A Will of Vermillion, A Will of Azure(Hime/Elyss)

Hime was met with silence, though that hardly swayed her from continuing her ministrations, as gentle fingers continued to press and knead into the woman's flesh, infusing her skin with kido to ease the tension in her muscles. It was the only method so far that had yielded any success. If she tried the layman's approach, she would've likely had to apply more force than pressure and that method might well have led to Elyss being worse leaving than she was when she entered. Kneading her flesh, from the hip to the center of her back, Hime would take note of the woman's reaction as she softly chuckled at the woman's visible discomfort. Part of her wondered how it felt to be on the receiving end of a massage from Elyss.

A series of humorous thoughts danced through her mind of Elyss making several attempts at cracking her bones and the inevitable pain she would feel during the process. Or perhaps she'd betray her expectations and actually be quite good with her hands if the roles were reversed. With the her back and shoulders having been properly tended to after ten minutes of attention or so, Hime would remove her hands for a moment before gazing down at the woman's legs. Now, this would be interesting. How would she feel about her hands traveling lower? Would she venture to find out? Of course, she would. Tempting fate was quite amusing.

"For this to be an ideal massage experience, I need to tend to every part of your body that has stress, so I'll be applying Kaido and moving my hands towards your thigh and leg areas."

Her hands would shimmer with a green light once more as she guided her hands around the back of the woman's thigh, using one hand to lift her leg up while she kneaded the other against the upright leg, pressing each finger against taut skin, applying the healing agent as she did so.

"If the roles were reversed, how would you envision a massage wrought by your own hands, Elyss? Would you eliminate all manner of gentleness? Curiosity compels me to ask, though you can remain silent if you've no answers. I'm merely speaking to keep us both entertained."

Kneading and pressing at Elyss's thighs, Hime would smile in amusement at the answer she received. It was all a matter of what she desired, hm? She supposed that made sense. Part of her found it difficult to imagine Elyss as the gentle type, as it were truly a difficult thought to imagine. A myth of the mind. An act that would cause the universe to unravel at the seams.

Overdramatic thoughts, to be certain, yet Hime could not help but wonder about how things would be if the roles were reversed. Perhaps she'd find out at the conclusion of her own ministrations. She couldn't quite pinpoint it but the way with which spoke had certainly ignited that glimmer of mischief within the woman's spirits.

What was the nature of their relationship? They had never really shared what one would consider an entirely intimate moment. Well, maybe that one night in bed but then, she couldn't even recall if they slept in the same bed together. She wondered where they stood and so, perhaps, merely to test the waters and sate her curiosity she allowed her hands to go from a form of kneading and pressing to massaging her thighs, in a discreet yet warmly intimate fashion. Of course, it was still done, to some degree, with the thought of easing tension in her muscles overall. It was mostly a power move to gauge reaction.


"Aren't you the generous sort? I expected that you folding me like a feeble chair would be the first option, considering your personality. Perhaps you've changed more than I imagine. Of course, it is an exciting thought to ruminate on. Part of me does genuinely desire to know where I stand in your eyes and if you'd take that next step. Any answer to these questions are free to be answered later but since there's nothing else to speak of in the form of idle chit-chat, it's a fun piece to gloss over, no?"

And so, the truer, more familiar nature of Elyss had awakened, like a tiger who had been poked far too many times and now wished to seize the one foolish enough to agitate them. Someone of lesser mettle would've likely felt a sense of tension building within their frame but the tall and elegant Shinigami could offer nothing but a smile. There was a desire to address this. An elephant in the room? Perhaps. It had certainly been on her mind since they entertained the thought months ago.

Their bodies were pressed against one another, with the Tatsumiya woman's back against the wall. Indeed, this was an amusing turn of events. One that she didn't readily find disagreeable. Each question felt as if Hime ought to be within an interrogation room, Elyss her primary interrogator.

Even so, the elegant woman remained relatively unfazed. This position was not unfamiliar territory. Elyss was that type of woman, one who would never beat around the bush to appease anyone. Hime respected that. She always did. It was one of the admirable traits she valued in the crimson-haired Shinigami. Now, for the answers to her questions. Of course, she liked her. There had always been a significant form of interest for some time now, even if she had never entertained the idea of being with a woman before. There was no need to be coy here. No need to back down before the hawklike gaze of the crimson Shinigami.

"To answer your first question might well be as if I was answering your question with another question. In truth, I have been aiming to test the waters between us, where we stand, where I am in your eyes, in your heart. If my feeling you up is what set this into motion, for us to finally speak on where we are, then feel free to break my fingers. You are certainly capable of doing so. To answer everything else, yes. I like you. I've liked you for some time now..."

Hime would maintain her posture, glancing at the crimson-haired woman with a firm gaze peering into the woman's crimson eyes.

"Whether you're my type or not is inconsequential, for indeed, you are one of a kind, something that exceeds a "type." I've always viewed you in a special light, different from anyone else. It has been my desire to see where we stand, to explore whatever this is between us. Perhaps it was not the most acceptable approach. Even so, if it has led us here. I've no regrets. And so I ask of you, what am I to you? Do you envision a future with me? Life is short, even for spirits like ourselves. There is nothing wrong with a leap of faith."

"Be careful, the last time I was tasked with following someone into the abyss, I, as you say, "folded like a lawn chair," Hime would quip with a tinge of mirth in her voice, humored by the attempt at teasing her. She didn't particularly regret abandoning her deceased lover, however. Divergent paths would mark the end of their union, conflicting ideologies that could never coexist with each other.

He had chosen his path... and she had chosen her own. Nothing more, nothing less. To be certain, she viewed Elyss in a far more positive light. She was still young. There was time to grow, learn, and adapt. Hime could already perceive the changes within her now, even if they weren't visible to the naked eye.

No doubt, perhaps this was a gamble that might fall apart at the seams but the elegant Shinigami was content with taking a chance. Rolling the dice wasn't her forte but what did it matter? If the dice landed on a pair of snake eyes, she'd lose all her chips. If it landed on a winning seven, she'd stand to gain so much more in return. She was willing to take that gamble. Her cards were on the table, the only thing that stood before them now was the unknown future.

Of course, with the woman having moved her position on the bed, Hime would walk forward to sit beside her and gaze into those crimson orbs. There was a moment or two of deafening silence before Hime neatly crossed her legs and wrapped her arm around the woman's shoulder; contemplating on how she ought to proceed from here, Hime would lean in and curiously tilt her head, challenging the woman one more time, to be certain and absolute about everything.

"Kiss me. Give me something to know that I am yours. Words can only go but so far, no?" It was a playful challenge, to gauge the woman's reaction. She had already tempted fate thus far and succeeded, one more try wouldn't hurt, no~?

Ah, it would seem that, for every temptation and tease the noblewoman had employed against Elyss, she had turned the table on her in resounding fashion. Each movement the woman made seemed so smooth, each touch luring her into the illusion that she was going to accept the challenge, only for the crimson-haired Shinigami to mischievously play a trick on her.

She had received a kiss... the only issue was, that the elegant woman hadn't specified where Elyss ought to kiss her and so she chose to kiss her knuckles. It was a playful and clever act. One reminiscent of an action the late Ulv Auber might have pulled at her expense. In a game of chess, though Hime had won the battle, Elyss seemed to win the war.

Crossing her arms with a playful pout in her expression, the elegant Shinigami chuckled softly, sneering at her momentary defeat. Even so, there was some measure of victory to be found here. Her tactics had led to her being able to recognize where she stood and how to proceed from this point forward. It wasn't an entire loss. Still, no kiss on the lips? What an elusive crimson woman.

"Duly Noted. It seems you bested me at my game of tempting fate. A remarkable move, truly," Hime would quip playfully with a chuckle. An entertaining interaction. She'd tilt her head curiously, wondering what they might do next. Elyss was one to grow bored easily if you couldn't hold her attention with something interesting. So, then, what next? She wondered.

"Playful teasing and evading my advances aside, how does your body feel? Did the faux-massage session ease at least some semblance of tension in your bones?"