Priss was finally pulling into the driveway she'd cleared away in front of her trailer. Leon had been giving her grief about riding home on her bike one handed from the Silky Doll, but luckily that would all be over in two days when her arm would finally be removed from its cast. The day after tomorrow also marked the much-hyped return of Sekiria to Hot Legs. Priss' arm couldn't heal fast enough for owner Tony Ishimura. After such replacement acts as The Bloody Blood, Darwin and the Degenerates, and an alternative garage band simply called Spinach failed to generate any interest, Tony had begged Priss and Sekiria to come back early. He was quick to point out that she was a singer, not a guitarist. She could just stand there and sing. Priss had thought about it, but in the end flatly rejected the idea. She had an image to keep up, and she didn't want that image to be tarnished in the minds of her fans. Besides, with all the leaping about on stage she did during her performances, she knew she wouldn't be able to do the show she wanted to until her cast was off. As she opened the door to her trailer and walked to her couch, her mind wandered back to earlier that night, and she began to laugh softly to herself. She still wasn't sure what was funnier; seeing Sylia say hello to that stupid stuffed weasel of Nene's, or hearing about Leon sticking his foot in a bucket of dirty mop water (and at the beginning of his shift no less). As she got up to get herself a beer out of the fridge, she remembered Sylia calling for Linna to stay behind when everyone else was leaving. ‘I wonder what she wanted Linna for?' she thought as she popped the can open, taking a swig as she sat down in front of her television set. ------ Sylia held Linna close as the younger woman breathed softly against her neck. She closed her eyes, almost as if she were afraid this was all a dream and would disappear if she opened them. She'd kissed her without thinking about it, without even stopping to consider whether or not Linna was into girls. It could have, should have blown up in her face. Linna should have pushed her away; she should have looked at her with a horrified gaze just before she ran away from her. Instead, the younger woman kissed her back. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her, still resting her head on her shoulder. "Linna," she whispered. The office lady looked up into Sylia's face, "Yes," she answered breathlessly. Sylia smiled, "You know," she said as she lightly traced Linna's lips with her index finger, "I've wanted to do that for a while now." The younger woman pursed her lips and kissed the other's finger. "So have I," she admitted. She then thought of what this might mean to their relationship, as well as their relationship with the others, "Sylia, where do we go from here?" Sylia thought about the question. They'd progressed from a working relationship in the beginning to friends over time, but what they were entering into now was entirely new. Obviously, any romance among two of the Knight Sabers would change the group dynamic, but for her as the leader of the group to begin dating someone under her opened up a whole Pandora's Box of complications. Could she send Linna into danger if they went any further? And how would Priss and Nene take such a development? Would they be accepting, complain that she gave Linna preferential treatment, or even be intolerant of their entering into a lesbian relationship? She was pulled out of her thoughts as she looked into the younger woman's eyes. Funny, she'd never noticed what a deep shade of blue they were before, or how they glittered in the artificial lighting of the room they were in. As she continued to look into Linna's eyes, she knew what her answer was. "I don't care," she said finally as she tilted Linna's chin up, "Just as long as we arrive there together," she added as she once again brought her lips to the other Knight Saber's. There was more passion in the kiss this time, less fear or nervousness. Linna's heart fluttered as she felt Sylia's tongue against her own, and she put her hand behind her leader's head as Sylia allowed a low moan to escape her throat. As their lips separated, Sylia brought her mouth up to Linna's ear. "Stay," she whispered, tenderly kissing her earlobe, "Stay with me tonight. Please." Linna opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. She looked away from the other woman as she sighed, "I... I can't," she answered back sadly, "I hate to say this, but I have to go home tonight. I have a ton of paperwork to do before I go to work tomorrow." Sylia frowned, "Couldn't you maybe call in?" she asked hopefully. Linna shook her head, "I want to Sylia. More than you'll ever know. But I've used up an entire year's worth of sick leave and personal days over the past few weeks." Sylia's mind again raced back to all the times Linna had been there for her during her recovery. It had never occurred to her that it might've caused Linna trouble at her job to do so. "I'm sorry. You're right," she sighed disappointedly. She then smiled seductively as she said in a lower voice, "But tomorrow's a Friday. You have the weekends off..." "Then it's a date," Linna said. She reluctantly stepped back, releasing Sylia from her embrace. Sylia took her hand as she walked her towards the front doors of the Silky Doll. As they reached the exit, she began to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Linna asked. "Nene was actually right about something." "What?" "Remember about a year ago, when I teased her by leaning so close to her she freaked out?" Sylia asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "She said she wasn't into girls like that, but thought you were." "Oh yeah." Linna answered as she thought back to the scene. She then began to giggle, asking, "So how are you and your new addiction councilor Uprio-Chan getting along?" That sent them both into a laughing fit. "How in the hell...," Sylia asked, gasping for air as she wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes, "...did you survive being stuck on an island with her for two weeks?" "He, he... it wasn't easy," Linna answered, "If that Norwegian fishing boat hadn't showed up when it did, I was going to go ‘Lord of the Flies' on her! Did I ever tell you how she tried to make a pet out of one of the clams we found off shore?" "You're kidding! Ha, ha, what happened?" "She changed her mind when the stupid thing clamped down on her finger. You should've seen it... Ha, ha... ‘Ow! Bad clam! Bad clam!'" They both laughed hard at that. Finally, they both calmed down as they realized Linna had to leave. Sylia pulled the younger woman's hand up to her lips, kissing the back of it tenderly before leaning forward to lightly kiss her goodbye on the lips. Linna gave her leader's hand a gentle squeeze, turned around and left the building. Sylia watched as she got on her moped and rode away. She then locked the door, turned off the lights, and headed for bed. ------ Nene and Mackie were coming back from their walk around the block. They were holding hands, looking up at the night sky and talking about nothing in particular. Finding a bench they sat down together, the moon shining down on the pair as Mackie turned to his girlfriend. "Thank you for coming over tonight," he said, "It meant a lot to sis." Nene looked downward, "Yeah, well, I'm sorry I stayed away so long," she said. Looking up, her eyes met his, "How's she doing anyways?" "Fine," he answered, "She has her good days and her bad. She can still be cranky at times, but that's sis." "Isn't that the truth," Nene quipped. Mackie chuckled a bit at that. Looking at his watch, he frowned. "It's getting late," he said, "We should probably head back." Getting up from the bench, the two slowly walking back to the Silky Doll. Coming around the curb on the sidewalk, they saw the door open, and watched as Linna left the building. They then watched Sylia lock the door and turned off the lights. "Uh, Mackie?" "Don't worry. I've got a spare key to get in." "That's not really what I was going to ask. Do you know what Sylia needed Linna for?" "Beats me," he answered with a shrug, "Anyways, I'd better turn in before my sister notices I'm gone and starts looking," with that he went up and unlocked the door, gently kissed the blonde goodbye, and went inside. Nene smiled to herself as she touched her lips where he'd kissed her. She then turned around, got on her scooter, and rode off. ---The Next Day--- Priss was using a drumstick to try to reach an itch underneath the cast on her right arm as she stood on the stage with Sekiria. The band had been practicing a new opening song Priss had picked out for tomorrow. Thrilled to be finally getting her damn cast off tomorrow, she wanted a song of triumph to announce Sekiria's return to the stage, and had decided on a song she'd been a fan of since her teen years. While Priss didn't normally like doing cover songs, she couldn't resist this one; she even had Nene find a site on the internet that had a Japanese translation of the lyrics. Unfortunately, she and the rest of the band were running into problems due to the fact that the song was originally in English. In order for Priss to get the Japanese version of the lyrics to fit the beat, she found herself having to sing some of the lyrics faster than she was normally comfortable with, and after an hour and a half of tripping over lyrics and messing up on the tempo both she and her band mates were getting frustrated. "Okay guys," she said as she swept some of her hair back away from her eyes and passed the stick back to her drummer, "We're finally getting there. Let's just try it one more time." "Right." the drummer sighed as the guitarist began playing the beginning power cords. Priss grabbed the mike with her good hand, tapping her foot on the stage floor and silently counting the beats in time with the bass to make sure she had the rhythm right. Finally she jumped in, singing out the lyrics like a woman possessed. "Back in black, I hit the sack, I bet you know I'm glad to be back, Yes, I'm let loose, From the noose, That's kept me hanging about..." ------ "Uh, miss... are you sure this isn't too revealing?" the woman asked, at first trying to pull the dress down in order to cover more of her legs, but very quickly stopping when she realized she was pulling the top down with it. "Oh my!" Sylia said, smiling as she brought her hands together, "It looks wonderful on you! The red really brings out and contrasts nicely with the color of your hair. You simply must buy it! You owe it to yourself, as well as that special someone in your life," she added with a wink. "Really, well... mind if I try on one of the others I was looking at?" "Of course not," she answered, "You know where the changing room is. But I'm telling you; you're going to want that red dress." Sylia's cell phone suddenly rang. She waited until her customer was in the changing room, and answered, "Hello?" "Hello Sylia," the familiar voice said on the other line. Sylia smiled fondly as a warm feeling welled up within her. Her face then took on a mischievous look. "Hey lover," she teased playfully, hearing Linna giggle like a giddy school girl on the other end of the line. "Sylia," Linna said exasperatedly, "I'm at work, remember?" "Sorry," she answered, "Old habits die hard. Are we still on for tonight?" "Of course we are," the younger woman answered reassuringly. After a few seconds, she said in a lower voice, "I miss you." "I miss you too," Sylia answered affectionately. She frowned when she heard a sound coming from the dressing room, "Linna, I can't talk long. I've got a customer right now, but how does nine o'clock tonight sound?" "Sounds great," Linna answered. "Wonderful. I've already made reservations at a restaurant downtown. I'll be there to pick you up tonight then." "Okay," she said happily, adding, "Take care." "You too," Sylia answered regretfully as she hung up. Just then she heard the dressing room door open, put on her best fake smile, and went back to work. ---Later That Evening--- Nene stood impatiently in front of the microwave in her small apartment, waiting for the bag of popcorn to finish popping. Finally, she smiled as the last of the kernels popped. She opened the microwave door, grabbed the hot bag with one hand as she picked up two cold drinks with the other, and hurried through the obstacle course of computer terminals and wires in her living room to the couch where Mackie was already sitting. Passing one of the drinks and the bag of popcorn to him, she grabbed the TV remote, taking a sip of her drink as she turned the set on. Ten minutes into the feature, Mackie raised an eyebrow, "So, is that giant turtle thing the villain?" he asked. Nene laughed, "No silly! That's Gamera, defender of the Earth," she said, striking a pose with her arm up in the air. "The aliens coming in the next scene are the bad guys." "Oh, you've seen this before?" "Once," she answered, adding, "So did you invite Sylia over like I suggested?" Mackie nodded, adding, "She actually seemed a bit touched you invited her, but she said she already had plans." "Meh, her loss," Nene said as she popped a few kernels into her mouth, "I mean, what in the world could possibly be more fun than watching giant monster movies?" ------ Linna looked one more time nervously in the mirror. She wasn't sure where she and Sylia were going tonight, but knowing Sylia it would be fancy. She's bought the form-fitting black dress she was wearing after work, as well as the black pumps and green earrings. She still couldn't quite believe this was happening. She was going out on a date with Sylia Stingray. As she was debating whether or not to wear a necklace, she heard her doorbell ring. Quickly grabbing her coat, she put it on as she rushed from her bedroom through her apartment to the door. "Hello Sylia," she said as she opened the door, "I..." she forgot the rest of what she was going to say as she caught sight of the Knight Saber's leader. Sylia was dressed in a white skirt with a slit going up her right leg that ended just below her thigh, silver high heeled pumps, and a tight fitting black low-cut top with a white jacket on over it. Her hair, as usual, was stylishly pulled back with a blue bow. Sylia, seeing Linna dressed in her little black number, was likewise struck dumb as she admired the office lady's beauty. "So," Sylia said, finding her voice first, "Are you ready to go?" "Hmm? Oh, oh right," Linna answered embarrassedly as she grabbed her purse and left her apartment arm and arm with her date for the evening. ------ Priss took a sip of beer as Leon grabbed another slice of pizza. This was one of their favorite hangouts, a sports bar on the outskirts of the city near her trailer. As the singer set her drink down, she raised an eyebrow. "How many slices have you had so far?" she asked. Leon looked at her questioningly. "What do you mean?" "I mean we got a medium pan pizza with eight slices, and someone around here ate more than his share." "Oh for the love of... You want me to get us another pizza?" he asked irritably. Priss smirked, "Nah, that's fine," she said, adding, "I love getting you going, you know that?" "Heh, so I've noticed," he answered. Priss took another sip of her beer before saying more seriously, "Thanks again." "For?" "For talking to Nene you big goof." "Oh, right," he said as he took another bite of his pizza, "So how's Sylia doing?" "I haven't seen her today," she admitted, "I've been rehearsing with the band all day, remember?" "Oh yeah," Leon muttered. "I'm sure she's fine though. Linna's been able to stay with her more often than I have." "Yeah, I noticed," he said with a smirk, "You don't suppose those two are..." he was cut off as Priss kicked him in the shin. "Pervert," she said, smiling with amusement as Leon clutched his leg painfully. ------ Linna and Sylia were laughing warmheartedly in the small private dining booth as a waitress came over with their food, setting their meals before them. The restaurant, one of the most opulent in Mega Tokyo, had a four-star rating. As the waitress left, Sylia picked up the conversation from where they'd left off. "So let me get this straight," she asked, "On various occasions, your dad tried setting you up with a cousin who was a plumber, a neighbor who was a school gym coach, and a traffic warden?" "Don't forget the bus driver," Linna said, at which point the two started laughing once again. More seriously, she added "I suppose in a way he may have suspected my sexuality. I mean, other girls played with dolls, and I ran track and field." "I suppose," Sylia answered, picking up her chopsticks and separating them. As Linna watched her, she ventured to ask a question that had been nagging at her all night. "Sylia," she began, "Just out of curiosity, how were you able to get a private booth in this restaurant on such short notice? They must have some sort of waiting list, don't they?" "Well," her date answered with a mischievous grin, "The Silky Doll is not the only business venture my family fortune has made available to me, you know." Linna's eyes widened, "You mean..." Sylia nodded as she went for a piece of fish on her plate, "This restaurant and two others, as well as an art gallery. I..." she stopped when the bit of fish fell from her chopsticks. Looking down, she saw that her hand was shaking again. ‘Damn,' she thought bitterly to herself, looking at her hand helplessly as feelings of anger and embarrassment rose up within her. ‘Why does this have to happen now of all times?' she thought as she bit her lower lip like a small child who had done something wrong. Just then, a second pair of chopsticks reached over to her plate, picking up the fish she'd dropped. She looked up, her grey eyes meeting the tender, understanding blue eyes of Linna as the younger woman reached over with her chopsticks. Sylia looked at her silently a few seconds before smiling warmly at her, her eyes never leaving her date's as she opened her mouth and allowed Linna to help her with her meal. After a dinner in which the younger Knight Saber took turns feeding herself and her date, the two left, Sylia opting to let her date drive them. When they arrived back at the apartment, Linna opened her front door and turned to her. "I... I'm not in the habit of inviting strangers back to my apartment," she began, "But... If you have no plans..." Sylia smiled as she reached up, gently stroking Linna's cheek, "I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be tonight than here with you," she said, leaning forward and kissing the younger woman passionately as she shut the apartment door behind her. -To Be Continued-
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