write her family back home. It simply was not allowed.
She scowled as she got ready, settling her sword belt around her waist. Brushing back her hair again her fingers deftly wove the previous bandage back through. The infirmary staff at least knew not to toss it while she was there.
For a moment in front of the mirror, before she left, she wondered who would be the more rampaging person had they actually done so.
It still continued to amaze her, all these years later, how a simple task could get completely and utterly blown out of proportion by taking far longer than what it should. What should have been a simple case of mailing off her letter turned into an ordeal that made her late. Completely ignoring the chatter of guards as she made her way to the processing center for communications such as hers, she found a line had been formed.
Lines at the mail station were the worse.
That alone took close to an hour; fortunately she knew who was on duty so the actual mail part took but a handful of minutes to secure her letter being sent off. While she was there, she figured it would be worth her while to collect anything that had arrived for them. Generally, no one thought to bring them their mail so there she was and how obvious that fact was, toting back a canvas bag filled with things. There really wasn't enough time to look to see who each thing belonged to, mostly due to the sheer volume and the fact she really didn't want to be among the Lunarians any more than what she absolutely had to. It would have to wait until later.
Then there was also the fact that, despite taking all the shortcuts back, it was still after 8 before she managed to get back inside the common room. A groan and she left the bag of mail on the table. Ideally, she should distribute it out but she was late at this point. Someone she knew would get it, and sometime later it would come up about who brought the mail in, but that was thoughts for later, not thoughts for now.
Grumbling under her breath, her hand caught her door to step inside. That was as far as she made it, though maybe she hadn't even cleared the threshold completely. That was probably something later for debate, but it certainly wasn't something worth dwelling in thought about now. Rather, keeping her footing seemed a great thing to do as two hands grasped her jacket, pulling her inside.
Her mouth tried to work something in the form of words out but it was difficult when there was a rather urgent mouth kissing her forcefully and completely enough that her thoughts fled. Despite her eyes being open; they had since vacated towards the back where all inventory activities took place, she had nearly missed the utter possessive look on the Martian before her. Goddess help her, just what exactly happened?
The sound of wood meeting, followed by that of metal against itself, heralded her back meeting roughly with the now shut door. While her mind and thought process might be at a loss, her body was not. Responding to the minute space between that existed between them her back arched, pressing closer together as her hands reached, declaring handholds in fabric. Strands of hair were equally caught in her grasp but really, she couldn't give a damn much about it.
Lips pulled away, only for the assault to continue against her ear. It was a reprieve to gasp for air she hadn't realized until that point that she needed. Her thoughts remained muddled as she felt her sword belt give way, feeling a sharp pinch from teeth against her earlobe. Words, words were being growled out, another thing that she found herself trying to comprehend when she was already on the way towards being overwhelmed.
"You're late."
She opened her mouth to try some likely pathetic excuse to the reason why. All it did was allow the sharp moan that she normally kept from hearing the sound of day to be sounded out instead; teeth sunk into the side of her neck, her right leg lifted from its previously content perch of being straight to instead hook sharply at the knee. Rei invaded the newly open area that existed like a conqueror with her body, pressing against her.
Oh this was hardly fair.
She made some attempt again to say something, a series of words that would be considerably lackluster in comparison to what the other was looking for. Another futile exercise towards coherent words as all she managed was a moan. How exactly was she supposed to manage anything when her senses were being overloaded? Really, did Rei have absolutely any idea how difficult it was to think, much less formulate words, when one's senses were… were…
Whatever part of her had managed to offer retorts like that promptly shut itself off. Her handholds were disrupted, removed completely as her jacket was divested from her body. She felt her shirt giving way next, the teasing trail of fingertips, followed by directives. "Raise your arms." Even if she didn't want to for some reason she did so anyway as told, her shirt tangling around her wrists completely intentionally. Immobilized, she struggled with jerks and pulls on her arms until she felt herself nearly melt in another deep kiss.
No, strike that. She did melt.
She felt Rei smirk, perhaps in spite of, or maybe, because of her struggles. It shouldn't be that hard to finish being out of her shirt but the other was so incredibly distracting. She didn't know as the ability to think was slipping away from her with each moment. Little moments of sanity though gave her snippets of coherent thought though, only because Rei murmured something that she didn't quite catch. Fingers trailed up her arm; maybe she was going to help with the shirt situation that was leaving her helpless? It was no such thing to be had, the garment merely twisted all the more towards not relenting.
Her arms were pinned above her head with no chance of being freed. It was worth her to struggle again, a moment of likely panic sending a chill down her spine. "Wha-" Finally she managed to utter something out that wasn't some sound of pleasure. Within itself it was quite the feat as her breath was coming in pants. Unconsciously she tried to free her arms again, the attempt turning more and more half hearted as her eyes took in the rather smirking visage before her.
A finger went to her lips, "Shh. Less thinking, more feeling." As though that would solve everything, Rei leaned back in, kissing her once more. Her resolve was fading again, and she was losing the will to keep fighting in order to hold onto it. Maybe she should, but rational thought finally skipped away.
With her arms pinned and held above her head, she gave into the sensations as lips trailed along her jaw, moving towards her ear again. They lingered to allow the hot tip of a tongue to flick within, prompting another moan as she turned her head to feel more. Nails, not just fingertips, gave a raking trail along her ribs, sweeping down to her navel to scratch their way back up. Somehow, it felt familiar, like it was something she should know, like it was something done before.
The thoughts eluded her though still, the shirt that kept her from grasping onto anything as an anchor somehow fell away. Greedily, her hands found a hold however they wanted to and could, be it hair or fabric she really didn't care. It was somehow desired, needed, wanted that to finally have it she wasn't going to let it go anytime soon. Her legs shifted, her right no longer held up but that was for reasons. Reasons that became clear as she felt her pants fall from her hips to pool at her booted feet.
That probably wouldn't do for very long, but it certainly wasn't her concern.
Maybe she was aware, maybe she really wasn't until then, but her body was more than ready. It was positively wanting, announcing that fact should it be missed. She arched against the doorframe, fingers tightening their hold in hair now, feeling nails against her hips. Part of her was a closet masochist really, she could find that line between pain and pleasure and strum it just right for her benefit. She felt lips again against her neck before dipping lower to her collar bones as teeth returned, her head falling back before her body was suddenly lurched up.
Scrambling, the movement allowed Rei's hand to hike her left leg up over her hip, pants really be damned despite their pooling at her ankles. Fingers shoved aside her panties like they weren't even there; at this point they really weren't, before pressing up sharply within her.
Oh Goddess this was… Well, her Goddess knew exactly what it was that she didn't even try to finish thinking it out.
She made some sort of sound that she would be hard pressed to recall later. It greatly pleased her lover though if the accompanied sound given in response was any indication. It certainly pleased her, she could just feel it, having everything to do with each withdraw and return the two fingers working within her.
This wasn't something she was used to. Rei always held some slight hesitation in her actions when they were intimate, almost like she was afraid. Perhaps afraid wasn't the right word; uncertain fit far better. The level of confidence displayed here was almost like a night and day difference, her own hands were fumbling for more, cursing that there was still fabric in their way. Her nails were perhaps not as glamorous as others were in court, held a strength to them regardless. At best, she was leaving rents in the material, desiring to feel skin beneath their tips and failing miserably in the task.
It spurred the dark haired woman on; not like she needed it though, their bodies chasing after each others with each movement.
Hooking her leg, her hips found the leverage they needed most of all, having little enough problem with grinding back. In some spur of wisdom, her fingers dived beneath the cloth that was otherwise keeping her nails from leaving raking scratches in return over the other woman's back. Sinking in, her actions were rewarded with a sharp intake of breath and a smoldering glare, meeting it with her own breathless grin. It was not long to last though but it didn't really matter, losing sight as her voice culminated in a cry of her release.
When she felt some of her senses return, it was the ceiling that greeted her gaze. A bit confused until her hands felt the sheets of her bed under their grasp. Blinking away some of the pleasurable haze that made thinking more than difficult, all she managed to discover were that her boots were gone, along with her pants and panties. In a half sense of wonderment she almost made it to sitting half way up before her body found it far better to crash back down.
Apparently Rei was not done.
Already sensitive from her orgasm, to feel a hot tongue flicking against her was quickly sending her again back to the edge, ready to be tipped back over with scant effort. Her fingers made a frantic hold to the bedsheets under her body, desperate for something to hold to. Something to anchor her as the world was falling away with each pleasurable second passing. Why she struggled, why she bothered to hold on was completely beyond her. Perhaps out of survival, perhaps out of some need to not be consumed. That though was what she wanted, wasn't it? To just let go and feel, to not have a care left that wasn't of joyous expression?
Hands, not that she could readily tell when they were placed there, kept her quivering thighs apart. She wasn't ready for this; it had been ages since she experienced successive orgasms, more so ones that were building off of an already intense occurrence. Nails pressed, pinpricks of reality that she could leap from. There were teeth; she knew that feeling because she felt it, capturing the overtly sensitive bundle of nerves.
She crashed again.
While her gaze was wide and open, it saw nothing. Everything might as well be pitch black inside her room despite the candles that burned and a fire actually in her never used fireplace. All she saw was some solid bar of color, flickering lazily between white, to bronze, to gold. Breathing was an absolute joke at this point and the fact that she even could must have been a testament to a higher power. Everything felt like it had melted, a puddle left of what she once was. It left her malleable.
A point that Rei was taking advantage of.
Still riding the waves of two climaxes, she offered absolutely no resistance to her leg being drawn up. Which one it was she could not say, coherency was an elusive thing within its own right. Taking a breath heralded the slow start of returning to the real world again.
It was such a short lived attempt.
Wide eyes somehow became wider; opened up more it seemed Rei had not trouble at all with inserting three fingers into her body. Of course the fact that she had climaxed multiple times already helped but it wasn't like she was keeping track of anything like that. Some small, still rational part of her swore that, by her Goddess, Rei was trying to kill her. A remarkable feat; she could dance, she could fight, she escaped a crashing shuttle with minor cuts and scrapes, she killed people trying to harm others, she put up with racism and bigotry on a constant basis, but this. This was not something she was ever used to.
And how she wanted more of it.
It took maybe minutes, the Martian knew exactly what to do that she never could try to prevent it or draw it out. There was no chance that she could deny this or present a challenge. That spot kept being hit with each thrusting curl of fingers, each deeply panting breath that when her body broke for the third time, it was with a scream.
She felt incredibly warm, groggily opening her eyes with reluctance and yet, excitement to do so. Shadows played against the walls, sharpening in detail as her gaze adjusted itself. Shadows from the fire, casting highlights wherever its light could reach unobstructed. A few of the candles still lingered on, but their light wasn't enticing enough to keep her attention though. Shifting, she glanced up to watch the woman she was curled against, the person of her study had her own gaze on the flames.
At her movement though those eyes, that night sky storm personified, looked down at her. They danced with a smugness; and that damn smirk on her lips just made it all the more. "Princess." She felt her features flush instantly, a deep blush settling across her cheeks. "I finished your book, it was good. I think my original plans are off for the evening, but tomorrow, I'd really like to see you in that gown again."
All she could do was offer a nod.