"Is this…flirting?"
Lunae rolled her eyes. She loved Sonera for many reasons. But her tact, or lack of it, was always remarkable.
"Or a test?" Sonera's eyes narrowed, her voice bouncing around Lunae's head in all its silvery glory.
The princess shrugged, rolling her bare shoulders before tossing her crook aside. It clattered onto the floor, lying still before the wood began to warp. As if from the old hymns of Earth, her shepherd's tool slithered about like a live animal before coiling around Ivy's unconscious body.
"I'm not one to judge," she grinned. "But I can help you two improve. There's room for it."
The heiress shifted, her arms and legs pulled together by an intricate binding of rope-like wood. She hadn't woken yet. But Lunae had to be sure there was no interruption.
"She saved me," Sonera pointed at Ivy with a sharp finger.
"And I owe her everything. But the end is near. She cannot rely on the strength of a healthy Psion alone. Neither can you," Lunae's voice hitched. "If I can't be of full use out there. Maybe I can do some good here."
Sonera scanned her partner's figure. She had become quite skilled at reading the nuances of her posture. That, and the princess was mesmerizing.
"Something wrong?"
Lunae glanced at Ivy with a mixture of admiration and shame. "I was helpless that night. She risked it all for you. Even now, she entertains our games at a disadvantage. She's exhausted, out of her depth, yet still unbroken. For us. That's Ivy," she paused, clasping her hands together. "And here I stand, ever-so useless. As a damsel, I am nothing but a burden."
Sonera looked almost offended, whispering with a slight hiss, "Lunae. You've supported us however you could."
"I could have done more." Lunae took a step back as Sonera advanced on her. "I could have always done more. Fear is what holds me back, not any mortal limitation. Not the kind of peril that you all overcome for me every day. Little Lila is out there right now and-."
Sonera pulled her in, keeping one arm wrapped around the princess while the other splayed its fingers around her exposed navel. "You teach me. I teach you."
Her words were simple. The deeper meaning, however, had already been deciphered. Lunae replied with a stifled gasp.
"You were forced-," Lunae flinched, her sensitive skin reacting to the cold touch of Sonera's mechanical hands. "I just didn't want you to be alone."
"And you would lose yourself if you fought them," Sonera muttered. "I see closer into your mind every day. I know you."
"Sonera."
They shared each other's breath, touching foreheads as Lunae braced her hands against the pressing claw. She loved nothing more than a possessive Sonera.
"And you're right," the assassin smiled. "We can improve our footwork. You're strong enough to help us here. So please, let us do this. When Ivy wakes, we can find Lila."
She was so close. It took everything in Lunae's power not to kiss Sonera then and there.
Restraint.
Caution.
Not everyone was as fortunate as Lila.
"Have I ever told you I love you?" Lunae whimpered.
"Perhaps," Sonera quipped. "I love you."
Her voice carried a modicum of respect. Sonera had always acknowledged that which Lunae excelled in, being most things, and was more than willing to see them firsthand. All she needed was a bit of reassurance that Lunae did indeed want a fight, however playful it might be.
"Now," she inhaled. "Show me what you can do."
Unlike Ivy, she had the benefit of watching Lunae in action from the contestant's perspective. Sonera backed away at least a few feet before raising her fists. The princess responded instead with an informal giggle, as was typical of her.
"Don't fret if you lose," she teased.
"I never fret."
"Hmm," Lunae swayed her hips. "Lila wouldn't. You thorny girls have a bit of ego in those beautiful skulls."
Sonera was just a tad bit annoyed. Three would be the person to point out her hidden pride in the past, no matter how well she hid it. And like Lunae, he was always right.
"Lila was always better," the assassin sighed.
"Better? Or just cute enough to catch your eye?" Lunae bent forward, intent on distracting Sonera. "When I tie you down, consider it recompense for crushing on that poor little girl."
Of all the things she could have said, that alone was the most facetious, and Sonera knew it. Lunae was the first to instigate flirtation between two solidified parties. In fact, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Heiress with Princess.
Assassin with Earthling.
Vice Versa.
The game within a game.
Sonera ignored her quips and began to advance. She hoped to press Lunae without showing even a moment of weakness. But the princess seemed prepared.
"Ivy gets caught up in herself, bless her heart." Lunae circled around Sonera with a skip, her hands tucked behind her back. "But you focus only on the fight. Does that make you stronger?"
Again, Sonera didn't reply, though she had her opinions. At such a time, the silent girl was proud to address Ivy as an equal. No amount of self-criticism from the heiress could change that. But Lunae seemed strangely out of reach, both as a superior and an inferior.
Only Lila was the kind Sonera could confidently downplay, though she did so with cherishing intent.
"I wonder what you'll do to me." Lunae licked her lips. "Not something too brash, I hope; I'm just a dainty girl after all."
"Attack me and find out."
The princess looked to the sky, dreaming about all the "humiliating" positions Sonera could put her in. Yet the urge to put the assassin in her place was equally alluring. She could practically hear Sonera's low-pitched grunts already.
"Mmm, I think I'll stay right here," Lunae taunted her partner.
"Fine," Sonera huffed.
She inched closer, unwilling to make any committal move. Minutes passed before Lunae's smirk began to fade.
"Are you really going to just stand there?"
"Are you?"
"Humph." Lunae turned her back on the assassin. "Have it your way."
The princess wagged her tail, motioning for Sonera to attack her exposed rear. It was clearly bait, yet one that came at a risk. Sonera practically crawled forward, her legs spaced apart and her arms poised for a grapple.
Lunae might have had her flexibility and reflexes, but she wasn't exactly brimming with strength. Ivy lost to her with a cheap trick, as it were. So long as Sonera could avoid that suffocating chest, all would go well.
"Any year now," the princess quipped, combing her blue hair.
The moment Sonera entered Lunae's personal space, she was assailed by the Infestare's tail, leaping and biting at her like a serpent. She narrowly avoided its tip with a series of pivots and shimmies. Finally, when the full extent of the tail swept at her leg, the assassin bent down low.
"Huh?" Lunae's eyes widened as she felt a tug.
Sonera's arm had taken the initiative, coiling Lunae's tail around its sharp elbow before pulling skyward with the strength of a brute.
"Kyaa!" Lunae tripped backward, though her confusion lasted only a moment.
The princess performed a flexible handstand before flipping towards Sonera with open legs, intent on ensnaring the assassin with her powerful thighs. Her partner caught her just in time, holding Lunae aloft by her legs. But the princess wasn't quite yet done with her tricks.
Twirling around like a spider, she managed to dislodge Sonera's position on the ground before both of them tumbled awkwardly.
"Huh!" Sonera struggled, catching a face full of Lunae as she fell.
The princess had elegantly contorted her body during the struggle, ensuring she ended up on top when all was said and done. With her pelvis thrusting into Sonera's neck, her legs kept the assassin pinned. Her smile was all but subtle then.
"You get vocal when you're having fun, you know that?" Lunae teased as her partner struggled.
"So do you," Sonera growled.
Using her new limbs to lift Lunae's body weight, Sonera did her best to refrain from chucking the princess across the room like a sack of beans. Instead, she opted to abruptly release the princess onto the sand, the impact of which proved more than enough to discombobulate her opponent.
"Ah!" Lunae landed on her back, causing her body to lurch.
Sonera stared with wide eyes, then looked away with a blush.
"L-Lunae," she stammered.
The princess's top had shifted during her fall, exposing her chest completely as they exploded outwards. Lunae looked ashamed for a moment as she covered herself. Yet only mere seconds later she smirked, unveiling herself as her pupils narrowed.
"Very good."