Chapter Text
Eleanor woke to the same warm feeling of Velvet's arms around her. She relaxed, reluctant to get out of bed just yet. Usually she would get up early since it was a good habit to develop. But she was so comfortable that it was hard to foster the willpower to get up.
Suddenly Velvet began to move in her sleep, her face shifting against the back of Eleanor's neck so her lips dragged across it, causing Eleanor to shudder in pleasure. Velvet's hand rubbed against Eleanor's stomach through the thin fabric of her nightdress and moved an inch downward. At first Eleanor thought it might keep moving down, but it stopped, leaving behind it a tingling sensation that travelled down Eleanor's belly. Eleanor let out a small gasp, and was surprised by the small sense of disappointment she felt that Velvet's hand had stopped moving. Her entire face burned, and then she understood the strange feelings she'd been having ever since Velvet returned. She was attracted to Velvet.
She wanted to deny it. Despite the rocky start to their relationship, Velvet was now her closest friend, and the thought of these feelings jeopardizing their friendship was frightening. But Eleanor had made a promise to herself to face the truth, and there was too much evidence to deny. From that very same fear to her appreciation (no, desire) for Velvet's touch, and the way her heart fluttered when she saw one of Velvet's beautiful smiles.
Eleanor's heart thumped as she suddenly became even more aware of the weight of Velvet's arm around her, and the way Velvet's soft legs were pressed against her own. She understood the truth now, but she still had no idea what to do about it. And Velvet's touch made her feel at once at ease and flushed with desire. Truly, it was both heaven and hell.
Later that day, they stopped by at Tabatha's tavern for lunch. According to the waiter at the counter, the old woman wasn't there at the moment, so the two of them sat side by side at one of the tables and waited for their mabo curry to arrive. Velvet touched her newly-acquired mask, more at ease now that her face was covered. She had picked out one that reminded her of Seres's mask, with its black and gold pattern, but with almond-shaped holes for her to see through. Eleanor had approved, saying it matched her outfit and that she looked 'stunning.'
Velvet looked to her right at Eleanor, who still occasionally stole appreciative glances at her when she thought Velvet wasn't looking. Velvet felt a tinge of embarrassment at the satisfaction Eleanor's admiration of her new looks brought her. She wasn't immune to flattery, she supposed, at least not from someone she respected.
"Here you go!" the waitress said, pulling Velvet out of her thoughts. Two bowls of mabo curry were placed in front of them, steam wafting and prickling Velvet's nose. She wasted no time in grabbing the spoon and shoveling curry into her mouth, not minding the spice of the red pepper at all.
"Phi would have loved this," Velvet said, having completed her bowl. Suddenly the fullness in her belly didn't seem quite as satisfying.
"I suppose we could bring him a potful of it sometime," Eleanor said, dabbing at the corner of her mouth with a napkin, though Velvet could see a hint of a smile that the napkin didn't cover.
"Would he even be able to taste it?" Velvet said, clenching her fist until her nails dug into her palm. She had wanted Laphicet to live a normal life, the life neither she nor her brother were able to live. Becoming an Empyrean wasn't what she meant when she'd told him to help people.
"It's not your fault." Eleanor said, turning to face her. Her eyes lit up as she spoke, words tumbling out of her mouth as though she couldn't stop. "If you hadn't sealed Inominat then you and Phi would have died. And Phi chose this. He wanted this."
"You're right," Velvet said, though her heart wasn't in it. "There's no point in me whining about it now anyway."
Eleanor was silent for a long moment. Maybe she just didn't know what to say. There weren't any words that could make this right.
Suddenly she felt a warm hand cover her own under the table. She looked to her right at Eleanor again. Eleanor had the same determined expression as earlier, eyes wide and unwavering. Velvet considered pulling her hand away. But she didn't want to. She hadn't had any human contact in so long, and Eleanor's touch was comforting. Before she could overthink things, she turned her hand over and threaded her fingers into Eleanor's own. She glanced at Eleanor, but all she saw was her looking straight forward, the corner of her mouth quirked up. Then she felt Eleanor squeeze her hand back. They just sat like that, neither mentioning their intertwined hands underneath the table as Eleanor finished eating her curry.
Eleanor's heart pounded as she laid her hand on Velvet's, though she tried not to show how nervous she felt. It had been an impulsive decision. But her heart ached at seeing Velvet beat herself up. After all she'd already gone through, Velvet didn't deserve that, but Velvet was an emotional person, not a rational one. Words alone wouldn't be enough to sway her. Before Eleanor could reconsider, her hand was already on Velvet's.
Now she wondered if this was a good idea. If Velvet became upset, so soon after Eleanor had realized her feelings for the girl, she didn't know what she would do. Then she felt Velvet intertwine their fingers, and Eleanor smiled, reveling in the feel of Velvet's strong fingers gripping her own. Was it wrong to take pleasure in an act she'd intended to make Velvet feel better, knowing Velvet was unaware of her feelings? Still, Eleanor didn't let go through the rest of the meal.
The door at the front of the tavern opened, and Eleanor felt a twinge of loss and cold as Velvet withdrew her hand to turn toward the entrance. She followed Velvet's gaze to see Tabatha approaching their table.
"Hello. I didn't expect to see you here today." Tabatha said, nodding at Velvet.
Velvet smirked. "Apparently I'm hard to kill."
Tabatha chuckled drily. "I can believe that. But we can catch up later. I have an urgent message for you, Miss Eleanor, from Prince Percival."
Eleanor blinked. "From the Prince? What does he need with me?"
Tabatha's voice had a light air to it that Eleanor couldn't trust. "Oh, you'll see soon enough. In any case, you can meet him at the palace. Just give this to the guards." Tabatha handed her an envelope, which Eleanor opened to find a document embossed with the royal seal.
"Understood. I'll be there at once." Eleanor said.
"I don't like this." Velvet said as they neared the palace. "My gut's telling me nothing good can come from this."
Eleanor frowned. "I admit this is odd, but I don't think it's anything to worry about."
Velvet clenched her teeth. Just when they were about to start a normal life, they were back to dealing with the Bloodwings and royalty. She hadn't wanted the things she'd done for revenge to haunt Eleanor or Phi like this. She was always a selfish person, and now she was paying for her choices in spades.
They reached the palace gates, where two royal guards stood on either end of the oak doors.
"Do you have an appointment?" the guard on the right said.
Eleanor held out the document. "My name is Eleanor Hume. I have been summoned to meet Prince Percival."
The guard took the paper and scanned it. "Very well. And the woman next to you?" he said, and though his face was covered by his helm Velvet thought he seemed to be eying her mask suspiciously. Eleanor hesitated, and Velvet stepped forward.
"I am Rose, Eleanor's bodyguard." Velvet said quickly – Eleanor couldn't lie to save her life. Eleanor looked toward her, eyes widened in surprise, proving that her assumption was completely correct.
"That is acceptable. You will both need to leave your weapons here, however." The guard said. Velvet handed him her sword, and Eleanor did the same with her spear. She'd still have the blade hidden in her boot if she needed it, but she still didn't like it. Now that she didn't have her demon arm anymore, giving up her sword too left her feeling naked.
The two of them followed the guard through narrow passageways lit by kaleidoscopic stained-glass windows. Velvet kept Eleanor in front and to the left of her as a guard would. Eleanor's back was perfectly straight and she didn't speak – at least she seemed prepared for any formalities, which were never Velvet's strong point. After a few minutes, they reached another set of large oak doors with two guards which must have been the throne room. Their guide signaled to the guards, who saluted and heaved the stone doors open, creaking. The opening grew and revealed a long, red carpet leading to Prince Percy sitting on a simple chair next to the marble throne, hands folded in his lap, eyeing them with an odd solemnity as they approached him.
Eleanor curtsied gracefully, fanning out her skirt. She looked at Velvet and tilted her head almost imperceptibly. Velvet sighed, but imitated Eleanor as best as she could, dipping slightly, though she certainly felt and probably looked awkward doing it, with her skirt being rather short.
"Eleanor Hume, reporting for duty!" Eleanor said, still curtsying.
"Rise, Miss Eleanor," the prince said mildly and waved his hand at the guards, who stepped outside and closed the doors behind him.
Once the doors closed, the prince stood and said, "It's good to see you again, Miss Eleanor," much more casually now that they were alone, Velvet noted.
"Get to the point already." Velvet snapped. Eleanor gasped, lifting a hand to her mouth.
"Velvet! You can't just talk like that to the prince!" she said.
"No, it's fine," the prince said, shaking his head. His blue eyes were pale and looked tired, so much less happy than they seemed when he was living in Titania, ironically enough. "I owe you both a great deal, and now I need another favor. I will try to be brief. Eleanor, I want you to be the new Shepherd."