"Possibly. Probably. I'll try to hold it off as long I can, of course, but I might not be able to, I must warn you." Ariana said. "I don't like this just as much as you do, but anything intimate, a touch, a kiss? That sets it off. The, er, cycle, I mean. Honestly, if I could avoid this, I would."
Re huffed, setting aside his disgust and pulling the policymaker mindset all the way on. He would need to be all business if he were to escape with any kind of dignity. "If we have sex at the manor, how long could you go without? We may as well knock it out as fast as possible." If Ru were to have any privacy, he would need to get rid of her as fast as possible.
"I think a good few months, probably. But I still want to hold it off as long as possible." she said. “But please, if it does come to that, could you maybe try and be a little—” Ariana swallowed, “I haven’t—with a man yet. Well. I haven’t. So there." she decided to stop talking, feeling an increase in awkwardness in the carriage.
It was kind of funny that this girl, who had joked about chains and whipping, was so nervous about sex. "I'll do my best. If you need, you could try… bondage." His skin crawled uncomfortably. Although it was true he enjoyed pain during sex, he wasn't sure he could trust Ariana with him. She was more likely to stab his heart out than give aftercare.
"Shut up." she snapped. "I know you're thinking I'm some big evil sociopathic lady, but I'm tame compared to the rest of my culture. So do act less nervous. I'll effectively be a cat in heat, ready to do whatever you wish if and when it comes to… you know. So do be quiet, you're the one at an advantage here, not me."
Ru et out a tiny breath of relief, putting up his hands in a placating manner. "I didn't mean to offend. This is hard for you, so I'll just… lay off." The knowledge that he had the power here was comforting. That in itself made him feel…wrong. It felt off to take pleasure from this woman's obvious weakness. He reopened the notebook, wondering idly how many more times he would do that over the trip, and began writing, slower than before in case Ariana had anything to say.
"I'm fine. You don't have to console me." she snapped.
"Okay." And with that, he dove back into his laws, not looking up until they reached the manor. It was a grand old place, made of silky grey marble and birchwood. Cherry trees bloomed around the gravel path that led to the imposing front door. He stepped out of the carriage, taking in his home for the next three weeks. He turned after a few minutes to see if Ariana needed help getting out.
Ariana stepped ungracefully out of the carriage. "Needs more black." Aria said, which was Ariana-Speak for 'This needs to be entirely black, dark like my soul, oh I'm so evil, mwa ha ha, et cetera, et cetera.'
Ru frowned. "Take it up with the designer." He turned away, pushing open the heavy doors without much trouble. The hall was clean but dim. The servants hadn't gotten around to lighting all the candles. The hall was filled with dark wood and crystal decorations. Tapestries depicting his famous ancestors and their great deeds lined the walls. He sped past the judgemental faces of his forefathers and into the room he and Ariana were expected to share. This was going to suck.
"Do you have a couch I could sleep on? Or some ground. Some nice, firm, grassy ground would be fantastic." Ariana said.
"You do know it's winter, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He stepped over to a desk in the corner of the room and set down his notebooks, tucking away his pens and ink. He had been informed that most of the manor wasn't fit to house royalty yet. The rooms hadn't been re-filled with furniture and most of the fireplaces were empty.
"That I do." Ariana said with false sweetness.
Ru rolled his eyes. "There's a couch in the living room if you feel inclined to freeze half to death." He straightened out the desk so he could avoid looking Ariana in the eyes. What was all this about imprinting? And needing to have sex with him? He'd need to think all that over.
"Well, it helps to be as far away from you as possible, so yes, I'll take the couch." Ariana said, swiftly walking away.
"Suit yourself. I'll have the servants bring you some logs and blankets." He let his gaze skin over the room. Blue walls, vanity, paisley comforter, large plush rug, overstuffed chairs. It was comfortable and snug, nowhere near the size of his room in the castle. He preferred this one more.
Ariana walked into the hallway, where a servant met her. a very familiar one. "Ah, let me guess, Mara, correct?" Aria asked. "Y-yes, miss. Aren't you going to get comfortable in your chambers, if it pleases you, miss?" the short, black haired, blue eyed girl asked. Ariana paused, then said, "Yes, I suppose so. Don't you have anything better to do?" she snapped out the terse reply, then went back to the bedroom, slightly sulking, albeit in a slightly more positive mood now that she knew Eli-Mara, Aria corrected herself, was here.
Ru had situated himself at the desk, preparing to plunge back into his work. He looked up when Ariana entered the room. "What are you doing back here? Weren't you going to sleep on the couch?" She hadn't been gone for very long. What had convinced her to come back?
"Well, I've changed my mind." she said, beginning to undress for bed, taking off her tight corset, and pulling on nightclothes. She pulled the covers around her body, shivering a little even though it was pleasantly warm in the room. Ariana could sleep anywhere, however, in fact, she slept very lightly while still getting enough sleep to keep her alert. It came with her past lifestyle, one she had only given up recently. "You should lie down too, you know." she said after several minutes of silence.
Ru stared at his desk for a few seconds before deciding Ariana was right. No need to tire himself out for a law he could write in the morning. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out an oversized silk shirt. He stripped quickly and pulled it on before pushing himself into bed, staying as far away from Ariana as possible.
Aria stated towards her side of the bed as well, shivering slightly. She had to admit, even if naive, Cerulean certainly was attractive. But she tried not to think about how much she would like to curl up by that tall, strong form, and instead let her thoughts drift to the eerie similarities between Elise and that girl, Mara.
Ru took a deep breath and tried to relax and ignore the very attractive woman laying across the bed from him. Even if she was hot, she was mean. Angry. Unstable. And she'd killed some poor servant boy. No good to sleep with at all. He tossed and turned a bit, trying to get comfortable. After a few minutes, he found a good spot, drifting quietly into a deep sleep.
Ariana fell asleep quickly, and woke up to haha have found herself in the middle of the bed, a tangle of limbs with Cerulean. Surprisingly, she didn't try to move, she just decided to lie there until her partner woke. Aria didn't even question why she was fine with this. Even if it would lead to an awkward conversation, she didn't really care that much.
(Good morning!)
(Good afternoon!)
Re came to slowly. At first, he just felt an arm around his chest. Then he felt a leg against his. Hair in his face. A thigh slotted between his legs. Had he hooked up with someone? No. He was on honeymoon with Ariana. Was it one of the maids? "Hmm?"
"Mm. You smell nice." Ariana murmured, clinging tighter to Ru.
Ru blinked confusedly a couple times. Was this Ariana? Yeah. It was. She was very comfortable. And warm. And… wait! What? Ariana? He sat up suddenly, tearing his body out of hers. Once he was on the side of the bed he groaned, wiping the sleep out of his eyes and trying to remember falling asleep. He hadn't been touching her, had he?
"Oh lordy heavens above, you startled me!" Ariana said, completely unfazed.
(gtg, dinner)
(Kk, see you later.)
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