ᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴅʏɪɴɢ ꜱᴋʏ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇ ᴅɪᴇᴍ

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"Me? Jealous? Maybeee a littleee. If Gust gets to hug a princess as a friend, I want to too."
"Then don't mind if I do, Ophelia. As long as you're offering, I'll be more than content with receiving it."

"Huh? Wait... wait...! Just... one at a time...!"

​

Getting more than she'd bargained for, Ophelia found herself flanked by both beastfolk girls. She'd never known it was possible to be surrounded by so much fluff without being the fluff herself, but it appeared that this day would be the princess' most eventful one in her life. Frozen between black and white fur, her face lit up brighter than a ripe tomato, her hands tense at her sides and tears bubbling at the corners of her eyes. Her lips trembled, feeling a strange kind of giddiness about being surrounded by so many girls. Her heart skipped a beat, then another, a strange, fuzzy feeling rolling around in her stomach. Not quite uncomfortable, but ticklish and foreign.
Resigning herself to being in the epicenter of this girly ball, Ophelia looked up at the strange construct that Medina threw into the air, catching the reflection of all four of them pointed right towards them. Her crimson gaze softened, relaxing when she saw everyone else's smiling faces, so serene and joyful. Such a far cry from those sorrowful expression they were making as they took her from the tower. For just this moment, it seemed they had forgotten the pain. "Haha..." Had it always been so easy? For so long, she'd felt a hollowness in her chest, a deep sorrow that could never be consoled. And yet in t his moment, it felt like she'd forgotten what it felt like. All this time, all she needed to be rid of her sadness was other people's smiles?

It was so simple it felt like a joke.
She smiled up at the reflection, her own smile feeling like that of a stranger's. She'd forgotten she could make a face like that too.

Feeling something wet and warm against her shoulder, Ophelia turned toward August. She creased her brows together in concern, wondering she had done something to hurt her again, unintentionally. "Gust...?" She tilted her head at the witch in confusion, unable to grasp that she was not crying out of sorrow, but happiness. Her lips parted to speak an apology, but she was the one to speak first. "Thanks for taking a chance on us." That sealed her lips right up, a lump forming in her throat. She swallowed it down, her mouth feeling dry as she whispered a weak response. "No, I'm the one that..."

But her time was cut short, Shiro rightfully reminding them that they were to evacuate promptly if they were to avoid being stuck in this house of horrors. With the others pulling away from the embrace, Ophelia found herself wishing for just a second longer in that warmth. She stared at their backs as they began to walk away.

"Uhm...!"
​

Her voice was weak, barely carrying in the air as she called out to them. She hoped they would hear her regardless, for she could barely find her voice. She gripped her chest, trying to calm her trembling fingers.

"Next time...!"

Next time...

"Next time... I want to complete it! I'll be stronger then, so... don't give up on me!"

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

Struggling with her own thoughts as she followed the trio, Ophelia didn't realize they'd arrived at their destination until the others had stopped. The metal all seemed to blend together for her, the walls and floor and the turns at corners making it feel labyrinthine to the ancestral princess. She would need a guide to keep her from getting lost for a while as she got her bearings in this station of pure metal. At least the lodging they entered was homely, quite a far cry from the dark, dank room in the tower she had called a home for so long she'd forgotten. Even her old room in the palace was not much better when she thought back on it. This flat felt much more lived in, full of a certain sense of 'spirit' that was different from the haunted house. No ghosts hunting the grounds to eat a certain hapless witch.

She almost didn't recognize the pink-haired swordswoman as she turned to them, her visage not quite so striking now that she was in more casual clothes. Although they were still strange in the medieval royal's eyes even if she wasn't going to comment on it. Meeting her gaze, Ophelia suddenly felt cagey and even more tight-lipped than before, feeling unprepared to broach a casual conversation with the woman, unlike her. She almost envied how easily she seemed to brush things off. The dark-haired princess couldn't do the same; it was practically ingrained in her to hold grudges. The Lamprosian royal family was not known for their forgiveness, and they would raze entire villages to the ground over a perceived slight. She'd been taught by her father to never let those that hurt her think they could get away with it.

"The haunted mansion! You should've seen it! They even had a spider room this year!" "So they didn't have one last year...? Just my luck..." She sighed, shuddering at just the thought of it. She felt bad for the metal spider, but it was impossible to get over her own fears in just a day. A thousand-year grudge wouldn't just pass over in the blink of an eye. "How about you get some rest. You smell like blood, you know?" "I sure hope I don't get eaten because of my carelessness..." Ophelia muttered sarcastically, staring purposefully at the hand on her shoulder. While she was fine with any of the other three touching her, she wasn't sure Neon had won that privilege just yet. Despite her reservations, however, she didn't try to put some distance between the two.

She didn't want to make things awkward and make August or Medina uncomfortable, after all. For their sake, she'd endure her own discomfort gladly.

"By the looks of it, I'm sure that August or Medina would be happy to share a bed with you, but if you don't want to share a room with anyone else, you could feel free to crash on my bed. I don't sleep anyways, all I need to do is charge, drink, and meditate." "That's generous of you. I won't have to be woken up at blade's edge this time, I hope?" As much as she wanted to say that it was water under the bridge, there was a part of Ophelia that still resented it, as much as she wanted to act like it didn't affect her. She brought up a hand, knowing there would be apologies or excuses, and wanting to get ahead of them. "It's fine. I understand the circumstances were dire. About that drink..." The sound of her high-heeled boots clicking against the floor as she walked to the table bounced off the walls, her gait regal and collected as she pinched one of the glasses between her prim fingers.

"So... what do you say? You in for a drink?" "Hmph..." She smirked as she sat down on one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other.
​

​

"Tell you what. I'll forgive everything if you can drink me under the table."

She tipped her head against her shoulder, letting her long, dark brown tresses hang off it as she wore a self-assured smile, offering her glass to be filled. Upon having her unspoken request fulfilled, she swirled the deep-red wine around in the glass, contemplating it while she waited for the ones who would have a drink to join her. "You three won't chicken out now, will you? This bottle is so deep, and I'm just not sure if I can finish it..." she did her best to put on a faux innocent facade, but she simply could not hide her experience in this field. To say she was quite the drinker would be an understatement, having broken into the palace cellar and stolen a generous amount of bottles to drink herself into the break of dawn. Wine especially was one of her most favored drinks. Rich and dry, they called her, just like the red liquor that blended with her eyes.

Ophelia brought the glass to her face, first putting her nose to it to appreciate the strong scent before slowly bringing it to her lips, taking a single sip of it. She rolled it around on her tongue, savoring it thoroughly before she gulped it down, feeling it burn her throat just the right amount. "Hmm... Not too bad. I'll give this the royal seal of approval..."​

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀʟʟᴇʏᴄᴀᴛ | ᴅᴊ ᴋɪʀ & ᴋᴀᴇᴅᴀʟᴜꜱ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Unbeknownst to the princess, her confessions carried weight. Before they left the room, as Ophelia opened her mouth, her words had commanded a welcome silence as the three of them turned around to see their newest ally and friend displaying her truth. This had been a happy memory for her, one of many soon to come as long as they managed to stay by each other's side. Without hesitation, the three walked back towards her, unwilling to leave her behind. She was one of them. If it wasn't for the humanity she had shown to the pilot and the witch, Shiro would have held her reservations, though it was sights that would crack through her like this that made her feel genuinely comfortable by Ophelia's side.

"I don't think any of us have planned on it." She was the first to speak, causing Medina's ears to flicker upon hearing it. It was odd for the angel to be so heartfelt with her words, and yet, it seemed the most fitting for the only woman in their team with foresight to have faith in her. "We'll all be stronger then! Maybe next time, we could all go together! With Neon too!" Medina joined in, bouncing with every footstep as her rubber boots squeaked against the wooden floor. Behind her back, the princess was able to feel a squeeze of a hand on hers; With digits interlaced with a warmth from the only human in their team, the witch wiped her tears with her free hand. "Then let's make that a promise. You're one of us now, Ophelia."

"Whatever happens, we'll go through it together."​

---

"That's generous of you. I won't have to be woken up at blade's edge this time, I hope?" A crack of a smile had broken through the vampire's lips before it ruptured open into a hearty laugh. To have the princess retort her offer with a fitting, well-timed joke had displayed a side of her she never thought she would share with the woman that could've been her enemy over half a day ago. "That depends, if you would prefer me to be your alarm clock." She could barely stifle a chuckle. For the samurai, given how easy it is in her line of work to end up having an ordinary day be her last, she had lived each day as openly and honestly as she could. For her, life was too short to waste it living a lie.

"Who said a little scare can't be fun? I mean, you all went to the haunted mansion." Smelling the smoke coming off of the witch and the princess' outfit, Neon felt like she had enough to assume that an accidental spell had gone off or that a dragon had shot flame near her friends for the sake of scaring them stiff as an attraction. "From the looks of it, you both had a lot of fun there too! If not for Idra, I would've joined you but... If anyone were to wipe the smirk off that smug bitch's face, it would be me." Her eyes had glowed at the idea of using the arena battle as an excuse to beat the blonde princess senseless. After emotionally assaulting her friends, it felt like the only right form of compensation.

"It's fine. I understand the circumstances were dire. About that drink..." With the vampire already moved on from the morning, as Ophelia walked forward in her new fit, a sultry smirk had replaced the humor on the vampire's face; A dress like that was something meant to capture the eye tastefully, yet the magical strength that could be sensed in its seams had made it practical the same. 'Huh. Umbra's work. Looks like she hasn't lost her touch.' Wondering what August would look like if she embraced a similar style to Ophelia's aesthetic, it became a mere passing thought as she saw the witch in her new clothes. Both looked appealing in their own ways, each made individually flattering through the work of the teams favorite spider girl.

"So... what do you say? You in for a drink?"

"Hmph... Tell you what. I'll forgive everything if you can drink me under the table."​

The courage at which she willingly challenged the samurai to a drinking competition of all things had ignited a fire in her chest. "Are you sure? If you challenge me to something like that, you're only going to end up waking up naked in Medina's office with no memory of your past life... Then again, that sounds like a fun enough time too." Medina blushed at what the vampire had insinuated. "You got yourself a deal. No backing out, yeah? I don't plan on losing." Taking the glass opposite of the woman, as she drew a chair to sit across the counter from her, Ophelia had called the others to attention.

"You three won't chicken out now, will you? This bottle is so deep, and I'm just not sure if I can finish it..." Floating over to the seat immediately on her left, Medina refused to let these two drink alone. Though as if recognizing the prowess of the smallest girl in the room's tolerance to alcohol, the vampire gulped. "Just making sure, this battle is just between us. If Medina joined our bet, we'd both end up in a coma." The perks of being undead was that, no matter how much she could drink, nothing would disturb her insides. Their doctor was tolerant to most poisons and disease, as long as the wine itself wasn't considered blessed, she won't suffer any ill effects.

Shiro shook her head. Drinking wasn't exactly something she was particularly fond of, especially given her tendency to ramble about her visions on the rare occasion she did. "I'll pass. Thanks for the invitation." Excusing herself to her room, she left August who looked like a deer in headlights. She was weak to the power of any alcohol. Gulping, as she searched for any reason to escape, the innocent facade the princess feigned had caused her to nervously stumble forward. It wasn't like she wanted the night to end on a bad note. She was at home and surrounded by the people she cared about. What was the worst that could happen... Right? "I'll try it out. Just uh... Don't hold any expectations that I could last as long as you guys..."

"Then let's toast to our new friend and for whatever memories tomorrow has to bring." Grinning at the idea of seeing the princess sloshed, after the clinking of their glasses, while Ophelia drank her own portion slowly, Neon downed it with speed. A splash of red to the vampire would do little to the warrior when her pride was on the line. Joining Ophelia and Neon, Medina clinked her own glass before taking her drink down with a content smile. Given her role as their pilot, it wasn't often where she had the opportunity to drink without concern for her work. As such, she was going to make the most of every single time she was able to drinking with the crew she considered her family. "Ahh~ Thanks for the wine, Neon."

"Hmm... Not too bad. I'll give this the royal seal of approval..." Another gulp had come from August's throat as she looked down at her reflection in the intoxicating, alluring fluid. Taking a deep breath, she took a sip before feeling her cheeks grow flushed in a mere matter of moments. Her sisters in her coven had always joked about her intolerance to drinks, often offering a non-alcoholic substitute for her to join with the festivities. However, they weren't here now and her friends were looking to her to join. Slowly, she lifted the glass to her lips and drank whatever she could, covering his lips to hide a small burp. It was sweeter than usual, a dangerous combination to the witch. What it meant was that she wouldn't be able to stop until she couldn't stand any longer.

"Wow, Gust. I didn't think you had it in you to join us." Neon joked, patting her back. "Y-yeah I mean... I can't have you three drinking on your own, especially if its our first night with Lia!" Finding courage in the promise of showing Ophelia every single one of her sides no matter how vulnerable, she persisted while Neon poured the second round for everyone participating. "And here's to beating the credits out of the princess tomorrow. Cheers!" Another tap of their glasses had signaled the beginning of the next round as Neon looked at Ophelia in the eyes as she drank her second glass. "Having second doubts, princess?~" She teased. Though before she was able to put down her glass, Medina had already held out her empty own towards the vampire. "Next!~"

The vampire chuckled. Willing herself again, underneath the table, August gingerly reached out her hand to hold Ophelia's own, nervous at the thought of ending up drunk and embarrassing herself again. However, all it took was Lia's reaction for her determination to get the better of her. If she can't handle this much, then what was the point of drinking in the first place? Another river of crimson has filled her insides, causing her to gasp upon finishing it. By then, a hiccup had accompanied each one of her words, only matched by a warm yet loose smile over the course of a few minutes. "... D-don't look at me like that..." She purred, leaning her head on the princess' exposed shoulder. "I'm not out of it yet! I could do another. I promise!"

Showing a bit of amusement, as Neon poured the third round, this time, she filled August's only halfway before pouring some soda to water down the purity of the drink. "Last one, got it? Gust, while I think you're fucking cute when you're drunk, I don't want you spilling everything you drank over the counter." Medi nodded her head, drinking her wine as though it was nothing more than flavored water. Despite the alcohol not playing too much of a role on her mind, she was still content with the presence of others when they drank together. The company was what made the drinking worth it, not the alcohol itself. "S-shaddup. I'm a big girl. I could take it!" Rolling her eyes playfully, Neon turned back to Ophelia. "Your face is turning a little red there. You might as well give up and forgive me while you're ahead... Unless, you want to end up like Gusty over here."

"Hey! What's wrong with being me?" She pouted, crossing her arms. Being buzzed had made her more honest, so much so that her typical anxieties that restricted her tongue were gone. "Nothing, Gust. Just that you're a lightweight. Besides..." Grinning, Neon leaned her elbow over the counter to take her by the chin. "I love it when you're honest. You're cuter that way." Blushing hard, the witch was caught off guard by the sudden surge of confidence. "I- Uh- But-" Flustered, she pulled away and hid her cheeks. "Maybe, we could figure out what got you so interested in the princess in the first place? Its not like you to want to be so friendly so soon~ Maybeee... She's your type?"

Immediately upon hearing Neon go on the offensive, Medina pulled out her sketchbook to draw the idea of a sapphic scene that came to mind. Scribbling instead of drinking, she went to work on what the idea of Ophelia potentially romancing one of her saviors would look like. "... Lia's pretty. But that's not the reason why I wanted to be her friend." Despite how embarrassed she felt, she couldn't hold back the tide of words from escaping her mouth. "I just... Really wanted to get to know her. Make sure that her life off planet was something she could look forward to. I mean, there's no way fate would have brought us together if not for that, right? And... She has a really pretty smile too." Naive yet wholesome, the witch had shared her thoughts with the princess. "I -hic- hope you don't think I'm weird or anything f-for saying this."

"Aww, isn't that adorable. Would you look at that, Lia? Gust has a little crush on you~" Neon snickered, pouring the two of them a glass. "Now come on, my duel with you is far from over. I'm not giving up until I get to see you drunk too." Promising mutually assured destruction, as the three had partook in their next round of wine, August was unable to finish it before resting her head on the surface with a red glow on her face. Her feet swung from the chair, suggesting that she was still conscious albeit barely. Neon on the other hand had started to seem buzzed.

"Though she ain't lying. Out of all the fucking smirks I've seen, yours is one of the hotter ones." Leaning over the table, her voice smelled of wine. "Tell me, you got a little someone special too? Or... Did anyone around here catch your eye? You could be honest, its just me and Medi here. I doubt August would remember in the morning." Giving them a moment to sit with the alcohol in their system, as she turned to the bottle, she noticed it dry. "Damn. That was my favorite brand too... Ah well, I have something else we could try." Pulling another bottle out from under the counter, she displayed something different: Everclear. The drink itself seemed to have drunk dragon-kin on the cover, hinting at its potency being enough to sedate the massive creatures. "Hm? Oh the wine? That was the appetizer. This is the main stuff you gotta worry about."

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

"Y-yeah I mean... I can't have you three drinking on your own, especially if it's our first night with Lia!" "... Please don't overdo it on my account." The princess smiled nervously, already familiar with the ways the witch tended to push herself for the sake of others. While she would nonetheless enjoy her company, she couldn't help but worry about her all the same. Though she did not insist as Neon poured them all a second drink, sighing softly in spite of herself. "And here's to beating the credits out of the princess tomorrow. Cheers!" "The woman that came to us when we were onboarding, hm? So she's a princess as well?" While Ophelia did not claim the title formally, there was no denying that itt was part of her past, as painful as it was. Though to share it with a woman as unpleasant as that blonde was certainly a source of chagrin for her. "Having second doubts, princess?~" Ophelia half-smirked, half-scowled as she lifted her glass up and mimicked the loud vampire's bravado by downing it in one swig.

"Please. Save your bluffs for an opponent who'll eat them. You don't live for thousands of years without developing a stomach for these things. You're about a thousand years too early to try that on me." While there was no denying the slight light-headedness she felt after that one, it was far from unmanageable.

She could keep going for a long time. Though probably not as long as their canine companion, who drank it as if it was fruit juice.

Feeling a touch and then a squeeze on her hand, her eyes tore themselves from the pink-headed woman to the brunette who already looked like she was about to pass out. Ophelia tilted her head, her own brown locks falling slightly over her face as she looked to August with concern, her lips pursing together as she raised a brow at her. Speaking of bravado, the witch did a rather poor job of making hers seem convincing, though the princess would not disrespect her by calling doubt to her ability to keep going. "... D-don't look at me like that..." "Look at you like what?" A soft, airy chuckle escaped her lips, her brave, unfounded courage more endearing than concerning at this point. "I'm not looking at you like anything, Gust." She scoffed as she lifted her glass to be poured another drink.

As much as she hated agreeing with Neon, Ophelia could only nod in agreement at her decision to cut August off. While she could trust her to walk through a house of horrors with her guts intact, she wasn't so sure about her not hurling all over the floor the moment she'd gone past her limit. And even though she said she wanted to see every side of the witch, Ophelia would prefer if she preserved her dignity by hiding the 'drank too much and is now throwing up all over the place' side of herself. No one needed to see that. "Your face is turning a little red there. You might as well give up and forgive me while you're ahead... Unless, you want to end up like Gusty over here." "Your taunts are no more effective than they were a minute ago, I'm afraid." She shook her head with a sigh, setting her glass down on the table firmly and staring right at Neon.

Ophelia nursed her drink, in no rush to just chug it down like she did before. Not because she was cautious, but because she wanted to savor it properly. Though this was a competition, she was still a slave to appearances, not in love with the kind of drinking laborers did every evening after a hard day's work. She was more of the pinky out as she sipped on it like tea kind of girl. She quirked a brow at Neon and August's exchange, wondering what this was all about. "Maybeee... She's your type?" Her type? Type of what? Ophelia didn't quite understand their slang yet, figuring whatever this 'type' was, was some sort of galactic newspeak that she'd have to decipher as she went along.

"... Lia's pretty. But that's not the reason why I wanted to be her friend." Ophelia hid behind her glass, a slight flush that she could not determine as her getting tipsy or embarrassed heating up her cheeks. She'd always been praised for her beauty by the people of her kingdom, but it had never felt as genuine as when August said it. "I just... Really wanted to get to know her. Make sure that her life off planet was something she could look forward to. I mean, there's no way fate would have brought us together if not for that, right? And... She has a really pretty smile too." "... I think you've certainly had a lot to drink, silly." How could she bear to say something so romantic? The princess' crimson gaze averted from the witch, incapable of coming up with a proper response after all she'd said. She was probably too drunk to even think properly, let alone think twice about what she was saying.

If she was any drunker herself, she may have thought August had budding romantic feelings for her. She scoffed to herself at the thought; she was simply being kind to her. She, who was lost and adrift in a vast coldness of their universe. "Aww, isn't that adorable. Would you look at that, Lia? Gust has a little crush on you~" "Stop teasing her, Neon. She's had enough." Ophelia hissed sternly, reaching for August's head and gently pulling it onto her lap. "Bring her a tall glass of water. It won't do to let her get a hangover." Although she seemed more concerned by August's drunken state, the fact of the matter was that she wasn't equipped to answer the witch's honest feelings. Whatever the eldritch entity had taken from her, it was clear that it was a void in her heart, rather than her mind. A void that could not be filled with half-hearted emotions. Ophelia stroked August's head, looking down at her with a mixture of apprehension and longing.

"Though she ain't lying. Out of all the fucking smirks I've seen, yours is one of the hotter ones." "Hmph." So now that August was down for the count, it was Ophelia's turn to be targeted? Well, better her than the witch, she supposed. At least she could defend herself. "Tell me, you got a little someone special too? Or... Did anyone around here catch your eye? You could be honest, it's just me and Medi here. I doubt August would remember in the morning." "It's nothing like that." She muttered softly, a hint of bitterness to her voice. "I don't know if I could love someone if I tried. That thing back in the tower took something away from me. For all these eons, I've wondered what it was. But I think I know now,"

"I might not be able to love anymore. I... feel empty."​

That wasn't quite right, though it felt like it was right. Ophelia certainly had feelings for August. How could she not? The first of them to reach out a hand to her? There was no way she could feel nothing for her, but something simply wasn't right. Something was missing. And no matter how much she searched, she couldn't find it. It wouldn't let her find it. "Although... I wouldn't know who to choose between all of you if I could." She flashed a seductive smirk at Neon and Medina. She reached out a hand towards Medina, finding the back of her ear and giving it a nice scratching. "I wouldn't mind seeing how those cold hands of yours feel on my body. Although I'd prefer to be sober so I can remember." She giggled, pulling her hand back before gazing over to Neon. "And I guess you're alright too, beneath all that bluster of yours. You certainly cut a fine silhouette with that robe. Could do without the sass though." She pursed her lips, pouting to herself at how tragic it was that such a pretty face was connected to such a foul mouth. "I can think of a few ways to shut you up. Nicely."

She looked down at August, gently rubbing the tip of her thumb over her ear. "I guess I can see the appeal of teasing Gusty here. I'd much rather treat her gently, though. I want to know all of her scars... physical and emotional. But..." She swallowed, not sure of how to finish her sentence. August deserved better. Someone who could cherish her properly, rather than the empty husk that she was. "... I'd like to find a way to get under Shiro's skin. Even a girl like her's sure to have a weakness somewhere. Just need to find the hole in her armor..." She sighed, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Neon bring out a second bottle.

Her lip twitched; of course she didn't think that was going to be the end of it. "Don't be scared. I'm here to drink with you the rest of the way, Lia." "Hehhh... Will you be the cure to my loneliness, Neon? Don't make promises you can't keep..." She took the glass from the table, taking a sip of the heavy drink and flinching at just how bitter it felt, burning on the tip of her tongue and going down even harder. She winced visibly, taking a moment to steady herself.

"Mmm... sort of spicy."
​

She chuckled, bringing the glass back to her lips and wetting them on it. The smell was piercing going right past her nostrils and straight to her brain. Wavering, Ophelia took another sip of it. It still stung, but it was a little easier going down. Looking as if she was physically hurt from it, she put on a brave face as she smirked at Neon. "And what, pray tell, is your reason for wanting to get me drunk, Neon?" It give her like a bag of bricks, the tipsiness taking hold of her head as she went for yet another sip, this time braving a deeper drink.

"Hoping to take advantage of this defenseless, drunken princess?"​

 

[Tenzai]

As soon as Ophelia had touched upon her background over sensitive topics, she was quick to move on, leaving little room for the buzzed vampire or the pilot who was more focused on her sapphic creations to investigate. "Although... I wouldn't know who to choose between all of you if I could." The scratching of her ear had made Medina lean into her touch. "I wouldn't mind seeing how those cold hands of yours feel on my body. Although I'd prefer to be sober so I can remember."

Once made subject to her flirting, a blush had painted over Medina's cheeks. "I mean... I don't think being sober is necessary for you and I to have fun~" Despite being the most innocent looking across the whole crew, a crooked smile revealed the opposite. Medi was a level more perverted compared to the other girls in her cohort. "But, it would be a shame if you can't remember your first time with me." She chuckled, brushing her hair back into a normal look after having it become disheveled.

"And I guess you're alright too, beneath all that bluster of yours. You certainly cut a fine silhouette with that robe. Could do without the sass though." Believing it not to be the right time to force her hand should she feel it right not to share, instead of prying any deeper, Neon kept a mental note of her feelings as she returned back a response filled with her typical ego. "Aww, thanks for the compliment, Lia. But hey, the sass is a part of my charm~" She teased, leaning over the counter further to offer the princess a better view of the curves of her form.

"I can think of a few ways to shut you up. Nicely." Sizing the woman in front of her up and down, Neon didn't back away. It was duels of charisma like this that she lived for, second only to martial bouts where physical prowess combined with skill was placed against one another. "And I could think of twenty ways I could make you scream. Oh, what I'd do to break you down princess. What I'd do to get you to show me the side of you that even you don't know about." Bringing a hand under the counter while her other arm wrapped around her chest as she leaned forward, the vampire's digits circled around her selection of bottles, eventually finding the certain cap shape she remembered that held back alcohol known to put down even the dragon kin themselves. "Don't underestimate me, Lia. Even with a thousand years or more over me, you're not going to outlast me."

While Neon drank some water to avoid overloading her systems with too much acidity, August turned her head, quickly falling into an alcohol induced slumber on Lia's lap. "I guess I can see the appeal of teasing Gusty here. I'd much rather treat her gently, though. I want to know all of her scars... physical and emotional. But... I'd like to find a way to get under Shiro's skin. Even a girl like her's sure to have a weakness somewhere. Just need to find the hole in her armor..." As her fingers brushed through her hair, she felt the gentle warmth of the girl who clutched her so tightly in fear earlier relaxed around her fingertips.

"Shiro's a tough girl to crack. Not even after years of spending time with her has she ever slipped up once. Your odds of beating me in a drinking battle are far better than your odds at making her break... That being said." Pulling out the bottle of palatable jet fuel, Neon poured the two of them a drink to avoid Medi from taking any more than she had already. "Don't be scared. I'm here to drink with you the rest of the way, Lia."

"Hehhh... Will you be the cure to my loneliness, Neon? Don't make promises you can't keep..." Seeing the powerful fluid run down her throat, Neon had joined her in the drinking exchange, refusing to have someone so princess-like beat her in a test of constitution. "Mmm... sort of spicy." "That's one way of describing it." Unlike the last cups of wine, this one drink was potent enough to display a bar on the vampire's HUD, showing just how much she herself could take before befalling a similar fate to the witch in Lia's lap. "And what, pray tell, is your reason for wanting to get me drunk, Neon? Hoping to take advantage of this defenseless, drunken princess?"

"In truth? Maybe~ I wonder if you could still hold that same attitude when you're gasping for more." The vampire was amused with their exchange. "Oh shit-" However, before they were able to indulge in each other's company even more, Medina looked at her watch, noting the time as she grabbed August from Lia's lap and hoisted her over her shoulder. "Gust has an examination tomorrow. We'll catch the both of you later. I gotta uh... Help her filter out the toxins from her system so she could get a good night's rest." Waving at the two girls, Medi took the rest of August's glass and downed it quickly before leaving the two alone.

"And with that, we have no more distractions for our duel." Crossing her legs, the vampire poured another round for the two of them, licking her lips once she noticed that Lia's face was turning red. Not only did she know that she was soon reaching her limit, it seemed as though the princess was as well. "If you want to give up now, do so. I won't take it as a hit as a blow to your pride." Searching for any signs of weakness, upon hearing Ophelia's stubborn response, the vampire seemed keen on drinking themselves until one of them could not stand any longer. "Well, don't blame me for what comes next after offering you a way out."

Clinking her glass against the princess', Neon took slow sips this time to avoid overwhelming her system all at once. She needed to buy time for her implants to filter out the worst of the concoction before it ran through her blood stream. "Hey Lia, were you always this pretty, or is it the drink that's bringing out the best in you?" Instead of sitting across from her, the vampire sat where the witch once was earlier, leaning against her as her alcohol scented voice brushed against her dress' exposed shoulder. "Then again, I can't help but like you more when you try to tease me like this. Your words are a delicious appetizer; A taunting invitation to what else you have in store..."

Fangs were revealed in her smile as the vampire went from mere teasing to something more. If she could break through the emotional wall of the princess, she believed she could earn an advantage over her in this drinking competition. "I'd settle for your blood and a single night in the sheets if I didn't know you... But now you're getting me interested in exploring you more. Tell me... And don't be shy..." Gently tracing her fingers across her chin, Neon pulled her face close to her own to examine the emotions that lay underneath the surface. "Have you ever felt a woman's touch? Were you ever curious?" The vampire had let her words linger in the air, whispering each syllable as though she wasn't against being her potential first. "I assure you, if you're interested, I won't be leaving you disappointed."

Pouring the two another glass with her free hand, she slid another across the table to her side. "You better not back out after getting me this drunk... And after getting me this curious." Slowly letting go of her chin as she traced her hand down towards Ophelia's own, she brought her fingers to her lips, treating her as though she were her knight who gained her favor after championing her cause. "I could roleplay as anything you like, any man or woman. I don't mind. If you want to feel your way into my sheets as a princess or as my opponent, we don't have to drink ourselves into a stupor now." After kissing her fingers, the vampire had brought Lia's hand to her shoulder, leaving herself open and vulnerable to any physical curiosities that the princess may have held. "The drinks will always be there if you want to take a little break."

Taking her previous taunt as an invitation for something more, with her logic systems beginning to fry as a result of the concentration of alcohol in her system, instead of thinking straight, the vampire had begun to feel her way through the conversation, following what felt the most right. "You did say you were interested in my silhouette and that you had ways to make me shut up~ How about you go ahead and try a few right now. I won't stop you..." Smirking, she leaned in closer, nearly having their lips touch as she flirted from up close.

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞​

"Gust has an examination tomorrow. We'll catch the both of you later. I gotta uh... Help her filter out the toxins from her system so she could get a good night's rest." Though she didn't outwardly show it, Medina's departure with August did raise a danger signal in the princess' mind, her gaze following her until she disappeared into the hallway with the witch's body. Never mind the bizarre visual of the smaller dog girl carrying the taller girl like she was a piece of luggage; it was the fact that she was now really alone with Neon that had her worried. Too stubborn to let it show on her face, however, her brow simply furrowed as she turned her attention back to the vampire.

"If you want to give up now, do so. I won't take it as a hit as a blow to your pride." Her grating voice echoed in Ophelia's brain, bouncing around in her skull as it took her about double the amount of time to register her words. Pride. Such a pretty little word that people enjoyed throwing around. Tauted as both a sin and a virtue, everyone and their mother just loved to spout off about how their pride was the thing to drive them. And as much as Ophelia wanted to scoff at them and spit on their so-called pride, the princess was, perhaps, one of the most prideful people in the universe. At the very least, she was more proud than anyone she'd ever personally met. "You really don't know when to quit, do you? I already told you I wasn't going to give up here..." She'd sooner fall over unconscious than give up now that she'd come this far. She scoffed at Neon's words, as if what she had to say didn't matter to her. She wouldn't take a way out no matter what. As the one to issue the challenge, it would be nothing short of shameful to bow out of it.

And besides, seeing how she teased August made her realize that she'd never live it down if she admitted defeat to the vampire. The way she saw it, she needed to be knocked down a few notches if she was going to be anything beyond just barely tolerable to the stubborn princess.

She didn't expect the swordswoman to switch to psychological warfare when her poor attempts at intimidating her failed, however. "Hey Lia, were you always this pretty, or is it the drink that's bringing out the best in you?" Ophelia rolled her eyes, scrunching up her nose as the thick scent of alcohol -- straight gasoline, really -- hit her nose, causing the older woman to pull away instinctively, though it was to no avail; sitting up and walking away would be the only way to hide from the cybernetic woman's touch. "I'm always beautiful, not that you would be able to realize that with your one-track mind." Simple wasn't always good, as much as some people would insist. And Ophelia was nothing if not confident of her own looks. Arrogant, some would say, but they were usually jealous of her. "Then again, I can't help but like you more when you try to tease me like this. Your words are a delicious appetizer; A taunting invitation to what else you have in store..." "You really are a simpleton if you... think I'm inviting anything..."

Had she? Despite her insistence that she couldn't feel anything for others the way Neon suggested, perhaps there was some truth to her words, as annoying as it was to admit it. There was a growing heat between Ophelia's legs, and it wasn't because of the alcohol. "I'd settle for your blood and a single night in the sheets if I didn't know you... But now you're getting me interested in exploring you more. Tell me... And don't be shy..." Ophelia groaned, pulling her shoulders up and tilting her head away from Neon's touch, keeping her lips tight to keep herself from whimpering at how sensitive her skin felt against hers. Before she knew it, her eyes were shut tight as well, bracing for something, though she didn't know what. "Have you ever felt a woman's touch? Were you ever curious?" "What a ridiculous question..." And one that she avoided, cracking open her eyes and rolling them once again. She'd never been with anyone, man or woman or otherwise, as she'd been saving herself for marriage, as antiquated as her kingdom's customs were, though there had been a bit of curious teasing with some of the maids, more interested in their soft, pliable bodies than any of the knights that hung around the castle. "I assure you, if you're interested, I won't be leaving you disappointed." "Hmph... it's painfully obvious you're just buying time..."

Or so she told herself, afraid of what would happen if she actually believed in Neon's invitations. The thought of tangling her body with someone like her was equally amounts tempting and scary.
Searching for anything to take her attention away from Neon, Ophelia's eyes darted around before settling on the sliding cup. Trembling fingers reached out to catch it, but only managed to fumble around it with the tips of her fingers before sending it tumbling off the table, glass shattering as Ophelia's own mind seemed to crash. Her heart was thumping in her chest with both panic and excitement, his red eyes staring back at Neon's bloody hues. "I could roleplay as anything you like, any man or woman. I don't mind. If you want to feel your way into my sheets as a princess or as my opponent, we don't have to drink ourselves into a stupor now." Ophelia had never been face-to-face with a true predator before now, but upon gazing into the deep oceans that were her eyes, she knew that the vampire would not stop at just one little nibble; she'd eat her whole if she was given the opportunity.

Her mouth felt dry, her lips quivering as her voice failed her. Not even a squeak escaped her. Her mind ran at a 1000 miles per second and yet at the same time wasn't moving, thoughts forming but not lingering long enough for her to comprehend them. Her hands reached for Neon's shoulders, feebly pushing at them. "S-Stop..." she whimpered weakly, biting the inside of her lower lip. "You did say you were interested in my silhouette and that you had ways to make me shut up~ How about you go ahead and try a few right now. I won't stop you..." She wasn't supposed to call her on that bluff. She'd only shot back at her annoying, grating teasing because she couldn't take it. She really was the worst, just like her gut said.

"Well... Unless you're scared... Princess~"

"I-I said... STOP!!!"​

Spurred on by the raised emotions coursing through her body, purple energy glowed from Ophelia's fingertips. Like the thunderous roar of a lion, a pulse of pure sound forced the pushy vampire off of her and sent the princess flying back a few feet in the air, rolling on the floor a couple of times before she recovered and pushed herself onto her feet. As she did, she was hit by a sudden wave of dizziness, a combination of her getting up too quickly and the alcohol nearly making her fall over before she found support on a piece of furniture. A couple of droplets of blood fell from her nose, though it was unclear if it was her using her magic or something else that brought it on.

"I had... every intention of forgiving you regardless of the outcome..." She reached up, wiping the blood from her nostrils. Her voice was just barely above a whisper, quivering as if she could barely manage her words. Her face was an undiscovered shade of red thanks to the alcohol and her embarrassment as she glared at Neon. "... but you've shown me that I was right! You're unforgivable, you... you..."

"YOU PERVERTED BLOODSUCKER...!!!"
​

Finding some random decoration with her fingers, she grabbed and threw it at Neon before storming away. "As soon as everyone else is gone...! Unbelievable!"

"I HATE you!"
​

Though it was mostly the alcohol talking at this point, Ophelia truly did hate her in that moment as she ran off to the hallway, looking to be anywhere but near Neon. Ophelia couldn't trust her when they were alone together, something she wouldn't forget for a long time, if she ever did. She was sober now, stomping as she found herself not knowing where to go. Anywhere would be fine as long as it wasn't with Neon, her earlier offer to let Ophelia sleep there now laid bare for what it was; an obvious trap. There was no way she could sleep in that shameless vampire's bed, where she'd probably taken countless other women to do with as she pleased.

"Anywhere is fine... I'll even sleep in the ship if I have to..."​

 

[Tenzai]

Originally believing that her flirts were something more consensual, Neon barely was barely able to recognize her signs of discomfort due to a combination of Ophelia's feigned confidence and the taint of alcohol clouding her judgement. Only until she was flung from her seat in the opposite direction was the samurai fully aware of the princess' feelings towards her.

"I-I said... STOP!!!"​

A wave of thunder sent the samurai crashing against a nearby metal bookshelf, causing a wave of knowledge and fiction to collapse on the stunned girl. "Ach- Hey?! What the hell was that for-" [WARNING: Damage to Frame: 10%. Controls are inhibited.] "Shit." The HUD that displayed various diagnostic screens in her eyes had flashed the girl a warning to the current state of her body. As she attempted to get up, her fingers twitched, forcing her to remain planted on the floor. Given the type of magic that she used on her body, Ophelia had struck Neon with an element she was ill equipped to resist, leading to her enduring much more than she could ever have expected.

"I had... every intention of forgiving you regardless of the outcome ... but you've shown me that I was right! You're unforgivable, you... you... YOU PERVERTED BLOODSUCKER ...!!!" "Ophelia, wait!" Raising her arm to try to reach out and stop her from leaving, instead of grabbing at her dress to hold her still for a moment, a vase had shattered on Neon's head upon being thrown, leading to blood dripping from her forehead. Due to her experience with pain, she wasn't too phased by the blunt object breaking against her head, though it didn't take away from the emotional sting. Once again did she misunderstand the intentions of another she was meant to befriend. "As soon as everyone else is gone...! Unbelievable! I HATE you!"

The sliding doors closed behind her, leaving the vampire to herself. Due to the nature of the doors to the bedrooms blocking out noise from both sides, it was unlikely that any of the other girls would've heard of what was going on. However, given Shiro's ability, Neon had little doubt that the others would know of her mistake soon enough. [Shock stabilizers activated. Controls are uninhibited.] "This fucking piece of shit body is only working now?" Lifting herself off the ground, she began to fix the mess she made on the bookshelf,

'Good fucking job, Neon.' Punching herself in the face, the vampire bruised herself before walking over to the glasses sitting on the counter. 'Gust gave you one fucking job and you still managed to screw this up.' She sighed, rubbing the dark bruise on her cheek with one hand as she arranged the glasses in the dishwasher. "... Shiro. I know you could hear me. Why the fuck didn't you stop me earlier?" Noticing the cat girl's outline in the reflection of one of the glasses before closing the dishwasher, she turned around to find her in her pajamas.

"You wouldn't have listened to me, even if I told you." Her tone was cold like usual. While Neon might have been the type to act quickly on her emotions, Shiro on the other hand had more often than not played the role of the observer, watching from afar while guiding each piece in place until the time was right to act. "I warned you before to lay off the stronger drinks, you know? You have a harder time reading the room when you're drunk." Noticing the powerful brew on the counter, Shiro had turned the focus of the conversation back around to Neon. "... But you're not the only one at fault either. The princess had her own part in it to blame." Leaning against the wall and crossing her arms, her tails swished slowly as she turned her head away to avoid the scent of digestible jet fuel.

"Well, is it too late for me? She pretty much said she hates me; That I'm an unforgivable perverted bloodsucker... And a part of me fucking believes her too." Finally running the dishwasher, Neon turned back around and walked across the hallway towards the wall immediately opposite of Shiro. "No. You'll have a second chance to fix things, I'm sure... Though if you can't, I don't think I could make any promises for August's wellbeing in our next mission." Using the gifts she was given to look further beyond what she absolutely knew would happen, while many things were cloudy, the cat girl soothsayer was able to get small details from potential distant futures. "For her sake, Gust's, and your own, please fix things between you two."

"The outcome of your upcoming fight with Idra might depend on it."​

---

"Anywhere is fine... I'll even sleep in the ship if I have to..."​

Raising an eyebrow upon noticing the princess leaving the proximity of the station's dormitories, Sen approached Ophelia after coming back from a meeting with other squad leaders onboard the ship. "I'm taking it as you're having a hard time with the others?" Dressed in a different jumpsuit, he seemed less like a hero and more like one of them. His choice in fashion was more out of practicality rather than flashiness and there was few other outfits better in performance than that which was constantly tested in battle: Clothes similar to the ones that those in the front lines had wore save for a poncho and a halo that acted as foci for his magic. "I don't blame you. When I got first taken in, I was seen as a monster, not a hero. Hell, even now."

Noticing her sour mood and the tension in her eyes, Sen didn't press Ophelia on the details. He understood what it was like to be an outsider. "I tell you what. I can't have you wandering too far alone on the station and you said you needed a place to sleep; Follow me, I have a room you could call your own." Given his influence on board his station, Sen held a master card that allowed him to reprogram and reassign any room on the ship to any function he liked. Moving over to an empty room on a quiet section of the station once owned by another pack of mercenaries in galaxies past, he waved his card in front of the touch panel before gesturing towards her to put her hand on it. "Go ahead. Claim it as yours with your hand. Once morning comes, I'll let August and the others know about the location of your room."

Once the door opened, Sen entered inside first, letting his motion lead to the lights turning on. The temperature inside had sensed her biology, adjusting itself to the perfect temperature for her body. It was much smaller than the room designated for the squad of girls she was growing accustomed to, though it was perfect for a single person or two to live in. Inside, there was one bedroom, a living room combined with a kitchen and dining, and a bathroom that held a bathtub, a shower, and a single toilet for her to use. It was fully furnished, though the empty shelves, surfaces, and walls had made it seem that there was room for personalization should she be interested in making her room more her own.

"I know its not anything like your home, but its yours. The doors can't be opened by anyone else through force other than me and the security and medical teams onboard... And I have better things to do with my time than intrude on others when they don't want to be disturbed." Noticing the time and how long its been since she arrived in the first place, Sen walked to the door to give her a moment of peace.

"But I understand its getting late and there's little reason to subject yourself to exhaustion over others while you're not in danger. Get your rest. With whatever flustering you too, just give it time." Finally approaching the door, it opened for him, relaying the sounds and atmosphere of the quiet world outside her doorstep. "If anything bad happened between you all, let me know. If its bad enough, I'll reassign you to another team. Goodnight, Ophelia."

Leaving her behind, the door closed, returning the room back to a state of silence. Many new devices were scattered around, each alien to the world she was used to. However, some pieces of furniture appeared similar to that of her home. The bed, the couches, the kitchen, and the bathroom had some sort of resemblance to the old furnishings she had used in the castle, though the sight outside her window had done away with any idea that this was merely an ordinary room. Beyond the blinds sat the void of space, filled with stars while her world had sat in the distance.

Everything her people did, everything her people had ever known, every life that came and went had all existed on the rock the floating castle had orbited around. On its surface were small bright flashes of lights of warfare occurring on its ground. Even now, eons after her war had come to an end, her world had yet to know peace. The only difference between now and the many generations that lived on its surface was the fact that it wasn't her empire fighting anymore but rather rebels of an alien species fighting off the roaring tides of a growing galactic empire.

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"I'm taking it as you're having a hard time with the others?"

"Ughhhh..."
​

"To think the gods would be so petty..." Ophelia grabbed her spinning head, pushing back the desire to hurl on the floor as the sound of a familiar, but not necessarily welcome, voice called out to her. "... as to send me to you. Have I not suffered enough for today...?" She rolled her eyes, leaning on a handrail to keep herself from stumbling onto the floor. Covering one of her red eyes with her palm, the other glared openly at Sen, her brown locks hanging in the space between her eyes, her dignified appearance looking more disheveled than it had just a few hours ago when they'd been eating at the table together. She rolled it at his unwelcome sharing of his own experience upon arriving to the station, a sigh escaping her as she steadied herself after a moment.

"No... I'm fine. If anything, Gust and the others have been too kind to a stranger like me. I'm a ticking time bomb and not even I know when I'm going to explode. The thing inside me could just be waiting for the moment when killing your people would hurt the most, and yet they've welcomed me with open arms. And in return I..." She shook her head, letting out a deep, dejected sigh, gripping the handrail tighter under her fingers. "Pride is such an ugly thing. I've seen so many horrible things, so many ways to torment and kill a person, and yet... Pride is still among the ugliest things both mortals and immortals are capable of. Even knowing that, I cling to it so... jealously, as if it were my very heart that was being ripped out..." Gods, she hated drinking. She couldn't stop her tongue from babbling around when she'd had this many cups. Maybe she should just quit it.

"I tell you what. I can't have you wandering too far alone on the station and you said you needed a place to sleep; Follow me, I have a room you could call your own." "I don't feel thrilled about owing you anything..." She spat out, her voice drolling as she tilted her head in his direction, her gaze unfocused and bitter. There she went again -- spewing vitriol just because she felt herself slighted. had she learned nothing? She had lost it all and yet she refused to change. She was stagnant, just as aloof and distant as she'd been as a princess. "... But I suppose anything is better than sleeping on the floor." With a groan, she grabbed her head and followed after Sen, wobbling side to side slightly as she walked. She didn't bother questioning the process through which simply putting a hand on some strange, glass panel would make a room hers, but she put her palm to it regardless, feeling a weird tingle as the strange artifice whirred softly before the door opened.

At this point, she'd seen enough doors slide open to not be surprised by it, but it did disturb her still. She watched as the door closed behind them before turning to regard the room, looking around with a bit of apprehension. It was certainly smaller than her room in the tower, but she'd never been one to ask for a lot. Even as a princess, she'd been something of an ascetic, giving back any gifts she'd been given to the people. Gold and jewelry was donated to those who needed it, and that was certainly not her. That said, this room almost felt like too much for her alone. She hadn't done anything to deserve this. She would've rather had a small storage shed and work her way up to something more spacious over time if this was going to be the deal. Furthermore... it felt cold. Not in a physical way, but rather an emotional, psychological way. It felt unfamiliar enough that she almost felt naked as she wandered further inside, touching the furniture and dragging her finger over it. Not a speck of dust. Not a sign of it being lived in. So empty it lacked a soul.

Or was she the one lacking?

"... And I have better things to do with my time than intrude on others when they don't want to be disturbed." "Good. I have enough trouble contending with one pervert. I don't need another." She pouted, crossing one arm under her chest and grabbing the other which hung lazily at her side, shaking her head once more. When would she learn to let go of this bitterness?

"Get your rest. With whatever flustering you too, just give it time." "Don't lecture me. I don't need someone who's... Ugh..." Again and again, she couldn't stop her mouth from running. Maybe she needed to sleep this away. She certainly couldn't think straight with the alcohol running through her veins. "If anything bad happened between you all, let me know. If its bad enough, I'll reassign you to another team. Goodnight, Ophelia." "... Good night, Sen."

Letting the tension in her body leave the moment Sen left, Ophelia allowed herself to walk around the apartment for a bit, studying the furniture a bit more closely. Like she thought, the style was reminiscent of her old kingdom. Her jaw tightened, unsure if the realization that even just one thing from it had endured was soothing or painful. Knowing what had happened to it, would it not be better to be forgotten like the stardust, erased to give space for something new? What was the point of clinging to the faded memory of aeons ago? What purpose did it serve to cling to fondness that never existed?

Why was she so stubborn to stay behind when tomorrow was staring her right in the face?

"What am I gonna tell August...?"
​

Having grabbed a tall glass of water and filled it from the faucet in the kitchen sink, she sat down on a couch and held her head, gulping it down in one go before sucking in a gasp. She could already visualize the witch's face, concerned for what had happened after she left. She'd probably try to fill in the gaps on her own, seeing as Ophelia definitely didn't want to explain in detail about what had transpired between her and the pink-headed vampire. Part of her hoped Neon would be too embarrassed to say anything either. And she should be, the brazen bloodsucker she was. "Like I'd ever give her a sip of my blood..." She reached for her jugular, imagining those annoying fangs of hers on her neck. The breakage of her skin, and the uncanny feeling of her life literally being sucked out of her.

"Hnnn..." Ophelia did her best to ignore the heat growing between her legs, rolling her eyes and cracking her neck as she pushed herself from the couch, setting down the glass on the coffee table as she went to the bedroom and jumped onto the bed, sinking into it and hugging the pillow with both arms as she buried her face in it. It didn't take long before sleep took her, her mind far past the point of exhaustion at this point.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
​

"Ughhh..." A splitting headache was just a wonderful way to wake up. Everyone knew that. Just another reason to hate Neon. Like she needed more.

The princess rolled off the bed, letting herself fall to the ground and just lay on her side, the cold hard ground actually giving a bit of relief to her pain. But as much as she would've loved to stay there for all of eternity, she needed to do something about how sweaty and sticky she felt. She rolled a few times before gathering the strength to push herself up to her feet, pushing back the urge to gag as she stepped out onto the living room and used the furniture to support herself as she walked toward the bathroom. She practically threw the door open, leaning against the sink as she kicked off her heeled boots.

The hood came off next, set down gently on a rack next to the sink before she removed the long fingerless gloves from her hands. Turning to the mirror in front of her, Ophelia shrugged off her top and folded it neatly over the sink before setting it on the rack. With the corset and skirt off, she twisted the bathtub faucet and let the water flow, watching as it filled the tub, steam floating up to the ceiling before filling up the room. She stepped into the water after a minute or two, humming pleasantly as the hot water eased her aching muscles.

After a long twenty minutes, Ophelia emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body, secured tightly on her slim figure. She'd found a pair of slippers under the sink and taken possession of them, figuring Sen was good on his word about her owning this room. Furthermore, she felt no need to 'properly' dress herself while she was walking around in her own place. Seeing as she had left her old dress behind at the girls' room, and finding it too much of a hassle to put on Umbra's outfit while she was just relaxing, the princess opted for the easiest option; just don't put anything on. It wasn't as if she was ashamed of her own body to cover it all up anyway.

Though maybe she could go shopping for a bathrobe later. Once she had her own funds to pay with.

"What am I talking about...? I'm not staying here. Stop acting like you belong here."
​

She reprimanded herself. Like always, she made hollow promises that had no value to them. It had been one thing to hide the truth from August and the others, but to lie to herself? It was pathetic. As if there was anywhere for her to go other than back into that accursed tower. She needed to remind herself of the reality; she was nothing but a threat to others. She would never be able to love them, so why torment herself? She had done a good job of pushing Neon away, so she could do it with the others too. It would hurt... but only for a short while. It would be a blink of an eye for her. But maybe for them, it would sting for a long time. If they forgot about her right away, it would be for the best.

Grrrrr...

...

"... I'm hungry."​

 

[Tenzai]

──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────
"We did all we can."
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴛ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪꜰꜱ | ᴛʏʟᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴏʀ x ᴘ5ʀ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺
──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​

Sitting at a lounge right outside the mess hall, Medina puffed smoke from her e-cig towards the nervous human. There was a lot for the witch to process given all that happened last night; With her insides churning inside her as well despite being given some medicine to help her purge the wine's potency from her body, when combined with her anxiety, it made her phantom squirming too uncomfortable for her to ignore. "But what if-"

In an attempt to calm her down, Medina patted her lap to give August a place to rest her head. "Neon put her bonus into an apology gift. Its rare for her to say sorry enough already, Gust." Her cool free hand stroked the witch's hair, uncaring about passing glances from nearby strangers who never mattered. "We gave her advice on how to go about it. Its now up to them. All we can do now is let fate happen and time pass while we hope for the best."

Taking another puff of her e-cig, the pilot inhaled the ghostly fumes, letting the magical drug calm down the tides of her soul. She was also anxious seeing something like this happen to the people she loved most. However, this was a far cry from the worst storm they ever experienced together. She believed that if they could handle the team's breakdown from Idra and her cohort in the past, they could weather this as well. "No point of overthinking it, yeah?"

Raising the witch's chin to shoot her eyes a kind and compassionate smile, Medina held her gaze as she stared at her reflection in August's eyes. "The main thing is that we're all still together; That no one died. Give them time. Even if they can't figure each other out right now, it doesn't mean that it will be that way forever." Feeling August's arms tense up as she hugged the pilot's lower half, Medina leaned her head back to give August a bit of privacy. 'That's what you would have said, right?' "Now, let's go get some breakfast before you forget to feed yourself again. Besides, I'm sure we'll catch Lia around here sometime soon."

Given a few minutes to reorient herself, August entered the mess hall with Medina, walking towards one of the serving tables holding different varieties of cuisine the galaxy had to offer. While their war was afoot, if there was anything that the team appreciated out of the fleet they served, it was the strength of their logistics. Even in a remote place like here far removed from the accepted borders of the empire, they were still able to experience most of the comforts available back home; It was their hero's way of ensuring that morale remained a non-issue in the face of rebel adversity.

"Maybe I could get a plate for her before some of the good stuff runs out." August tried her best to smile despite her cracks, grabbing spare plate for the princess as her eyes wandered over the higher demand items on the menu. "Would be a shame if she can't get a chance to try out some of these Yokoso lobster tails. Oooh, and this Duviri dumplings too... And-" With her mind focused on the food instead of the events of last night, a part of her gusto had returned to her. Her boots had squeaked excitedly as she moved from one platter's offering to another, eventually creating a small mountain of food on both plates by the time she arrived to the table that medina sat at. "Ehe.... Too much?"

"Swear your eyes are always bigger than your stomach, Gust." The two girls chuckled before the witch sat across from her doctor. "Hey uh, random question. Do you think that I looked good in the clothes last night? Lia said a lot of nice things about it, but I wanted to make sure that she's just not being nice." Raising an eyebrow, the doctor was amused at the idea of Lia being nice for the sake of it. "Gust, you want me to be honest with you?" The witch nodded her head, grabbed her cup to sip from a straw. "Lia doesn't seem like the type to lie about what she likes and doesn't. Remember the first time we saw her? The first time we spoke to her? She doesn't owe us anything. If she says she likes it, I think she likes it."

August blushed at the memory of some of the compliments. While others have called her pretty before, some even flirting with her too, she didn't feel as emotionally recipient to them due to the words coming from people she didn't think would ever understand her. However, with Lia, given her proximity and involvement with the team, it was a different story. "... Thank you. I uh... Haha..." Nervously laughing at the idea that she was considered valuable enough to warrant those kind words, she slumped into her seat before taking another spoonful of her meal. "Ahem. ANYWAYS. I'm excited to see what's going on with the arena today. I heard Neon is going to be taking part in the semi-finals tonight. Against one of Idra's men too. You think the alcohol is going to get to her?"

Medina shook her head. "Her implants are pretty damn good. The only thing I'm concerned about is her mental state." Twirling her fork in her food to give her insides a moment to digest whatever she ate so far, the doctor sighed. "She seemed out of it after dropping off the gift. I hope she doesn't overwork herself because of it. You know how she is." "Mhmm..." Looking down at her reflection in her drink, the witch swirled her straw. "You all have strange ways of forgiving yourselves."

Loud slams had erupted from the gym as Neon pounded away at the punching bag. Pent up from her lust combined with her disappointment in herself for not being able to control her urges, instead of clearing her head in private in the bedroom, she let it all out in the gym. Eyes were drawn to her as her fists had fired out with more vigor than usual, straining her mechanical components while she practiced for the fight that night. "If I wasn't so damn stupid. If I wasn't so damn horny. I... Fuck." The leather ripped from her gloves as she thrust her hands against her opponent, only to be stopped by a familiar set of fingers on her shoulder. "What the hell do you wan-... Oh... Its you."

Shiro shook her head. "I get that you're frustrated, Neon. But you shouldn't be too hard on yourself." While Medina did her best to calm down August, the angel on the other hand focused on cooling the vampire's self-targeted anger. "You were drunk. My foresight wasn't able to read far enough for me to intervene. I'm sorry." Her ability had limits. While the immediate future was clear, whenever she looked further than a few minutes ahead, due to the constantly shifting nature of fate and destiny, it was always a fog. "...Its not your fault, Shiro. Its mine. I'm the one who was down to fuck Lia. Don't fucking take that blame away from me. Its my fault that you all are dealing with my fucking issues again."

Despite her bionics steaming as she sweated in the gym, Neon still seemed keen with brawling against the bag until her frustrations disappeared... or it gave way first. Smoke was emitted from where she punched the leather, from heat born of friction. "Here I am, always causing trouble.... And Elaine isn't here. She fucking isn't because I wasn't strong enough!" Angry and disappointed, she took off her gloves before swapping over to heavy kicks. Treating the punching bag as though it were herself from the nights before, she continued to warp the bag with her strikes, finally sending it to the floor once her legs had ruined the hooks keeping it up. "Neon..."

"Get me another bag, Shiro. I'm not done yet. I'm just getting started."​

 

[Carpe Diem]

◤━*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓

┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✧༺♥༻∞━◢
✬ Ophelia ✬
❝ You paint a picture in my mind, you wanna leave it all behind
In a world that's turning all the time, nothing could stop me longing for your eyes ❞

"I shouldn't just waste my day away..."​

As much as Ophelia would've liked to just hide away in her room, there were many reasons why she couldn't. For one, she had already spent thousands of years stuck inside, and though she was mentally powerful, cabin fever did not care for one's mental fortitude. Even the view outside was only pretty enough to keep her from jumping out of it. Secondly, there was no food in this small unit. Running water? Check. Furniture? Check. Anything edible? No check. And it wasn't as if she had any servants to bring food to her like she did back in the castle, and she definitely didn't want to eat the horrible things her patron created as a substitute for food.

But most importantly, she was already missing her companions, as much as she didn't want to admit it. Their liveliness had brought a spattering of color to her otherwise gray life, and now that she had a taste of what that was like, she found herself craving for more. Even back when she was a royal, her life had never been quite so bright, the ever-looming knowledge that she would have to take the throne one day keeping her from ever fully enjoying herself as a person, rather than a figure for others to admire. Before long, she'd found herself loathing her position, despite all the privileges that came with it. What use did she have for fresh mutton cooked by the kingdom's most prolific chef if it tasted like dust in her mouth? She would've much rather been living out in the wilderness and catching her own food. Then at least she would have done something.

Being around that strange team of mercenaries had felt like she was doing something with her life after living in stagnation for aeons. Even if it was just trying out clothes or going to dumb little attractions like haunted mansions, or drinking herself under the table... "Ughhh..." Okay, so maybe the third one sounded more fun than it actually was, but at least it was something. As much as she hated to say it, drinking with Neon had been exciting in a way that scaring herself half to death or admiring her goofy, clumsy witch of a friend in that beautiful dress was not. Just maybe she'd skip out on the strong stuff save for a special occasion. Which, she supposed, her joining of the group had been. But then it had turned too exciting and she got scared of what would happen if she let things happen as they naturally progressed.

The thing she hated the most was that she wasn't at all opposed to taking Neon's offer for physical bliss. And that's why she had done what she did; because she wasn't ready to take that step. Not when she was still figuring out her own feelings. Not when she didn't know what she was going to do at the end of this. Not when she knew that going for the easy pleasure would only end up hurting them both. Maybe she didn't hate Neon after all.

... Or maybe she hated her all the more for making her feel so much doubt.

They weren't that different, really. Both of them were headstrong, stubborn and prone to simply saying what was on their mind. Only Neon seemed incapable of reading the mood or taking hints, unlike Ophelia who had learned to be subtle in order to appease others. It was destiny that they would clash the way they did.

But it wasn't fair that the others had to get involved in it. Taking out her 'phone', as August had aptly called it, the princess fiddled with it as she vaguely remembered the witch doing. Though she could more or less make out the icons, she was no better about reading the symbols on the screen. Remembering the one that August had tapped with her finger, it brought up the messaging app, the girls' faces appearing on the screen. She tapped on August's icon by instinct, only to stop when it brought up a blank conversation. "... Shit." She hissed under her breath. How was she going to tell her to come over when she couldn't even write? Ophelia froze up, her fingers hovering over the phone as she considered her options, of which there weren't that many. She could try her luck and tap random symbols in hopes it came out as something legible, only the chances of sending pure gibberish were pretty much 1 to 1000. She could send an... image of herself like August had shown her back when they were buying clothes. But she was half-naked and that wouldn't be any more helpful than the gibberish.

Or she could try that weird icon that looked like an arrow. She tapped on it with her index finger out of curiosity, only another window came up. Ophelia panicked, unsure of what the words said (Would you like to send your location?), and randomly tapped one of the two options, hoping it would make it disappear. It did, but brought up what looked like a map in its stead. "Oh! Uhm... is that bad?" Maybe? Maybe not? She set down the phone on the coffee table in front of her, deciding that it was probably best to not mess with the apparatus any more than she already had.

"I should probably get dressed..."
​

---

Several minutes later, Ophelia had donned her outfit back on, for lack of something more casual, and had sat herself back on the couch. After fiddling around with another strange device, she had accidentally turned on the TV across from where her couch sat. It startled her, and she'd accidentally brought the volume way up. After a minute or two of messing around with it, she figured out which button lowered the volume, and was now watching what the person on the screen had called "the news". The new what? Ophelia's nose scrunched up with confusion at the weird phrasing, but it only took a few minutes for her to figure out this was sort of like what town criers did, except in a larger scale.

And they didn't even throw rotten tomatoes at her when she talked about bad events. How wonderful.

"What's not wonderful is all the war..."
​

She had sold her soul in order to free her people from war, and yet the world she had come back to was no less savage than it had been when she did. In the end, no matter how many sacrifices someone made, they couldn't save people from themselves. It was tragic, but also obvious when she thought about it. "The only way to rid the world of war is-- Oh." Taken from her train of thought, Ophelia's shoulders perked up when she heard a ring and then a knock on the door. She immediately went to turn the TV off and pushed herself off the couch, her feet tapping away loudly as she stepped toward the door and put her hand to the console.

"Hello! I'm so happy to see you both!"
​

Putting on her best smile, she greeted both August and Medina as they stood at her door. She stepped back, beckoning them to come inside. "Come in. Sorry if it's a bit of a mess. I'm not used to looking after myself..." She muttered the last part under her breath, feeling ashamed to admit that to them as well as herself. "W-Would you like anything? I have water... and... water? Ugh..." She brought a hand to her forehead, groaning audibly as she shook her head. "Sorry, still feeling a bit under the weather... Oh, but what's that? It smells delicious..."

 

[Tenzai]

"This is the place right?" ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 11ᴘᴍ | ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱɪɴɢ: ɴᴇᴡ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜱᴛ ↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ ──────・୨ ✦✦✦✦✦ ୧・──────​ "Medi, do you think the doorbell's broken?" With freshly made food in her hand, instead of choosing to eat it at the mess hall, the witch had decided to bring it over to where Ophelia sent the directions to her place. Shrugging, after noticing the gift still wrapped and present on the ground, Medina picked it up. "Well, if it means anything, I doubt she left yet. Otherwise, I'm sure she would've seen this at least." Given the reputation of the mix-match squad of girls aboard the Argenti citadel, they both had felt comfortable enough with leaving their gift there without it being disturbed by anyone else. Though as soon as she knocked again, this time, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other side only to be met by a much less composed looking princess. "Hello! I'm so happy to see you both!"​ "Come in. Sorry if it's a bit of a mess. I'm not used to looking after myself... W-Would you like anything? I have water... and... water? Ugh... Sorry, still feeling a bit under the weather... Oh, but what's that? It smells delicious..." Upon seeing her smile, the two girls had pulled her into a deep hug as their new greeting before Ophelia had a chance to pull herself away at first. "Morning, Lia! Don't worry about the mess. Medi and I look kinda the same after a long night anyways, haha. We got you some food! They had some shellfish in stock today!" The witch chuckled, content with feeling the princess' warmth on her skin. "Both of us? You mean, just you?" Medina teased, amused that the witch had the playful gall to wrap the doctor herself in with her mess. Unlike August, she was able to pick up on the princess' mutterings. "Don't worry about how well you can take care of yourself; August and Neon often leave it to me and Shiro to handle their messes and injuries. Not that I mind, everyone has their own strengths after all!" Upon hearing Neon's name, as they finally let go once noticing the look of a headache appearing on Ophelia's face, August bowed apologetically for the actions of Neon and the inaction of her team. "I'm sorry for everything that happened last night, really." Aware of what Neon and Shiro shared with her, as she let go, the witch set her food on the nearby counter while Medi bent over to slide out of her boots. "Neon tends to get pretty intense when drunk, especially when it comes to people she thinks are attractive and into her; Doubly so if its a girl." August remembered the first time the vampire came on strongly to her; It was at a bar where she was dared by another team to a drinking competition. "But she's really good at stopping if you tell her no." Given the extent of her injuries, Medina was able to assume that more than just a simple no occurred between the two. While she didn't know the full extent of the conversation held between the vampire and the princess, what she was able to deduce was that some form of magic was used on her, most likely the result of her coming on to the princess a little too strong. "It might not make up for everything that happened last night, but Neon decided to use her paycheck for an apology gift. She asked us for help in choosing it and..." Placing the wrapped present in her hand, Ophelia was able to feel the sensation of a leatherbound cover inside. It was a magical tome from one of the few manufacturers around that still chose to bind magic to books instead of that of technology. "... We thought you might appreciate it; Especially after seeing books inside your home." Once August was done pulling off her own boots, she grabbed the bag that held her food and walked onto the carpet towards the dining table, enjoying the sensations of the carpet through her knee socks. "Nice place you have here! Definitely beats what I had when I first joined!" Placing the cartons of food on the table, as she opened them for the others to smell and see, it appeared that the heat that was once a part of the food had been preserved well due to the technological innovation that went into the to-go platters. "Did you miss us?" Upon hearing August's question, Medina playfully rolled her eyes at the idea that the feigned liquid confidence had yet to fully dissipate from the witch's body. "Someone's feeling rather comfortable." A warm grin was put on display as her eyes turned towards the princess, enjoying the thoughts of their developing chemistry. Even if they were only recently strangers, at the least, knowing that she was beginning to feel like a welcome part of the team was enough. "Not that its a bad thing. Its just my first time seeing you that confident, August." Realizing what she said, the witch turned away in a vain attempt to act nonchalant. "Aha, yeah... So about that arena fight today. Shiro said that Neon's practicing really hard at the gym. I guess she wants to make up for her loss against Idra." Hoping that the shift in conversation would be enough for them to get off her case with their teasing, she brought her eyes down to her food before taking a spoon full of the mashed potatoes she grabbed from the mess hall. "I-if you can, I think she would really appreciate you coming to watch, Lia!" Before Neon had left the two of them to go to the gym early in the morning, her words had hinted not at an anger for Ophelia's reaction to her advances but rather out of anger for herself. "Even after everything that happened, she isn't mad at you." Medina nodded her head before diving into her pancakes first. Despite being the smallest girl among them, she was the one with the most voracious appetite. Without any concern for her own weight as a result of her undead nature, she never needed to concern herself with the necessities and nuances of metabolism and nutrients; As a result, her food typically aired towards taste instead of function. "You know? There is still a spot open by Neon's side. Maybe you could take it as practice for your magic before we get deployed again... And who knows? Maybe you could even fight Idra herself." A princess versus princess battle had felt poetic, one born in the past while the other from the future. If both of them were noble blood, then her loss would likely hold a humbling experience. The arena handled matches involving teams, where two would be going against two. However, as if opting to prove herself that her victory was no fluke, Neon had chosen to fight by herself, voluntarily fighting while outnumbered to prove to that noblewoman a point: That money can't buy skill and that blood meant little on the battlefield. "I'd join myself if it wasn't for the mecha knights tournament going on. I heard we're going to be deploying alongside a few of them in the next mission, so I'd like to be able to see them in person if I could help it." A fan of her fiction, to the dog girl herself, the mecha knights were among the closest beings in the galaxy to epitomize characters in her story books. Recruited from academies all across the galaxy, the people deemed worthy enough of piloting these massive smart-armors were few and far between. Hoping she could one day be one of them herself, she had read up on the few stories made that epitomized their values: Of honor, of persistence, and of loyalty. "Though, I'd be there for the final battle of course! I'm sure we all want to see Idra get taken down a peg or seven."