The ride back was a quiet one. Revelations too recent, too raw, hovered close to the surface, threatening to overwhelm what little semblance of control Nanoha still possessed. The woman knew she could only allow such indulgence for a little while longer. Soon, Fate's angel wings would firm and she would leave the nest, but for now, for just a little while, the auburn-haired woman would be a mite greedy.
Fate was still dumbfounded by the little kiss the Japanese woman had given her, and it took immense self-control not to touch her still tingling lips. They had cleaned the grave site in silence, returning to the waiting car to drop everything into the trunk. Nanoha still appeared extremely vulnerable and she made no issue when the figure in a men's suit closed the distance between them in the backseat to continue snuggling into her.
"I'm sorry…" Nanoha mumbled into the blonde's scarf. Fate's arm tightened around the executive. "What for?" Fate whispered.
"I wasn't thinking and… st-stole your first k…" Nanoha couldn't finish her sentence, the misery and gravity of what she had done rearing up to crash into her now that the emotionally charged moment was past. 'You swore to keep her pure!'
"Is it thievery when it is given?" Calm out of all proportion with her aching heart, Fate looked down, catching the unending blue of Nanoha's questioning gaze. "You were thanking me, I understand."
"I…" Nanoha looked searchingly into Fate's ruby red eyes, so open, yet so laden with emotions she couldn't grasp. Was the blonde just being kind?
"You were distraught, and not in control of your actions," Fate explained, trying to convince herself as well as the woman in her arms, the one who held her everything, even if she didn't know it. She would give Nanoha all of her kisses and more until the end of eternity if she could. In reality, all she gave was a faint smile, "Thank you for allowing me the honour of meeting Yuuno."
"Y-You're welcome," alto a whisper, Nanoha laid her head back down on Fate's shoulder. This was all topsy-turvy. "Thank you for coming with me."
Fate imagined a decade of Nanoha making her trek of penance alone every year and felt her heart ache even more. "Can we come back next year?" Her melodic soprano was hesitant, "When the cherry blossoms are blooming?"
Fate could feel the solid form draped against her side sigh silently, Nanoha wrapping an arm around the blonde's middle, "I would like that," the executive admitted softly. Maybe, maybe she could begin making a few good memories with the friend she still had, not dwell on the memories of the one she lost. Enough to keep her, once the angel was gone from her life.
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"Come again?" Voice flat, Nanoha stared at Fate. They had just returned to their room and Nanoha was in the midst of loosening her black tie when what Fate said had her demanding for clarification. The woman had shed her vulnerabilities once they had left the privacy of the chartered car, and Fate was once more amazed at how easily Nanoha slipped into her role of a corporate shark. There wasn't the faintest trace of the softly needful woman in her demeanour whatsoever now, and it warmed the blonde that she had been privileged to be shown that side of the Japanese woman.
Fate had been busy taking a surreptitious picture of Nanoha with her shirt blouse unbuttoned and tugging at her tie with her phone when she was dragged back to the present by the executive's unamused insistence for more information.
"Oh, um, Miss Inoue has requested to meet over dinner to discuss a few details about the contract." Fate quickly closed her photo-taking app and showed the text message she had received to Nanoha. The executive had thrown aside her suit jacket, closing the distance between them in a few powerful strides to retrieve the phone from Fate's hand to verify what the blonde had just told her.
Expression cold, the zipping sound of the auburn-haired woman pulling her tie free from her collar whipped through the quiet of the hotel room while she scanned the innocuous request for Fate's presence at a Michelin starred sushi restaurant for that very evening. "Agito…" She breathed in a low, almost-growl. "Turn her down." Discarding the phone on the bed, brow furrowed, the Japanese woman hung her tie up and began undoing her cuff-links.
"Nanoha, it's just for dinner…" Fate protested. Funny how she thought the executive would be fine with her having dinner with the DoCoMo representative when the blonde absolutely knew she wouldn't want Nanoha within ten feet of the redhead. "Maybe she just wants to get to know TSAB's point for this deal, to build business relations."
Nanoha's whole form was rigid and unyielding, and when Fate took her by the elbows to turn her to face the blonde, those brilliant blue eyes were a stormy violet. "Don't you trust your AVP?" She asked softly. Jaw working, Nanoha stared at the beautiful blonde, and finally ground out past clenched teeth, "It's her I don't trust."
"Two hours," Fate murmured, gently taking Nanoha's cuff-links from the executive's hands to stow them in the little jewellery box they had come in. Nanoha's fingers were curled into claws while the Japanese woman thought of the worst scenarios that could play out in that short span of time. "Come get me after that." Fate knew she was pushing it, that even one hour was a lot to ask of the woman, and she could only love Nanoha more for it.
That muscle in Nanoha's jaw remained tight, and Fate could see the conflict in the woman's eyes. At last, the Japanese woman blew out a slow breath, "Two hours," she grudgingly agreed, immediately pulling out her phone to make a reservation at a place close by for herself. Fate too, let out a small breath. It was both exhilarating and alluring dancing with the fierce blue flames of Nanoha's personality, and coming out unscathed was definitely cause for celebration.
"Thank you." Fate helped unhook Nanoha's suspenders, "You know, you look really good in a suit. Can we do a Purikura with you in one?"
"Feeeito-chan," The low, warning drawl skittered its way down Fate's spine to settle hotly between the blonde's legs. "Don't try to change the subject," blue gaze sardonic, the executive was on to the wily beauty's tricks.
"But is it working?" Fate asked a little shakily. Her breath had caught while admiring how the open collar emphasised the fine lines of the executive's clavicle, so subtly complimented by that little pink diamond pendant that had lain hidden under the tie. Now exposed with the top buttons of the woman's shirt undone, it winked mutely at her from the hollow of Nanoha's throat.
Sighing, Nanoha shook her head, clasping the taller woman's hands in her own calloused ones, cradling them protectively as she wished to do with all of the blonde herself, "Don't let Agito set the pace. She'll definitely want to throw off the Midchildan with an omakase experience. Remember it's fine to use your hands like I showed you. We… have history. She'll want to try using that on you, too." Nanoha's grasp tightened, "Whatever she says, it was all in the past and holds no meaning to me, do I make myself clear?"
What else could Fate do but swallow and nod? This gorgeous woman was holding her hands, pleading for her understanding while looking devastating in a shirt and pants, and all Fate wanted was to grab her by the collar for a real kiss, 'thank you' pecks be damned.
"I… Help me pick something?" Fate mumbled, tearing her eyes away from the vision of the goddess. Relaxing into a lopsided smile, Nanoha nodded, "Of course, Feito-chan. Go shower, I'll find you something." Shuffling across the tatami mats on shaky legs, Fate disappeared into the bathroom with a mumble of assent.
Shaking her head, Nanoha cast a wry look down at herself. 'Hmm, Feito-chan likes me in this, eh?' Tucking away that tidbit of knowledge, the executive set about checking what all Fate had packed to see what she could find.
When Fate emerged, head and body in towels, she blushed hotly to see the executive had even laid out her underwear for her. She knew Nanoha was the thorough sort, but this was more than she had anticipated.
They were the plainest set of underwear she had packed and the blonde wondered if Nanoha was sending an unspoken signal to the DoCoMo executive in some way. A satin ruby red blouse was laid out on the bed as well as a black blazer and pants set. The blouse was high-necked with a pleated chest design and gold buttons that terminated into soft ruffles under her jaw.
The ensemble spoke of all business and no play, precisely the message Nanoha wanted Fate to put across to the Inoue woman.
Hands on hips, Nanoha stood at the foot of the bed, eyeing her selection approvingly. "Thank you for helping," caught off guard by the mellifluous soprano, she stiffened, then gulped at the sight of the blonde in towels again. "Yes, uh, you're welcome. Right, I'll leave you to it."
Escaping out into the living area, Nanoha grabbed a bottle of the complimentary water the ryokan provided. Popping the cap, she took a long swig. The mineral tang did nothing to quench the thirst she had for Fate and she licked her lips, thinking she could still taste soft lips from when she had stolen that kiss. 'Augh.' Pressing the cold bottle to her warm face, she sunk down at the kotatsu and flipped open her laptop. Work, work will help.
"Nanoha, could you do my hair?" Leaping up from her place, the executive hurried over, "'Course." She had rolled her shirt sleeves up and looked charmingly rumpled to the blonde who was done dressing. All she needed done was her hair and make-up. Sitting at the dresser, Fate handed her brush over to Nanoha and began digging out what she needed from her make-up pouch.
Nanoha had opted to style Fate's hair into a severe French twist, further reiterating the notion that Fate was only attending the dinner for business. The blonde watched the sweating executive in the mirror, thinking the woman looked far too cute with pins stuck in her mouth and a frown of concentration on her face.
Fate had only bothered with the lightest touch-ups to her face, and was done before Nanoha had finished. "You would think I was attending an omiai with the effort you're making." Voice amused, Fate giggled at the exasperated look the executive cast her reflection in the mirror. "I'm impressed you know the word for matchmaking," Nanoha mumbled past the pins caught between her lips. "I just don't want it coming loose. Your hair is very thick."
The Japanese woman's motions paused when one elegant hand clasped long fingers around her wrist, "I appreciate that you wish to protect me." Nanoha glanced up and was captured by the intense ruby of Fate's gaze, "Back home, it was to protect the family name, or my prospects as a match, or to avoid embarrassment. Here, I know you're doing it for me. Just me."
Slowly removing the last pin from her mouth, Nanoha secured the twist one final time, "I know I said it's nothing personal when we first met…" A calloused hand squeezed one slim shoulder under the blouse Nanoha had picked out for the blonde, "It's very personal, now. I don't want my past to affect you…"
Fate rested her hand over the one on her shoulder, still holding the executive's eyes, "We're a team. That means taking the bad with the good." She tilted her head appealingly, eyes warm, "I assure you there is immeasurable good, and minuscule amounts of bad."
Chuckling past the tightness in her chest, Nanoha shook her head, "Who knew my ice princess AVP had a knack for hyperbole?"
Fate hummed thoughtfully, "Your ice princess? I like the sound of that…"
Nanoha cursed inwardly, she was getting careless again. Throwing Fate a rakish grin, she gave the woman's shoulder one last squeeze, "Let me get dressed and I'll drop you off." They were tiptoeing around landmines again, and Fate let out a silent sigh. Nanoha was never going to look at her as anything but a best friend, yet at times, the things she said or did, felt more than. Perhaps it was because she was normally so reserved, causing Fate to take things the wrong way. Whatever it was, it would have to wait, she had an appointment to attend.
Nanoha watched Fate leave to find her shoes and breathed out a sigh. 'You keep your gods damned possessive streak under control, Takamachi. She isn't yours and never will be.' Haphazardly tying her tie, she left her sleeves rolled up and grabbed her jacket in case the night grew colder.
Fate was tapping the tip of her heel into the tatami floor to adjust its fit. Using a shoehorn to get her own footwear on, Nanoha made an 'eh?' of query when she felt Fate tugging her up to stand straight. "Nanoha, it's all crooked." Fate scolded. Soft hands brushed the sensitive skin around her throat and chest as the blonde untied her tie to redo it. "You would think a former student council president would know how to do her tie."
"Ah, I was distracted," she husked, "Thanks Feito-chan." Patting the now neatened tie, Fate gave Nanoha a satisfied look and picked up their phones and purses. Well, wallet for Nanoha. "I'm setting a timer," the suited woman warned, "Call me if there's anything, I'll be nearby." Her tone brooked no arguments and Fate was perfectly content to concede to the measures the executive wished to take since she knew this Agito person better than Fate.
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Agito sat at the counter table dressed in an off-shoulder silver gown that accentuated her slim build and moderate bust. A black lace shawl was draped over her shoulders for modesty and she cut a sophisticated figure at her seat.
She had arrived far earlier than the prescribed ten minutes Japanese people set forth as the proper amount of time to show politeness. Namely so she could study the glacial blonde as she walked into the establishment. The angel descended without fanfare, her stature all that was needed to pull every eye towards her.
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The tall blonde made quite an impression in her red blouse and black blazer combo. Devoid of any jewellery, she looked astute and very business-like as she made her way down into the well of the restaurant. Agito rose, bowing, "Good evening, Testarossa-san, thank you for meeting at such short notice." The woman's english was a little stilted but still fluent.
Returning the bow, angle a few degrees lower in deference to Agito's position with regards to DoCoMo's contract with TSAB, Fate offered the redhead a small smile that never reached the cold rubies of her eyes. "Good evening, Inoue-san, please think nothing of it. It is an honour to meet with you." She handed her blazer to a waiting staff and sat down next to the redhead.
They were greeted by the establishment's head chef, an eagle-beaked man with a stocky build and a slab of granite for a face. Exchanging bows, they watched as he began preparing the first of many servings for his premier customers of the evening.
"You speak very fluent english," Fate complimented the redhead, "Did you study overseas?" Accepting the perfumed hand towel from a server, the blonde delicately wiped her hands on the steaming warm cloth.
"Hai. I completed my master's in Oxford." 'This woman wastes no time.' Fate thought to herself. "Impressive. Little wonder that DoCoMo entrusted you with contract negotiations." Thanking the chef, Fate rolled the sushi placed before her from left to right before lifting it with three fingers to dip the top of the morsel into the little dish of soy the chef had served them prior to beginning his performance. Blithely popping the entire serving into her mouth, she chewed sedately.
The redheaded executive affected a small shrug, "It was preferable to studying here. People are… too conservative." She watched the Midchildan's impeccable etiquette at the sushi counter, taking her own serving with no small enjoyment.
"It's always good to experience other cultures as a youth." Fate agreed in an oblique manner. She plucked up a single slice of pickled ginger to nibble on as a palette cleanser.
"What of Testarossa-san?" Agito inquired politely, the age old circling that characterised Japanese work dinners had begun.
"Nothing as impressive, certainly. I attended Midchildan institutes." The blonde admired the chef's understated but still rather flashy motions at the counter while he prepared their next serving.
"That's a shame." Agito murmured, almost as a dig at Fate for not attending the same college as Nanoha had. "I suppose your family wished that you remain close."
Her ruby gaze glinted in the overhead lights of the sushi counter, the blonde not turning a hair at the redhead's words. "It is why I appreciate my position in TSAB," Uh huh, her position of having Nanoha as her direct report and someone she got to see at least a few times a week. 'Take that.' "It allows me to experience what I missed in my youth." Lifting the next morsel respectfully to the redhead, Fate dipped and ate, a consummate picture of grace.
"What do you experience, exactly, Testarossa-san?" Fate's little dig hadn't gone unnoticed and the redhead appeared slightly miffed when asking this. Somehow, Fate knew Nanoha would be proud of her and it filled her with a feeling of warmth and stability.
"Oh, food," she gestured gracefully to the esteemed chef. "People," A dipped head to Agito was given. "Cultures," she finished, taking another slice of ginger to snack on.
"But not of relationships?" Agito asked with barely concealed smugness.
'Relationships, or relations?' Fate wondered testily. "I would assume that is a given," she feigned surprise that Agito had to mention this at all. "I have met many wonderful colleagues in TSAB."
"Not least of all, your direct report, hai? Tell me," angling her crossed legs to face Fate more fully, the redhead allowed her shawl to slip a little, revealing the creamy curve of her cleavage. "What have you learned… under Takamachi-san?"
The way the DoCoMo woman emphasised the word under brought forth the memory of this morning's waking pinned beneath Nanoha's solid form, her limbs tangled with the auburn-haired woman to where it was difficult to tell where one of them ended and the other began. So too the memory of their loosened yukata, the velvet soft heat of the executive's nethers pressed delightfully against her hip and that strong arm around her waist.
Allowing the faintest of smiles, this one reaching the previously cold gems of her eyes, Fate offered Agito a sideways glance, "I've learned that one must at times show cruelty, to perform kindness." She appeared to not have noticed the slipping shawl, simply thanking the chef for yet another wonderful bite of sushi. The chef actually cracked the granite of his face to give the dazzlingly beautiful blonde a smile. It was so nice when a gaijin put in effort to learn how to eat his life's handiwork.
This blonde was confounding. There were depths to her that went far beyond the superficial and it irked Agito to see Nanoha proven correct even without the White Devil around to crow about it. Fate had an understated brilliance and classic comportment that complimented Nanoha's more full throttle, full power approach that tended to overwhelm opponents in a blink of an eye with no mercy. With the blonde, one wouldn't even know when one had lost, the woman could be so subtle about it. She supposed a life growing up in court would hammer home the need for delicacy in all things.
"Nanoha has a good eye," Agito finally admitted, and she could see the blonde was a little startled by her more direct approach, including her use of the executive's first name sans honorifics. "She knows how to pick the smart ones." The redhead could tell the blonde was far less used to having her brains complimented and was pleased that she could finally rattle the icy AVP, even just a little. "That unagi was excellent, wasn't it?"
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Nanoha was pacing. She had popped into a nearby restaurant specialising in beef bowls to have a basic dinner which she had inhaled in twenty minutes. After which, she had found herself with not much else to do other than to get some takoyaki or octopus balls from a street vendor to snack on. She had no idea why foot traffic had jammed while she was alternating between blowing on the piping hot snack and nibbling it, but it was terribly annoying since it impeded her view of the entrance to the restaurant Fate was currently in.
Useless hands shoved deep in her pants pockets, jacket hooked on one arm, she paced, nibbling at her lip and worrying what Agito was up to. "Excuse me, do you know the direction to the nearest washroom, please?" This was the fourth time someone was asking her this. 'Do I look like a bloody tour guide??' She wondered crankily while gesturing in the general direction of where she knew the public loo was. Huffing impatiently at the forelock that had fallen into her eyes, she glanced at her smartwatch. 8:12PM.
"Gods damned omakase menus," she groused, knowing the full course would probably take ninety minutes, if not the full two hours she had given Fate. At her wit's end, she dialled a number by memory.
"Hmm? Nano-chan? What's up?"
"Agito has Feito-chan," came the agitated alto of TSAB's top Operations exec.
Blinking, Hayate pasted her phone to her ear and gestured to the hotel masseuse to continue, laying her head back down onto the massage table she was currently face down on. "What do you mean 'has Fate'? Was she kidnapped?"
"They're having dinner." The auburn-haired woman added impatiently.
"Ooookay. And? Fate just nabbed TSAB a contract with DoCoMo, is that so weird that their rep would want to meet? Oh yea, right there," she added to the masseuse.
Nanoha raked at her fringe, "You don't understand, Haya-chan! Agito might try something with Feito-chan!"
"Nano-chan, I'm pretty sure the princess isn't going to… shall we say, have extracurricular relations with my cousin thrice removed for the sake of a contract." What on earth was this mammoth bee in Nanoha's bonnet? She could hear the woman pacing through the line.
"Well, no, of course not. But it's Agito, she might tell her things…"
Hayate sighed, "Do you expect Agito to spell out every little thing two consenting adults did in their spare time to Fate?"
"...No, but even half a spelled word could be trouble…"
"For whom?" Hayate asked bluntly, "Forgive me, Nano-chan, but you cannot convince me that the AVP who told her CEO to fuck off when offered a promotion would pack bags and run because your old whatever decided to spill some beans. Fate-chan is better than that and I think you're doing her a no-no worrying like this."
The line grew silent, not even the sound of pacing could be heard. Finally, voice heavy, Nanoha sighed, "You're right of course. I'm not thinking straight." Hayate could hear her friend scrubbing at her face.
Gentling her voice, Hayate soothed the beast within her friend, "Nanoha, Fate is no innocent lamb. She accepted her role knowing what she was getting into. She handles you just fine, doesn't she? You aren't the easiest person to work with, you know. The kami know I've tried finding you an AVP for years since... Well, you know. Who do you think is more difficult? One track mind Agito, or you?"
It was precisely the track Agito's mind was on that bothered Nanoha. Yet, she had to concede that Hayate had made some good points. She knew she was an absolute misery to work with.
Wait… Hayate was making all sorts of sexy sounds over the line and Nanoha squinted at her phone before putting it back to her ear, "Haya-chan, you're not…"
"Hmm? Oh kami, yes there!"
"Ah, um, sorry, I'll stop bothering you." click.
Hayate puzzled over Nanoha's hasty ending of the call, then groaned. "Dammit!"
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The contract never came up, and as the meal progressed further and further along, Fate knew Nanoha had been correct in deducing Agito had other things on her agenda aside from work. The woman's shawl was gone, the redhead making no bones about flaunting her tight little body at the blonde.
Fate glanced surreptitiously at her wrist, her watch face worn facing inwards to not appear rude to her Japanese client. 8:43PM. She poked disinterestedly at her dessert, some yuzu concoction which seemed all the rage in Asia right now. The blonde much preferred the earthiness of matcha since it reminded her of Nanoha; its flavours richly unadorned with hidden depths that took a lifetime to appreciate.
"I must say, this discussion has been quite… stimulating, Testarossa-san." Agito had lowered her voice to a more sensual register, eyeing Fate from under thickly mascaraed lashes. The blonde felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand and she gave the redhead a tight-lipped smile, "One appreciates the opportunity to build better ties with DoCoMo's esteemed representative."
Agito pouted her ruby red lips, "Still so formal. Shall we take our discussion to someplace more… comfortable?" Was… the executive trying the same thing with her, as she had had with Nanoha? A giggle rose unbidden to her lips and the blonde had to cough to push it back down. "Inoue-san is kind but…"
"Call me Agito," the redhead urged, "Wouldn't you like to add to your TSAB experiences, a little something more… spicy?" She placed one manicured hand over Fate's, the deep red of her nails designed specifically to match Fate's eyes. "I clipped them for you, you know." Agito ran a blatantly lustful look down Fate's form.
Carefully pulling her hand away, Fate took a bite of dessert, tasting nothing, "I'm not sure what you mean, Inoue‐san."
"Oh come now," the redhead scoffed, "Surely you've had a taste of Takamachi's… charms?" That got the redhead a sharp look, "We are friends and colleagues," Fate stated flatly, unamused at the DoCoMo woman's assumptions.
That same woman arched a disbelieving brow at the blonde, "While sharing a bed?" Fate fought to maintain her mask of professionalism, succeeding, but just barely. 'How did the woman even know?!'
"You overstep, Inoue-san." The madder Fate got, the more precise her mannerisms became, to the point where a robot would have had more expression than the glacial blonde seated at the sushi counter. "DoCoMo may be a client, but this gives no right to you or anyone else to be speculating like so. It demeans my superior, and myself."
Agito licked her lips. The challenge this icy woman posed was quite a lure. To see her shed all the trappings of her aristocratic upbringing… She couldn't believe that Nanoha had failed to bag this one.
"Do forgive me," she purred, touching the blonde's arm in a placating manner, "Since it is as you say, my invitation stands. I have a place not far from here…"
"Apologies, Inoue-san, please contact me again when you wish to further discuss DoCoMo's contract with TSAB." Grabbing her purse and phone, Fate bowed to the redhead and chef, rose and left. Heels clicking across the well, she retrieved her blazer from the staff at the door and took the short flight up to the exit. She managed to keep her expression calm though her insides were churning.
Once outside, she glanced at her watch again. 8:52PM. Eight minutes before Nanoha would get here. Knowing that, she still scanned the sea of people making their way home after clocking off from work. Fate felt eyes on her, and wondered if Agito had followed her out. Then, the bodies before her parted and she found herself captured by eyes of the deepest blue.
Nanoha had the rented car parked on the road's shoulder, the woman leaning back against the side of the vehicle with arms and legs crossed. Despite appearing to be a picture of relaxation, Fate could easily see the lines of tension in the executive's trim body, still clad so appealingly in her rumpled shirt, tie and suit pants.
Those eyes, however, were what pulled her forward. One step, another, and her legs were eating up the distance between them. The executive remained still, expressive eyes never leaving the approaching blonde. Those same eyes spoke of worry, relief, and absolute gladness to see the blonde again.
Stopping a prudent two feet from the auburn-haired beauty, Fate gave her a shy look, "Thank you for waiting." Once more, Nanoha demonstrated her ability to shrug without moving. "I just happened to be in the neighbourhood." Aware that there were eyes everywhere, Nanoha simply pushed away from the car she had been leaning back against. "Hop in, we have an appointment with a Purikura."
Lips threatening to break out into a smile, Fate nodded and quickly got into the passenger side. Starting up the engine, Nanoha revved the accelerator. She had a myriad number of questions for the blonde, but Hayate was right, she needed to trust her AVP. She could wait to hear about the dinner. All that mattered was that Fate was here, none the worse for wear, and sending her a dazzling smile. "Hold that smile for the pictures," she told the blonde as the car sped down the streets towards the Akihabara district.
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Fate admired yet another treasure trove of Nanoha pictures in her hands. Akihabara was like the arcade in the mall she'd been to with Nanoha a few weeks ago, but worse, or better. Both, if she were being honest with herself.
"N-Nanoha… are those vending machines selling used panties?" Laughing, Nanoha dragged her horrified friend away from those machines to get the Purikura done.
"We can come back here another time. My AVP has had a long day and needs her beauty sleep." Fate could only blush. She loved it when Nanoha used 'my' to refer to her.
She ran her fingers over the gaudy sticker prints. Sure, her horrid face was also in them, but it was a small price to pay to have all these images of Nanoha looking incredible. "You're taller, so you should be holding me." Nanoha had told her, bossily pulling the blonde's arms about her middle. She had been glancing back up at the blonde, smiling while capturing Fate's hands, and those were one of the images taken in that split second. Oh, she really liked this picture.
Floating her way through the hotel room door, she smiled at a different picture. They were trying silly poses and Nanoha had the bright idea to princess-carry the taller woman. Fate was caught between a shriek and a laugh, the Japanese woman's head thrown back as she let out a belly laugh.
Chuckling at the doofy smile on the blonde's sweet face, Nanoha shook her head, locking the door behind them. "I may have created a Purikura fiend." Fate hmmfed, "I have standards. I only care for those with my best friend in it."
"Guess that makes the two of us," Nanoha smirked. Yawning, she stuck an arm up to stretch, pulling at her elbow with her other hand. "I'm beat, and I've barely done anything. You must be far more tired."
Fate considered her energy levels and shrugged, eyes quietly glowing at the woman she loved, "I think visiting Yuuno-san took a lot out of you too, Nanoha. I bet we're equally in need of rest." Carefully tucking her sticker stash into a side pocket of her luggage, she moved to help Nanoha out of her jacket and tie. That Nanoha didn't argue nor stop Fate from helping spoke volumes about how truly drained the auburn-haired woman was.
"Let's change and I'll brush your hair out," Fate suggested. That gained her a happy sound from deep in Nanoha's chest.