Night fell upon the Aerie as the echoes of the Psionic mindscape settled, testifying its deference to darkness. Having finished their passionate enactments, the girls soon wandered back into the arms of mutual company. It wasn't long before they met in the cafeteria, silently tracking their aching souls in search of comfort.
Lila was the first to make it there, sitting pensively by Ivy's side. She should have been hungry, eagerly devouring the snacks Yrix had made for her. But for the time, all she wished to do was sit in silence.
Lunae and Sonera came in with quite the same attitude, giving their friends a sheepish look before joining them in fellowship. Togethor, they lay slumped over in the corner of the room, looking off into space as they held hands. There was only so much a group of girls could do before all the action finally caught up with them.
It was as if they had known each other for their entire lives.
And to think, they met just a week ago.
Lila leaned her head to the left, resting it on Sonera's shoulder. Lunae and Ivy pressed their feet togethor. There was peace in their breath. A solemn vow to push forward.
They remained there for quite some time, content to stew in their silence. But when Rena appeared from the bedchambers, it was Lila who stood up and darted towards her. She met the girl with a warm embrace, offering her earnest comfort.
"I'm sorry," Lila whispered in distress.
Rena simply held the girl in response, nodding silently as she shut her eyes.
"Where's Alia?" Ivy thought to herself out loud.
"Unconscious," Lunae responded rather swiftly.
"Damn..." The heiress nearly coughed. "Someone was stressed."
Lunae smiled as her mind released a few teasing words. "I beleive it won't be too long now, until Lila has you just as defeated."
"Shut up."
"If that's what you want."
Lila soon returned to the group, maintaining a bit of her spunk in her step. She was trying to look put togethor, thanks mainly to the tinge of excitement in her soul. Sonera was quick to sniff out the reason why, tilting her head with curiosity.
"I uh..." The Earthling looked over her shoulder with a sheepish grin. "I'd like to invite you two."
"Hm?" Lunae matched Sonera's posture.
"Ivy and I are going on a...date...and I thought you'd like to come along," Lila explained as well as she could. "I found something that could be fun."
Ivy squinted suspiciously. She had never caught Lila drifting off to explore the Aerie. But then again, in the hours that had passed peacefully since their awakening, it was possible for her to miss something. After all, Lila was quite fast.
"We'd love to." Lunae nodded, answering for Sonera, who simply stared with one of her aloof expressions.
The heiress crossed her arms, trying not to look all that thrilled with the idea. But her mind couldn't shroud itself forever, and soon Lunae was knocking up the wrong creek once more. She really couldn't help herself.
"Planning something special?" Lunae giggled.
"I hadn't thought about it," Ivy muttered.
"We'll talk about it. Girl to girl."
In the meantime, Lila and Sonera held a similar conversation, having caught on to the way their partners' eyes had been drifting towards each other.
"How is she?" Lila inquired.
"Pensive. She's worried about a good many things."
"Aren't we all..." Lila sighed.
Sonera shrugged in response, fiddling with her gloved hands. She was like a dog kept at home far too long, eager to get outside and roam the fields. If not for Lunae and her newfound friends, she would have just stormed out and found something to kill.
Such was the extent of her condition.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yrix stared ruminatively, her singular eye fixated on the screen in front of her. She had been pacing around her office for hours, drawn to the report that had been submitted that morning. According to the planetary fleet in high orbit, a single frigate had crashed onto the surface of Tierschen thousands of miles away, having been silent in its descent.
Nothing responded to the hails from the fleet, nor were there any lifesigns on board, at least according to the scans. Part of her wanted to go out and hunt down the root of the incident, but Yrix knew better. The Aerie was her top priority.
And she was well aware of the Infestare's impending presence.
She had their princess in her school after all.
Speaking of royalty, the Princess of the Consortium herself was well on her way to the Aerie. That meant the entire planet needed to be swept clean of any possible dangers. To jeopardize Anya, in any way, was unacceptable to Yrix on both a professional and personal level.
"It's bait." Yrix hissed. "Has to be."
"Whatever they send...I'll kill it."
"These are MY students."
She swiveled on her feet, looking towards the warm lights of the Aerie as the voices of the girls rang through her mind. They were eating dinner, having cleaned themselves up nearly an hour ago. Something about their smiles and frantic gestures brought the Arch-Flayer peace.
"My students..."
- - - - - - - - - - -
"I'm suprised you haven't thought of something." Lunae placed a finger to her mouth, looking over at Ivy with an innocent gaze. "Really, I am."
The heiress and the alien walked through the courtyard of the Aerie, taking in the midnight breeze and the crisp air. If Yrix was good for one thing, it was her taste in lanterns and paved walkways. They seemed perfect for girly walks in isolation from peering partners.
"How so?" Ivy retorted proudly.
The heiress had recently changed her attire once more, donning a tighter waist with a white frilly skirt. Her chest, while still far more decent than Lunae's, was playfully pushed up with her bra and pendant, giving her a bit of cleavage. Ivy was clearly trying to appeal to Lila, all the while keeping a bit of royal dignity.
"Well." Lunae breathed in deeply, her chest momentarily retracting. "You care about her a lot. Especially these past few days."
Ivy looked silently offended. But it was true. Things had changed for her in more ways than one.
"I just...never knew it would be her." The heiress sighed.
"Hm?"
"To make me feel complete."
"Then make it official. Kiss her."
Ivy blushed. She turned away. It was too embarrassing to admit the truth.
"I...don't really know...how..."
Lunae almost laughed. It wasn't something she liked to do, mocking others. But it was hard to beleive that someone like Ivy had no such experience.
"Well then..." Lunae smiled.
Grabbing hold of the heiress by her shoulders, Lunae spun Ivy around and gave her a sudden kiss, using her tounge to breach her lips and enter her mouth. Ivy gagged and shriveled up, unable to process what was happening. But as she came to accept the reality of the moment, her eyes drooped and her posture relaxed.
Lunae was a good kisser.
The heiress leaned in, staring longingly at her friend as a tail wrapped around her waist. She never knew how much she needed a kiss. All the more reason she just had to have one from Lila.
Within her mind, however, she was furious at Lunae, regardless of what her body had to say about things.
"What are you doing!?" Ivy squealed.
"It's different between us," Lunae replied calmly, focusing her efforts on showing the heiress how things were done.
The blue-haired girl had her eyes closed, leaning into the kiss while passionately embracing Ivy's left cheek. After pulling her tounge out of the heiress's mouth, Lunae planted several smaller pecks on her face before returning to the lips. Ivy was completely overwhelmed, gasping for breath as her legs trembled where she stood.
"What?!"
"Sonera is mine. Lila is yours. We can share a friendly moment."
"You call this friendly!?"
"I'm teaching you how."
Outside her mind, Ivy couldn't help but groan, allowing a rather embarrassing voice to leave her mouth. And despite what her thoughts might entail, she was taking notes. Lunae was quite an effective teacher.
"Okay, okay!" Ivy struggled, whispering into Lunae's mind. "I get it! Pull your tounge out of my throat!"
"It's nice in here. You're nice."
Ivy's saliva spat out from her mouth as Lunae finally pulled away for good, nearly falling into the girl's arms. She didn't even realize she had been pinned against a wall. Moreover, the extent of her enjoyment suprised her.
Her arms and legs were weak, and her heart was beating out of her chest. She was loyal to Lila, and yet, Lunae was far from ineffective. Somehow, the audacity of that girl was less surprising than her talent for making out.
"Y-you." Ivy panted.
"That's how you kiss." Lunae winked playfully.
"Freak..."
"Indeed."
"Why not do that to Sonera?!"
"Same reason you won't do it to Lila."
Scared of the ones they loved.