One Short Day (Fa'raazhin Azhani)

[Anactoria IV]

"Oh my," said the gray haired old woman across the stall from Anactoria as she studied the princess's palm. "You have a monumental decision before you. The consequences of which would be felt for generations and generations! Indeed, the whole world world may be affected by this one choice!"

Princess Anactoria Sapphis, the Fourth by That Name, and heir to the throne of the empire of Terre de Conte, rolled her blue-gold eyes. "Yes, of this I am aware," she said patiently. "But what does it say about my -- ah -- love life?"

The woman reading her palm at the modest outdoor stall in the New River district , looked up at the young woman she was speaking with. Though she was old, there nothing wrong with her vision. The fact that she did not recognize Anactoria only proved the cleverness of her disguise. Gone were the fancy but modest gowns or dresses, jeweled tiaras, as well as the soft shoes that would not last more than a few minutes beyond the castle walls. In their place was a presentable but well- worn peasant dress, the hem of which fell to her knees. It was a bit to breezy for her tastes, bit serves it primary function well -- few people were looking at her face with her thin but shapely legs on display. It also helped that the top of said dress was perhaps a but smaller than she ought to have been wearing, and that tightness accentuated by the leather bodice she was wearing over her chest.

Her hair had proven problematic, its shine and body did not exactly scream 'everyday girl'. But she found a solution in the form of Azhani's scarf on her vanity, the only evidence that the other woman had even been in her room that she had able to find the following morning. It was now serving as a simple hair wrap, tied over her head like a flat bonnet, hiding almost all of her dark tresses, save for the few locks that sipped out the rear and flowed down her back.

"You want to know about your love life?" the woman asked in disbelief.

"If you would," was Anactopris's reply.

The woman looked back at the princess palm. This inspection was much shorter than before, and she all but trusted Anactoria's hand away. "I don't see anything. You may never find love."

Aanctoria's jaw dropped, but she soon recovered. "Well, we shall see about that!" Despite the questionable quality of her fortunetelling, the princess reached to the pouch tied to her side, having every intention pf paying the old woman for her services, such as they were.

She had given the woman one more copper than she had asked, and was about to tie her money pouch back to her side when a man bumped into her, mumbled an apology and continued on his way. Anactoria shrugged her shoulders at this, then made to complete her knot -- to discover her hands were now empty.

The princes spun around, sending her dress flaring about her legs as she looked for the man who had bumped into her, but the crowd was thick. She thought she saw some one who looked like him and without thinking about how much of bad idea it would be, immediately gave chase. She called out for help a few times, but was largely ignored. It seemed her disguise was actually working too well...

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani slowly sipped her drink as she watched the incognito princess. She'd been watching her for over an hour now. The girl seemed to be having herself quite the adventure. She was thoroughly enjoying herself as a commoner. Actually, as she ran her eyes up and down Anactoria's well displayed body, Azhani was starting to think she enjoyed her more as a commoner than the princess did.

She hid within a group of pirates, standing near a weapons vendor. It was hard to tell exactly what Anactoria was doing now through the crowd, but she was still able to keep an eye on her. Actually, it had been quite easy the whole time.

Azhani had left her scarf on purpose. She'd intended it to be a sort of keepsake, but she'd never dreamed her plan would work out this well. It was rather careless of her actually, Azhani thought, to walk around so casually in someone else's clothing. She would certainly bring it to the imperial princess's attention later. Yes, later... Azhani was still working on what she was going to do. She could hardly approach Anactoria with a knife to her throat again. She required a much more subtle entrance, and while the opportunity had presented itself multiple times already, Azhani had found it more satisfying just to watch her.

Azhani started slowly making her way towards the princess. Though she had no intention of getting close enough to speak to her, she kept a close eye on her. It was only then that she realized the girl was getting a palm reading. Cute. In spite of her sharp ears, she couldn't tune in to the princess's particular conversation. There were too many noises. Azhani began walking away, towards another vendor parallel to the one Anactoria was sitting at. She began rustling through the items, making sure she was standing in a position where Anactoria was never out of her sight, but she didn't look preoccupied to any onlookers. She still couldn't hear their conversation any better, but she could see a bit better.

She could see a thief.

Azhani knew the kind all too well. The man was rather skilled. Unfortunately, she was more skilled. By the time Anactoria had noticed her money had gone missing, the man had slipped into the crowd, but he hadn't escaped Azhani's gaze. She casually walked towards the man. She pushed another man into him before bumping into him herself and reclaiming the imperial princess's property. Azhani bounced the pouch up and down in her hand as she turned and watch the thief pursue the man that had bumped into him before. With a satisfied grin, she turned to find Princess Anactoria...gone.

The fool girl was already running and screaming after another man. Sighing, Azhani turned down an alley and raced in the direction Anactoria had been running in. As soon as another alley presented itself going back towards the path Anactoria had been running down, she quickly ducked into it and searched the crowd for the princess. It wasn't hard. She was the one screaming and wearing her red scarf. It seemed Azhani had overestimated the princess's athleticism and found herself quite a ways in front of her. Walking towards the princess, she purposely put herself in the girl's way and caught her by the shoulders as she came crashing into her. "You should be careful where you're going, princess," she leaned down to whisper.

[Anactoria IV]

Oh, how she cursed her height that day. Were she a little taller, she might have been able to see over instead of around people as thief weaved his way nimbly though the crowd. Plus she was fairly certain that longer legs might make for a better stride when it came to running.

Alas, wishes were most certainly not horses this day, and she found herself lagging further and further behind her quarry. Naturally she sped up, and that when she noticed a critical flaw her upbringing, specifically in her many self-defense instructions.

Simply put, Anactoria was out of breath. She may have been in excellent physical shape and knew how to handle a dagger, block or turn aside a blow or two or eight, the one thing she had not been trained on or conditioned for was endurance. She had long since stopped screaming since she was too busy trying to breathe, and her legs were actually beginning to burn.

By the time she slammed into Azhani, she was almost grateful; it gave her a moment to catch her breath. And speaking of slamming into her –

Anactora saw the figure step into her way with enough time to realize what was about to happen but not enough to stop it. The breathless shrilly-yelled apology died on her lips at the time of impact, devolving into an “Oof” that as she tried to brace the impact with her arms, even as her face was pretty much planted into the other person's chest.

Not just a person, but a woman. A taller, lean, and strong and tan woman with a welcome and familiar scent that her hyperventilation could not help but notice.

Then there was a whisper in her ear and it all clicked. Pushing herself back a step she looked up into Azhani's face. “I --” she tried, still breathing rather hard and unconsciously gripping Azhani's arm for support as her aching legs struggled to hold her. “You --” she tied again. She forced herself to take a slower, deeper breath. “Thief,” she gasped out. “Took coin purse. Help."

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani smiled. She rather liked having Anactoria's head in her bosom, but the feeling was short lived. Moving her head, however, did not stop the princess from clinging to Azhani's arm. The tan woman smiled and stroked Anactoria's arm comfortingly.

She had to admit, she was rather cute like this. The other night, she'd seemed so strong and confident, but here she was now huffing and puffing after only a short run. Of course, what was a sprint to Azhani could have very well been a marathon for Anactoria.

Azhani raised a brow as Anactoria tried to formulate a coherent sentence. Though she succeeded only in spewing out fragments that would make any royal speech tutor cringe, she certainly gained merit for trying. "You mean this one?" Azhani asked, lifting the purse she'd retrieved from the thief. She felt like a bonafied knight in shining armor, come to save the princess in her time of need. Though, she had reclaimed it in a less than honorable manner... But that wasn't important. All that mattered was that she had done it.

Azhani smirked as she casually ran her fingertips over Anactoria's cheek. "You're being a bit careless, don't you think, princess? First, you run off wearing my scarf, and then you get pickpocketed? Why, you should have some sort of...overseer with you. A guardian." Not that she didn't have one already. Inadvertantly, she had filled that role. Azhani had been watching Anactoria since the moment she spotted her (or rather, her scarf) outside of the palace, and sure enough, as soon as misfortune struck her, Azhani had interfered to assist her. Did this mean she was now...good?

It was almost a scary thought. Azhani had spent most of her life on the wrong side of the law, defying people like Anactoria. Well...that wasn't entirely true. She'd never met anyone like Anactoria before, especially no one of royalty. Of course, given that she spent more time in the homes of the wealthy and politically empowered robbing them blind than getting to know them, that may not have been saying much.

[Anactoria IV]

Anactoria's face burned. First it was from the embarrassment of being discovered, then for the indignation at the insinuation that she was incapable of taking care of herslef.

"I -- can--" she huffed, still out of breath, but recovering quickly. "Take -- care -- of myself!" she insisted. She relaized she was holding onto Azhani's arm for support and quickly dropped her hand.

With a degrees of quickness that at least spoke to some martial skill, Anactoria snatched her purse back from Azhani, and tied it back into its place. "She then crossed her arms over her chest as she looked the taller woman dead in the face. "I am -- very cross -- with you," she said flatly though still a tad breathless. "You weren't there -- when I -- woke up. I honestly thought -- I had dreamed -- the whole meeting up. Until I found -- your scarf." She taped the item lightly with the fingers of her right hand. True she was cross, but the logical part of her mind knew why the forien princess had not been there. Not that she was going to admit it. Besides this was her walkabout; she'd didn't have to act like a princess for a few hours.

"I had -- questions for you. Things -- I wanted to know." She looked around for a moment. While they had not attracted a crowd, there were getting a few stares. Stares were not good.

"Maybe this not -- the most opportune place for this conversation," she said slowly. She seized Azhani's arm again and beamed a smile at the one to two people still looking at her, who shrugged and went about their business. "Let us get off the street," she suggested in a low whisper.

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani drunk in the blushing face of the princess. It was beautiful. Not purely physical beauty, of course - not that it lacked any - but simple fact that she was so easy to rile up. From what little she knew of Anactoria, neither of them was any older than the other, but as far as Azhani was concerned, there were ages between them.

Again, Azhani felt rather disappointed when she found herself bereft of Anactoria's touch. She wished that she would hold her arm all day, though she couldn't say that her intentions were half as pure as what Anactoria's might have been. Azhani looked completely unphased by the tirade. She blinked once or twice, then casually looked Anactoria up and down, almost as if she weren't paying attention. Almost. Boldly - as she always was - Azhani stroked Anactoria's cheek with that ever-present smirk. "Come, princess, what's a relationship without a little mystery? Intrigue. You agree, don't you?"

She paused as Anactoria did and scanned the crowd. Personally, Azhani didn't mind a few onlookers, but then again, her role was usually relegated to the shadows. Making a spectacle of herself was neither wise nor enjoyable for the desert princess. Having Anactoria back on her arm and smiling, however, was enjoyable. Very much so.

Azhani played along, smiling and nuzzling the top of Anactoria's head. "As you wish, princess," she whispered. She held Anactoria's arm. On the surface, it was just a convincing act, but it only satisfied Azhani's desire for contact with the princes. That, and, of course, attempting to see her make yet another cute face. Azhani led the pair into a rather suspicious looking alley. No one with any sense would be there. "For a princess who can handle herself, this should be just fine for privacy, shouldn't it?"

[Anactoria IV]

Reflexively, Anactoria gripped onto Azhani's arm a little tighter as they entered the alley. "Well," she said carefully, proud that her voice did not shake from apprehension. "I will agree that it is unlikely anyone will follow us. I would feel better were I armed though. Alas, if I brought my own daggers, they would give me away before I could utter word one."

The princess did finally release Azhani's arm, then but stayed close. So close in fact, that she had to look up to see the other woman's face. "I thank you for retrieving my purse. While I may technically have no 'need' of it, its loss would have brought my -- ah -- walkabout to a premature halt. These outings are so rare, and becoming more so, I would have hated to have squandered a day. So I thank you, your highness."

The curtsy that followed was so slight a brief a thing that if one were to blink they would have missed it. "Though, it does beg the question how you happened to be in the right place at the right time. Given the length you have already gone to command my attention, I see two possibilities. One: the theft was staged so you may swoop in and 'save' me. Or two: -- and I am more confident in this one -- you've been keeping tabs on me from afar for at least a portion of the day. I am not certain if I should be flattered or worried. You certainly keep me off balance, princess."

There was hint of laughter in Anactoria's eyes as she said that, even if it did not show in her voice.

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani crossed her arms as Anactoria released her. "It was my pleasure," she answered. Though, it was odd for her to be called "your highness." Back home, no one referred to her as royalty. They either called her leader or Azhani.

Azhani smiled. "You're very smart, princess. I like that." She began circling the princess, dragging her finger across her shoulder. "Well, one: You can stop calling me princes. This is far from a formal meeting, isn't it?" She stopped, standing so close that their bodies would touch simply from inhaling. She smiled as she stared into Anactoria's eyes. "Please, call me Azhani."

She paused a second before turning around and taking a few steps towards the wall. "And two: It's two." She turned back to face the princess. "I told you, you're wearing my scarf." She smiled and walked back to Anactoria. "And while it does look beautiful on you, I can tell it from any other red scarf in the word. Initially, I'd followed you with the intention of asking for it back, but..." She smiled. "Well, you looked happy, I could hardly bring myself to ruin your day. I was already coming towards you when that thief approached you. I didn't want him to ruin your day either."

Azhani put her hand on Anactoria's shoulder. "I know what it's like to want tojust...get out. You should enjoy these little adventures. Forget what others tell you. Spending time with your people can only make you a better ruler, can't it?" She smiled wickedly. "Take it from a thief, following the rules is extremely overrated."

[Anactoria IV]

Don't shiver at her touch, Anactoria told herslef. Don't shiver at her touch, dont, dont, dont. She blushed from her hairline to her neckline, but managed to suppress the shudder.

There was something... dangerous about the way the taller woman circled her while touching her. The liberties she took with her personal space. It was all kind of a rush, and her inner curiosity yearned for more, while her rational mind saw it for what it was -- Trouble with a capital T -- and tried to pull her back. It was losing struggle.

"I'll call you Azhani if you'll call me Annie," she said only when she was sure of her voice. "At least when I'm on these little walkabouts of mine."

Azhani's touch was electric, even the simple hand on her shoulder. Her reactions surprised her. The woman broke into her room, admits to being thief and a killer, stalks her, invades her space, and all Aanctoria could think about what how blue her eyes were and if she could hear her heart thundering in her chest.

"What's Ha'zhansin mean?" she asked suddenly, even as she danced a few paces away from the hand on her shoulders, hoping to throw Azhani off guard for once.

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Annie. She liked that. "Alright." A cute name for a cute princess. Azhani wanted her in every sense of the word. She wanted her body. She wanted her power and influence. She wanted her for the sake of having her. There was no rhyme or reason; she simply wanted her. But every second she spent with Anactoria, every cute little reaction Azhani pried from her, she wanted her less for her kingdom and more for herself.

Azhani's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the foreign word shaped by Anactoria's lips - foreign to her anyway. Azhani was all too conscious of its meaning. She'd wondered about it the night she'd been with Anactoria; the princess had muttered it in her sleep. Azhani didn't sleep. She'd been awake and had heard it. At the moment, it had meant nothing, but Azhani had always intended to bring it up later. For Anactoria to bring it up first...

Azhani leaned against the wall behind her and crossed her arms. "You're not familiar with...my country, are you, Annie?" She paused for a moment, as if considering if she should go on, but her expression didn't change in the slightest. "Your language," she continued, "is not my first. In my language, 'ha'zhansin' means 'child of the gods.' It's what I am. It means that I have certain...abilities...that normal humans don't."

Azhani left the wall and took slow, deliberate steps towards Anactoria. "I believe you know the feeling." She kept walking, forward, forward, forward, until she was leaning over Anactoria's small frame pressed against the wall. She leaned in close, whispering in the princess's ear as she brushed back her hair. "You see, one of my abilities is that I can smell magic. And your scent in particular is intoxicating."

[Anactoria IV]

Backfire much?

Anactoria's attempt to throw Azhani off guard had not only blown up in her face, but had stalked her like prey, corned her against the wall and was whispering words in her ear that were probably important but were barely audible over the thundering of her own heart. The other woman was so close the princess could smell her hair, and decided that she rather liked it.

Those lips so close to her ear. Her lips. And this whole situation! It was all too heady! This time she did shiver and felt something spark in places that well-schooled ladies did not mention in polite conversation.

"Are you saying that I make you drunk, Azhani?" she asked with a trebling voice. Gods, was that her flirting? No wonder she had never done it before; she was very bad at it.

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani was very much enjoying this game of cat and mouse. She loved the way little Annie would scurry away, just so she could be chased and caught within Azhani's paws. She would hold her, play with her a bit, then let her scurry off again and start the game anew. She had a feeling that, whether she'd ever admit it or not, Anactoria enjoyed it too. By the way her body shivered and her voice trembled, she knew that no matter how far she scurried, no matter how fast, she'd always return to let Azhani catch her again.

Azhani - metaphorically - pounced as she heard the timid question. She drew her head back to face Anactori and lifted the princess's chin with her finger so she could look her in the eyes - something she new was hypnotizing in itself. Her gaze, searing with passion, didn't falter in the least. She smiled. "Little Annie, you make me feel many things. Drunk is the least of them."

[Anactoria IV]

Anactoria felt pinned, and not just by the the woman's body. Azhani's eyes were all she could see, and they held her to the wall as surely as if she had been nailed there. There were such beautiful eyes, as azure as the sky, and like they sky, the obvious desire there was like an invisible sun, and she felt herself reaching for that sunlight a surely as a flower.

It was in that instant Anactoria knew that if Azhani tried to kiss her, she would let her. And it would not stop at a kiss. She was not sure if it would stop at all. The very thought that she might pull Azhani down on top of her her in an alleyway filled her with equal parts excitement and self-disgust.

Then there was a third feeling, one that was not coming from that insistent ache somewhere below her belly button, but rather from an only slightly more rational organ in her chest.

This isn't the way its supposed to be.

And the spell was broken, the moment past.

Anactoria recalled how to move her limbs again, and did so, sinking into low crouch against the wall to escape Azhani's overwhelming presence and appeal, before darting to one side, free again. Then the world was back, the sun has returned to the sky, the smell of the docks graced her nose, the chorus of people just beyond the alleyway filled her ears.

Anactoria felt as though she had just finished a fresh sprint. "You are a dangerous woman," Azhani, she said, a tad breathless, "in ways not even your own warnings prepared me for."

[Fa'raazhin Azhani]

Azhani wanted to kiss Anactoria. Desperately. She wondered how those delicate lips would feel pressed against her own. She wondered if it'd be her first kiss... She knew she could do it, too. Little Annie was puddy in her hands. She could do whatever she wanted with her, and she wouldn't fight one bit. Maybe that was why she didn't.

The moment passed, and Azhani did nothing to stop the princess from moving away from her. What could she do? In that instant, Azhani felt the tables turn. Now it was she who was paralyzed. Anactoria had broken away from her and she was...glad. Azhani had always admired strength, and who was stronger than someone who could fight their own body? The sheer willpower and conviction that took... Azhani had every reason to feel disappointed, but she didn't. She felt...excited. For the first time, she found herself feeling something...else for the princess. It wasn't lust. It wasn't greed. It was an attraction to her, this tiny little mouse who had suddenly become a firefly, full of life and determination.

Azhani remembered the first rule of being an assassin: Never let your guard down. Never underestimate your opponent. Never. How could she have slipped so easily around this girl? Azhani turned to Anactoria and bowed. "Little Annie, where I come from, that's a compliment." She stood straight and leaned against the wall, her smile brighter than ever now. There was something...new to the way she looked Anactoria now. Moments passed. For once, she was speechless. She chuckled to herself, at how ashamed she was of her behavior. "You truly are something special, Annie." She closed the gap between Anactoria and herself again, but this time there was no overwhelming presence. Gently, as if silently asking permission, she took the princess's hand and brought it to her lips. "I'm sorry, but I'm a bit new to this...courting business. Perhaps you could...teach me?"

[Anactoria IV]

Anactoria titled her head to one side ever so slightly as Azhani approached her anew. It seemed that she had achieved her initail goal of throwing the other woman off her game, though not in the way she had intended. Yet...

There was something different in the way Azhani was looking at her now. It may have lacked the... immediateness of the last look, but Anactoria felt... no she was certain... she liked this one better. And when she felt the other woman's lips on her hand rather than her own pair, she smiled.

"I have a confession to make," she said as she lowered her hand from Azhani's lips, intertwining her fingers with that of the confessed thief and assassin as she did so. Then standing up on her tip-toes, she whispered Azhani's ear: "I am making it up as I go along."

She lowered herslef back onto her soles. "Though I am fairly certain," she said, "that it does not include gallivanting in alleyways." She tugged on their joined hands toward the exist of the alley. "Come. Buy me a drink, and tell me of your homeland, and why a child of the gods walks among us mere mortals."