[There's a grim comfort in the idea of an afterlife, but Lune can't bring herself to indulge in it. It's the here and now that matters to her, what she can do to stop the Paintress and save Lumière. She can't bring herself to pin any hope on a hypothetical.
She can't find comfort in the possibility of an afterlife, the way her new acquaintance seems to, but maybe she can offer some comfort in the here and now. Her hand strays a little closer, fingertips brushing against the other girl's. It's tentative, careful, lacking the strength and steadiness of the hand that was laid on her own shoulder, but no less sincere.]
My brother and sister. Sol and Stella. I don't think they expected our parents to come back once they left on their Expedition, so... they've already done their mourning.
[She knows they'd offer her a tight hug and probably an admonishment to take some time off, but it isn't they same for them. They've gone off and are living their lives while she's had to stay behind and continue the work. They can't really understand what it means for her to have confirmation that their parents aren't coming home.]
And Tristan. He was apprenticed to my parents, so we grew up together. He's a friend.
[Her easy tone makes it clear that there's nothing to read into the word 'friend.']
[ Interesting. The hand moves closer, ghosting across Sciel's own fingers. It's surprising, but not at all unwelcome, and though she doesn't draw attention to it by glancing down, she does close the gap by lacing their fingers together.
In the meantime: ] You're lucky to have them. [ There's a pause, then she chuckles. ] Now I know your siblings' and your friend's names, but not yours. [ The sideways smile continues as she cocks her head in the stranger's direction. ] I'm Sciel.
[ But, to her question. Sciel bobs her head in a nod, glancing back out over the city for a moment before she's turning again, as if drawn magnetically toward Lune. ]
No blood relatives left, but that's alright. I work at Aquafarm 3, and those people are family. [ Sophie, Gustave, and all the others. ] Some of them lost people today, too... I'll need to check up on them later.
[ Definitively 'later,' though. Because right now, the idea of leaving feels...unpleasant. Between the unexpected company and the warm contentedness of the drink on an empty stomach, it almost feels like she could stay up here forever. That all the pain of their lives might be contained below... ]
...How have I not seen you before? [ She asks wonderingly, searching Lune's face, as if they might have met once and forgot. ] I would remember someone like you. Beautiful, and... [ What's the word she's looking for? ] Fierce, somehow. [ In that easy, but bold way that she operates, Sciel lifts her free hand to brush aside an errant wisp of hair from the other's face. ] Have you been hiding?
Lune, [she says by way of introduction. Her fingers tighten around Sciel's, and she even leans in to the hand that brushes against the side of her face. It does surprise her, momentarily, to be so openly flirted with, but she finds herself unexpectedly craving connection. And she likes people who can surprise her, the exhilarating jolt of the expected that warms her insides even more than the drink has.]
I came here wanting to be alone. I spend a lot of time alone, with my books. There's always so much work to do.
[She doesn't look at Sciel as she speaks, her eyes fixed on the city below them, her hair falling in a curtain between them. Always so much work, no time for friends, or lovers. Her free hand rests on her leg, the heel of her hand digging hard into her thigh, betraying her exhaustion and frustration and grief and the complex web of feelings she has surrounding her parents even as her face remains impassive.]
The first time I ever went on a date, neither of my parents said anything, but I could feel how disappointed they were that I was wasting time on a girl instead of my studies.
[She looks back to Sciel.]
Despite how... overbearing they could be, I wish they were still here. I don't know if I can do all of this without them. And I... I'm glad I don't have to be alone tonight, after all.
[ It's no secret that what some choose to do during the Gommage is...well, a bit carnal. Those whose number is up may rather spend it lost in another's arms than facing the Monolith in those last moments. And for those who still have time left, the day is such a stark reminder of the harsh reality they face that they turn to something that evokes the intensity of life rather than dwelling on loss.
This isn't an option she's really considered before (even though she'd been flirting), but with her company's -- Lune's -- hands in hers, Sciel thinks idly that it might not be an awful idea... ]
If you came to be alone, I don't want to intrude. [ And she does mean it, though Lune will find her new friend very easily persuaded to stay, too. ] But...the work will still be there tomorrow. We've got time, Lune.
[ Whether she means 'time remaining in their lives to continue on with their respective duties' or 'time today to spend frivolously' is up for interpretation.
Sciel listens with an understanding, curious smile as Lune speaks, lowering the hand that had brushed the other's face. 'Wasting time on a girl,' is it? ]
You could have told them that collaboration's an important part of everything. That two minds together might make a breakthrough that one couldn't alone. [ It's the same for farming, getting a second opinion can push through previously-unbreachable problems. Though she's partially joking to be flirty, she's...really not joking.
Sometimes things can just be win-win. ]
But I understand. I didn't have a lot of time for it, myself. Or maybe...I just wasn't thinking about all that. Much, that is. There may have been a one-off or two between busy seasons, but they never went anywhere. [ Here she sighs, kicking her heel again against the Tower. ] There was one girl that-...well, I thought we'd had potential, but then I never heard from her again. [ Sciel grins, shrugging. ] Either I'm an awful kisser, or... I dunno.
[ Water off a duck's back. Her expression levels out a bit at the last piece Lune shares, and she squeezes the other's hand in return. ]
I know it feels impossible, but you can do it: I can tell. [ Here she leans in a little, studying Lune's face, adopting a knowing smile in spite of their having just met. ] I feel like you're the kind of person who can make it through just about anything.
[ Seems like that answers her question of whether or not Lune would prefer she scoot back down the Tower and leave her new acquaintance to her grief. It sends a little thrill of happiness through her chest to hear, and she reaches to cover their linked hands in her free one. ]
You don't have to be alone ever, after this. Meaning -- if you're ever working on your projects and you just want someone around to...bounce ideas off of? Say the word, and I'll come if I can. We've got to look out for each other, yeah?
[ It's true of everyone, with the population decreasing every year... All they have is each other, really. People, and moments like this. And that's why you hold on. ]
She's done the maths; who in Lumière hasn't? She knows that on this day in thirteen years, she's going to die. And she's got twelve years to prepare for the Expedition she plans on joining. Twelve years feels like a lifetime, and it feels like no time at all. She can practically hear her parents in her head, admonishing her for even considering the thing she's considering right now — it's a distraction, there is no time for distractions, the work is everything and she's the only one who can do it now – but Sciel is so warm and her smile is so bright, and, if Lune's honest with herself, it's lonely being her parents' daughter. Maybe, for tonight at least, she can make the time.
For Sciel, she wants to make the time.]
I thought you'd be fending off a whole host of suitors. [Sciel is warm, bright, kind. Just a short time with her, and Lune can already feel the tightness in her chest easing. And the more she looks at Sciel, the more details of her face she notices, and each of those details adds up to a prettier and prettier picture. She's genuinely surprised Sciel's single.] I could... offer you feedback, if you're worried your kissing is that bad.
[Forward, and oh so very vulnerable. Her eyes meet Sciel's, trying to gauge the other girl's response.]
[ What Lune says earns her a surprised -- but delighted -- laugh, and Sciel flashes her teeth in a grin. ]
The only thing I'm usually fending off is-...flies? [ There are a few chuckles as she shakes her head, heaving a sigh. ] Which is very sexy, I know. But...no, not really something I've been especially involved with.
[ Doesn't mean she'd never done anything, as she'd already admitted, and it doesn't mean she hadn't thought about it, either. But Sciel is the type of person to generally take life as it comes, and life hasn't really given her the chance for anything even close to romance.
...Yet. Which is why this moment -- so unexpectedly charged -- is so interesting.
What Lune says next: even more so. It manages to surprise her yet again, and Sciel's brows lift over a lopsided smile. ]
All of a sudden, it's my biggest concern. [ Those bright, playful eyes flit down to the other's lips before slowly traveling back up to meet Lune's eyes. ] And I'm very open...to feedback.
[ Really, is it so odd that two people who were suffering losses might try to fill that void together? It's absolutely not the first time. And, fortunately, Sciel doesn't over-analyze these things. They're both interested. What's the harm?
She leans in a little, offering parted lips, allowing Lune to close the distance and officially give the go-ahead. ]
[The warmth of the alcohol suddenly feels like a candle flame in comparison to the roaring inferno the unfurls in Lune's chest when Sciel leans towards her with her lips parted.]
Good. Feedback strengthens collaboration. And collaboration, [she says, teasingly echoing Sciel's earlier words,] is an important part of everything.
[When their lips meet, it's a neat kiss that Lune gives her, by the book, a little rigid and careful. Maybe she's the one that that needs feedback.
She raises her free hand to touch Sciel's cheek, and she can't tell which of them is burning hot.
She tries to count the seconds – isn't it funny, how time seems to slow down in moments like these? – but quickly becomes so lost in Sciel that the time ceases to matter. For as long as she's kissing her, Lune's thoughts are quiet. There are no parents, no legacy, no siblings, no Expeditions and no Paintress, no books or charts or records. Her grief for her parents feels distant, her fear of failing them even moreso. No wonder some people choose to spend the day of the Gommage in a lover's embrace rather than at the harbour.
When she finally pulls away, face flush and a little out of breath – she's done this before, but it's never felt quite so intense – she has no idea how much time has passed. She smiles, curious and searching, as her gaze flicks from Sciel's lips up to her eyes.]
It's a good technique. [Enthusiastic, anyway. Whether it's technically good or not, Lune isn't in much of a position to judge. All she knows is she liked it. And she'd like to keep kissing Sciel, if Sciel would like the same.] But a little sloppy. You could use more practise.
[ Quick study, Sciel thinks, but doesn't say, because her lips are otherwise occupied. She instead smiles against the kiss, lifting the free hand again to cup Lune's cheek, thumbing along the jawline.
Yes, they're both a little by the book so far: still young in age and experience. Sciel has a slow ease to the motions that suggest she's savoring it, occasionally dragging her teeth along Lune's bottom lip in a light graze, sometimes seemingly just drinking up the moment without moving much at all, as if she might live in it.
Time is their constant enemy under the Paintress, but even she seems to have no power here. The moments are locked within their own little world: untouchable by death or grief or anything else. Sciel lifts her shoulder to bump against Lune's hand where it rests against her own cheek, if only to instigate that little extra bit of contact.
The kiss (or, kisses, really) comes to a pause as the two women break apart for the moment. Sciel's chest rises and falls with the missed breaths, lips and cheeks equally rosy. Between the bit she'd had to drink and...all this, there is a roiling boil in the pit of her stomach. ]
"A little sloppy?" [ That earns Lune a laugh, and Sciel leans back just a little to cross her arms (pretending to look offended is difficult when you can't wipe the grin from your face). ] ...Well, I did say I was open to feedback, so I can't blame you for giving it. [ As if drawn magnetically, her eyes find the other's lips again, and her smile softens into something more sensual. ] ...I defer to your judgment. More practice it is, then.
[ Maybe a little overeager, she closes the gap with a little more vigor this time, becoming increasingly hungry for the taste of her kiss, the touch of her skin... ]
[As blazing hot as Lune feels, she finds herself wanting more. More affection, more closeness, more heat. It's as though a dam is cracking inside of her, freeing desires she's been unknowingly holding at bay, and every kiss, every touch, every time Sciel smiles, only makes the dam's breaking more inevitable.
As their lips meet again, Lune shifts in an effort to pull Sciel closer. It's an awkward sort of attempt to realign their bodies, but in the moment the awkwardness doesn't matter as long as she can feel Sciel against her. She notes the strength in Sciel's hands, the callouses on her fingers; Lune's hands, by contrast, are quick, lithe, agile, the hands of someone who works with pens and fine tools and guitar strings. One hand dances across Sciel's cheek, down the side of her throat, feeling the pulse there, around the back of her head and finally slipping through her hair, while the other settling on her waist, thumb stroking along the hem of Sciel's shirt in the hopes of finding the warmth of bare skin.
Finally, Lune pulls away again. It's unfortunate, but she needs to breathe.]
Practise does make perfect. [The smile on her face is positively goofy.
Her hand leaves Sciel's hair to brush down the side of her throat again, until her palm comes to rest on Sciel's upper chest, her fingertips lightly touching the pulse point in her throat. Lune can't help but marvel at the pounding of Sciel's heart, echoed by her own heart straining against her ribs.]
You're beautiful. [It's meant as an observation more than a compliment. Just a scientist noting objective reality.]
[ The whole experience so far is...dream-like. A moment out of time, out of place on this day so choked with death. Yet they're both warm, aglow with desire and life. Sciel kisses Lune and can almost believe that they're just two young women living in a world where their biggest concerns could be whether or not the other wants to meet up again after this.
(She does hope very much that Lune wants to meet up again after this.)
The kiss is almost like it's her first time kissing anyone in that it blows any others out of the water in every way. The intensity of how her body is responding to Lune's advances is a surprise, but a good one, and she can only hope that she's able to do the same for her partner. Lune's hands roam a bit as their bodies come closer together, and Sciel takes it a step further and swings a leg over the other's lap without breaking contact. Now straddling her -- albeit with her hips lifted a bit -- she's able to grin down at Lune when they come up for air. ]
Happy to hear I've improved. [ Unconsciously, her tongue flits across her own lip as if she might still taste Lune there.
Sciel lifts a hand to lay it over the one at her chest, feeling her own pounding heart through the other woman's slender palm. ]
So are you. [ It's not an empty compliment for the sake of returning one; she isn't that kind of person. Sciel looks down at the near-stranger who'd happened to cross her path at the best-worst time and marvels at the way life can be funny, actually. How lucky she is, in these rare moments. ]
I... [ Sciel laughs breathily, searching Lune's face. The amount of desire she feels right now is overwhelming, but she's also trying to be careful. They both seem to be on the same page, but it is also an emotionally-fraught day, and they've both had a bit to drink. ] ...Want to see all of you, if you're open.
[ Though she'd also be more than content to keep all their clothes on, genuinely. Spending the rest of the day making out with, and talking to, this incredible woman would be far from a disappointment. ]
[In another life, maybe Lune could spend years memorising the placement of every freckle and the exact shade of green of Sciel's eyes. In another life, they would have forty, fifty, sixty years to get to know one another, to decide whether this would be a casual fling born of mutual grief or the start of a lifelong romance.
In another life...
In this life, they have this, tonight, and when Sciel laughs another crack in the dam inside her forms, wider than the rest. God, she wants...]
Hang on. I've been practising something of my own.
[She scooches out from under Sciel and moves a few feet away so she's got room to hold out her hand and summon a blanket from pictos. It appears out of sparkles of golden light, laid out on the floor, heavy and soft and long enough for them to lay down on.]
There. That'll be more comfortable.
[She sheds her jacket without fanfare. It doesn't even occur to her to be seductive about it; she just wants the thing off. And then she holds her hand out to Sciel as she sits on the blanket, hoping to pull the other girl back into her lap before guiding Sciel's hand to the buttons of her shirt.]
Oh? [ Her brows lift in question as Lune speaks, withdraws again. There's a little noise of discontent as the other woman moves out from under her, though she's hopeful it won't be for long, and that the diversion will have been worth it...
When the blanket appears, her lips part wonderingly. Yes, absolutely, this is worth it. ]
How did you...? [ Sciel runs a hand along it, chuckling. ] ...Just when I think you can't get more surprising. [ She looks pleased -- and obviously impressed -- as she returns her eyes to Lune and shifts back onto the blanket.
The jacket goes. Sciel follows suit, shrugging her own off without another thought. When the invitation is extended again, she returns to where she'd been earlier, albeit with her hips, where the heat of a growing want is smoldering, lowered down over the other's lap.
Lune's nimble hands find hers and bring them to the front of her shirt, and Sciel's pleased smile only grows as she obliges. Inclining her head slightly, she busies herself with undoing each one, though it's still slow. Deliberate. After all, why rush? Yes, they've both sort of been snowballing ahead, fueled by the unexpected need, but they have time. The delay only serves to sweeten the end result. That's her philosophy, anyway, as she works her way down until the garment comes free. Sciel then leans back just a little to pull her own top over her head, tossing it to the side unceremoniously. ]
Much more comfortable. [ Sciel agrees, drinking in the sight of more of the other's skin, gliding her fingertips across Lune's navel. ] You were right.
[ She imagines Lune is usually right: she seems the type to not act on a hunch. The wandering hand drifts up and along the other woman's side, dancing along her shoulder, all the while tracing the fabric of her bra. ]
Any other tricks up your former sleeves that I should know about? [ Sciel asks, as her fingers continue their exploration of newfound territory. ]
[Patience is important to every scientific discipline. A rushed experiment is a botched experiment, a hastily drawn conclusion is much more likely to be wrong. Lune imagines it's the same in farming; the seeds planted in spring can't be harvested til autumn, and there are months where you won't know whether your hard work will grow into something worthwhile or wither in the field. Right now, she feels right in the middle of one of those months, desperately waiting for something that she knows requires time to grow.
She waits patiently while Sciel unbuttons her shirt and slips it off, revealing the intricate gold lines of a tattoo curving over her shoulder and beginning to extend down her upper arm. She watches Sciel pull her own shirt off and toss it aside, revealing muscles rippling beneath sun-kissed skin. And she exerts a truly heroic amount of patience as Sciel's fingers start a tour of her body.]
I've been working on some elemental pictos. Starting fires, calling lightning, that sort of thing. It'll be useful, when I join an Expedition.
[Not something that feels particularly relevant just now. In this little pocket of time they've carved out for themselves, Sciel is the most important thing in the world.
Lune's hips twitch upwards of their own volition as Sciel settles fully into her lap, and she wraps an arm around Sciel's waist, hand sitting in the small of her back. All the heat in her is coiling tight and low in her belly, throbbing between her legs, and Sciel's light touch is nowhere near enough to sate her. She's only got so much patience.
She slips her other hand between them, brushing her fingers over Sciel's abs before dipping, with a curious, exploratory touch, beneath her waistband.]
[ Yes, patience is key. It's a critical component in both their livelihoods, and Sciel knows it has an important place in their time together on this particular day. ...But, Sciel is also a subscriber to a carpe diem sort of mindset. Everyone here knows their time is limited, and that they need to take some leaps to make it really count.
That's part of how they've gotten this far this fast. From meeting in mourning to throwing off their clothes on a summoned blanket, quickly desperate for the other's touch. ]
Impressive. [ Said on an exhale, low and hungry. She is very much listening -- Lune is an incredibly fascinating person far beyond just her physical appeal -- but she's also tracing the newly-exposed lines on the young woman's skin, aware (though not ashamed) of the callouses on her fingertips. ] And a future expeditioner. Just when I thought you couldn't get much more interesting.
[ Somehow, it's perfectly in line with her limited experience with Lune thus far that she would be able to surprise Sciel so much already. ]
I'd say you're already very good at starting fires. [ She murmurs, shifting her hips against the other's. It rapidly stokes the need that burns between her legs: a heat that Lune will unquestionably feel through the fabric of their pants.
(Distantly, Sciel wonders if she's ever wanted anyone so intensely. If she ever would again, after this.)
Lune asks permission and Sciel lays a hand over hers briefly before removing it, letting it again drift upward. ]
Please. [ It's still low, and just as needy as before. In the meantime, she reaches around to unclasp Lune's bra, letting it fall away (with some assistance from her partner) before moving to thumb a circle around the peak of her breast, taking it into her hand and massaging in ongoing exploration. ]
And this? [ She asks, leaning in with a playful glint in her eye. ]
[Lune shrugs out of her bra, helping Sciel to get it off of her.
An affirmative mmmmhm is her only response to Sciel's question, though she also can't help a husky laugh at the joke about starting fires.]
We're both guilty of starting fires tonight, I'd say.
[She wants to ask whether Sciel plans on joining an Expedition too, whether she's got any interest in pictos, how useful she thinks chroma might be in farming, whether she—
Her breath hitches when Sciel's hand cups her breast, and she impulsively leans in for another kiss, trying to close whatever distance remains between them. One hand remains firm against Sciel's lower back. The other finally dips into Sciel's trousers, beneath her waistband and then stroking further down, finding her achingly wet.
That dam inside Lune finally breaks. There's so much she's been holding back, so much desire she's never allowed herself to indulge; even when her parents weren't chiding her aloud she could hear their voices in her head every time she so much as glanced at an attractive person in the street. There are more important things than relationships. Don't get distracted, Lune. You need to focus, Lune. You won't be able to concentrate on the work if your head is full of pretty girls. Perhaps her parents were right, because right now Lune's head is entirely full of one pretty girl in particular, so full that there's no room left for thoughts of anything else and all Lune can focus on is how badly she wants to lose herself in Sciel's arms. Maybe permanently.
In one quick, decisive motion, she attempts to roll them both over so Sciel will be on her back beneath her. Her hands settle on Sciel's belt, but she doesn't start undoing it just yet.]
[ Sciel meets Lune's lips with a low, pleased hum, crashing back against her mouth with a renewed hunger. This time she's more bold, tongue pressing for permission to enter, to explore, to tangle with Lune's own. In the meantime, one of her hands cups the breast, thumb circling the nipple in intentional orbit.
It's difficult, but not impossible, to focus on pleasing her partner when the other woman's fingers are below Sciel's waistband, moving along the wet heat that waits there. There's a low, desperate moan from within the young farmer as she nearly bucks into the contact, mind wildly overcome with desire for those fingers to go farther, faster, deeper -- ]
Merde -- [ It feels as though her blood has ignited within her; when she breaks for air, she's heaving breaths. Even so, the break is brief, and she closes the distance again soon to get another taste.
Then she's on her back, chest rising and falling heavily, expression shifting gradually from ravenous to surprised to pleased. ]
Go on, then. [ Comes the encouragement. While Lune works off her bottom half, she quickly removes anything left on top, leaving her chest bare. There are already some tattoos there, lined in gold, but not nearly as many as there will be by the time they meet again.
In the meantime, Sciel seems unable (or unwilling) to leave her hands without the feeling of Lune, and so she lifts them to tangle in that raven hair, to drift across smooth shoulders: whatever she can reach. ]
Can't believe I almost spent today alone. Reminiscing. [ There's a faint, sardonic smile at that. ] Luckily, you've spared me that.
Would it be terribly corny of me to say I'd rather make new memories than dwell on old ones?
[Lune's focus has narrowed in on one singular goal: get Sciel's clothes off as quickly and efficiently as possible. Shoes are discarded, followed by a hurried manoeuvring of Sciel's legs to pull her trousers and underwear off. Every new inch of exposed skin is a thrilling new location to chart, and Lune wants to explore it all. She can't stop smiling giddily at the prospect of so much to discover.
And finally, finally, Lune is kneeling over a fully naked Sciel, Sciel's legs bracketing her hips, gazing down at a woman she'd called beautiful earlier without being able to truly appreciate just how beautiful she is. The sight of Sciel beneath her steals her breath away, if only for a moment, leaving her – possibly for the first time in her life – speechless.
The tattoos catch her eye and pique her curiosity, momentarily distracting her from how very naked the woman underneath her is. There's so much she wants to ask, so much she wants to learn about Sciel. She starts to trace the tattoos, her fingers mapping the lines with precision, though Sciel's hands on her make it difficult to concentrate and her own hands are uncharacteristically unsteady.]
What do your tattoos mean? Are they pictos, or just body art? If they're pictos, what do they do? Do they help you with your work? [Lune struggles to imagine a reason for anything that isn't to do with work.]
No, you're absolutely right. [ The less said about their losses and the Gommage, the better.
Lune's seen to swiftly liberating her from her clothes and Sciel shifts beneath her, stretching up a little, arcing her back. ]
That's better. [ She murmurs, lifting a hand to the other woman's own waistband. ] Though I think we've still got some work to do, no?
[ It isn't just Lune who wants to see all of her partner, after all.
The questions elicit another endeared laugh, and she covers the wandering hand with her own as it presses to the lines in her skin. ]
Pictos. [ She confirms, corners of her lips quirking further upward. ] Some of them help with my work. Some of them don't.
[ Eventually, she'll swap them out for those that would help on the Expedition, which augment the fighting style she'll adopt. For now, though, there's a bit of a crackle and a flurry of light and shadow and she's got a tarot card between two raised fingers. ]
Your card, mademoiselle? [ It's "The Lovers," because of course it is. ]
[Lune grins, delighted, and plucks the card from Sciel's hand. Of course it's The Lovers.]
I didn't know there was a lot of card play involved in farming. [Still struggling to wrap her mind around the concept of using pictos purely for fun.
Still smiling, she leans down for another kiss. It's amazing that she's found anything to smile about today, but every time her mind starts to drift back to the Gommage, her parents, the Paintress, Sciel is there with her bright eyes and infectious laugh, inviting Lune to lose herself entirely.
She does need to get her trousers off, but instead of doing anything about that, the hand on Sciel's chest starts to drift, finding Sciel's breast, cupping it, running a thumb in a slow circle over her nipple. Maybe she's inspired by Sciel's pictos, maybe she just wants to try something new with one of her own, she couldn't say; either way, she conjures a little cloud of ice crystals in the palm of her hand. It's only enough to tickle, really, not enough to freeze, but it stands in sharp contrast to the raging heat between them. She holds the ice over Sciel's breast, feeling her nipple stiffen as her other hand slips down to Sciel's thigh.]
[ Sciel laughs in response, rolling her head to the side to look with amusement up at her partner. ]
There isn't. [ If only, though! ] I did say not all of them help with work. [ There's a pause before she lifts a hand to tuck a wayward lock of hair behind Lune's ear. ] Some things can just be for fun, you know.
[ Like this. She meets the kiss with a contented hum, moving her hand to cup the soft slope of Lune's jaw. ...Maybe the other woman's already learned the lesson, though, because the hand at her own breast suddenly goes lightly icy, eliciting a sharp inhale. It's not at all unpleasant -- quite the opposite -- and her eyes light up with surprise and delight. ]
Mm, you were right -- they are useful. [ The pictos, she means. And not for joining an Expedition, either. Sciel savors the touch, shivering slightly (though more out of pure sensation than anything), hips lifting a little as every new touch further stokes the pulse between her legs.
It's difficult to decide what to do with herself, loathe as she is to interrupt any more of Lune's clearly brilliant ideas, but she also isn't about to let her companion go without. And since her own hand offers none of the added stimulant that Lune's has to offer, she instead reaches for the still-present trousers, tracing the line of heat to where it burns hottest, circling and teasing in intentional, slow strokes. ]
...I definitely don't want you to move, but...I'd love to get rid of these, if you're not opposed.
[Lune groans against Sciel's lips she she feels the other woman's hand stroking over her trousers, her hips rocking of their own accord in search of more pressure, more friction, more everything, more...]
I'm not opposed. [Some detached little part of herself, the perpetual academic, can't help but observe how low and breathy her voice is, and how increasingly difficult it is for her to form words at all. Arousal is negatively correlated with cognitive function. Noted.] Quite the opposite.
[But she is opposed to stopping or moving away, and she has to do both to get her trousers off. It's with another groan – one of reluctance, this time – that she pulls away from Sciel and starts undoing her belt and trousers with precise, if hurried, motions. She stands in order to get the rest of her clothes all the way off, kicks her trousers and underwear off, and looks down at Sciel. Her heart is crashing into her ribs so hard she fears it might break them as she lands back on her knees between Sciel's legs.]
Here I am.
[She strokes along Sciel's inner thigh, feeling the tension in her muscles, marveling at the sheen of sweat glimmering on her skin. In the faint, diffuse light that shines from Lumière below and the stars above, she's practically glowing.]
All of me.
[As she leans down for another kiss, her fingertips find the searing heat between Sciel's legs, stroking once, twice, thrice in deft little circles around her clit.]
[ Lune's reaction encourages Sciel to continue, following the warm pulse from the crest of her hips and further down, pressing into the rock of the other's body to increase that delicious friction. Lune'll have to settle for that alone until she decides to-... ]
There we go. [ Spoken on a breath and with an amorous smirk as the trousers come off and away. Even though the time and effort taken, however small, leaves both their bodies woefully unattended and aching for the return of the pressure, the heat, the cold... ]
And there you are. [ She says it even more lightly, almost reverently. The sight of Lune -- all of Lune -- causes a fresh wave of not only base need, but also the kind of momentarily breathlessness that comes with seeing a gorgeous sunset. A work of both art and nature.
Sciel's expression softens as she reaches out to tug the other's hand toward her, pressing her lips to each finger in turn. ]
You're stunning. [ She murmurs, mouth hovering a little longer on the smallest finger in a more drawn-out gesture before she releases it again. ] More beautiful than anything in the sky.
[ Is it too silly? Well, whatever. It's true. Though she can't be corny for very long, because Lune closes the distance again and steals a proper kiss, one that Sciel returns and savors. She's already making pleased hums against the other's mouth when those lovely, slender fingers find her clit and she shudders, the sound turning a little desperate.
Merde. She nearly bucks against the contact as if it's the first time she's ever been touched. Instead, she manages to pull it together (albeit barely) and returns the favor, slipping her own hand now to attend between Lune's legs. Two fingers sweep acros the wet heat she finds there before traveling up to the clit, which she finds similarly reactive as her own, and massage in a steady rhythm. ]
Fuck. [ There's a shaky laugh uttered between kisses and Sciel leans back a little, biting her lower lip hard. ] That feels incredible.
[Lune withdraws from Sciel's lips just enough to laugh, her voice soft and husky. It's not the first time she's been compared to something in the sky – it's a natural comparison to make, given that her parents' one and only flight of fancy was to name all their children after celestial bodies – but it's the first time she's found the comparison genuinely flattering. Sciel is so sincere, her gaze so loving, how could Lune not be flattered?]
Now that is corny.
[And then she's kissing Sciel again, and she's not sure she ever wants to stop. When Sciel leans back, Lune leans forward, pressing one more kiss to the corner of her mouth with a soft moan, hips rocking insistently against Sciel's fingers. 'Incredible' is an understatement, at least as far as she herself feels. But she thinks she can make Sciel feel even better, if she experiments a little.
It's not easy, concentrating enough to use pictos while Sciel is strumming away so intently at her clit, and the ice cloud that Lune summons sputters a little as she trails it across Sciel's chest. She once again lets it linger over Sciel's breast, this time chasing it with her mouth, enjoying the feeling of chilled skin against her tongue and hoping Sciel will find the sharp contrast between cold and heat equally pleasurable. Her hand continues downward, over Sciel's stomach, her hip, her inner thigh, teasing the sensitive skin there.]
And that? [She runs her tongue in a tight circle around Sciel's nipple before pulling back. Her free hand is braced next to Sciel's head, holding her up so she can properly look at the woman stretched out beneath her.] How does that feel?
[ There's a half-hearted noise of acceptance at Lune's condemnation, but Sciel doesn't look especially bothered. Instead, the other woman drinks up every touch and kiss, pressing into the electric patterns at her clit and melding herself against the other's mouth. Part of her wishes (in a silly, sleepy sort of way) that she could just do this forever. Vanish within it, and know nothing else after this moment. Let the rest of the world just...fade away, and end after the most beautiful and pleasurable possible thing.
Sciel groans against Lune's mouth, and though it's muffled, the pleasure is very clear. That sound only intensifies as the chill returns to her breast and the cold is followed by the warmth of the lips that break from her own. It leaves her free to exhale roughly, gritting her teeth in a smile that is strained only because she's desperately trying to keep herself from unraveling. ]
Mm - [ Comes the grunt, before she sucks air through her clenched teeth. The cold intensifies everything, and a telltale lightness begins to build in her body, threatening a countdown of its own. ] ...Feels amazing, Lune. I'm...really lucky you've got such versatile pictos.
[ She's never had an experience quite like this, after all. Nothing comes close.
Not to be merely on the receiving end, Sciel shifts slightly so she can both allow her partner the access they both want while also keeping herself fully able to explore the other woman in turn. The fingers that have been dancing around Lune's clit dip down a bit and stroke the slick warmth below, pressing lightly at her entrance. ]
I want you to feel as good as I do. [ Comes the low declaration, her eyes sharp with lust. ] Can I...?
[ Those fingers wait, not yet pressing within, though they drift a little back and forth there, as if memorizing every lovely part of her. ]
[The ideal thing to do, Lune thinks, would be to continue trailing kisses in the wake of her hand, continuing to follow cold with heat until she reaches the apex of Sciel's thighs and can put her mouth where, thus far, only her fingers have been. She wants to taste her, she wants to hear the sounds Sciel would make if Lune twirled her tongue around her clit, or pressed her tongue inside her. But then she feels Sciel's fingers on the verge of doing just that, and she reevaluates. Perhaps the correct course of action would be to stay right where she is. The ice sputters out, even the thought of Sciel's fingers inside her making it impossible to concentrate.
As she meets Sciel's eyes, Lune is once again struck by her beauty. Her eyes, sharp and quick and bright, that smile, her freckles...
Lune doesn't much believe in fate, or luck, or anything but cold, hard numbers and facts. But whatever it was that drew Sciel here tonight, she's grateful to it.]
You've already made me feel better than I thought possible tonight. [Better than she ever has, really.] But yes. Please.
[It's not a grant of permission as much as a plea. She adjusts her legs, allowing Sciel more space, while the heel of her hand begins kneading, digging into the muscle of Sciel's thigh.]
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She can't find comfort in the possibility of an afterlife, the way her new acquaintance seems to, but maybe she can offer some comfort in the here and now. Her hand strays a little closer, fingertips brushing against the other girl's. It's tentative, careful, lacking the strength and steadiness of the hand that was laid on her own shoulder, but no less sincere.]
My brother and sister. Sol and Stella. I don't think they expected our parents to come back once they left on their Expedition, so... they've already done their mourning.
[She knows they'd offer her a tight hug and probably an admonishment to take some time off, but it isn't they same for them. They've gone off and are living their lives while she's had to stay behind and continue the work. They can't really understand what it means for her to have confirmation that their parents aren't coming home.]
And Tristan. He was apprenticed to my parents, so we grew up together. He's a friend.
[Her easy tone makes it clear that there's nothing to read into the word 'friend.']
Have you got anybody else?
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In the meantime: ] You're lucky to have them. [ There's a pause, then she chuckles. ] Now I know your siblings' and your friend's names, but not yours. [ The sideways smile continues as she cocks her head in the stranger's direction. ] I'm Sciel.
[ But, to her question. Sciel bobs her head in a nod, glancing back out over the city for a moment before she's turning again, as if drawn magnetically toward Lune. ]
No blood relatives left, but that's alright. I work at Aquafarm 3, and those people are family. [ Sophie, Gustave, and all the others. ] Some of them lost people today, too... I'll need to check up on them later.
[ Definitively 'later,' though. Because right now, the idea of leaving feels...unpleasant. Between the unexpected company and the warm contentedness of the drink on an empty stomach, it almost feels like she could stay up here forever. That all the pain of their lives might be contained below... ]
...How have I not seen you before? [ She asks wonderingly, searching Lune's face, as if they might have met once and forgot. ] I would remember someone like you. Beautiful, and... [ What's the word she's looking for? ] Fierce, somehow. [ In that easy, but bold way that she operates, Sciel lifts her free hand to brush aside an errant wisp of hair from the other's face. ] Have you been hiding?
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I came here wanting to be alone. I spend a lot of time alone, with my books. There's always so much work to do.
[She doesn't look at Sciel as she speaks, her eyes fixed on the city below them, her hair falling in a curtain between them. Always so much work, no time for friends, or lovers. Her free hand rests on her leg, the heel of her hand digging hard into her thigh, betraying her exhaustion and frustration and grief and the complex web of feelings she has surrounding her parents even as her face remains impassive.]
The first time I ever went on a date, neither of my parents said anything, but I could feel how disappointed they were that I was wasting time on a girl instead of my studies.
[She looks back to Sciel.]
Despite how... overbearing they could be, I wish they were still here. I don't know if I can do all of this without them. And I... I'm glad I don't have to be alone tonight, after all.
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This isn't an option she's really considered before (even though she'd been flirting), but with her company's -- Lune's -- hands in hers, Sciel thinks idly that it might not be an awful idea... ]
If you came to be alone, I don't want to intrude. [ And she does mean it, though Lune will find her new friend very easily persuaded to stay, too. ] But...the work will still be there tomorrow. We've got time, Lune.
[ Whether she means 'time remaining in their lives to continue on with their respective duties' or 'time today to spend frivolously' is up for interpretation.
Sciel listens with an understanding, curious smile as Lune speaks, lowering the hand that had brushed the other's face. 'Wasting time on a girl,' is it? ]
You could have told them that collaboration's an important part of everything. That two minds together might make a breakthrough that one couldn't alone. [ It's the same for farming, getting a second opinion can push through previously-unbreachable problems. Though she's partially joking to be flirty, she's...really not joking.
Sometimes things can just be win-win. ]
But I understand. I didn't have a lot of time for it, myself. Or maybe...I just wasn't thinking about all that. Much, that is. There may have been a one-off or two between busy seasons, but they never went anywhere. [ Here she sighs, kicking her heel again against the Tower. ] There was one girl that-...well, I thought we'd had potential, but then I never heard from her again. [ Sciel grins, shrugging. ] Either I'm an awful kisser, or... I dunno.
[ Water off a duck's back. Her expression levels out a bit at the last piece Lune shares, and she squeezes the other's hand in return. ]
I know it feels impossible, but you can do it: I can tell. [ Here she leans in a little, studying Lune's face, adopting a knowing smile in spite of their having just met. ] I feel like you're the kind of person who can make it through just about anything.
[ Seems like that answers her question of whether or not Lune would prefer she scoot back down the Tower and leave her new acquaintance to her grief. It sends a little thrill of happiness through her chest to hear, and she reaches to cover their linked hands in her free one. ]
You don't have to be alone ever, after this. Meaning -- if you're ever working on your projects and you just want someone around to...bounce ideas off of? Say the word, and I'll come if I can. We've got to look out for each other, yeah?
[ It's true of everyone, with the population decreasing every year... All they have is each other, really. People, and moments like this. And that's why you hold on. ]
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She's done the maths; who in Lumière hasn't? She knows that on this day in thirteen years, she's going to die. And she's got twelve years to prepare for the Expedition she plans on joining. Twelve years feels like a lifetime, and it feels like no time at all. She can practically hear her parents in her head, admonishing her for even considering the thing she's considering right now — it's a distraction, there is no time for distractions, the work is everything and she's the only one who can do it now – but Sciel is so warm and her smile is so bright, and, if Lune's honest with herself, it's lonely being her parents' daughter. Maybe, for tonight at least, she can make the time.
For Sciel, she wants to make the time.]
I thought you'd be fending off a whole host of suitors. [Sciel is warm, bright, kind. Just a short time with her, and Lune can already feel the tightness in her chest easing. And the more she looks at Sciel, the more details of her face she notices, and each of those details adds up to a prettier and prettier picture. She's genuinely surprised Sciel's single.] I could... offer you feedback, if you're worried your kissing is that bad.
[Forward, and oh so very vulnerable. Her eyes meet Sciel's, trying to gauge the other girl's response.]
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The only thing I'm usually fending off is-...flies? [ There are a few chuckles as she shakes her head, heaving a sigh. ] Which is very sexy, I know. But...no, not really something I've been especially involved with.
[ Doesn't mean she'd never done anything, as she'd already admitted, and it doesn't mean she hadn't thought about it, either. But Sciel is the type of person to generally take life as it comes, and life hasn't really given her the chance for anything even close to romance.
...Yet. Which is why this moment -- so unexpectedly charged -- is so interesting.
What Lune says next: even more so. It manages to surprise her yet again, and Sciel's brows lift over a lopsided smile. ]
All of a sudden, it's my biggest concern. [ Those bright, playful eyes flit down to the other's lips before slowly traveling back up to meet Lune's eyes. ] And I'm very open...to feedback.
[ Really, is it so odd that two people who were suffering losses might try to fill that void together? It's absolutely not the first time. And, fortunately, Sciel doesn't over-analyze these things. They're both interested. What's the harm?
She leans in a little, offering parted lips, allowing Lune to close the distance and officially give the go-ahead. ]
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Good. Feedback strengthens collaboration. And collaboration, [she says, teasingly echoing Sciel's earlier words,] is an important part of everything.
[When their lips meet, it's a neat kiss that Lune gives her, by the book, a little rigid and careful. Maybe she's the one that that needs feedback.
She raises her free hand to touch Sciel's cheek, and she can't tell which of them is burning hot.
She tries to count the seconds – isn't it funny, how time seems to slow down in moments like these? – but quickly becomes so lost in Sciel that the time ceases to matter. For as long as she's kissing her, Lune's thoughts are quiet. There are no parents, no legacy, no siblings, no Expeditions and no Paintress, no books or charts or records. Her grief for her parents feels distant, her fear of failing them even moreso. No wonder some people choose to spend the day of the Gommage in a lover's embrace rather than at the harbour.
When she finally pulls away, face flush and a little out of breath – she's done this before, but it's never felt quite so intense – she has no idea how much time has passed. She smiles, curious and searching, as her gaze flicks from Sciel's lips up to her eyes.]
It's a good technique. [Enthusiastic, anyway. Whether it's technically good or not, Lune isn't in much of a position to judge. All she knows is she liked it. And she'd like to keep kissing Sciel, if Sciel would like the same.] But a little sloppy. You could use more practise.
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Yes, they're both a little by the book so far: still young in age and experience. Sciel has a slow ease to the motions that suggest she's savoring it, occasionally dragging her teeth along Lune's bottom lip in a light graze, sometimes seemingly just drinking up the moment without moving much at all, as if she might live in it.
Time is their constant enemy under the Paintress, but even she seems to have no power here. The moments are locked within their own little world: untouchable by death or grief or anything else. Sciel lifts her shoulder to bump against Lune's hand where it rests against her own cheek, if only to instigate that little extra bit of contact.
The kiss (or, kisses, really) comes to a pause as the two women break apart for the moment. Sciel's chest rises and falls with the missed breaths, lips and cheeks equally rosy. Between the bit she'd had to drink and...all this, there is a roiling boil in the pit of her stomach. ]
"A little sloppy?" [ That earns Lune a laugh, and Sciel leans back just a little to cross her arms (pretending to look offended is difficult when you can't wipe the grin from your face). ] ...Well, I did say I was open to feedback, so I can't blame you for giving it. [ As if drawn magnetically, her eyes find the other's lips again, and her smile softens into something more sensual. ] ...I defer to your judgment. More practice it is, then.
[ Maybe a little overeager, she closes the gap with a little more vigor this time, becoming increasingly hungry for the taste of her kiss, the touch of her skin... ]
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As their lips meet again, Lune shifts in an effort to pull Sciel closer. It's an awkward sort of attempt to realign their bodies, but in the moment the awkwardness doesn't matter as long as she can feel Sciel against her. She notes the strength in Sciel's hands, the callouses on her fingers; Lune's hands, by contrast, are quick, lithe, agile, the hands of someone who works with pens and fine tools and guitar strings. One hand dances across Sciel's cheek, down the side of her throat, feeling the pulse there, around the back of her head and finally slipping through her hair, while the other settling on her waist, thumb stroking along the hem of Sciel's shirt in the hopes of finding the warmth of bare skin.
Finally, Lune pulls away again. It's unfortunate, but she needs to breathe.]
Practise does make perfect. [The smile on her face is positively goofy.
Her hand leaves Sciel's hair to brush down the side of her throat again, until her palm comes to rest on Sciel's upper chest, her fingertips lightly touching the pulse point in her throat. Lune can't help but marvel at the pounding of Sciel's heart, echoed by her own heart straining against her ribs.]
You're beautiful. [It's meant as an observation more than a compliment. Just a scientist noting objective reality.]
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(She does hope very much that Lune wants to meet up again after this.)
The kiss is almost like it's her first time kissing anyone in that it blows any others out of the water in every way. The intensity of how her body is responding to Lune's advances is a surprise, but a good one, and she can only hope that she's able to do the same for her partner. Lune's hands roam a bit as their bodies come closer together, and Sciel takes it a step further and swings a leg over the other's lap without breaking contact. Now straddling her -- albeit with her hips lifted a bit -- she's able to grin down at Lune when they come up for air. ]
Happy to hear I've improved. [ Unconsciously, her tongue flits across her own lip as if she might still taste Lune there.
Sciel lifts a hand to lay it over the one at her chest, feeling her own pounding heart through the other woman's slender palm. ]
So are you. [ It's not an empty compliment for the sake of returning one; she isn't that kind of person. Sciel looks down at the near-stranger who'd happened to cross her path at the best-worst time and marvels at the way life can be funny, actually. How lucky she is, in these rare moments. ]
I... [ Sciel laughs breathily, searching Lune's face. The amount of desire she feels right now is overwhelming, but she's also trying to be careful. They both seem to be on the same page, but it is also an emotionally-fraught day, and they've both had a bit to drink. ] ...Want to see all of you, if you're open.
[ Though she'd also be more than content to keep all their clothes on, genuinely. Spending the rest of the day making out with, and talking to, this incredible woman would be far from a disappointment. ]
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In another life...
In this life, they have this, tonight, and when Sciel laughs another crack in the dam inside her forms, wider than the rest. God, she wants...]
Hang on. I've been practising something of my own.
[She scooches out from under Sciel and moves a few feet away so she's got room to hold out her hand and summon a blanket from pictos. It appears out of sparkles of golden light, laid out on the floor, heavy and soft and long enough for them to lay down on.]
There. That'll be more comfortable.
[She sheds her jacket without fanfare. It doesn't even occur to her to be seductive about it; she just wants the thing off. And then she holds her hand out to Sciel as she sits on the blanket, hoping to pull the other girl back into her lap before guiding Sciel's hand to the buttons of her shirt.]
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When the blanket appears, her lips part wonderingly. Yes, absolutely, this is worth it. ]
How did you...? [ Sciel runs a hand along it, chuckling. ] ...Just when I think you can't get more surprising. [ She looks pleased -- and obviously impressed -- as she returns her eyes to Lune and shifts back onto the blanket.
The jacket goes. Sciel follows suit, shrugging her own off without another thought. When the invitation is extended again, she returns to where she'd been earlier, albeit with her hips, where the heat of a growing want is smoldering, lowered down over the other's lap.
Lune's nimble hands find hers and bring them to the front of her shirt, and Sciel's pleased smile only grows as she obliges. Inclining her head slightly, she busies herself with undoing each one, though it's still slow. Deliberate. After all, why rush? Yes, they've both sort of been snowballing ahead, fueled by the unexpected need, but they have time. The delay only serves to sweeten the end result. That's her philosophy, anyway, as she works her way down until the garment comes free. Sciel then leans back just a little to pull her own top over her head, tossing it to the side unceremoniously. ]
Much more comfortable. [ Sciel agrees, drinking in the sight of more of the other's skin, gliding her fingertips across Lune's navel. ] You were right.
[ She imagines Lune is usually right: she seems the type to not act on a hunch. The wandering hand drifts up and along the other woman's side, dancing along her shoulder, all the while tracing the fabric of her bra. ]
Any other tricks up your former sleeves that I should know about? [ Sciel asks, as her fingers continue their exploration of newfound territory. ]
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She waits patiently while Sciel unbuttons her shirt and slips it off, revealing the intricate gold lines of a tattoo curving over her shoulder and beginning to extend down her upper arm. She watches Sciel pull her own shirt off and toss it aside, revealing muscles rippling beneath sun-kissed skin. And she exerts a truly heroic amount of patience as Sciel's fingers start a tour of her body.]
I've been working on some elemental pictos. Starting fires, calling lightning, that sort of thing. It'll be useful, when I join an Expedition.
[Not something that feels particularly relevant just now. In this little pocket of time they've carved out for themselves, Sciel is the most important thing in the world.
Lune's hips twitch upwards of their own volition as Sciel settles fully into her lap, and she wraps an arm around Sciel's waist, hand sitting in the small of her back. All the heat in her is coiling tight and low in her belly, throbbing between her legs, and Sciel's light touch is nowhere near enough to sate her. She's only got so much patience.
She slips her other hand between them, brushing her fingers over Sciel's abs before dipping, with a curious, exploratory touch, beneath her waistband.]
Is this alright?
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That's part of how they've gotten this far this fast. From meeting in mourning to throwing off their clothes on a summoned blanket, quickly desperate for the other's touch. ]
Impressive. [ Said on an exhale, low and hungry. She is very much listening -- Lune is an incredibly fascinating person far beyond just her physical appeal -- but she's also tracing the newly-exposed lines on the young woman's skin, aware (though not ashamed) of the callouses on her fingertips. ] And a future expeditioner. Just when I thought you couldn't get much more interesting.
[ Somehow, it's perfectly in line with her limited experience with Lune thus far that she would be able to surprise Sciel so much already. ]
I'd say you're already very good at starting fires. [ She murmurs, shifting her hips against the other's. It rapidly stokes the need that burns between her legs: a heat that Lune will unquestionably feel through the fabric of their pants.
(Distantly, Sciel wonders if she's ever wanted anyone so intensely. If she ever would again, after this.)
Lune asks permission and Sciel lays a hand over hers briefly before removing it, letting it again drift upward. ]
Please. [ It's still low, and just as needy as before. In the meantime, she reaches around to unclasp Lune's bra, letting it fall away (with some assistance from her partner) before moving to thumb a circle around the peak of her breast, taking it into her hand and massaging in ongoing exploration. ]
And this? [ She asks, leaning in with a playful glint in her eye. ]
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An affirmative mmmmhm is her only response to Sciel's question, though she also can't help a husky laugh at the joke about starting fires.]
We're both guilty of starting fires tonight, I'd say.
[She wants to ask whether Sciel plans on joining an Expedition too, whether she's got any interest in pictos, how useful she thinks chroma might be in farming, whether she—
Her breath hitches when Sciel's hand cups her breast, and she impulsively leans in for another kiss, trying to close whatever distance remains between them. One hand remains firm against Sciel's lower back. The other finally dips into Sciel's trousers, beneath her waistband and then stroking further down, finding her achingly wet.
That dam inside Lune finally breaks. There's so much she's been holding back, so much desire she's never allowed herself to indulge; even when her parents weren't chiding her aloud she could hear their voices in her head every time she so much as glanced at an attractive person in the street. There are more important things than relationships. Don't get distracted, Lune. You need to focus, Lune. You won't be able to concentrate on the work if your head is full of pretty girls. Perhaps her parents were right, because right now Lune's head is entirely full of one pretty girl in particular, so full that there's no room left for thoughts of anything else and all Lune can focus on is how badly she wants to lose herself in Sciel's arms. Maybe permanently.
In one quick, decisive motion, she attempts to roll them both over so Sciel will be on her back beneath her. Her hands settle on Sciel's belt, but she doesn't start undoing it just yet.]
I'd like to see all of you, too.
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It's difficult, but not impossible, to focus on pleasing her partner when the other woman's fingers are below Sciel's waistband, moving along the wet heat that waits there. There's a low, desperate moan from within the young farmer as she nearly bucks into the contact, mind wildly overcome with desire for those fingers to go farther, faster, deeper -- ]
Merde -- [ It feels as though her blood has ignited within her; when she breaks for air, she's heaving breaths. Even so, the break is brief, and she closes the distance again soon to get another taste.
Then she's on her back, chest rising and falling heavily, expression shifting gradually from ravenous to surprised to pleased. ]
Go on, then. [ Comes the encouragement. While Lune works off her bottom half, she quickly removes anything left on top, leaving her chest bare. There are already some tattoos there, lined in gold, but not nearly as many as there will be by the time they meet again.
In the meantime, Sciel seems unable (or unwilling) to leave her hands without the feeling of Lune, and so she lifts them to tangle in that raven hair, to drift across smooth shoulders: whatever she can reach. ]
Can't believe I almost spent today alone. Reminiscing. [ There's a faint, sardonic smile at that. ] Luckily, you've spared me that.
[ And done much, much more, already... ]
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[Lune's focus has narrowed in on one singular goal: get Sciel's clothes off as quickly and efficiently as possible. Shoes are discarded, followed by a hurried manoeuvring of Sciel's legs to pull her trousers and underwear off. Every new inch of exposed skin is a thrilling new location to chart, and Lune wants to explore it all. She can't stop smiling giddily at the prospect of so much to discover.
And finally, finally, Lune is kneeling over a fully naked Sciel, Sciel's legs bracketing her hips, gazing down at a woman she'd called beautiful earlier without being able to truly appreciate just how beautiful she is. The sight of Sciel beneath her steals her breath away, if only for a moment, leaving her – possibly for the first time in her life – speechless.
The tattoos catch her eye and pique her curiosity, momentarily distracting her from how very naked the woman underneath her is. There's so much she wants to ask, so much she wants to learn about Sciel. She starts to trace the tattoos, her fingers mapping the lines with precision, though Sciel's hands on her make it difficult to concentrate and her own hands are uncharacteristically unsteady.]
What do your tattoos mean? Are they pictos, or just body art? If they're pictos, what do they do? Do they help you with your work? [Lune struggles to imagine a reason for anything that isn't to do with work.]
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No, you're absolutely right. [ The less said about their losses and the Gommage, the better.
Lune's seen to swiftly liberating her from her clothes and Sciel shifts beneath her, stretching up a little, arcing her back. ]
That's better. [ She murmurs, lifting a hand to the other woman's own waistband. ] Though I think we've still got some work to do, no?
[ It isn't just Lune who wants to see all of her partner, after all.
The questions elicit another endeared laugh, and she covers the wandering hand with her own as it presses to the lines in her skin. ]
Pictos. [ She confirms, corners of her lips quirking further upward. ] Some of them help with my work. Some of them don't.
[ Eventually, she'll swap them out for those that would help on the Expedition, which augment the fighting style she'll adopt. For now, though, there's a bit of a crackle and a flurry of light and shadow and she's got a tarot card between two raised fingers. ]
Your card, mademoiselle? [ It's "The Lovers," because of course it is. ]
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I didn't know there was a lot of card play involved in farming. [Still struggling to wrap her mind around the concept of using pictos purely for fun.
Still smiling, she leans down for another kiss. It's amazing that she's found anything to smile about today, but every time her mind starts to drift back to the Gommage, her parents, the Paintress, Sciel is there with her bright eyes and infectious laugh, inviting Lune to lose herself entirely.
She does need to get her trousers off, but instead of doing anything about that, the hand on Sciel's chest starts to drift, finding Sciel's breast, cupping it, running a thumb in a slow circle over her nipple. Maybe she's inspired by Sciel's pictos, maybe she just wants to try something new with one of her own, she couldn't say; either way, she conjures a little cloud of ice crystals in the palm of her hand. It's only enough to tickle, really, not enough to freeze, but it stands in sharp contrast to the raging heat between them. She holds the ice over Sciel's breast, feeling her nipple stiffen as her other hand slips down to Sciel's thigh.]
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There isn't. [ If only, though! ] I did say not all of them help with work. [ There's a pause before she lifts a hand to tuck a wayward lock of hair behind Lune's ear. ] Some things can just be for fun, you know.
[ Like this. She meets the kiss with a contented hum, moving her hand to cup the soft slope of Lune's jaw. ...Maybe the other woman's already learned the lesson, though, because the hand at her own breast suddenly goes lightly icy, eliciting a sharp inhale. It's not at all unpleasant -- quite the opposite -- and her eyes light up with surprise and delight. ]
Mm, you were right -- they are useful. [ The pictos, she means. And not for joining an Expedition, either. Sciel savors the touch, shivering slightly (though more out of pure sensation than anything), hips lifting a little as every new touch further stokes the pulse between her legs.
It's difficult to decide what to do with herself, loathe as she is to interrupt any more of Lune's clearly brilliant ideas, but she also isn't about to let her companion go without. And since her own hand offers none of the added stimulant that Lune's has to offer, she instead reaches for the still-present trousers, tracing the line of heat to where it burns hottest, circling and teasing in intentional, slow strokes. ]
...I definitely don't want you to move, but...I'd love to get rid of these, if you're not opposed.
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I'm not opposed. [Some detached little part of herself, the perpetual academic, can't help but observe how low and breathy her voice is, and how increasingly difficult it is for her to form words at all. Arousal is negatively correlated with cognitive function. Noted.] Quite the opposite.
[But she is opposed to stopping or moving away, and she has to do both to get her trousers off. It's with another groan – one of reluctance, this time – that she pulls away from Sciel and starts undoing her belt and trousers with precise, if hurried, motions. She stands in order to get the rest of her clothes all the way off, kicks her trousers and underwear off, and looks down at Sciel. Her heart is crashing into her ribs so hard she fears it might break them as she lands back on her knees between Sciel's legs.]
Here I am.
[She strokes along Sciel's inner thigh, feeling the tension in her muscles, marveling at the sheen of sweat glimmering on her skin. In the faint, diffuse light that shines from Lumière below and the stars above, she's practically glowing.]
All of me.
[As she leans down for another kiss, her fingertips find the searing heat between Sciel's legs, stroking once, twice, thrice in deft little circles around her clit.]
And all of you.
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There we go. [ Spoken on a breath and with an amorous smirk as the trousers come off and away. Even though the time and effort taken, however small, leaves both their bodies woefully unattended and aching for the return of the pressure, the heat, the cold... ]
And there you are. [ She says it even more lightly, almost reverently. The sight of Lune -- all of Lune -- causes a fresh wave of not only base need, but also the kind of momentarily breathlessness that comes with seeing a gorgeous sunset. A work of both art and nature.
Sciel's expression softens as she reaches out to tug the other's hand toward her, pressing her lips to each finger in turn. ]
You're stunning. [ She murmurs, mouth hovering a little longer on the smallest finger in a more drawn-out gesture before she releases it again. ] More beautiful than anything in the sky.
[ Is it too silly? Well, whatever. It's true. Though she can't be corny for very long, because Lune closes the distance again and steals a proper kiss, one that Sciel returns and savors. She's already making pleased hums against the other's mouth when those lovely, slender fingers find her clit and she shudders, the sound turning a little desperate.
Merde. She nearly bucks against the contact as if it's the first time she's ever been touched. Instead, she manages to pull it together (albeit barely) and returns the favor, slipping her own hand now to attend between Lune's legs. Two fingers sweep acros the wet heat she finds there before traveling up to the clit, which she finds similarly reactive as her own, and massage in a steady rhythm. ]
Fuck. [ There's a shaky laugh uttered between kisses and Sciel leans back a little, biting her lower lip hard. ] That feels incredible.
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Now that is corny.
[And then she's kissing Sciel again, and she's not sure she ever wants to stop. When Sciel leans back, Lune leans forward, pressing one more kiss to the corner of her mouth with a soft moan, hips rocking insistently against Sciel's fingers. 'Incredible' is an understatement, at least as far as she herself feels. But she thinks she can make Sciel feel even better, if she experiments a little.
It's not easy, concentrating enough to use pictos while Sciel is strumming away so intently at her clit, and the ice cloud that Lune summons sputters a little as she trails it across Sciel's chest. She once again lets it linger over Sciel's breast, this time chasing it with her mouth, enjoying the feeling of chilled skin against her tongue and hoping Sciel will find the sharp contrast between cold and heat equally pleasurable. Her hand continues downward, over Sciel's stomach, her hip, her inner thigh, teasing the sensitive skin there.]
And that? [She runs her tongue in a tight circle around Sciel's nipple before pulling back. Her free hand is braced next to Sciel's head, holding her up so she can properly look at the woman stretched out beneath her.] How does that feel?
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Sciel groans against Lune's mouth, and though it's muffled, the pleasure is very clear. That sound only intensifies as the chill returns to her breast and the cold is followed by the warmth of the lips that break from her own. It leaves her free to exhale roughly, gritting her teeth in a smile that is strained only because she's desperately trying to keep herself from unraveling. ]
Mm - [ Comes the grunt, before she sucks air through her clenched teeth. The cold intensifies everything, and a telltale lightness begins to build in her body, threatening a countdown of its own. ] ...Feels amazing, Lune. I'm...really lucky you've got such versatile pictos.
[ She's never had an experience quite like this, after all. Nothing comes close.
Not to be merely on the receiving end, Sciel shifts slightly so she can both allow her partner the access they both want while also keeping herself fully able to explore the other woman in turn. The fingers that have been dancing around Lune's clit dip down a bit and stroke the slick warmth below, pressing lightly at her entrance. ]
I want you to feel as good as I do. [ Comes the low declaration, her eyes sharp with lust. ] Can I...?
[ Those fingers wait, not yet pressing within, though they drift a little back and forth there, as if memorizing every lovely part of her. ]
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As she meets Sciel's eyes, Lune is once again struck by her beauty. Her eyes, sharp and quick and bright, that smile, her freckles...
Lune doesn't much believe in fate, or luck, or anything but cold, hard numbers and facts. But whatever it was that drew Sciel here tonight, she's grateful to it.]
You've already made me feel better than I thought possible tonight. [Better than she ever has, really.] But yes. Please.
[It's not a grant of permission as much as a plea. She adjusts her legs, allowing Sciel more space, while the heel of her hand begins kneading, digging into the muscle of Sciel's thigh.]
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