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"Do you have anything for the pain?" Rein eyed the pallor lingering under the Takamachi heir's fading tan, deducing that the woman was fighting back some massive levels of discomfort.
Shuffling tiredly to her walk-in closet, Nanoha gave Rein a wry little twitch of her lips, "Nothing on an empty stomach." And getting something to eat was the absolute last thing on her mind. Even her voice took effort to project far enough to reach her bodyguard's ears. "I'll figure things out over the weekend." Kami-willing, she would sleep right through this nightmare and wake to find the blonde her best friend again. 'Heh, fat chance.'
One-handed, she began flipping through her hangers to pull out an oversized button down shirt, figuring it would be easiest for her to change into. Wordlessly following after the stubborn executive, Rein simply helped Nanoha out of her pullover and pants. Running a critical eye over the casts, she was glad to see the woman's exertions and antics had not damaged any of them.
"Warn me the next time you want to shadowstep like that," Rein muttered, still miffed that the heir had slipped out of her grasp so easily. "Where's the fun in that?" Nanoha gave her guard a small smirk, "Sorry, by the way. I know I'm not the easiest client to have."
"That's an understatement," Rein snorted, gently removing the woman's left arm from its sling. Slipping first one arm, then the other through the sleeves of the white cotton shirt, she smoothed the starched collar down and tugged lightly on them, pulling the auburn haired beauty's lips close enough to brush her own against them. "I'll take this as thanks," she whispered, savouring the soft lushness. Allowing the kiss, Nanoha noted how her body had no reaction to the guard's closeness or warmth. It all felt so clinical, if pleasantly distracting. "We don't have anyone watching," she whispered back, amused at the bodyguard's bold liberty.
"Oh? My bad." Not sounding apologetic, Rein pulled back with a smile and helped the woman button her shirt up over the cast covering her torso. Right hand catching Rein's in mid-buttoning, Nanoha eyed the guard seriously, "You know you don't have to do this, right?"
Smile never departing from her lips, Rein patted the hand holding hers, "I know." She began securing the sling back around the woman's neck, "It's just two consenting adults having a spot of fun. Mind you, I still think you're being a huge idiot," she teased, "But who am I to complain when I get to taste these?" She ran the pad of her thumb over the woman's rosy pink lips. Piqued at being called an idiot, those lips parted and even white incisors caught her thumb, nipping on the digit stingingly.
Rein sucked in a sharp breath, surprised at the primal sensation that sped from her nipped thumb to settle low in her belly despite herself. "You're far too tempting for anyone's good," the silver haired woman murmured, swallowing when her captured digit felt an agile tongue swiping at it. "That's for calling me an idiot," the saucy heir smirked, releasing Rein's thumb from her teeth's hold.
Chuckling, the bodyguard shook her head and moved to her own luggage to look for sleepwear for herself. Returning some time later from her shower, damp hair slicked back, Rein observed the tense form lying on the large bed, the arm not in a sling flung over her eyes. Even in a cast, Rein could see the woman's breathing was uneven, the migraine refusing to grant the hurting executive surcease.
Carefully lifting the woman's cast-encased arm, Rein leaned over, studying the deep lines of tension etched in Nanoha's face, "The doctors would never have let you fly if they saw you now…"
"Are you going to tattle on me?" Her alto resembled steel on a whetstone and Nanoha felt as rough as she sounded. Slate blue eyes peered up at the towel-clad woman hovering over her from under red-tinged bangs. The corners of Rein's lips curled upwards, "Why would I," she said, cupping the Nanoha's clammy cheek and leaning even closer. She kept her voice low to avoid waking the denizens resting a level above them, "When I can do this instead?" Once more she sought out the heir's lips, covering their fullness with her own.
Nanoha struggled with her instinct urge to pull back, but the bodyguard felt warm and soft, pressing down only lightly while she held most of her weight on the arm propped to the side of the heir's face. The ice encasing Nanoha refused to thaw, but maybe a moment of mindless activity would help her forget. With a sigh, she parted her lips in capitulation and the woman above her wasted no time deepening their kiss.
Running her tongue hotly across plump softness, Rein whispered, "Leave everything to me…" Again, she tasted the sweetness of the heir's lips, drawing the woman's long tongue into the damp confines of her mouth to suck lightly on the pink appendage. Refusing to listen, because why would she? Nanoha encircled the woman's bare waist with her arm, breaking the kiss to trail nibbling kisses across the woman's angular jawline. The towel that had been wrapped about her bodyguard's fit frame had disappeared and Rein arched over the executive, straddling one lean thigh to press her rapidly heating centre onto the large muscle found there. She bit her lip and stared down at the woman beneath her, darkened eyes revealing a certain determination to take the executive's mind off of her pain.
Gasping quietly when sharp teeth found her earlobe to nibble on, Rein dug her fingers into the woman's auburn tresses, groaning into another heated kiss when Nanoha tensed the leg beneath her. Spreading her legs wider, Rein dragged her slick core over the executive's thigh. "You… You never listen, do you?" Rein panted, her hands tangling in silken locks to pull the executive's mouth to her breasts.
"Wouldn't be as fun," Nanoha murmured before enclosing one ruched nipple with her lips. Immediately pursing them, she drew hard on the diamond-tipped point, forcing Rein to choke back a cry. The woman was arching again, inviting further attentions to the chest thrust into Nanoha's face while she ground down on the muscle between her legs, coating the executive's thigh with the creamy evidence of her arousal.
How foolish to think she could tame the sleeping leopard, thought Rein in the depths of her pleasure-soaked mind. She could feel the brush of the executive's fringe dragging across her front, and when teeth sank hard into her other nipple, her body bowed and shuddered, dampening her seat even further.
Nanoha held the shaking form with the one arm she did not have in a sling. "Come up here," she ordered into the panting woman's ear, "I want to taste my reward." Swallowing a throat gone dry, Rein gulped down her breaths, struggling to recover and comply. Unsticking still-throbbing flesh from the woman's leg, she carefully crawled up, twisting the executive's long auburn hair up and to the side before planting her knees on either side of the woman's face. She bit her lip at the glittering sapphires trailing a palpably felt look up her body.
Nanoha's hooded gaze admired the tight lines of the bodyguard's body as the woman drew up to loom high above the executive's supine form. "Lower," she commanded, nostrils flaring at the scent of a clean and ready female. Chest heaving, Rein allowed herself to sink even lower, knees spread to the point where she was pressed completely to Nanoha's mouth. The long tongue she had previously sucked on unerringly found its way to her entrance, forcing a choked breath past a throat desperately fighting to remain as quiet as possible.
Nanoha found her face coated in fresh cream as the woman shivered once more, the delightfully rough walls spasming around the tongue the Japanese woman had buried deep inside of her bodyguard.
"I perform better with an audience."
Her one free hand cupped Rein's bottom right cheek, the blunt claws of her nails dragging pink lines across their pale roundness. Tongue slipping out momentarily while the woman recovered from yet another peak, she whispered into the achingly hard nub seated at the apex of the woman's sex, "How sharp are your people's hearing?" She asked the woman writhing over her face, every word spoken agitating the sensitive bundle of nerves over her lips, "I bet they can hear you panting like a bitch in heat…" Sealing her lips around that little nub, Nanoha dragged the flat of her tongue over the imprisoned bit of flesh, slowly drawing circles after as her fingers clamped into her guard's tight rear, further pressing the woman harder into her mouth.
Rein tore a hand from where her fingers had been pulling at the executive's hair to clap it over her mouth, muffling the cries that threatened to escape her keening throat. Bucking hard onto the mouth that held her prisoner, she pulled painfully at the hair in her other hand. "Nngh! Mmmph! Hngghhh!" That tongue was inside of her again, scooping out more of her essence as she ground herself down, rocking on that beautiful face between her thighs, a face whose cheeks and chin were bathed in her gleaming juices. The idea of the other women in the apartment hearing Rein was a major turn on, the executive guessed.
Trembling at the precipice, hips working desperately to mash her aching sex onto the tongue fucking her so thoroughly, she felt lips peeling back to allow sharp incisors to scrape delicately across her throbbing nub and Rein was lost. Drenching the face under her, the silver haired woman bit hard into the fist stuffed in her mouth, trying but failing to hold back her moans of mind numbing ecstasy.
The devilish hand on her buttock continued to guide her shudders, the executive's suckling lips and lapping tongue working to clean up as much cream as she could reach, further prolonging Rein's peak until the woman slumped over the bed's headboard, utterly drained.
That agile tongue was refusing to allow her rest and Rein felt her intimates twitching each time Nanoha found yet another spot to clean. 'God, I'm seeing spots…' Rein thought while she attempted to gather herself, still gulping huge mouthfuls of air. Gingerly peeling herself from that faintly smirking face, she wriggled back down Nanoha's body, taking extreme care not to jostle any injured portions of her. Brushing back auburn bangs slightly damp from her own exertions, Rein was glad to see the executive looking better.
Nanoha felt the softly inviting touch trailing over her hip, Rein's hand brushing over her thinly-clad mons to run a teasing nail down the crease she found. Reaching down to capture the hand wanting to reciprocate, she drew it up to press a kiss to the bodyguard's fingers. "It's fine," she assured Rein, reading the surprise in crimson eyes that were not the ones she yearned to see over her. Hiding the hollowness she felt inside, she dredged up a genuinely grateful smile for the woman, "Could you get the covers over me?"
Seeing that the woman truly did not require the favour returned, Rein dropped a kiss to the smooth skin of her forehead, "Let me get my weapons and I'll tuck you in." Nodding, Nanoha threw her hand over her eyes once more, needing the sleeve of her shirt to soak up any tears leaking past her lids.
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Morning had broken on Fate's first, remembered morning in Singapore, and it was something she wished she could forget along with the rest of the over two years she had lost. Things she had overheard the night before coming from the lower level of the apartment made sleep an elusive thing, and she felt less rested than when she had going to bed.
She could tell her guards were already up, showered and dressed. They had kept the glass panels dimmed, likely having heard her tossing through the night. The smell of coffee permeated the air, telling Fate that someone amongst them shared a similar taste for the brew in the morning as she did.
The digital clock on her bedside table read a whopping five past ten in the morning, and the blonde felt as if she had not slept a wink. Though the women below had tried to be discreet, Fate could still make out the sounds of Rein being pleasured quite thoroughly once the lights were out. Torn between despair and arousal to imagine the woman her past self loved doing… similar things to Fate, the blonde had brought herself to a joyless release under the covers of her own blankets, eventually crying herself to sleep at some stupid hour in the morning.
Did the her of now love the executive? It was difficult to separate the intense emotions engendered by her memories, from what she felt now. She knew she had enjoyed what time she had spent visiting Nanoha in the hospital, the woman's frightening injuries aside. Not to mention the consideration shown to her when she had arrived one morning to find a spare bed and a ridiculously pricey chair waiting for her in the ICU ward. That Nanoha had bothered still warmed her to her very toes. The excuse the cool executive had given being something about her spine and posture.
Was she just being misguided by the woman's natural instinct to be attentive to someone who was spending time to visit her? Every so often, glimpses of the vibrant personality would slip through the Takamachi's heir's facade, captivating Fate with the depth of the woman's warmth and thoughtfulness. No, even before remembering anything, Fate had felt drawn to the grievously damaged woman lying encased in tubes, wires and bandages. Her mind may have holes, but the hole in her heart knew only one thing that would fill it, and it was Nanoha-shaped.
But what then, were her choices? She worked directly under the woman in the chain of command, which surely meant that any fraternising was forbidden. The Takamachi heir clearly had issues being in the same room as her too, as shown by how quickly she disappeared once she was done saying whatever she needed to say.
It almost made Fate hate that Nanoha was recovered enough to move around on her own.
Finally, there was Rein Eins, the beautifully competent head of ESSS who had captured Nanoha's attention. This was all working towards giving her another headache and rather than allowing the day to go to waste, Fate squared her jaw and forced herself out of bed. One thing at a time. She needed to unpack her belongings and get things cleaned so she could get back to work. Not that Miss Hayate had said she had to, but so she would not have to be in the apartment while Nanoha and Rein…
She brushed impatiently at her eyes and got started on her morning ablutions.
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Fate padded listlessly around the unfamiliar floor of her apartment, finding the remote control to partially undim the glass panels of the second level, revealing a sparkling seaside vista that stretched into the horizon. It was beautifully peaceful, a marked contrast to the emotions swirling around inside herself. Sighing, the blonde smiled a small but cordial greeting to the women gathered around the kitchen island, sipping their preferred morning brews respectively. Ginga was enjoying a mug of green tea while Edel sucked religiously at her freshly brewed coffee.
The shadows under Ginga's eyes were probably a match for Fate's own, the woman refusing to meet her eyes while she buried her nose in her mug and caught up on whatever she was reading on her phone's screen. Edel was probably the only one amongst the three of them who had had a decent night's rest, the strawberry blonde stiffening to attention when she caught sight of the princess approaching them.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Fate still had her hair up in a towel, having taken a hot shower to try and wash away the grimy feeling of what she had heard, and done, the night before. Dressed in a Gudetama tee and plain black shorts, Edel thought the royal looked absolutely adorable in spite of the bags under her wine-shaded eyes. "G-Good morning Miss Fate. C-Coffee?" The new guard knew how sound carried in the apartment and kept her voice as soft as she could to avoid disturbing the inhabitants on the lower floor. 'Bet she heard what was going on last night, too. Ginga certainly did,' Fate thought morosely.
"Morning," the royal murmured, refusing to add a 'good' to the usual phrase. "Yes please, thank you." Recklessly adding unreasonable amounts of milk and sugar to the cup handed to her, Fate stuck her own nose into her drink. At last, verdant eyes slipped to the side, catching hers. That pained look told Fate all she needed to know, and somehow it felt comforting to be sharing the misery with her bodyguard.
Edel was wholly unaffected, if confused to learn her boss was sleeping with a client. Granted, the client was pretty though Edel's tastes were for more contained in this icy princess who was grace personified in her eyes.
"We were going to order some take-out to be delivered," the younger guard whispered, flipping her phone to show Fate the food delivery app they were using, "Here, pick what you want."
"Any room in the order for us?" All three women turned to the new voice. Rein had somehow climbed the stairs to their level without any of them catching on. Not that the guards were surprised - there were reasons why the woman was good enough to start her own security firm. But it was the use of 'us' and the woman being dressed in nothing but a crumpled, long-sleeved shirt that set Fate's teeth on edge. Was it her imagination or did Rein have bite marks on her neck and ear?
Stammering an affirmative, Edel sought to control her volume when Rein lifted one finger up to shush her subordinate. 'Who died and made her Nanoha's nurse?' Fate thought crankily.
With that same finger, Rein scrolled through the menu selections, picking out something for herself and Nanoha. Fate had yet to make a choice and waited to get the cellphone back. She noticed the woman had ordered a hearty stew for the executive and could not fault the choice. Picking out a barely sufficient salad for herself, since her appetite had disappeared a week or more ago, Fate passed the device back to Edel and turned to get her hair dried.
"Ginga, please forward the address of this apartment to me. I have some orders to make," Fate tossed coolly over her shoulder as she departed and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door after her. Soon, the noise of a hair-dryer could be heard.
Rein had remained, helping herself to some of the coffee upstairs. Verdant eyes scanned the silver haired bodyguard with some contempt. She could see the weapons strapped to the woman's arms and legs, hardly concealed now. At least she seemed to still be taking her job seriously. But…
"No coffee below?" Ginga asked the woman whose back was turned to her. Turning to lean back against the kitchen counter, Rein sipped calmly at her brew. Eyes some shades paler than the royal Ginga and Edel were in charge of guarding eyed the Japanese woman in mild amusement, "I didn't want to risk waking Nanoha. She's had a rough few days."
"Yea? And last night was meant to help?" The youngest of the three, Edel, gaped slightly at Ginga and tried to shush her. The Japanese woman was not having it, however, her narrowed eyes pinning Rein where she lounged. The woman had a languid air of relaxation about her, obviously enjoying the afterglow, and Ginga had caught a whiff of sex coming from her boss who had not bothered showering after her activities last night.
Rein took her time savouring another sip of her coffee, to do otherwise would be sacrilege towards her first and only cup of the day. Finally, she deigned to answer the quietly fuming Nakajima, "Yes." Ginga blinked, expecting the woman to obfuscate with some thinly-veiled excuse. The simple answer was stark and unadorned.
Ginga scoffed, "Surely you can't believe that…"
"When have I not?" Rein asked her subordinate, expression serious. Speechless, the lavender haired woman stared at her boss. The woman approached everything she did with meticulous care and deliberation, it was actually why Ginga had joined the agency in the first place. Rein had reminded her of Nanoha, albeit a less… wounded version of her.
The guilt for her past actions continued to eat at her, which made it difficult for the Nakajima woman to openly approach the executive. She had done her best to keep her jealousy in check, but to bed the woman so openly in the apartment with the rest of them present went way beyond any lines her boss had drawn. 'Hadn't Rein threatened to send me packing if I couldn't keep things professional?'
So was this just another facet of her work for Nanoha? What Ginga had assumed to be an unprofessional fling was unwillingly shaping up to be something more, if what she knew of the woman still held true. "It's hurting Fate," she blurted, feeling protective of whom she had assumed would be her rival for Nanoha's attentions.
The silver haired woman took another calm sip. "Fate isn't the only one," Rein informed Ginga, refusing to elaborate further despite the curious glances from both of her employees. Lifting her mug in a silent toast, Rein made her way back down the stairs, "Edel, stay with Fate. Ginga, please watch Nanoha while I shower."
Unable to refuse her boss, Ginga nodded shortly and followed after Rein. Taking her cue from the Singaporean woman, she kept her movements as quiet as possible, realising why they had to when she came upon the executive resting in the shaded alcove of the first level. She wanted to be annoyed that Nanoha was dressed similarly to Rein, but her initial impulse was waylaid by the lines of tension etched in the woman's face, even in her sleep.
Sitting on the side of the bed, Ginga leaned over to pull the covers over the executive's shoulders. Her thick lashes were clumped and the Japanese guard wondered if she had been crying. What was Rein doing with her ex-lover that necessitated her boss crossing a line Ginga had never seen her cross before?
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Fate tied up her hair into a high ponytail, utilising the pink scrunchie that had followed her from her first day in St. Luke's until now. Fully undimming the second level's glass panels, she allowed herself a small measure of happiness just to have sunlight streaming into her temporary abode.
"You live near the sea." A memory of a memory, and Fate shook her head at the irony of her life now. Did that mean she had visited the executive here before? She pondered upon the almost fearful look Nanoha had when she had asked what all else Fate could remember. "This is getting me nowhere fast," Fate grumbled to herself.
"I'm sorry, Miss Fate?" Edel poked her head into the walk-in closet, thinking Fate had called for her. The blonde gave the new guard a small smile and shook her head, "Just talking to myself." The guard lingered in the doorway, "Anything I can do for you, just let me know. I'm here to help."
The girl seemed so eager to assist, and Fate was reminded of Erio and Caro. Feeling every single one of her years, plus the almost three she had forgotten, the royal nodded and thanked the woman. She made a note to get in contact with the Midchildan couple later. Instead, she pulled out her phone and dialled a number at the top of her contact list.
"Fate! Oh my gods, are you okay?" The familiar sound of her friend was soothing. 'I should have called her earlier. I've been too distracted with Nanoha.'
"Hey, Alph. I'm all right." She hesitated, "You heard about what my mother did?"
"Er, some. TSAB's CEO actually called me." Hedging her words, Alph coughed, "She didn't know everything either, but said you'd been grabbed in Tokyo, and some stuff happened to your memory?" 'That's it, keep it to questions, let her do the answering.'
Alph paced nervously around her apartment, she hated trying to hide things from her friend, but the CEO had been clear that any shocks to Fate's psyche could have catastrophic consequences. She sucked at lying to her old Head Prefect, was her worry.
Pushing the luggage she had packed in her trashed apartment outside, Fate flipped over the clamshell and began sorting through the mess, "The last memory had when I woke up was our chat about booking our flights to Singapore together."
Alph was silent for a moment, mentally calculating the time, "Damn, Fate."
"Mmm, it's been very surreal. I'm glad we're still friends."
Voice softening, Alph made a sound of agreement, "Always. You're back in Singapore?"
"Landed last night," Fate confirmed, "My place was a mess, again."
Alph cursed long and loud, "I'm sorry, Fate."
The blonde sorted her clothes in piles according to colour and whether they needed dry cleaning, "I don't remember my apartment so… it was actually less upsetting than it could have been."
"...I guess there are silver linings. Where are you staying then?"
Fate's hands stilled for a moment, "I… Well, I landed with my boss, and she saw what happened. Told me to pack and move in with her." Fate had been taken aback by the vitriolic swearing the executive had displayed when she had first run into the blonde's apartment. One moment, she had been standing next to Fate in the lift lobby, the next, she was through the doorway and cursing up a storm. It was more emotion than she had ever seen her boss allow past her mask of stoicism. Well, aside from that time she thought she was speaking to someone else entirely. Someone she had called Tenshi, or Angel.
"...WHAT?! But Hayate said…"
"Hmm? What did she say?"
Alph snapped her mouth closed. 'Shit!' "Er, nothing, just that she consulted with a doctor about your memory loss."
Fate frowned, uncertain if she liked the thought of strangers talking about her condition. 'Face it, Fate, almost everyone is a stranger to you, right now.' Lilting soprano resigned, she prodded her friend, "What did the doctor say?"
"J-Just that you got really bad headaches and can faint trying to remember stuff, so it was best that you stayed on a TSAB property that Miss Hayate was preparing for you as per your company insurance. For safety."
Alph could hear her friend's heavy sigh, "Yes. That's in the condominium my boss already lives in. I've been put on the second level." She slapped the cushioned floor she was sitting cross-legged on, "Everything here is padded. I could turn psychotic and still not be able to hurt myself," she joked.
"But then… that means Na… er, your boss is there, too?" Fate frowned, was Alph about to call her boss by her name?
"Well, yes, it would have been rude to evict her just because of my 'condition'." Alph could hear the formal way Fate referred to the executive. Hayate was right, she truly did not remember the woman at all. Recalling their interactions that afternoon when Alph was introduced to the woman, the scientist felt for the White Devil. It could not be easy to suddenly 'unexist' in a friend's life. She tried to imagine being forgotten by her oldest friend and found it difficult to even fathom how Nanoha must feel.
And still the woman had immediately told the person who had forgotten her, to just pack up and move into her apartment. Obviously for her safety, since Alph also remembered the secure compound the woman lived in. She knew there had been plans to move Fate somewhere safer, just not where that safer place was.
Alph's silence felt out of place to Fate. The woman was usually far chattier. Had she forgotten so much that her friend's newfound circumspection had also been forgotten? "You're quiet," she commented.
"I was just trying to imagine what if you had forgotten I existed," Alph admitted honestly.
"I'm glad I haven't. I don't know anything about Testarossa Inc. in Singapore, though. Or how I ended up in TSAB." Alph could hear the helplessness in her princess' voice and it took a lot of effort to not to spill what little she knew.
Instead, she gave a weak laugh, "Ah, well, you know me. I just stick with the nerdy side of things…"
"So even you don't know?"
Caught and unable to lie entirely to the person who had known her for over two decades, Alph prevaricated as best she could, "Um, well, the week TI was acquired by TSAB, that Takamachi woman came by the offices. I heard from Jane at the reception that you had a kind of stand-off with her." Crossing her fingers, she prayed Fate would not ask for more.
In the middle of folding some business slacks, Fate glanced over at her cellphone which she had set to speaker phone to free up her hands. "I did? I suppose I wouldn't have been happy." She knew Nanoha could be intimidating. Gods, that chat she had with Ginga when she had thought Fate was asleep was an indelible memory in her mind, the air was fairly crackling with the intensity the prone woman had spoken with.
And Fate had faced the woman down when they had first met? She marvelled at her past self's gumption.
Feeling the subject safe enough, Alph warmed to it, "I saw your face when you were showing her to the labs. You were pissed. I couldn't hear what all you said, but she wasn't budging an inch either."
The blonde lapped up all the information Alph was sharing. This was more than the close-lipped executive had revealed in the week of visits she had paid the woman. It seemed innocuous enough, and Fate wondered why she had to hear it from a third party and not Nanoha herself.
"I remember it was Friday, and we were all expecting to lose our jobs by Monday. I saw you after she, that is, the White Devil left." Fate stopped Alph there, "Who is this White Devil you keep talking about?"
"Oh, right, even then you weren't familiar with her nickname. It's what Takamachi is known as - TSAB's White Devil. If she showed up at your company, expect everyone to be fired and the organisation picked apart for scraps."
So that was how it was. It sounded ruthless and unforgiving. Why had she felt it a good idea to apply for a job in the woman's department?
Alph continued, "That's how I ended up in TI, remember? Lost my job at my last place because of her. Anyway, I asked you what happened and you told me she'd given you forty-eight hours to find a way for everyone to keep their jobs. Then Monday came around and it was just you and Alicia who were gone, the rest of us were still on the TI payroll."
Fate pinched the bridge of her nose while she wrapped her head around the entire explanation Alph was sharing, "So sis and I were out of a job, and then I had a job again?"
"Pretty much." Alph's confirmation only served to offer up another buffet of questions for the blonde to pick from. How had she heard about the position? Did she apply for it on her own, or…
"Why did you fire yourself?" The scent of chamomile and peppermint invaded her senses, an impression of deep blue eyes searching hers, and the garment she had been holding up dropped from fingers gone numb as she crumpled to the ground beside her open luggage.
"Ugh… Alph…" Groaning, she wrapped her aching head protectively in her arms.
"Fate? FATE!"
Hearing a voice yelling the princess' name, Edel came rushing over from outside the closet, "Miss Fate?!"
Gasping through the sudden sharp pain, Fate took gulping breaths, blinking away tears. "I'm fine," she panted, "I just need a moment…" She felt herself being lifted and moved to her bed. Edel was carrying her, and the woman's arms felt unfamiliar. Wait? There were arms that were familiar?
It was too much. "Th-Thank you. My phone…" Edel leapt to grab the blonde's phone, hastily placing it into cold fingers that closed around the device by instinct. The hand accepting the phone shook.
"I see why the TSAB CEO did what she did…" Alph's sombre voice came through tinnily over the phone's small speakers. 'And why Nanoha asked everyone not to bring up your friendship with her. Damn.'
The strawberry blonde shifted from foot to foot, worried at how pale the fair blonde looked, but the woman seemed to be functioning, if at a reduced capacity. A sound near the stairs drew the guard's attention and she crouched down, an extendable baton in her hand. Blinking, she recognised it was the other client and slowly rose from her crouch.
"Miss Takamachi?" Alph's ears perked. Nanoha was there?
Ginga arrived a split second after, huffing and glaring at the executive who had gone from slumber to fully awake and taking steps three at a time to reach the top. Ignoring all extraneous distractions, the Takamachi heir brushed past Edel to reach the blonde's bedside in a few quick strides. Shadowed blue studied the distressed woman, her right hand slipping under Fate's fringe to check on her temperature, then lower to feel the pulse under her jaw.
It took a moment for Fate to realise the hand touching her belonged to the Takamachi heir. The woman's palm was crossed with her cast, the slightly roughened surface tickling as the touch moved from face to throat. "Fate-san?" Alto deep from the husk of recent sleep, the voice was laced with concern. Gooseflesh sprang up wherever she felt the woman's touch and Fate's scrambled mind fought against her body's reaction.
"I said I was fine!" She yelled. Freezing, the hand immediately withdrew and the feeling of the woman hovering close by retreated. Eyes flying open, Fate caught a flash of hurt in the eyes that had been staring down at her before they looked away.
"Apologies," Nanoha muttered, stepping away from the bed. Body held stiffly, Nanoha addressed Ginga. "I am… also fine. Please remain with Fate-san." Turning quickly, the heir departed almost as swiftly as she had arrived.