Dismay warred with anger when Fate took in the sight of her tote's contents. Her laptop was a mangled mess, a spider web of cracks rendering the screen completely nonfunctional. Her glasses were a lost cause, cracked clean down the middle to now sit in her hand in two separate pieces. Overhead, the tell-tale rumble of an impending storm boomed and she felt her mood matching the weather perfectly.
Nanoha peered at the woman from under an unruly lock of auburn hair, sensing that words of empty consolation would do little to help the situation. Instead, she made her way to her workspace, a room set to the side of the living room and sharing the same floor to ceiling sea view. Hefting her own laptop up from its raised perch beside an ultra-wide monitor she typically used when working from home, she padded back out to the living room and set it on the same portable desk Fate had used for their impromptu dinner last night.
Cognisant of possible security issues, Fate glanced up, giving Nanoha a questioning look.
"I locked down everything other than Testarossa Inc's data," the executive assured her.
Casting the laptop's screen to the living room's 80 inch television, Nanoha gave a nod of satisfaction. With this, both of them could read through the data. As unobtrusively as she could, she reached back to massage her neck, knowing the little reprieve from her migraine would last for only so long. Especially since she was foregoing her pills to remain clear headed. She had made certain Fate took her dose, however.
Unbeknownst to her, her blonde guest had taken a decidedly intense interest in every little thing Nanoha did, and had caught the executive's skipping of her own meds. Feeling as if she needed to come through, not just for her staff but for the unaccountably kind woman, Fate wasted no time in calling up the pertinent cost-benefit analyses of her company.
Shunting aside the growing, sharpening symptoms with the ease of long practise, Nanoha placed herself behind the sofa Fate was reclining on. Eyes that missed little studied the figures before them. Reaching past Fate's head to scroll the laptop's touchscreen, her arm brushed against the downy cheek of her guest, causing both to jump at the tingle the inadvertent touch engendered.
Pulling back her offending arm, Nanoha's gaze dropped down to the woman whose face just happened to be right below hers. Skies painted violet and gold from the hidden sunrise chose that moment to release their pent-up energy and sheets of water thundered down, rendering the windows almost opaque and shrouding the living room in a shadowed hush that felt at once intimate and secret.
Nanoha had not tied her hair back up since the previous night, and the beauty of the sweetly-spiced curtain encircling Fate was not lost on the blonde. It would be so, so easy to reach up and draw those pink, glistening lips to her own…
A flash of thunder lit up the room, throwing shadows into stark contrast and breaking the spellbound women apart. Colour high, the two took a moment to gather themselves. Nanoha chose to get them some water, while Fate scrolled through more figures with a faintly trembling hand.
'It's the barometric pressure change. I'm not thinking straight.' Eyes closing, Nanoha momentarily leaned her too warm forehead against the cool glass of her kitchen cabinets, rubbing absently at the tightness in her neck.
Fate watched as the executive rubbed her neck again, pressing her head to glass to seek relief. 'Idiot! Focus! You're already being an imposition.' Worried for the executive's well-being, the blonde welcomed Nanoha back, thanking her for the water and suggesting that the woman sit beside her so both would have easy access to the touch screen.
The blonde could see hesitation in those incredible eyes, the rich azure roiling with conflicting thoughts, akin to Mother Nature's display above them. Finally giving in to her body's weakness, Nanoha acquiesced, figuring the cool leather would at least ease some of the throbbing in her head.
Morning progressed into afternoon, the two women falling into a companionable working arrangement. The ebb and flow of their quiet discussion never reached past the point of polite professionalism.
"What about…" Fate scrolled left, tapping the screen with one elegant finger, to which Nanoha would give a regretful shake of her head, reaching past the blonde's hand to scroll to another tangent of the document, "No, because see here…"
Neither had ever felt this comfortable working with another person, and even when disagreeing, both could see where the other was coming from.
It is twelve noon, my Master.
Nanoha glanced up at the digital display set over her television, surprised how many hours it had been already. The slowly cycling RGB colours of the world map outlined on the display also gave indications of various time zones for major capital cities in the world, reminding Nanoha that her only grace period would be the hours she was ahead of Europe.
Seeing that they were no closer to a solution, Nanoha sighed, once more squeezing the muscle that joined neck to shoulder to ease the ache there. "Your next dose is due." Marvelling how the executive could drop work just for her to get some pills, Fate eyed the smooth skin on display. She wondered how it would feel to massage the tenseness out of that muscle, and blinked. What on earth was up with her? Was it the weather?
"What's on the line… for you?" She blurted, more to distract herself from her weirdly swirling thoughts, than because she needed to know. Though, now that she asked, she felt that it was important information.
Stiffening, Nanoha drew back from where she sat so closely next to the blonde. Was this corporate espionage? Was she digging for dirt to wield against the executive somewhere down the line? An air of wariness settled over the auburn woman, prompting Fate to curl her free hand around the other woman's arm, the blonde's expression entreating.
Warm burgundy peered insistently into cautious blue, forcing Nanoha to meet the blonde's open gaze. "If we don't show austerity, it will be a minimum of twenty thousand in lay-offs." Nanoha pulled away from Fate, the woman's soft gasp speaking volumes about how sheltered she would be considered in Nanoha's world. That damnable migraine was getting worse.
Narrowing her eyes against the muted golds of her kitchen's lighting, the auburn-haired beauty's movements were stiff, displaying a clear sign that she didn't want to discuss what she'd just revealed to the blonde. Yet, Fate could tell that there was no anger in her motions, merely a faint air of defeat, as if to say their efforts today would likely lead to nothing.
Taking comfort in the familiar motions of preparing a meal, the executive passed a weary hand across her shadowed gaze while she waited for fragrant slices of garlic bread to be done toasting. A niggling corner of her mind tried to suggest something else. 'Who would kiss you with garlic breath?' Which only made her adamant about preparing that, along with some goat cheese salad, for lunch. Recklessly adding shallots to the Unkissable Salad, as Nanoha had silently dubbed it, she gave each bowl a good toss with balsamic dressing and brought them and the bread over to where they had been working.
"Company's orders, all employees are mandated to take a one hour break for lunch."
That hint of dry humour still caught Fate off-guard and she threw Nanoha a sceptical glance, observing quietly, "I'd dare say no other employee gets to have restaurant-grade meals prepared by the company's top executive for their lunch break, Mi… Nanoha."
Drawing up one lightly bronzed leg under her as she angled herself to face her guest, Nanoha flashed Fate a little grin, charmed that the blonde seemed entirely unafraid of her reputation, giving as good as she got, "Nyahaha, then you had better appreciate what you're getting, no?"
"Oh, you can bet I am appreciative," somehow the way Fate's melodious soprano dropped a level while saying that gave Nanoha a slight pause. 'Is she? …Naaaah.'
Relieving Fate's make-shift desk of her laptop, Nanoha presented the simple meal to her guest, and, ensuring a good few feet of distance between them, settled down to her own meal. Not that she had much of an appetite, as evidenced by her disinterested pushing around of the baby arugula in her bowl. A frown lay across her brow, the thought of having to weigh the good of three hundred or twenty thousand likely adding to the executive's disquiet.
'It must all be getting to her.' Fate thought while one-handedly feeding herself. Feeling the same unease growing within herself, the blonde dutifully finished off her decidedly heavy lunch and quietly set the empty bowl aside. The auburn-haired woman still hadn't really touched her meal, and Fate noticed her portion already seemed far less than what the blonde had been served.
Concluding that enough was enough, she shifted a little awkwardly down the sofa's length, and with her own fork, speared a heap of salad along with a crumbled bit of goat cheese and offered the mouthful up to Nanoha.
Surprised at the utensil hovering into view, Nanoha looked up to find the blonde situated far into her personal space, a staunchly determined set to her jaw.
"I-I'll tattle to Doctor Shamal." The unspoken threat lay plainly in the scant space between them. Bemused and utterly entranced by the blonde's boldness, Nanoha obediently accepted the mouthful offered up to her. Even white teeth framed by sensually curved lips closed around the fork, drawing the tasty morsels into her mouth. She fancied she could taste the blonde, too.
In the short span this feeding took, their eyes met repeatedly, and Fate could feel her heart thundering far louder than whatever was going on outside of the apartment. She'd never done this before with anyone. Holding the bowl steady for the blonde, Nanoha accepted the next mouthful. Freed to be passive in this exchange, the executive took her time tracing the fine features of her 'employee' with her eyes.
A faint frown of concentration had given Fate a most captivating look, the blonde wanting to get every bit of the salad into Nanoha. A final bit of goat cheese was proving elusive however, slipping and sliding in the dressing to escape Fate's fork. Deciding to save her the trouble, Nanoha pinched up the offending bit of leftover to pop it into her mouth, swiping once, twice, with a strawberry pink tongue to clear the last of the dressing from her fingers. "Thank you, Feito," she licked her lips.
Feeling herself growing warm to the roots of her hair, Fate scrambled back to her place, dropping her fork into her own bowl as if burnt. In the ensuing silence, the blonde plucked nervously at the frayed ends of her borrowed tee, eyes refusing to meet Nanoha's. "Y-You're welcome."
The executive could not recall the last time anyone had done something so simple just for her benefit. As much as she appreciated Fate's gesture, the light meal still sat heavily in her, warring with her migraine's demand to empty her guts as quickly as it had been filled. Tamping down hard on the nausea, she quirked a faint smile of gratitude at the blonde, whether she saw it or not, and proceeded to clear their dishes.
Resuming their work, Fate surreptitiously observed Nanoha's deteriorating condition. A paleness had intruded itself under her mild tan, giving her a sickly pallor, and she was constantly swallowing, fighting the urge to lose whatever she had for lunch.
Unable to stand the woman's suffering any longer, Fate slammed the laptop's lid closed, startling Nanoha.
"Feito, we're not done…"
"No, Nanoha, but you are," as quiet as her voice was, Fate's cultured accent brooked no argument from the executive.
Frowning, her host drew herself up stiffly, "Excuse me? Are you ordering me to stop?" Shades of that implacable will cloaked Nanoha in the same imposing aura she wore when first they met.
"I am begging you to let yourself rest." Fate emphasised, concern swirling in the depths of her wine-red gaze. "I kn-know we aren't friends, but I can't stand to see you like this."
She was the top executive in one of the largest corporations in the world. People fell over themselves to get on her good side. No one risked her ire without a death wish.
Her thunderous opposition to this, this slip of a blonde telling her what to do, died on her lips when the woman's sincere concern washed over her.
She licked lips that felt dry and chapped, "I… I suppose a short break won't make a difference either way…" The angelic smile her begrudging admission earned her stole her breath away. Principessa.
Inordinately pleased to have won this round, Fate nodded happily, "You've shown me which anomalies to look out for, I'll continue while you take a break."
Nodding but unwilling to venture far for fear of appearing to shirk her duties, Nanoha's iron will caved in to her body's demands for rest and she laid her pounding head down on the closest available surface, blacking out almost immediately.
Fate sat, rooted to her spot and staring at her sudden lapful of Nanoha. The beleaguered executive had laid her head on the blonde's lap, face buried into the blonde's stomach as a matter of course. Unreasonably thick lashes cast delicate shadows on the woman's cheek and unbidden, Fate brushed the flushed surface with the back of her fingers, noting how clammy the woman felt. She allowed her hand the luxury of playing with that unruly lock of hair that constantly fell into the executive's eyes, confirming to herself that it indeed was as soft to the touch as it looked.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Blowing out a silent breath and firming her resolve, Fate pulled the laptop back into view. Deciding what Nanoha did not know would not hurt her, the blonde slipped her bandaged arm out of its sling and got back to work on their conundrum. Basking in the comfort of Nanoha's steady breaths ghosting across her thinly clothed stomach, the blonde turned the problem this way and that, a mental Rubix cube that, intellectually, she would have enjoyed trying to solve, if the stakes were not as high as they were.
Pursing her lips, she decided to tackle the problem from another angle, one Nanoha had never suggested, but perhaps…
----------------------------------------
Feeling better than she had had in weeks, Nanoha cracked one, then both eyes open. It felt late, dark, but quiet. Apparently the worst of the storm had passed the island nation by, though forecasts predicted a second storm in the very near future. Shifting where she lay, she pondered the softness under her cheek, not recalling when she had acquired cushions that felt this comfortable to lie on.
It smelled distinctly feminine, with faintly familiar hints of lilac and rose. Wait.
Eyes widening for the second time today, she slowly drew back to find her worst fears realised. She was using Fate as a pillow. AGAIN. 'Oh gods…'
Angling her head enough to confirm the blonde had dozed off too, she carefully extricated herself once more from the woman's grasp. This was harder than before, the simple reason being that Fate had her fingers tangled in her unbound hair. Willing to lose a few strands for a good cause, Nanoha finally escaped the blonde's possessive hold and sat up.
The dull blink of her laptop's power button indicated it had gone into sleep mode. With an impatient swipe of the touch-pad, Nanoha called up whatever Fate had been working on.
Green numbers blanketed the screen to her uncomprehending eyes. What? How? Casting the screen to the much larger television's surface, Nanoha scanned the adjustments, digging through the document's history, demanding answers.
Her throat tightened when the revelation appeared. Incredible.
Pulling a light throw over Fate's shoulders to help the slim blonde combat the cool of the apartment, Nanoha worked feverishly, mind clearing in tandem with the skies in the distance. A quick glance at the clock informed her it was close to seven. Hayate would be up by now. Putting the final few flourishes to the presentation and attaching all the pertinent documents, she hit send with an air of triumphant satisfaction.
Feeling so much lighter than she had been a mere few hours prior, the executive cast an awed look over the slumbering Princess occupying her sofa. The wish to wake her with a princely kiss was too much and she tore her eyes away from the soft length of Fate's neck, exposed when her head had fallen back against the sofa's back. Sighing, she scrubbed tiredly at her face. All this living alone was probably getting to her.
In the middle of rinsing out their lunch ware while the blonde still napped, Nanoha smirked when the expected alert came through.
Incoming voice call, Yagami, H.
"Answer" Nanoha propped one hip against the cool marble slab of the island, sipping a soothing blend of chamomile and peppermint tea she had just prepared moments earlier.
"Nano-chan, oh my god, you did it! I could kiss you all over! In fact, lemme do that when I visit, I'll be in town next month!" The excitement in her CEO's voice was palpable, eliciting a soft giggle from the otherwise staid executive.
"Shut it before Signum has an aneurism. Besides, I had help," the auburn woman felt compelled to point out.
"Sure, sure, you take care of your help, I take care of mine. What do you want? New car? Round trip tickets to the Ghibli Museum? Holiday in Greece? I know! I have a yacht in Turkey…"
"One headcount, and 24-months of full insurance coverage for anyone we let go." Cutting Hayate off, Nanoha took another sip of her warm beverage, eyeing Fate over the rim of her Aggretsuko mug. She had seen Fate stirring at the sound of her friend's excited chattering, the blonde now listening quietly to the conversation.
"You what now?" Confusion was clear in the CEO's voice.
"A TWIC." Nanoha patiently clarified, using the shortened version of 2IC, or second-in-command. "Your pet accounts are running me ragged, Hayate. I can't take any more of these forty-eight hour work days."
Fate blinked at the other woman's brutal honesty, wondering if she should even be party to the conversation between TSAB's top personnel. But it wasn't as if she could just up and limp off somewhere in the apartment's open concept. Pinned by Nanoha's hooded gaze, the blonde could only meet those vibrant, deep azure eyes, so reminiscent of a deep, clear ocean and just as inviting.
"Why didn't you say so! I've only been trying to get you to hire one for AGES." A swift rattle of a keyboard came over the call system, "Done and done, Sig-chan will have it posted on the intranet board soon. …Unless you already have someone in mind?"
Making a noncommittal sound, Nanoha used her hip to push herself off the island and made her way over to where Fate was seated. The executive embodied the sinuous grace of a leopard stalking its prey, until she finally settled on the coffee table across from Fate.
"Let the post go up," Nanoha responded at last, eyes twinkling wickedly down at the blonde.
"Okay. Welp, time to disappoint a whole lot of old farts. Probably as many as when you came out and told them all to fuck off..." Chortling to herself, the CEO cut the line, leaving her last words to hang like a live cobra on a wrangler's hook, between the two women.
Head tilting until auburn fell down over one shoulder, the executive took in the blonde's countenance.
"Disappointed?" she asked, referring to Hayate's quip about her sexual inclinations while handing over a plain mug to the blonde, serving her guest the same as what she was sipping.
Crimson pools warmly drew Nanoha in, Fate accepting the mug with a smile of thanks, "I'd have to be disappointed with myself too, then," was the quietly serious reply. She took a sip. Delicious.
Nanoha pondered the bombshell that was Fate's revelation. 'This is bad. This is so bad.' Bundling up her burgeoning attraction to the blonde and shoving it somewhere deep in the back of her consciousness, Nanoha tightened her hold on the cartoon mug while she searched for the right words. Said mug's little character screamed bloody murder whilst holding a chainsaw, an incongruous counterpoint to the seriousness of their conversation.
"Why did you fire yourself?" Nanoha finally asked, eyes flickering to where the bandaged arm laid, not in the sling where it should have been. That twinge of guilt grew worse, and Nanoha knew she had to fix this - her conscience would settle for nothing less.
Donning a cloak of glacial indifference, Fate simply shrugged, "My sis and I were pulling the most of all the non-essentials. With that cost out of the way…" She lifted her eyes, and found herself once more caught in gleaming pools of azure. She tried her best not to think about her family insisting on dragging them back home if they heard a peep about their job situation now. "At least the insurance will give me some time, a-and I have some savings to tide me over…" She was babbling. She knew she was, but she couldn't help it, not under the searching scrutiny Nanoha was subjecting her to.
"Send me your CV." Nanoha urged, cutting into the woman's run-on sentences.
Making a credible impression of a pufferfish stranded on the beach, Fate's mouth opened and closed, the blonde caught flat-footed by Nanoha's clear intent.
"I… wha… N-Nanoha, it's an internal posting! There must be hundreds, no, thousands of applicants more qualified than I am. A-And besides, what w-would I bring-"
Giggling softly, the executive placed a finger over her lips, staying the blonde's impending panic attack. Ignoring the jolt of electricity her action garnered, the auburn-haired woman pressed her case.
"We work well together. You've graduated at the top of your class from the best Midchildan universities. You bring a fresh perspective. You are unafraid to voice your opinions, opinions grounded in fact and data…" She arched one finely curved brow at the blonde, "Need me to go on, Feito…-chan?"
Another of Nanoha's skills not put to paper, was her ability to headhunt talent for the company. One disaster notwithstanding, the rest of the ones she had sent Signum since she had stepped into her role were all standout recruitments. It would be an absolute dereliction of duty to let Fate slip through her, that is, the company's grasp.
Feeling as if she might faint, the added honorific absolutely not helping things, the blonde swallowed convulsively. Deciding she couldn't live to see disappointment in Nanoha's eyes, she gave the woman a jerky nod, which Nanoha took to mean she needed to continue singing the blonde's praises. There was no particular reason why she had to keep her finger pressed to those luscious lips, but she did so anyway.
Alto picking up a teasing tone, the executive smiled, "You're committed to those under you. You're tenacious and fight to the end for your goals…" Head dipping, Nanoha's voice turned possessively dark, curling into the deepest recesses of Fate's mind, "And you're still my employee until tomorrow."
Refusing to let Fate get away, feeling it was imperative she caught this golden lioness before she escaped, the executive grabbed her cellphone. Making a call by rote, eyes keeping the blonde pinned, Nanoha heard the click of her call being answered.
"Tea, I need a new intranet account, expedited. Testarossa, Fate, off the Testarossa Inc. subsidiary. Send the login deets to what we got on file."
"Boss! The hell, you go dark for over 24 hrs and-"
"TEA, I mean now."
"Fine, fine…" The disgruntled female quieted, rapid-fire keystrokes the only sounds coming through the call for agonisingly long moments. "It's done. 'Grats on the account, by the way. It's already come down through the wire. Your haters are sucking lemons tonight."
Snorting in amusement, Nanoha shook her head over the inanities of her so-called haters, "Thanks Tea, kiss Subaru for me."
"Yea, no prob… wait, what?!"
Ending the call so this 'Tea' person couldn't fight back, Nanoha dropped the phone to her lap. Her lips twitched under the blonde's ceaseless stare, silently daring the woman to react. The ball was in her court.
"You… work fast," Fate muttered hoarsely. The soft chirp of her own cellphone informed her that the 'deets' had already been sent to her.
"I don't have time to pussyfoot around," was Nanoha's honest reply.
'No, you probably don't, do you?' Not if the executive had to ignore an excruciating migraine to get things done, on a weekend. And what the hell was that about 48hr workdays? Surely that was a labour violation in this straitlaced country.
Behind the gently teasing look, Fate could see a well-disguised look of supplication in Nanoha's eyes. More than needing a job to fend off her family, she needed to help this woman. Decision made, she gave herself a shake, "I need my phone…"
Sternly ordering herself to stop mooning over the brilliant smile being sent her way, Fate accepted the device being handed over to her. She had prepared an updated CV long before that fateful Friday morning, having anticipated the loss of her job long ago. Enjoying the UX experience that was TSAB's intranet system and certain the beautiful exec had a hand in it, she found the listed posting which had already garnered fifteen applications.
Nibbling at the inside of one cheek, she added hers to the pile for Nanoha to sift through, certain the woman was merely being polite about the offer.
Nanoha kept a tight rein on the hope blooming in her chest, soberly probing at her intentions for making the offer in the first place. She shied away from any notion that she was hiring for looks, harshly reminding herself that the path down that road only led to ruin and heartbreak. Ethereal as the princess was, she hadn't lied when she had listed out the many things she liked about Fate.
Deed done, Nanoha slapped her thighs with both palms, "Hungry? Let's head out for dinner."
Eyes lidded, Fate glanced up at her host, "I could eat," she husked, before snapping out of her stupor and added hastily, "IF you'll let me buy." She hoped Nanoha had not caught her slip.
Nanoha paused, wondering if she had heard the blonde right. No, she was merely making polite conversation. "I suppose you could try," she challenged the blonde, deliberately keeping her tone light. 'Stop it. You've been on your own for too long.' She admonished herself.
Fate studied the minefield that was laid out between them. 'Oh my gods, was I flirting? I'm trying to get a job, not into her pants!' Bonking her libido back into horny jail, she turned her eyes back to the other woman, "Will they allow an unkempt beach rat onto their premises, though?"
Nanoha barked a laugh, "That's how most of us dress, aside from some playing at keeping up appearances. If you're worried I'm sure I can find you something better than," she eyed the thunderbolt decal covering Fate's front, "Shazam, for you to declare undying support for."
"Hey, I happen to like the first movie!" Fate paused, "Pass on the second."
Snickering, Nanoha scooped the blonde up, causing her to squeak as she scrabbled to get her arms around the firm column of the exec's neck. "I c-can walk!"
"Shamal would have my head," burred Nanoha into one shell pink ear, "Consider it a perk of having a head of department's undivided attention."
The nearness of her voice was doing unreasonable things to Fate's equilibrium and she was secretly glad for the ride. Heavens knew her knees were jello right now.
Depositing Fate in the bathroom to freshen up, Nanoha dug around for a fresh tee for her guest.
Hearing the bathroom door crack open before she was done, Fate panicked and made ready to yell that she wasn't decent.
"Pfwah!" Blindly throwing in the balled up garment, Nanoha bounced away, giggling to herself. Nailed right in the face by the suddenly playful exec, Fate grumbled and spat lint out of her mouth. Unfurling the tee with no little dread, she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle threatening to break free of her lips. It was a Gudetama design sprawled lazily in a puddle of goo, the words I Can't Adult Today printed below. 'Where did she get all of these tops?!'
Shaking her head, she switched out tees for the new one, this one was cut to fit and hugged her slim form in all the right places. Borrowing a pink scrunchie from a bathroom shelf, she pulled her hair back into a simple tail, wishing she had the range of motion to tie a quick braid.
A knock this time, indicating the executive was ready to go. The door opened fully at Fate's behest, and the blonde proceeded to swallow her tongue when Nanoha entered. A white halter top bikini was the only top the executive wore, her generous bust filling it more than adequately. A gauzy sarong in shades of tropical seas was knotted to the side, its split running all the way up to the woman's waist, revealing the length of one bronzed leg and the white bikini bottom she had under it. The simple pink heart from before nestled itself in the valley of her breasts, hanging now on a longer chain. The end of the heart decal seemed to draw attention down to where the exec's tight abs flexed with her every move, showing an adorable innie. Her thick auburn tresses were tamed into a side ponytail, secured with a clasp that matched the chain she wore.
Worried at her companion's silence, Nanoha frowned down at herself, "Too much?" She had just tossed on one of her usual beach ensembles.
'Goddess', Fate's mind breathed. "N-Not at all," she tore her eyes away from the vision before her, "Perfect, actually." Feeling like the woman could make a burlap sack look good, the blonde threw her a wry smile, "I only fear I'm woefully under-dressed."
"Nonsense," Nanoha gave her inner beast a mild reprieve, looking Fate over from head to toe. The blonde's dewy complexion begged to be caressed, and the playful tee she had picked out for the woman offered enticing hints to what was beneath. Her mind's eye easily recalled the lacy lingerie she had seen from the night prior and the beast within her growled, wanting to claim it all for itself.
Mustering all her lessons in civility, the auburn-haired woman said, "You look very nice, Feito-chan. I took the liberty of getting you something to stay warm in; the weather's still not all cleared."
Touched again by her thoughtfulness, Fate accepted the help to pull the zippered hoodie on. It was a simple white cotton windbreaker, with nothing but the words 'Dolce & Gabbana' ironed on to the front in gleaming black font. Understated and tasteful seemed to be Nanoha's style, and it suited her. She really liked how the woman called her 'Feito-chan', too.
Arm settled back into her sling, the exec helped her out to the garage where a small golf-cart sat, parked next to the woman's sedan. Sporting a resident sticker, Fate surmised it to be how most people living on the resort island got around, proving herself correct when Nanoha settled her into the passenger's side.