Private - Poached, Scrambled and a Job Well Done | Page 4

Do whatever feels comfortable, Savannah told her with a nod. If that means less blocking and more scampering, so be it. If that means more offense, than defense, then try it out. This is for you to learn how to wield that weapon and to find out how you like to fight slash how you fight best.

She felt the adrenaline begin to flow and had to tamp down that fight or flight response. Hers was always set to fight, of course, but she had to remember that Luna wasn’t an actual enemy. This was her friend, her companion and, in some ways, her girlfriend. She didn’t want to seriously hurt the woman.

The Knight rolled her shoulders in an effort to loosen up before she set her sights on Luna. Savannah had never had to pull her punches before, so this would be an interesting exercise for her. With a grin, she charged at the other woman, intending to start off with two overhand strikes. She knew the reach of the scythe would give her some problems, but she was hoping that with her lack of armor, she might be a little quicker on her feet. ​

 

Well, that was a relief. She wasn't going to have to force herself to fight in a certain way just to say that she'd learned how to do it. Savannah was a good teacher, she wasn't trying to force her to be something that she had no hope of ever being. She'd never be a solid tank, a brick wall that kept their team safe. She'd always known that she'd been built to hit hard and fast, without giving anybody much of a chance to retaliate. It was, in a way, how she'd lived her life up until now. Doing the things she wanted and then retreating to safety whenever things seemed like they might go south. Perfect for a coward like herself.

She frowned, watching Savannah gear herself up mentally, wondering if the woman was going to be as gung ho and reckless as she had been when she'd fought the Bandit King. That had honestly been an impressive sight, watching the woman charge headfirst into danger without even the slightest hint of danger. Waiting for the woman to move, Luna shifted, lowering her scythe even more, the tip firmly planted into the ground.

Then, Savannah exploded into action, charging straight at Luna with a couple of highly telegraphed overhand strikes. Luna, though shocked at the speed the woman had ran at, lifted her feet off of the ground and pushed outwards with her arms, using the scythe that she'd planted into the ground as a lever and throwing herself backwards, out of harm's way.

Though her dodge had been executed pretty brilliantly, the follow up attack was anything but. A clumsy, reckless and off balance swing came from the right, aimed at Savannah's side.

 

Perhaps she should’ve expected Luna’s leap backwards, but Savannah didn’t. She was completely caught off-guard at the amount of space the woman put between them with just a single, well-executed movement. A savage grin cut across her lips, her eyes glinting with a ferocious predatorily light. It was much more fun when they decided to run.

The swing that Luna aimed at the Knight’s right side was easily parried, one of the blade of her handaxe flashing out and catching the blunt side of the scythe before it could get close. It was a reflex, for Savannah barely turned her attention to the scythe at all. No, her eyes were set on the white-haired caster as she fell, gracefully, back to earth from her backwards leap.

She counted, timed her breaths, and then exploded into movement once more, again covering the distance that Luna had created. Her strikes were quick and brutal, pushing onto Luna and making her lose ground so that Savannah could press forward. It was an intimidating tactic really, the overpowering force of her strikes that the other woman blocked. They were clumsy blocks and Savannah’s eyes could recognize various moments where she could have disarmed Luna, but she didn’t.

Instead, she kept attacking, herding her in a tight circle, never relenting.​

 

In hindsight, it was probably arrogant and ridiculous to believe that she'd ever even started to gain momentum in the fight, for her only attack had been batted to the side, useless in everything it had done as Savannah pressed the attack, staying in close with her attacks to the point where, the useful end of Luna's scythe would really struggle to get any sort of purchase on the knight. Luna found herself in a panic, unsure of what to do in such a situation, her instincts screaming at her to unleash a wave of destructive arcane energy to keep the knight away from her.

But she held her instincts firmly in check, the determined blue glow vanishing from her eye as she turned to worry and desperation instead. There had to be something that she could do, besides duck and block blows wherever she could, screaming at herself in her head.

She gasped, feeling a blow slip through her guard and slam against her side, the weapon getting caught on and ripping her clothing slightly. She grunted, before quickly swiping out with the handle of her scythe, determined to get at least one strike in.

 

Luna’s sudden gasp knocked Savannah out of whatever battle trance she had slowly been slipping into. She would have to thank Lady Lucia when the pair met up again for Savannah would say, if she were ever asked, that had this spar happened before she officially reentered the fold, she doubted she would have been able to stop. It was too fun, too easy, too…glorious to give up the hunt, the chase. She liked the sound of weapon meeting weapon, the sting of sweat in her eyes, the scent of perspiration scenting the air.

Because she didn’t know if Luna’s gasp was indicative of her being hurt or merely winded, Savannah’s strikes suddenly went wide. It was the prime moment where Luna forced her scythe in close and got her in the ribs, the sudden pain a starbust of energy that exploded throughout her. She immediately peeled back, weapons down at her sides, a gruff grin wandering past her lips.

Holy shit, you tagged me, she said, partly winded, partly excited. She wanted to keep going, like a kid who finally got to wrestle with their older cousins and was actually beating them, Savannah was having a good time. But her eyes coasted over her partner and noticed the slight rip in her clothes. Perhaps they should call it.

Sniffling, mostly due to the cold air, she straightened and exhaled, trying to wind down quickly from their match. You alright? I didn’t hurt you or anything, did I?​

 

Luna definitely hadn't been expecting her blow to land like that, especially being something she'd thrown out of desperation, but it made it difficult to hold back the follow up attack that had been coming, struggling to keep her momentum from forcing her to strike the woman, instead planting the blunt blade of her practice scythe into the ground to keep it there, steady and unmoving. It'd have been wrong to strike the woman quite so easily, since she was clearly trying to stop the spar for a moment.

She balanced herself on the scythe for a moment, swallowing heavily as she fought to get her breathing under control, looking down at the rip in her clothing with a roll of her eyes. That was irritating, but it wasn't as if anything was being exposed besides the side of her torso at absolute worst. And besides, it wasn't like there was anybody around to actually look even if it had exposed something worse, besides Savannah herself, which Luna found that she really didn't mind.

"No no, I'm fine! It was more the shock than anything else, really!" She smiled warmly towards the knight, panting as she was. That was the most physical a training session had been for her since she'd first started her training with Lucia. And that had simply been to awaken her fighting spirit and actually make sure that her fear wouldn't get in the way too much in battle.

"Still, I can't believe I tagged you, even if you were holding back." All out, there was no doubt that Savannah would have won, potentially even if Luna had been allowed to use her magic. "Do you....want to call it here and take that bath? I'm a little sore and very sweaty..." She smiled warmly, stashing her scythe into her inventory.

 

Luna wasn’t the only one who had been shocked by what happened. Savannah was still reeling from their back and forth slash mild chase across this little piece of Lucia’s territory. At least Luna was learning though. For that, the fiendish knight was happy and could only smile. Maybe the idea of her being an elusive striker was on the nose after all.

Ah, ye-yes, we can! she said after a moment’s hesitation, the hand axes suddenly feeling awkward and foreign in her hands. Fighting, sparing, hunting, training; these were things she knew how to do in this world. There was nothing awkward about them and they flowed through her muscle memory with the same easy as water downhill. Bathing with another person and being…physical with them? Her insides immediately turned into stones and she couldn’t figure out which way was up and which way was down.

Still, she stuck a smile on her face and turned back towards the tent, the warmth that enveloped them feeling good against her cooled skin. It didn’t appear as if there would be snow storm or anything, but that didn’t make the weather outside any nicer. It was cold, that was true, and with the sweat they had worked up and how the human body regularly responded to cold, a bath was the best idea.

She meandered over to the clawfoot tub after placing the hand axes back in the trunk at the foot of her bed. Her hands turned the taps and steaming water flowed out of the spout. She shrugged her shoulders before glancing at Luna with a sheepish smile. Some stuff you just have to take at face value, I guess, she said as she glanced from the hot water filling the tub to the woman in the tent with her. There was no reason why the water should come out hot, but this was, after all, a game, even if this sometimes felt more real to Savannah than the actual real world.

I, ah, don’t…have any extra…clothes, she told the white-haired mage, her sturdy form crossing over to the side of her bed. She pulled another chest and flipped it open to reveal similar outfits to the one she currently wore: a cotton shirt and cotton pants with leather sole shoes. They were in varying colors between grey and white and black, but nothing fancy. This is, ah, all I got. And it’s…well, the Citizens made it to my size, but, uh, maybe it’ll work for you?

Curious silver eyes glanced at Luna’s chest before skittering away toward the bath again and the rising level of water. Shirt might be a bit tight, she whispered, a blush covering her cheeks. Suddenly, she stood up and walked back across the room to the small table next to her tub. She opened up a few oils and sprinkled something into the water. The aromatic scent of vanilla and toasted brown sugar immediately filled the space.

Rock salt…to help with the aches. It’s lavender though, but, ah, I got it for a steal at some pop up market…thing…​

 

Heading back to the tent, Luna was glad for the warmth of the fire within against her body, a great difference already from the cold outside. The sweat on her body chilled her even more and right now, any change where the temperature increased was like a godsend to her, warming her cold and frosty extremities. Though, saying that, this cold was nothing like the bitter cold that they'd been forced to deal with whilst they were traveling towards the lair of the Bandit King and his men. That had just been an awful, freezing and lethal kind of cold to deal with.

She smiled, sitting on Savannah's bed as she watched the woman move over to the bath and begin to fill it, before retrieving a set of clothing, presumably for Luna, who smiled gracefully. The hot water was a bit of a mystery, but it honestly wasn't all that bad if she was being honest, since it meant that they got to take hot baths even out in the middle of nowhere in Lucia's camp. It was nice, refreshing. Sometimes she regretted rejecting Lucia's offer to stay in the camp more permanently.

She blushed and giggled slightly as Savannah mentioned that the shirt might be a bit tight, watching the woman retrieve some things to add to the bath. They smelt amazing, she'd never quite had a bath so luxurious before and this was in a camp in the middle of nowhere! How awesome was this? She stood, wrapping her arms around Savannah in a hug, before releasing her. "Thank you for this, Savvy."

Though, saying that, there was one thing left to do and that was undress. Luna gulped, before stepping back and slowly peeling off her clothes, folding them into a neat pile and holding them, only able to cover her chest slightly like this. "Ummm, w-where should I set my clothes?"

 

After putting the oils and salt into the bath water, Savannah could do little more than stand there, awkwardly, and glance from the tub to the chaise where the eggs were resting to Luna and back again. She didn’t know where to look or what to do and this was all, quickly, leaving that safe place where she was comfortable and in her own element.

Luna’s arms wrapping around her allowed her to snap out of whatever she was quickly sinking into. She exhaled a short breath and gave a very small smile before patting the woman on the back. Her hand shook a little and she still felt sticky and overall gross from their spar, but Luna didn’t seem to mind. The Death Knight tried not to think about it. And, well, they were going to get clean now so it wasn’t a big deal…right?

Flashbacks of her time with Lucia in the Dark Lady’s tent crossed her mind and she gulped, feeling that familiar heat stir in her belly. She glanced at Luna and nibbled on her bottom lip. They were going to get clean after a hard work out, not…mess around. And Savannah was perfectly okay with that! She just had to keep repeating it in her head.

It’s no problem, she finally said before looking toward her partner. She opened her mouth to say something else, found Luna naked, and blushed, her eyes immediately crashing to the floor.

Ah…ah…the bed is fine? she squeaked. O-O-Or where the, uhm, the eggs are. Either work. Or th-th-the floor. Whatever you’re comfortable with!

She scrubbed a hand over her face before peeking through her fingers to see just what Luna was doing. You can get in first if you want, the Knight said, her words muffled by her hand partially covering her face.​

 

Yes, Savannah might have been gross and sweaty from their little sparring practice a few minutes ago, but so was Luna and she'd been covered with way worse than just sweat, a certain giant ant's magic sapping vomit being chiefly at the top of that list. Heck, she'd slept with Vivian for god's sake, which wasn't exactly a clean and hygienic ordeal in the grand scheme of things. Still, it was nice to see Savannah relax some more after she hugged the woman, at least for a few moments longer. Luna had no doubt that, once they were both nude, the woman would probably nearly clam up and be unable to speak or really interact, maybe.

Finally, Savannah turned around and Luna could see the blush on her blue friend's face, even as her own face lit up like a christmas tree, nodding gently as she placed her clothes on the bed, far enough away from the bath so that there was absolutely no chance of them getting wet or damp because of water splashing. Not that she was expecting them to end up splashing the water everywhere, though! After all, what could they possibly end up doing that would splash all of the water out of the bath?

Okay, that thought made her blush get even worse, now using an arm and a hand to cover her chest and her crotch for a moment, before she took a few deep breaths and let them drop. Yeah. There was no need to be shy or uncomfortable here. They were both women, neither had something the other hadn't seen before! Well, they did, but it was the thought that really counted here!

She slid over to the bath, slipping into the water with a loud sigh of relief, sending a smile towards Savannah and glancing away. "I'll look a-away whilst you undress, o-okay?"

 

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Savannah could feel the sweat weep down her back and cling to her forearms beneath her clothes. She looked away while Luna got into the tub and peeked back at her once she was submerged. Even from here she could tell that the spell slinger had soft skin, similar to Lucia’s. The ivory was a mirror as well and, subconsciously, Savannah rubbed her hands together, feeling the callouses that coated her palms.

Her skin was not soft like theirs. No, it was covered with nicks and bruises, small cuts from sparring, little indentations that gave knowledge that she lived life hard and fast. Or, well, she did; when she couldn’t see the forest for the trees and merely charged in without thinking. There was the option to just…get rid of them, of course, but Savannah didn’t want that. She wanted – needed – proof that her actions here had lasting consequences and her scars, bruises, aches and pains were knowledge of that.

Ah, she started, taking a step toward the bath and stopping. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the heat in the room soak into her lungs and make the air thick. Or maybe it was her nerves that made it harder to breathe. Either way, she had to clear her throat and click her tongue, trying to getter the latter working enough for words to dance upon it.

I could, uhm, wash your back? You could…bathe first and then, ah, me? Besides, I don’t think there’s enough room for…both of us. ​

 

Whilst the offer to wash her back was really tempting, Luna pouted and looked at the bath. It wasn't THAT small, they'd been huddled closer together in smaller spaces before thanks to the cold. "I-I think we could both fit if I just shift a little." She proved this by shifting slightly, tucking her legs in more and shifting so that her back wasn't pressed against the porcelain of the bath itself, giving her more room to sit further backwards and free up more space for Savannah to sit in.

"See, you can fit r-right here! We've already sat much closer together before now, so t-there's not much of a big deal, is there?" She smiled warmly, a small red blush etched into her face as she essentially tried to coax the woman into stripping down and climbing into the tub with her. It wasn't fair for one of them to get to enjoy the fresh bath whilst the other got to use the dirty, used water. No, either they were both going to enjoy the fresh, warm bath at the same time or she was going to get out.

She was actually rather adamant about that, even as she smiled gently at Savannah, before keeping her eyes averted and closed. "If you're w-worried about me seeing you, d-don't be. I-I promise I won't stare a-and I promise that you're r-really pretty to me." Maybe it had been a self conscious thing and all she had to do was remind Savannah that she was in fact, really really pretty no matter what. The scars and bruises were only even greater reminders of the woman's loyal and determined nature, some of her most attractive qualities as far as Luna was concerned.

 

No-not as pretty as you or Lady Lucia or Vivian though, Savannah whispered, wincing even as the words left her mouth. Outside of TerraSphere, she didn’t care how she looked. She worked basic jobs that normally had a uniform and she didn’t have friends to go out and “club” with and there were not Sunday brunches with her family. Or, she wore what she had to for work, or otherwise sat her ass down in seats and tee shirts.

She also wasn’t in a three-way relationship with three other very gorgeous women. She was the ragamuffin of the group, her skin pigmentation different than theirs, her hands rougher, her body built for war, not pleasure. And it wasn’t something that Savannah had actively thought about before, but after her session with Lucia and now Luna’s insistence that she join her in the tub, the Knight couldn’t help those ugly thoughts that crowded her mind.

Clearing her throat, she gave a small sigh. Lucia’s voice was once more in her mind, telling her to try, explaining that it would be difficult, but the Dark Lady had faith in her abilities. Savannah did as well…when it came to fighting. She didn’t know shit about interpersonal relationships.

Clenching her jaw, she pushed through the overwhelming anxiety that bubbled up in her chest and yanked her shirt off. As usual, Savannah had bound her breast down to her ribcage and she spent the greater part of a minute or so unwinding the tight gauze and allowing it to drop to the floor. She did the same with her pants, shimmying out of them with a quick shake. Blushing hotly, she ducked her head and climbed into the tub, a low hiss escaping her when the hot water touched her exposed flesh.

It felt so damn good.

Ahhh, she sighed, making herself comfortable and trying to allow enough room for Luna as well. This is heaven.​

 

"I-I um, w-w-wow, thank you..." Luna had definitely heard the whispered compliment to herself and Lucia, even though she wasn't too fond of how lowly the knight seemed to think of herself when it came to looks and being attractive. Why couldn't people see themselves the way that Luna saw them? Why couldn't Savannah see just how attractive that she really was? "But I-I really meant what I said. Y-You're attractive in a totally different w-w-way to Lucia." Savannah was exotic, unique and well built, almost like some sort of enhanced super soldier or something along those lines. In casual clothing, Luna could see the hints of wiry and powerful muscles that covered the woman's body. She definitely wasn't unattractive, that was for damn sure.

Luna blinked, the rustling of cloth and clothing making it so hard to keep looking away, though she mustered all of her willpower and forced herself to keep her eyes averted and closed, only letting them gently flutter open when she heard the splash of water being displaced, a sigh and hiss escaping from Savannah's lips as she settled into the water. Slowly, her eyes found Savannah's body beneath the water and she blushed, biting her lip slightly as she did her absolute damnedest not to stare for too long. She failed.

She smiled still, letting her legs relax a little more and gently entwine with Savannah's, nodding to the woman. "Yeah, it's r-really nice. I suppose nothing beats a nice warm bath on a cold day, does it?" She looked to the side, seeing fresh snow falling outside of the tent, smiling to herself. Yep, it really was a nice feeling to be inside in a hot bath whilst snow was falling all around the outside.

Still, she couldn't keep Savannah off of her mind. She'd enjoyed the woman's company so much, in the same way that she enjoyed Lucia's and Vivian's. The woman was just easy to get along with, pretty as heck and strong. She was so many of the things that Luna herself wished she could be. The white haired woman blushed, looking down at her own lap for a moment, before looking up shyly. "U-umm, Savvy? I-I've been meaning to ask, b-but....d-d-did you m-mind it when I k-k-k-kissed you?"

 

She didn’t really believe that Luna was speaking from a place that wasn’t societal necessity. When someone bemoaned their physical looks for whatever reason, society usually replied with something that contradicted whatever that person said along with some part of them that was found wanting or attractive. So it wasn’t that she believed Luna to be a liar, but she did believe she was just saying whatever Savannah wanted to hear. Her silver eyes glanced at Luna and then away before she lifted her shoulders in a small shrug. There was no point in arguing. They would just have to agree to disagree.

I, uh, haven’t even used this tub before now, to be honest, Savannah told her, gently splashing in the hot water, her fingers creating ripples in the water. There wasn’t many bubbles, only an extremely thin layer, so the Knight could make out the smooth contours of Luna’s legs resting against the bottom of the ivory tub. She swallowed and directed her attention elsewhere, like to the bed where Luna’s clothes were.

Were they going to sleep together?

Immediately shaking her head to get rid of that imagery, she turned back to her partner and nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to figure out how to answer the question that was posed.

I…I didn’t mind, she said quietly before clearing her throat and speaking up. It just, uh, caught me off guard is all. I haven’t…kissed anyone besides Lady Lucia and, uhm, I don’t really…know how? How embarrassing, the woman thought, to be as old as she was in the real world and be unable to adequately French kiss.

I guess…since we’re, uhm, technically in a relationship now, uhm, perhaps, it’s just…like, I know people in relationships k-k-kiss and stuff. She exhaled a breath and brought her hands to her face where she scrubbed her cheeks and rubbed her nose. She didn’t know where she was going with these jumbles of words. It’s just a little…different, I guess? I dunno.

Her hands fled back into the water and intertwined in her lap while steam continued to rise from the surface of their bath water.​