Ivy rarely felt comfortable in her own body. Whether it be from her father's expectations or the many gifts she had been bred to possess, something else felt off with the heiress. She should have felt as crippled as she did the night Lila lay her in bed.
But she wasn't.
Her bandages had dried up, her lungs were steadier, and her strength was at the very least restored enough for her to drag the Earthling across the carpeted hallways of the Aerie. It all hurt like hell, but she could manage it. Something about that girl gave her a kind of strength she never possessed before.
"Okay, okay!" Lila wiggled desperately, her legs dragging against the carpet behind Ivy. "Can I at least grab a snack first?"
The tables of the Aerie's main hall remained in pristine condition, with the picnic cloth neatly folded around all four corners and the silverware polished to a shine. Yrix had been busy overnight and even bothered to make a batch of oatmeal for the girls, with four bowls spooned up in the spot that Ivy had chosen on the first day.
"Just a few bites. Grab some water, too. I won't let you walk around all filthy." Ivy ordered with a pointed finger.
Lila knew exactly which bowl was hers, judging by the amount of brown sugar and milk poured into it. During her time in the Aerie, she had never actually confessed to being into sweets. But that was just another bit of her life that Yrix was eerily aware of.
She hardly managed a few bites and a sip before Ivy grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her further into the Aerie towards the lockerooms. Sonera and Lunae weren't far behind, causing the heiress to hasten her pace. She wanted her own segment of the bathing room all to herself.
"So uh...I got this from here, you know that, right?" Lila blushed, doing her best to insinuate that Ivy should leave as the two stepped onto the cold decking of the bathing chamber.
Ivy had led her right into one of two larger deckings, featuring a sealed-off corner with both a shower and a tub. It was the kind of thing Lila would only ever see at swim practice, or in a show about rich dramaqueens. But there she was, standing awkwardly with an heiress who had insisted on hating her just a day ago.
"Ivy?" Lila stammered, her voice echoing across the spotless surfaces of the room, its tiled floor carrying the weight of her words like thick paste.
Ivy stared. Her expression was cold and focused. She didn't really care what Lila had to say. What mattered was making the most of the moment she was in.
Using her Psionic grasp, she interfaced with a switch on the wall, analyzing its functions before determining her best course of action. With a single flick of her wrist, Ivy had intentionally activated a series of speakers that played a calm and exotic melody from Earth's island tribes. In her mind, that was the best way to set the mood.
It worked.
"Ahah." Lila giggled nervously. "Yrix sure overdid it. I've heard this kinda thing at a hotel before. Anyway, you can like-leave now, Ivy."
The heiress gently reached out to the Earthling and began to unbutton her vest as she stood frozen in place. A series of misters then began to activate, covering the room in a light fog. It was all so relaxing and horrifically embarrassing at the same time.
Lila's eyes widened. "Ah-."
One might expect her to throw a punch or a slap after all her bluster about what was "natural" and right. But Lila remained in place, her body warm and soft to the touch as Ivy removed her clothes. It was just a bath after all.
Right?
Ivy had never even considered the deeper romantic connotations of her actions. All she wanted was for Lila to feel safe and calm. Her efforts weren't about erotic forcefulness or seduction. Instead, they were far more primal.
She just felt the need to be with Lila. Safe and secure. Where she would be appreciated.
"I-Ivy." Lila looked down at the floor with a bashful expression as her skirt dropped to the floor. "I-I."
"Shut up." Ivy barked. "Let me work."
"Okie..." Lila peeped, her mind racing to find excuses for her circumstances.
Friends took baths togethor, right?
But soon, the very idea of coping with her situation had become impossible once the heiress began to undress herself. Ivy paused her work, took one good look into Lila's soul, and got to work revealing what her friend never knew she was so desperate to see until that very moment.
It was unintentional, but all the more cunning from Ivy.
Luane would be proud.
The mist hid the details Lila was too embarrassed to gawk at, but she saw enough. Her icey "friend" was perfect, and it took all her strength not to reach out and grab something.
Lila's mind raced, using its Psionic powers to try and shroud its internal desperation. "Oh shit oh shit oh-...my goodness. I can't be liking this that much. She's a girl! Don't stare!"
"What cup size is she? Ah, that's so messed up, Lila, concentrate!"
The Earthling's eyes darted back and forth, passing between different parts of Ivy's body as she continued to undress herself. It all happened so fast, as if the heiress's regal dress had been torn asunder into a series of glowing ribbons, never to be seen again.
"How come they don't sag? Wait...how come NOTHING sags? What the heck! Stop being a pervert, Lila!"
"What if I poke her belly? It's so smooth, and that navel is...she must be a test tube baby. No other explanation. Genetically modified. Wait, but that's mean AND perverted! Lila!!!"
Ivy's mind was in a similar state of rampancy, only she was far more reserved with her inner dialogue. She felt the feral tension in the air. But she was determined to stay on task.
Yet even with her steely focus, Ivy soon began to falter. It all started the moment she began to guide Lila into the recessed bathtub, holding her hand as they descended the stairs. She was managing not to stare.
But once Ivy sat Lila down and began to unwind the girl's twin braids, the truth of the matter hit her like an avalanche. It was something that couldn't even be described. Not even for Ivy, whose tounge was always sharp.
The primitive girl was breathtaking.
The water was just warm enough to be pleasant, coming up to Lila's neck and Ivy's waist - not that any of them even noticed in the heat of the moment. But it was relaxing. So relaxing that they became lost in their own trance.
"Ivy?" Lila looked up at her friend, her brown hair flowing down towards the middle of her back.
The Earthling's hazel eyes were beady and innocent, showing the full extent of her vulnerability. Her skinny figure was plain and almost featureless, though that made her only seem more harmless and adorable. And her skin, peachy and marred with little birthmarks, was perfect in the most imperfect way imaginable.
"Lila." Ivy's breath hitched, placing one hand on the top of the girl's head as she began to massage her scalp. "I'm...sorry."
The friends stared into each other's souls as silence filled the chamber. Lila's gaze, sweet and tender as ever, forced the guilt out of Ivy's heart. She didn't deserve what had happened to her. She should have been at home, lazily watching videos and chatting with her Ginjous.
And as for Ivy, she knew what she deserved. She was well aware of what kind of person she still was. Even as she fought desperately against her selfish urges, she was still unable to explain what she was even sorry about.
Lila allowed that moment to pass. She barely even noticed Ivy's words, her own mind clouded by the heiress's beauty. Clearly, the time was not right for that particular conversation.
The friends had no more words for each other. Their breath had become far too unsteady and hitched to even grasp at scrambled words in their mind. And yet, even as doubt and uncertainty filled their hearts, they couldn't help but lean in a little closer.
Lila was practically sitting on Ivy's lap, giving the heiress a full top-down view of her body. And as Ivy reached over to grab a bar of soap, she became completely enthralled. What came next was both succulently wholesome and a bit humiliating for all parties involved.
Against her better judgment, Ivy had begun to wash the Earthling's flat, tiny chest. She loved how smooth it was. She adored how petite and meek her friend appeared to be. But more than anything, she was addicted to the way Lila quivered at her touch.
Realizing she was becoming a diluted pervert, Ivy slipped her hands over Lila's breast for one last brief moment before switching to her hair. But even after grabbing a bottle of shampoo, she felt unbearably retracted. No amount of cleaning out Lila's scalp would change the fact that Ivy squeezed a little just a moment ago.
And Lila noticed.