The clip of stiletto heels heralded the arrival of Operations' top two executives. Auburn and blonde, they made a visually striking duo as they glided through the halls as if they had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
Nanoha wore a black pants suit, its sharp cut softened by the ruffled white shirt under her jacket. The v-neck collar dipped low, revealing a hint of cleavage and her little pink diamond heart necklace. Her auburn tresses had been tamed into a French braid, the thick rope resting over her shoulder and secured by a white ribbon.
In contrast, Fate had on a relaxed summer blouse with a turn down collar, its bronze sheen lending colour to her pale cheeks. Tucked into a black, calf-length pencil skirt that hugged her long legs, her loose sleeves billowed as she strode alongside her boss. Her golden mane flowed freely behind her, clasped only at the end by the pink scrunchie she had 'borrowed' from Nanoha on the day of their first meeting. Her boss had noticed it, and she treasured the fond smile the auburn-haired woman had given her.
"All packed?" Nanoha murmured, glasses already perched on her nose while she scrolled through work messages on her phone.
"Yes," Fate replied, just as softly, nodding a good morning to one of the gopher staff who helped distribute physical mail throughout the office. The poor boy had a hand clapped over his nose for some reason. Perhaps he had bumped into something just before.
"Where are we staying?"
Half of the clipping heels paused, and Nanoha pinched the bridge of her nose under her glasses. "Buggering hell. I knew I was forgetting something." Nanoha cast the blonde a grateful look, "Thanks for reminding me." Sweeping past the sliding doors, the executive saw that Vita's desk was still empty. Little wonder, considering the women had met early for breakfast before coming in together.
"I'll get Vita to change the air and hotel bookings to a double." The auburn-haired woman shook her head at herself. She'd been getting rather forgetful of late, a dangerous thing in her position. "I've forwarded the account we're actioning to your inbox, get familiar with it by tomorrow," she instructed Fate, who smiled and nodded. Pausing by the doors of both their offices, the woman looked at each other.
"Well, have a good day at work, Feito-chan. Thanks for breakfast." Nanoha tore her eyes away from the beautiful blonde to escape into her office. 'Remember, she almost got hurt because of your lack of focus. Get it together.'
She sighed and sank into the meshed support of her chair. She had gotten inordinately greedy about Fate since the woman had seen her at her lowest and still accepted her. Nanoha was finding any and all excuses to spend time with the blonde outside of work and this morning's breakfast was yet another ham-handed attempt at more one-on-one time with Fate. Hopefully the heavy workload for their upcoming trip would waylay her much more amorous thoughts about the woman.
Fate was glad Nanoha had abandoned her, since she was seconds away from jumping the exquisitely-dressed woman. She sighed and tried to tamp down the excitement about going on a business trip with the executive. 'It's just work, Fate, calm your dander.'
Just then, the automatic doors slid open, admitting one scowling redhead who shrugged out of her business jacket while giving Fate a perfunctory 'good morning'. Over the past months, Fate had learned that weekends for Vita were typically spent playing online games. Judging by the petite woman's mood, she must have had a late, and/or bad run last night.
Since she was headed to the kitchenette to brew up her own blend of morning tea, she asked the E.A., "Coffee?"
Receiving a grunt that she took to mean yes, Fate laughed softly and set the water heater to boil while she prepped two mugs. "Nanoha would like to ask you to change her booking for tonight's trip to a double. She's only just got in, so she might not have had time to let you know yet."
Nanoha swept into the office like a barely contained hurricane. She had heard voices outside and deduced that Vita had arrived.
"Ah, there you are. Vita, Fate's coming with me for the DoCoMo account. Could you update the bookings?"
Vita had just sat down to boot up her PC. Glancing from Fate to Nanoha, she blinked. The blonde's tinkling laughter could be heard coming from the kitchenette and the executive peered around the entrance to find Fate in there.
"Sorry, Nanoha. I was just telling Vita about it. She's adjusting to hearing in stereo, I would imagine."
Her boss untensed into a relaxed smile, "You're getting good at anticipating me. Should I be worried?"
"Only if you wish to be," Fate quipped, before remembering they had an audience. Oops. Falling quiet, she industriously worked on making hers and Vita's drinks.
The redhead squinted at the two executives, "Uh, yea, sure. Stereo," she muttered. Calling up the relevant sites, she scrolled around, then hid a sly smile, "It's a little last minute, and it's Tokyo so just about everything is fully booked," she began nonchalantly, "Are you okay with their suburbs?"
Nanoha shrugged, "As long as we're within an hour's drive from their HQ, it shouldn't be an issue. Thanks, Vita."
The woman disappeared back into her office, and the outer area felt that much less alive because of it. It was a curious thing Fate had observed. There was nothing that matched the vibrancy of the auburn-haired woman in her eyes. Vita was occupied with her most immediate task, and so, placing the redhead's drink on her desk's coaster, she smiled at the thanks the E.A. muttered and proceeded into her own office.
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Hayate towelled at her wet hair, enjoying the quiet of the room she was in. The Shangri-La was a venerated institution in the island nation and sat on prime land in the middle of the city. The sprawling estate was surrounded by old growth rain forest that blocked out the hustle of business districts a mere kilometre away, creating an oasis of peaceful tranquillity that guests appreciated.
An urgent buzzing caught her attention and she answered her phone, "Vita-chan? What's up?"
"Haya-chan, if Nanoha tries to kill me, you'll protect me, right?" The redhead began without preamble.
"What? Did you grope Fate-chan?" The CEO flexed her hand smugly, remembering the supple feel of what she'd felt the other night.
"Worse," Vita whispered, and shared what she had done with the CEO.
Clapping that same hand over her mouth, Hayate stifled her mad giggles, "NO! That is PERFECT! It's fine, I'll protect you from her. Send me the e-PR, I'll sign off on it." Cutting the call, Hayate giggled again as she opened the electronic requisition sent by Nanoha's office. Being the auburn-haired woman's direct report, it was up to her to approve the extra cost.
"Done and done! Vita's a genius." Why, this Monday was looking up already! Tapping a contact on her phone, she waited.
"The Tsukimura residence, Bunnings speaking."
"Ali-chan! How are Suzu-chan and the baby doing?"
"Haya-chan! It's good to hear from you. They're doing great. Su-chan says she's ready to be done with her maternity leave. Haruka-chan is a menace now that she can walk. Keeps the nannies on their toes something fierce. We'll both be back in time for the Halloween bash."
"She sounds adorable! Since I'm in town, mind if I drop by to visit?"
"Come on over whenever. Su-chan complains that she feels like she's still in her confinement period with how few faces she gets to see."
"Great! By the way, you heard about Nano-chan's new headcount?"
"Who is that, honey?" Alisa glanced over to her wife, Suzuka, who was bouncing their daughter on her hip.
"It's Haya-chan, she wants to visit us and the baby. She's asking if we heard about Nano-chan's 2IC."
"Haya-chan! It'll be good to see you. And yes, considering I had to approve her pay package. I tried to make it as attractive as possible to avoid another… Well, you know."
All three fell silent as they sent individual curses to a certain someone they all loathed.
"Well, she passed my test with flying colours, and Vita's cooked up something because we, I mean, Vita, Sig-chan, Shamal and myself, think there's something there. You gals want in?"
The spouses exchanged surprised looks, "Indeed?" Suzuka tickled her daughter, eliciting a childish giggle that made Alisa smile. The Tsukimura scion always loved that dopey smile on her otherwise gruff wife. "Well, I've always thought it was a shame what all happened with Nano-chan in high school. I'd like to meet this Testarossa person before I go all in, however." The woman's naturally cautious outlook held her in good stead as TSAB's head of Finance, and Alisa was second only by virtue of how she looked at everything sideways thrice before making any calls.
"Certainly, I'd like to hear what Vita's planned, however. I'll ask the staff to prepare high tea for us. See you later, Haya-chan."
Ending the call, the two Finance executives looked at each other. "This could go very well, or turn into a massive sh…" The American glanced at their child, "Er, massive circus."
Suzuka smiled and smooched Alisa as a reward for curbing her acerbic tendencies around their toddler, "Perhaps with all of us working together, we'll be able to avoid the circus ending." Alisa sighed and rolled her eyes. Her wife had been spending far too much time playing Otome games while on maternity leave, and it was beginning to affect her turns of phrases. She would never admit that she loved how her wife always picked the tsundere option because 'It reminds me of Alisa', though.
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The work day had been interminable. Both Nanoha and Fate were ensconced in their respective offices feverishly clearing the most pressing issues and it took Vita barging in with snacks at 3PM before either of them had taken a break.
Both executives had elected to just use the outside sofa to grab their snack. A coffee table was also situated there; a place for visitors to wait had they had an appointment to meet either Nanoha or Fate. Nanoha had kicked off her heels and was lounging in the corner, her back propped up by the low armrest of the sofa while she munched contemplatively at her sub, not really tasting it. She had one arm crossed over her middle to prop up the opposite's elbow.
Seated primly at the other end, back straight and legs tilted at the knees at a precise angle, the icy blonde poked industriously at the burrito bowl balanced on her lap while she scrolled through more emails on her cellphone. She ate at a steady pace, knowing she needed to stay on this side of healthy eating or Nanoha would not let it go.
"Nanoha," Vita checked her screen while the executives ate their late lunch, "Your flight is at 6PM." The executive glanced up from her bowl, swallowing the mouthful she had been chewing, "The hotel knows about our late check-in?"
"Yes. I booked their transport service so someone will be at the airport to pick you and Fate up."
Nanoha nodded, relieved they wouldn't have to fight with other passengers for a ride. Fate made a quick mental calculation and applauded Vita feeding them at this time. It would hold them in good stead until whenever dinner was served on their flight. She took a moment to appreciate the smoky fragrance of the kebab beef in her bowl.
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The E.A. continued, "The online check-in for your flight is done, you have the QR-code for them to scan at the waiting lounge on your phones. I suggest you get going after you're done eating, traffic might suck."
"Thanks, Vita. Send anyone with their hair on fire to Signum, or better yet, Haya-chan since she's in Singapore." Nanoha's lips twisted in a wry smile, "We'll see who wants to risk that tanuki's attention while we're gone." The redhead snorted, secretly hoping neither executive noticed the name of their accommodations until long after their flight was in the air.
Fate cleared one last email and stood, "If you will excuse me, I'll go change. Thank you for lunch, Vita." Nanoha watched the blonde disappear into her office, sharp ears picking up the sound of the door lock being engaged. Clearing her throat, she stood as well, "Sounds like a plan. Give my regards to Suzu-chan and Ali-chan when they get in." The redhead nodded and shooed her boss off.
Nanoha's pants suit had been exchanged for a low-waisted pair of dark blue jeans that brought out the brilliance of her deep blue eyes. Her ruffled shirt remained, revealed to be sleeveless sans her coat jacket. This was tucked into her jeans for an easy casual look. Her stilettos had also been replaced with the same white loafers she had used over the weekend, the executive would be damned before she would subject herself to a flight in uncomfortable clothes or shoes.
Fate had been similarly practical, replacing her long pencil skirt for drawstring linen pants that still went well with her loose bronze top. She'd rolled back her sleeves and pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, and her feet felt better in the leather sandals she had changed into.
Traffic was somehow decent on their way to the award-winning airport that was one of Singapore's signature attractions. They'd opted to get a ride share since it was easier to leave their cars parked at work rather than to drive separately to the airport then find one another again. Fate had noted the rather long and convoluted name of their hotel while on the drive but made no mention since it was probably just a Japanese thing. She was simply admiring the play of road lights over her boss' face and hair when she heard her name.
Nanoha had been preoccupied with tying up a few last loose ends, the woman's work never truly done, merely a never-ending conveyor belt of things needing her or her AVP's attention.
"Feito-chan, about this…"
"Mmm?" Scooting closer, she bent her head over to peek at what Nanoha was referring to on the other woman's phone screen. "Ah, yes, I told them if they would present such sloppy work to you and they could not give me a satisfactory answer. So I sent back everything and asked them to redo it from the top." She had CC'ed Nanoha on the exchange, along with the petty complaints the recipients had tried to voice.
Nanoha smiled, "Exactly so. You're growing well into your role," she complimented the blonde, "Soon, Feito-chan won't be needing me any longer."
Fate knew it was simply a turn of phrase but she laid her hand over the executive's own still propping up her cellphone on her lap, "I will always need Nanoha around." The blonde had sensed a small undercurrent of disquiet that had been brewing under her boss' otherwise calm exterior and remembered what Vita had said. 'She hates flying.' Fate wondered if what Nanoha had haltingly shared yesterday morning had anything to do with it. She highly suspected that was the case, and could feel the bowstring tension in the hand under hers. It even felt a little clammy.
Was this what Nanoha went through alone each time she made a trip? Fate was even gladder to have been assigned to accompany the executive this time. Giving those calloused fingers a gentle squeeze, she settled back into her side of the car, but her hand remained warm and comforting over Nanoha's. 'Maybe I can speak with Hayate about this,' Fate thought.
How had Fate known? The executive wondered if she was slipping or did the beautiful blonde just have a bead on her, and yet, she didn't pull back from the touch on her hand. If Nanoha focused on it, she could ignore the sinking feeling that kept growing in the pit of her stomach. She hated medicating herself for flights. Waking up out of it on a strange aircraft amongst strangers was the worst thing she could imagine doing, and so she'd always just suffered through the time until she was back on terra firma once more.
She closed her eyes and took calming breaths. Fate had said she needed her, right? If she was needed, she had to keep it together.
The blonde watched as some of that nervous pallor receded with no little satisfaction and pondered how else she could distract the auburn-haired beauty.
Settling into the VIP lounge, Fate left Nanoha to get their devices charged at the seats they had chosen while she went in search of drinks for them. Spotting the array laid out alongside one wall, she smiled. Just about every flavour from TWG was available, and she happily picked out the flavours she recalled Nanoha serving her all those weeks back in her condo.
A welcome scent of peppermint and chamomile greeted her nose and Nanoha glanced up at, accepting the proffered china from Fate with a faint smile. Travelling was so different with the blonde around, and the woman's presence had already made a significant impact, giving Nanoha something to centre herself on.
It was beginning to be scary how much she'd come to rely on the blonde and she shied away from any suggestion that she seek for more than the unceasing kindness the sweet princess gave so freely. As to how she could succeed at curing herself of her addiction to Fate, she had no idea.
Fate stretched out her legs, grateful for the extra space first class afforded to them. Vita had booked business for the executives as per company policy, but the corporate perks had given them a bump up to first for this trip. Unfortunately, the private cabin space meant a big divider was now between herself and Nanoha. The woman had visibly steeled herself to board, her normally athletic grace growing rigid and brittle with each step she took.
Jaw clenched, Nanoha refused to display any sort of weakness and settled stiffly onto the plush leather seat in silence. They'd checked in everything other than their cellphones, the lifeline of their work, and she blinked when her phone buzzed at her. Seeing that it was a message from the blonde seated in the cabin right next to hers, she opened it, brows scrunched in mild puzzlement.
A scanned image of one of their pictures from the Purikura booth appeared. It was one that had her in cat ears, and she stifled a chuckle to see Fate had used a third party app to add a cat tail to Nanoha's picture. She glanced over to find the blonde refusing to meet her eyes, a secret smile playing over lush pink lips. Oh, that Wench.
Pulling out her phone's pen, she quickly sketched a corresponding tail onto Fate's bottom, adding a bone for the 'Inu Fate', or Puppy Fate, to bite on.
Fate's phone buzzed and the blonde's lips twitched as she fought to hold in her giggle. Nanoha had a knack for sketching and she'd used her skills to good effect here. She added a fish with an 'x' for its eye to 'Neko Nanoha', or Kitty Nanoha, and sent the picture back.
"Nyahaha!" Tucking some hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear, she gave the auburn-haired woman a cheeky smile, happy to hear that giggle from her favourite person.
Nanoha eyed the cheeky angel. Phobia? What phobia? Leaning close, she whispered over the divide, "I'm writing you up for using company equipment for personal purposes."
"I'm writing you up for dragging me into that pink hell for nefarious purposes." Fate countered. The constant smile playing over her lips was far too close to her own and Nanoha drew back, shifting shoulders that ached from her earlier tension. "Methinks my AVP may be getting too big for her britches."
Fate hmmfed, "Only because you and Vita keep overfeeding me." Nanoha smirked, "Feito-chan was too thin. We at TSAB pride ourselves in ensuring the safety and well-being of all our staff. I couldn't have my subordinate being blown away by a strong gust of wind. I'd never be able to replace her."
Fate shot Nanoha a look, eyebrows raised, but the executive had her eyes closed against the glare of the cabin's default mood lighting. The blonde wondered if she'd meant that, or if it was just their usual banter talking.
Nanoha couldn't look at Fate. To do so would only have her be caught staring.
Fate bit her lip and held her breath. The auburn-haired beauty was napping. Fate enjoyed the freedom to just watch the woman who, even in sleep, had difficulty remaining still. Her heavy lashes fluttered and twitched in response to the hustle of the crew preparing for take-off around them, yet she remained in slumber right until the dinner bell-tone rang.
Blinking, the executive went from being at rest to full wakefulness, a phenomenon that Fate found intriguing, and she smiled when brilliant blue eyes landed on her, softly muddled from sleep. "Hey," she murmured, adoring how the eyes sharpened in focus the moment they met hers, "I took the liberty of ordering sushi for us. I didn't want to wake you."
"That's fine, thank you Feito-chan." Levering herself up, she gave a jaw-popping yawn. "You could have woken me."
The blonde hid the shiver the executive's sleep-husked voice sent down her spine. "Nonsense. You didn't sleep much on Saturday night," a faint blush coloured Fate's cheeks as she recalled the massage she had received that night. "It was good for you to rest."
Nanoha thanked a member of the serving crew as they moved quietly about, distributing warm scented towels to the passengers. Refreshed, she smiled at Fate's thoughtfulness, "Was I drooling?"
"Not at all," Fate snapped her mouth closed and ducked her head. She'd been caught looking! Swallowing a groan, she peeked out of the corner of her eye at the executive who didn't seem displeased. In fact, the soft look the woman was giving her was enough to set her heart pounding.
"It's nice to have someone watching over me." Was all Nanoha said, before the rush of dinner service descended upon first class.
The executive chuckled softly. Fate was trying her best with the chopsticks but the situation was dire with the Midchildan struggling to grip just enough to lift the sushi, but not so hard that it fell apart. "Feito-chan is trying too hard. Here."
Lifting the wet towel for Fate to see, Nanoha made a show of cleaning her hands and simply picked up the sushi by hand to demonstrate how to eat it without chopsticks. "Three fingers, just push to one side, hold, dip, and eat." Air-toasting the blonde, Nanoha popped the sushi into her mouth.
Was this food porn? Fate had heard of people making money eating things for an audience and surmised this was the exact reason why they could. How did the executive make the simple act of eating sushi so attractive? That wholly unconscious grace and poise, that simple act of holding her imaginary left sleeve up with her right to prevent cloth touching food. And when her wrist tilted in one refined move to dip the sushi into soy, Fate wished she had the gumption to take a picture of the pose.
"No fuss, no muss," Nanoha chased her mouthful down with a slice of pickled ginger, also picked up by hand, and gave Fate an encouraging nod to try.
It was certainly far easier using her hands, and as unusual as it was not to use any utensils, Fate found the experience and taste heightened because of the method and company. "The ginger cleanses your palate for the next taste." The Japanese woman explained, "One slice is all you need, and never dip it into soy."
Fate continued to prove a quick study and they enjoyed dinner and quiet conversation despite the divider between them. "The miso shiru, that is, soup, comes last." Fate enjoyed the dips and falls of Nanoha's pure alto as she explained her home country's serving methods and reasons behind them.
"Many places serve it first, because people are used to Western dining." She stirred the fragrant broth with her chopsticks, agitating the bean paste that had sunk to the bottom. "But the warmth of the soup would heat up your mouth, and that in turn changes the temperature of the nigiri being served. It alters the taste to something the chef did not wish for the customer to experience."
She cupped the bowl in both hands, lifting it to Cupid's bow lips and sipped, again demonstrating how one would not use a spoon to drink. "And control of the experience," her voice dipped, "Is the chef's prerogative. The customer should only be there to receive." She smiled at Fate over the rim of her lacquered bowl.
Fate reached for the controls of her cabin, turning on the little fan to blow directly at her overheated face. This woman could sell toilet cleaner and make it look sexy. "Th-That makes sense now that you have explained it," she stammered, stirring her own soup with far less grace.
They sat in companionable silence once dinner service was over. Nanoha played with a paper serviette, absently folding it into a crane origami. Its shape was lopsided as it sat propped against the hot chocolate she'd ordered.
"Ne, Feito-chan?" The blonde looked up from her study of Nanoha's hands and hoped she hadn't been caught. Nanoha's eyes were on the crane, her expression pensive, "If there is time, I plan to visit… a friend. Could I trouble you to accompany me?" This was the height of selfishness, but she simply wasn't strong enough to go it alone this year. The only person she could conceivably feel comfortable asking was this very woman in the other cabin, with her infinite patience and sweet nature.
She wished the divider wasn't there. Reaching over and past it, Fate brushed aside the stubborn forelock in Nanoha's eyes, "Trouble me, all you want." It was a conscious echo of the time Nanoha said those same two words to her, and she smiled slightly at the look the executive threw at her, arching one pale brow at the woman, "Tit for tat, remember?"
Driven by reflex, Nanoha caught that soft hand in her calloused one and brushed a kiss to the back of Fate's hand, "Arigatou gozaimasu, o hime-sama," she murmured formally. Thank you, princess.
"A pleasure," Fate whispered, robbed of conscious thought and feeling nothing but her hand in Nanoha's, lips so soft on her skin. They sat like that for long moments, until a passing flight attendant arrived to ask if they would like a blanket.
Coughing, Nanoha released Fate's hand and accepted the offered covering. The lights of the cabin dimmed to just above darkness and she could see the blonde woman trying to get comfortable. Maybe flying wasn't all that bad if it was with Fate.
Fate had made a show of extending her seat into its bed configuration. Suspecting this would be the least restful time for the executive, she peered over the divider to look, concern lending her a boldness she wouldn't normally display.
The woman was curled on her side facing away from the aisle, and thus facing Fate. Her arms were crossed under the blanket and Fate could see a frown marring the woman's smooth brow. She checked the in-flight screen. It would be at least another three or more hours before they would land. There was no way she was going to let Nanoha suffer her demons for all that time.
Fate firmed her jaw, "Nanoha?"
"Mmm?" The executive looked up from where she lay prone, seeing the blonde head sticking out over the divider, "I'm cold, could we…" Her eyes slid to one side, Fate unable to finish the request.
The executive thought for a long moment, "You mean like… after we saw the doctor?"
Still not meeting azure eyes, Fate nodded.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," she murmured, trying to sound matter of fact. "Come on over?" The princess' smile pierced Nanoha to the very quick with its warmth, enhanced by the sensation of the woman joining her in her cabin. Kicking off her sandals, she slipped under the blanket behind the executive, spooning easily around the slightly shorter woman. "Arigato, Nanoha-chan," she whispered into one shell pink ear. Smile unseen, the executive covered the arm around her middle with her own. This was warm, and absolutely heavenly. In little time, she was drifting off, the dark angel of her dreams returning with a vengeance to destroy anything that would disturb her rest.