Sonera wanted to roll her eyes. She knew better than anyone how aggressive Lunae could be in her attempts to seduce the people she cared for, regardless of how effective they might be. But in the end, that warm feeling in her heart pervaded even the logic nagging at her mind.
"Oops," Lunae coughed, fixing her bra. "I'm sorry."
She gazed up at the blushing assassin with a cheeky frown, emulating the shame of a proper lady. But the damage had been done. Sonera was practically quivering in her prosthetic boots, albeit in a subtle way Lunae could read. A blush alone didn't even begin to cover the extent of Sonera's impression.
"We're training," Sonera muttered in a low growl, shaking her head.
She knew Lunae had read her mind by then.
"Just a feel?" The princess pouted. "Lila touches Ivy all the time."
"They were taking a bath."
"So am I." Lunae patted the floor. "In sand, at least."
Such were her lies. The princess had been using a faint field of sorts to keep the sand out of her hair. A neat trick, of course, applied to all facets of her life to maintain as much beauty as possible.
Sonera found her efforts rather charming, however, in a flawed sort of way. Despite her talent, Lunae's hair was still a bit disheveled, giving her a messy look that Sonera couldn't get enough of.
"Now then." She smiled, reaching down to give Lunae a hand. "Let's continue."
Lunae popped up like a loosened carrot, greeting her partner with a fragrant scent as she leaned closer. Sonera thought to back away. But she couldn't help herself.
"Didn't know hugging counted as training," Lunae whispered. "But feel free."
Sonera just wanted a quick feel as temptation crept in. Those were the hardships of prolonged exposure to someone like Lunae.
"Humph," Sonera gave her a light push. "Sorry."
"Never apologize for wanting me."
"We should focus. Our lives depend on it."
"Oh, so whatever that was with Ivy back there was focus?" Lunae taunted.
"I'm trying."
Undisciplined as it might have been, Sonera needed the distraction. She had nearly forgotten the numb swelling in the back of her skull. Her family had saved her from it.
For the moment.
The training continued as the pair glided across the sand like a windswept veil. Sonera didn't prefer the terrain, a weakness Ivy couldn't exploit due to a similar condition. But Lunae seemed right at home with her bare feet and graceful balance.
There was, of course, an imbalance far more concerning than the reliance on smooth ground. Lunae knew where and how Sonera was trained. She had witnessed the ballet routines, the falls, the crushing blows endured during her sparring sessions with Three - all of it.
But Sonera had no such insight into Lunae's past. In fact, she didn't even know how old the Infestare really was.
"You and Ivy are more similar than you think," Lunae quipped.
She had managed to pry into Sonera's personal space time and time again, escaping just before the assassin could grab her.
"Your latent Psionic abilities, which you rely on even now, originate from your past in the human arts. Ivy, with her skating, and you with your dance," the princess continued. If Lila were around, she'd try to make a construct in the shape of glasses and place it on Lunae's head. "It's quite effective."
"But?" Sonera scoffed. She always hated having to hear criticism regarding her technique back in the Bratva.
"Limited in scope once your opponent can...listen to the music, so to speak."
Sonera understood her meaning. She had lost to a Vesper before and relied on inspiration from Yrix to prevail in her latest trial. Against opponents tuned to the craft of a dancer, her routine had become an open book.
"I didn't know you were so learned," Sonera cocked her head to the side. "Lunae."
"It took me a while to figure out," the princess smiled bashfully. "Ivy isn't the only notice-r, as Lila calls it."
That was her clever way of purging Lovatte from the conversation, whose wisdom and cunning were the reason behind Lunae's revelation.
"I'll tell Ivy," Sonera nodded. "Thank you."
"Just mix things up from time to time," Lunae giggled. "It'll do you some good."
Sonera knew how to solve her problem. She just loathed what it cost her. The assassin had literally given an arm and a leg for her growing strength, but acknowledging Yrix was untenable.
"She's been your teacher in more ways than one."
"No," Sonera hissed, cutting Lunae off. She soon apologized with a guilty expression. "You have. All of you."
Lunae could relate to her partner's impossible resistance. Hypocrisy was, however, her finest craft. She'd sooner let Sonera accept her fate than resolve her conflict with Lovatte.
She's better than me.
My shining star.
Sonera.
"I know," Lunae replied with her own guilty look.
She suddenly darted forward, grabbing Sonera's wrist before pulling her in and twirling her about like a ballerina.
"Nngh," Sonera planted her heels, grabbing onto Lunae's wrist just in time as the princess attempted to pinch the artery in her neck. She'd been felled by that trick before in her past.
"Stiff, I'm afraid." Lunae moved her feet in between Sonera's planted legs.
Using Sonera's strength against her, Lunae latched onto the assassin just before she herself was lifted into the air. Sonera had planned on hurling Lunae over her back and onto the sand once more. But by the time she realized her mistake, she was undone.
She growled like a feral animal, rolling across the field of sand as she clung to Lunae's wrists. But the princess was well past Sonera's rear by then, having turned to face her with superior positioning as they both lay on their back.
Her bare foot crawled along the assassin's shoulder before finding its mark at the side of Sonera's neck.
"Hmm," Lunae sighed, appearing almost ashamed of herself. She had to watch as Sonera's eyes lit up with fatal realization.
The carotid artery, as Lunae had learned, was not a place where even the toughest of warriors could withstand a bit of pressure. It was only a matter of time before Sonera began to fade.
Still, it felt a bit cheap. Sonera would never have capitalized on her own opportunity regardless of how it presented itself. The fight could only end one way.
"You two," Lunae grinned in admiration. "Going so easy on the ladies."
She retracted her toes just as Sonera's eyes began to roll. Using another segment of her crook, Lunae then bound her partner alongside Ivy. A cute hogtie, no doubt, but ultimately of little use against someone like Sonera.
"Untie Ivy for me, will you?" Lunae turned to leave.
Perhaps that was the moment to kiss Sonera. Their bond was still incomplete. But after witnessing the trials Lila had experienced within Ivy's mind, it was not merely shame that held the princess back.
"She has to focus."
Lunae exited with a bit of a stomp in her stride. She wanted to find Lila. Someone to vent to was better than wallowing in silence.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"What the-."
"Hey!"
"Sonera!"
"Wake up!"
Ivy struggled, gritting her teeth as she rolled around the sand. Her wrists were tied to her heels, a position so awkward it began to challenge the heiress's flexibility. Still, it should have been an easy fix.
"That dumb, poisoning, beautiful bimbo!" Ivy raged. She couldn't be any meaner than that towards Lunae. "I...should probably ask for tips."
Her anger had already subsided by then. She and Sonera had held the line for so long; it was only natural that someone in a supporting position could critique their method. Especially when Lunae could express her skills without fear of whatever had forced her into pacifism.
"So if I was just a bitch to her," Ivy griped. "She couldn't do that to me?"
A silly thought.
But apparently, that's how it worked. Infestare could flirt in all kinds of ways. But a real fight meant something to them.
"Good thing Lila isn't here."
She was narrating like the Earthling already, so it was easy to imagine how horribly Lila would be dismantled in a spar with Lunae.
Or Sonera, for that matter.
"Hey, wake up!" Ivy screamed at Sonera.
Lunae had placed the assassin's cheek right up against Ivy's nose. They were practically kissing at that distance. Fortunately for Ivy, Sonera's breath smelled rather nice.
"Does she even eat anything?" Ivy wondered. Weight management was practically a myth to her. "Poor girl."
"Hmm," Sonera groaned. "L-Lila."
"Wrong girl!"
"Lunae..."
"Still wrong girl!"
"Alia..."
"Excuse me?!"
Sonera began to snicker as her face grimaced with pain.
"Oh wow," Ivy rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Just wow. We're tied up and you're playing pranks?"
The assassin opened her eyes, radiant light shimmering through her pupils. Ivy had to avoid looking impressed. From her perspective, it was like meeting an angel.
"Lunae's strong," Sonera huffed with exhaustion.
"No shoot, Sherlock." Ivy paused, realizing she sounded just like Lila. "Ugh, just get me out of here!"
"I...yes," the assassin began to squirm. "Can't you?"
"I'm still a girl under all this!" Ivy winced. "You think I've got that same brutish strength all the time? Not how it works. Unlike you, I've got a mind that didn't exactly consent to this condition."
Sonera looked confused.
"It's like a mental block. If my father didn't install one, I'd rip a door off its hinges and realize what he did to me in minutes. Sure, I was always a bit tough. But not like you are now!"
Sonera still looked confused. But she was smiling.
"Don't give me that look!"
"I like when you rant," Sonera whispered in a strangely soft voice. "You and Lila."
"You like a lot of things," Ivy spat. "Going easy on any fat pair of tits that walks around!"
"I mean you-."
"Shush!" Ivy wiggled a bit, unable to turn her chest away from Sonera. "I've had enough creeps for one day!"
"You like her." Sonera was referring to Lunae, of course.
"Not how I like Lila."
"I know."
"Then-."
"I like you too."
"But not how you like Lunae, fine, I get it!" Ivy was becoming increasingly impatient. A sharp turn from how she felt before Sonera woke, no doubt. "Just get me out of here!"