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An exasperated, bored groan filled the stillness in the air.
"What is it this time, Bo?" Catherine Parr- otherwise known as 'Cathy' amongst her friends- naturally asked the second Queen who laid flat on the sofa with her legs resting in Cathy's lap. Cathy was sat back pressed into the sofa while turning over the page of her novel
Throwing an arm off the sofa, Anne Boleyn stared bemused at the white ceiling. "I'm bored!" she whined, forcing a small cry. However, more indulged in the story that she was reading, the sixth Queen only hummed. In response, Anne rolled over onto her stomach.
Opposite them sat the other two Queens. Katherine Howard- or simply named 'Kitty'- sat cross-legged on the floor with her back to her girlfriend, who sat on the sofa. With delicate hands, the fourth Queen worked on plaiting Kitty's hair. "Why don't you go on your phone?" Anna of Cleves suggested with a grin. "You're never not on it, Freundin."
"I've run out of inspiration to do anything on my phone." The second Queen groaned again, twiddling her thumbs in front of her own face to find some sort of amusement.
"Then why not try reading with Cathy?" Kitty suggested in a soft tone, making a gentle gesture with her hand.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sure Anne would make a lovely bookworm once she gets into it." Anna smirked, weaving Kitty's pink locks around another to begin the plait. "Don't you think, mein Schatz?" Responsive, the fifth Queen giggled and raised her shoulders when the other's lips brushed over her head.
"Absolutely."
"Oh, L-O-L." The second Queen rolled her eyes. "You can say oh well to that." Then, she flipped onto her back and sat up. Crawling over to Cathy, she perched her head on the other's shoulder like a puppy begging for attention. "I just don't understand how you can sit still and basically stare at a page full of words. It doesn't even have pictures in it!"
"Why don't you find Jane and keep her company?" Catalina de Aragón- or known as 'Catherine' or simply 'Aragon' between her friends- inputted, flicking through her phone while sat on another sofa.
Anne gave her a quizzical look. "Isn't that your job, Ari?"
"Mi amada said that she didn't want me there because I was distracting her." To herself, the first Queen snickered. "Nothing stops her from cleaning. But, maybe you can keep her some company?"
"And end up cleaning with her?" In disgust, she stuck her tongue out. "Not a chance."
"Anne," Cathy suddenly brought up, "if you're so bored- then what do you want to do?" Deciding to peel her eyes from the book, the sixth Queen was fed up with the noise as it tore her mind away from the plotline.
"I don't know but something fun, Cathy-kins. Reading is so boring and the Queens are reluctant to spark conversation with me." Pulling a frown, she fluttered her eyelashes. "Can't we go outside and go to the mall?"
"In case you haven't noticed, Bo-Bo, it's raining cats and dogs out there." Tossing her hair to the other side, Cathy placed her bookmark in between the pages and closed her book. Slowly, she placed it beside her and turned to face Anne again. "Thanks to you, I will never know what happens next in the chapter," she teased, dismissively shaking her head towards her. Fixed with a pout, Anne blinked. With a quiet giggle, Cathy edged in and kissed her nose. "There's bound to be something to cure your boredom."
"Oh, I have an idea!" Kitty raised her hand with a broad smile. At the same time, all of the Queens gazed over to her with mixed looks. "Okay, okay. So, when Annie and I were at the mall, I picked up this game. We tried it out but it wasn't that fun. But, I think we can give it another shot since there's six of us! It's supposed to be a more-than-two-people game anyway."
"Ooh, nice!!" Anne exclaimed, practically bouncing on the sofa with stars in her eyes. "What is it?"
"It's called Truth or Dare. It's basically what it says in the title. In the middle, there's a spinner. Whoever the arrow points to means that they will be the one asked Truth or Dare by the one who spun it. Also, there are two jars labelled Truths and Dares that have slips of paper with written things on them." She cleared her throat. "Just have to say that some of them have been a bit...uh...PG." All of a sudden, Anna laughed.
"Oh, God, yeah. I remember when we played it and when I pulled out a Dare...let's just say the game was forgotten straight away." Head in her hands, Kitty blushed. Running her fingers through the plait, the pink locks were released back into its natural wave.
"Well, it's about time we add some heat into this stillness anyway!" Anne praised, raising her arms up. "I'll go and get it. Where is it?"
Rather obviously, the fifth Queen pointed a thumb over to the tall black cupboard next to the TV. Immediately, the second Queen sprang up and slid over to the cupboard. Throwing the doors open, she began to search for the game. "You better keep it clean, Bo. Jane might kill you if you don't," Cathy reminded her as a few boxes were brought out. Waving a hand in her direction, she muttered something in tongues.
From the other sofa, the first Queen placed her phone face-down on the armrest and stood up. "Speaking of Jane, I'll go and get her." Stretching her arms, she trailed out the door. When she was about halfway through the corridor, their speeches were muffled by the distance. However, when a few seconds passed by, the speech wasn't as muffled as it was.
"Catalina, put me down this instant!"
The Queens flinched.
"Wrong move, Aragon," said Anna with a soft tut.
"Do you think she was sweeping or feather dusting the frames?" Cathy winced, hearing the two Queens yell at another in different tongues.
Before long, the yelling died down and a smug Spaniard Queen strolled in with a brooding Jane over her left shoulder. In her grasp was still the big, white feather duster. As soon as the third Queen was set to her feet, she gave Catalina a deep growl, much to everyone's surprise. "You have so much audacity, Lina!! Have you any idea how rude it is to disturb someone mid cleaning?" Catching her by the waist before she stormed out, Catalina laughed softly. Nonetheless, ere to another scolding protest being said, the feather duster was brought up to cover both of their faces when the first Queen chose to pacify her with physical affection. Jane's body eased straight away. Her body had weight backwards, clearly with Catalina's hand on the small of her back. In a matter of moments, their lips had parted. The first Queen had whispered something in tongues that somehow made Jane melt although she didn't necessarily understand.
Beating one of the bystanding Queens' protests, Anne sprang up while holding a big box. "I've got it!! Finally! Did you really hate it so much that you had to hide it so well?"
Snatching the Queens' attention, Anne beckoned them to follow her into the other room. Right away, they all strolled after her. The room they had walked into was another lounge; only this time, there were six colour co-ordinated chairs with each of their names embroidered in golden thread. Each Queen sat on their designated chair while Anne set up the game and Jane placed the feather duster on a nearby shelf. The second Queen set the jars on the round table open-lidded. Then, she neatly placed the spinner in the center. When it was all done, she bounced back onto her chair and leaned on the table.
"Alright, Queens! Let's play." She clapped her hands, excitedly.
"Who's going to start?" Cathy surveyed, glancing at all the Queens in question.
"Flick the spinny thing," Kitty recommended with a grin. "Whoever it lands on starts."
Obliged, the sixth Queen nodded and flicked it. Immediately, the black arrow spun swiftly in circles: pointing at every Queen as it did. In a few moments, the spinning was coming to a gradual halt. Then, breaking the anticipation, the arrow pointed at the third Queen. "Oh, this should be fun." Cathy cackled, tapping her fingernails on the pair of jars. "Truth or Dare, JJ?"
As she technically just stepped into the conversation, Jane hummed in question. Glancing between the two jars, the Queen tapped her bottom lip. "Er...Truth." Fore they could change her mind, she shot them a look. "I have no idea what I'm getting myself into so I choose not to involve myself in the heat of choosing Dare yet." As giggles filled the air, Cathy reached into the blue jar and pulled out a slip of paper. In the silence, she read it and responded with wide eyes.
"Oh, my God. Okay, then." She was unable to hold in her laugh, casting her eyes up to her. "Alright then, Jane--" Cathy began, chuckling softly with an amused look and placing the paper on the table face down-- "answer this truthfully: have you ever caused something bad to happen during an intimate moment with your partner?" Allowing it to sink in, the other blushed.
"E-Excuse me? What kind of game is this?!" she cried out- furrowing her eyebrows in distaste.
"Rules are rules, Freundin. It's not that bad." Anna chuckled- enjoying how the game commenced. "Answer the Truth as you picked it."
Jane groaned slightly, rolling her eyes. By that, she began to think back if they had ever done such a thing. Soon, it occurred to her which prompted her to hum. "Well, there actually was this one time." Now with a more relaxed look, she sat up in her chair. "It happened a couple of weeks ago when Anne and Cathy were out and about actually. I was preparing lunch when all of a sudden Lina strolled in. We shared some chatter but, for some reason, she seemed a little more...insistent than she usually was." Glancing over to where her significant other was sat, she noticed her reflect her own smug look. "I remember telling her that I needed to go out to the store just so she'd leave me alone for the meantime but as always, Lina had her way of changing my mind." Playfully rolling her eyes, she leaned on the side of her chair. "And because of that, the house almost burned down."
"The house what--"
"Oh, gosh, I remember that!" Kitty shuddered at the memory. "It was so bad. There was smoke everywhere!!"
"Yeah." Anna laughed, recalling it. "The best part was when Jane was scolding Lina in her own language while using the fire extinguisher to put out the fire. She made Ari sit in the corner for a few hours."
Out of nowhere, Anne howled in laughter. "O-M-G, Ari was sat in the naughty corner!!" She gasped for breath, laughing so hard that Cathy had to get up and pat her back.
"Deep breaths, blossom." Cathy exhaled, facepalming in second-hand embarrassment. "Deep breaths."
"Awh--" Anne mockingly frowned-- "did big bad Catalina do something so naughty that Janey had to put her in the naughty corner to calm down?" Then, she laughed while grasping Cathy's arm. "Love of my life, where even were we? Why am I only just being told this?"
"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad!!" Catalina huffed, crossing her arms and blushing. "Sure, the pan set alight and lit the kitchen cloths on fire but Jane managed to put it out. Plus, it wasn't a naughty corner, Boleyn. Jane told me to stay in one place otherwise she would beat me up and I am well aware she is more than capable to do so."
Anne only snorted, unfazed. "Sounds like 'naughty corner' treatment to me." By that, when she calmed down, she kissed Cathy off and the queen returned to her chair.
"Regardless--" Jane cleared her throat, diverting from the tension and deciding to switch up the atmosphere-- "you should be glad that I was able to put it out." Leaning on the left armrest, she presented the first Queen with a zealous look. "And since you behaved so well, you were able to redeem yourself, darling." Her voice was playful, clearly implying something.
"Which part of the redemption, my love?" Catalina responded, using the same tone in her own voice. "Are you talking about when I sat perfectly still during your lectures?" Jane's eyebrow twitched up, offering her a zestful look. The first Queen mirrored her posture, somewhat leaning over to her. "Or, are you talking about later that night?" An amorous shimmer shone in her golden eyes. "Especially, when the house grows quiet, it's just us two alone and then I--"
"Okay, break it up! Break it up!! I refuse to be in the middle of that!" Anne sprang up to sit straight, ripping the sensual tension between the first and third Queen. While laughter filled the air, Jane gifted Catalina a sly wink before they sat properly on the chair. Rubbing her forehead, Anne puffed her cheeks up. "Well, moving away from that awkwardness--" she dared to glance at Jane-- "care to do the honours, love?"
Fanning herself with her hand, the Queen giggled when Catalina gifted her a wink in return. "Yeah, why not?" Contented, she leaned over and spun the arrow. "I take it back. This game is fun." As the others laughed, the arrow landed on its next victim. Much to her delight, it had landed on her significant other. "Oh, chérie, it's your turn." Reaching over to the jars, she grinned. "Truth or Dare?"
"Mmh..." Catalina hummed, seizing a moment to think, "...Truth."
"After all that commotion: high and mighty, indeed," Cathy teased, pulling a playful sneer.
"I'm only warming up, Cat." The other rolled her eyes, leaning back into the chair.
"Okay--" Jane cleared her throat after pulling out a slip of paper-- "Ari: what was the craziest thing that has happened to you in the mall?"
"What the hell? Why couldn't we have started with that question?" Anne frowned, scrunching her nose up.
"Well, you never know what else these jars can hold." Kitty shrugged, beaming modestly.
"That's definitely a less heated one." Catalina laughed the same time as Anna. "Anyway, the craziest thing was probably when I was caught by a hoard of paparazzi. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing more terrifying than a bunch of cameramen swarming you while you're out just browsing for lemon and honey. I didn't get to leave the mall until ten at night because the hoard attracted so many bystanders which were all fans and, ay, it was overwhelming. Who knew they could be so eager?"
"Paparazzi is so terrifying!" Kitty agreed, sitting on her knees on the chair. "Something like that happened to me when I was in the park. They just don't get the hint even when you ask them nicely!"
Anna also hummed in agreement. "Those dirty rascals know nothing about personal space either." Then she muttered something in tongues.
"Well, that was a nice and easy one," Cathy piped up, motioning over to the first Queen. "Go ahead and spin it, Ari."
By that, she spun it. The arrow whisked in spirals before stopping on another Queen. "Okay, Cathy." She grinned, tapping the jars. "Truth or Dare?"
"Let's be different and go for Dare." She grinned proudly.
Dipping her hand into the cold, red jar, she fished out a slip of paper. "Cathy, you are dared to: give a massage to another player for a few minutes."
"Huh, that's a nice one," said Jane- tilting her head a little as the sixth Queen stood up.
With the soft click of heels, she paced over to stand behind Anne. By that, her hands pressed to the second Queen's shoulders and began to rub deep circles into it. Anne didn't realise how tense she had been until Cathy had taken her aback with the massage. Immediately, she melted into it with a deep sigh. Her thumbs pressed deeply into her shoulder blades, reaching a spot that greatly satisfied her. Almost forgetting that they were with the others, her head hung back as a blissful smile painted her lips. Into the air, she murmured something in her language; it was something that Jane had only understood and compelled her to chuckle.
"N'oubliez pas que nous sommes toujours là, Anne." The third Queen spoke up with a teasing tone.
"Je vous ferai savoir que Cathy a des mains incroyables et les utilise beaucoup," Anne purred, opening her eyes and levelling her head again. "Surely, you'd say the same about Ari, non? Well, maybe not. Ari isn't Cathy." Pulling her lips to the side, Jane rolled her eyes.
Kitty coughed. "So, do we need to know what you two had just said or shall we move on?"
"Unless you want a description of what Anne thinks about Cathy's hands, I'd say we should move on," Jane mused, curling a strand of her own hair around her finger.
"Oh, my hands?" Cathy caught on, a smirk growing across her lips. The second Queen jumped a little at the low tone she used. Leaning down so that only Anne could hear, she chortled. "Consider this as a warm-up for tonight, my blossom. I'll make sure you won't stay bored for much longer." By that, the other blushed when her lips grazed her cheek gracefully. Pulling up to perch her head upon her shoulder, the sixth Queen pressed again upon her neck, which only made Anne heat up more. After a few seconds, she eased the massage and stood up. Treading over to her chair, she grinned and sat down. As the Queen spun the arrow, she threw a quick wink at her before the second Queen faced away to try and cool down.
"Ooh, look who's all blushy now." Catalina grinned, directly in the blushing Queen's vision.
By the time Anne groaned in embarrassment, the arrow had stopped. "Anna of Cleves," Cathy announced, faking an exotic accent, "Truth or Dare?"
"Let's go for Truth," said the fourth Queen without any hesitation.
"Okay then." Cathy reached her hand in the jar and pulled out a piece of paper buried deeper in the pile. She reeled one out, reading over it before doing so aloud. "Your Truth is: which of the people playing the game is considered, in your eyes, to have the best body?" Reading it again, she cackled. "Oh, my God."
"Oh, well, I thought it's obvious who I consider to have the best body." Anna giggled, making a hand gesture. "But if you all insist--" she gazed over to Kitty with affectionate eyes-- "it has to be this lovely, beautiful lady. There's no one I've ever laid eyes on who is more beautiful than her: inside and out." As the fifth Queen blushed with a dainty smile, Anna grinned and nudged an eye to the other Queens. "Sometimes, I think I'm such a lucky lady..." there was a pause when she giggled again, "...especially, when she gets me in the sheets--"
"Oh, my gosh, Anna!" The other whined, blushing deeply at her response.
Gracefully, the fourth Queen kissed her cheek and grinned. "I'm starting to really like this game more and more," she purred, earning a timid look from her significant other.
"Y'know, yeah. It's not as boring as I thought I was going to be." Catalina hummed, catching the teasing glint in Jane's eyes.
Before turning over to the spinning arrow, Anna kissed Kitty again for a moment. Then, she spun the arrow. To almost complete a full circle, the arrow pointed at the fifth Queen. "Alright, Kit, Truth or Dare?" asked the Queen, leaning on the table slightly.
"Truth," said the other with a satisfied hum.
As expected, she had already fished out the Truth for her to answer. "Kitty: what is the strangest dream you have ever had?" Almost shocked, she pulled a face. "Huh, nice and simple."
"To answer that--" she began while tapping her chin-- "the strangest dream I had was about one of our performances. Everything was fine: songs were the same, the ladies were there and the plot was...somewhat okay." Fully remembering it, she cringed a little. "I think we were all switched. Like, we moved one Queen up. So: I was Cathy; Cathy was Ari; Ari was Anne; Anne was Jane; Jane was Annie and Annie was me. We even wore each other's costumes! By the way, Cathy yours is super comfortable. How do I know that? Well, I remember that it was comfortable and dreams are weird so...Anyways, not going to lie, the show was a bit of a disaster because some of us said the wrong lines. So, like, when it was Ari's turn to sing Don't Lose Your Head, Anne began to belt mid-song too and they started arguing about it. Anne got all emotional during Heart Of Stone and I specifically remember her going 'Why, cruel world, why?' and basically sobbing at Janey's feet. Then, when it came to Get Down, Jane would go all angelic- y'know when she does all those cool riffs and just sounds super harmonious. Annie, oh, my gosh, she got the verses all mixed up during All You Wanna Do. And Cathy...her vocals were on point but she misplaced her footing a couple of times and made us trip during the No Way dance interval." Kitty cringed even more. "Ugh, I even forgot the words to I Don't Need Your Love!" Facepalmed, she sighed heavily. "I'm so glad it was only a dream. I even felt embarrassed when I woke up!"
"Okay, two things. One, me sobbing at Jane's feet is a fat mood and is totes me. And, two: that actually sounds pretty cool." Anne giggled, casting her eyes over to Catalina with a smug look. "Though, no one can beat me at my own song." When the other scoffed, she tossed her hair. "Sorry not sorry," she sang in a ridiculing way to mimic her own song.
"I'm not one to lie." Jane raised a hand, glancing over to the fourth Queen. "I think that if I was Anna, it wouldn't have the same energy. You know what I mean?"
"No offence, Freundin, but I think your voice is too angelic for my song," Anna responded, resting her chin on her fingers. "Get Down is about power and how I didn't give two Fs about Henry and his little--"
"Right!!" Catalina announced before Anna could say what they all knew she was going to say. "Spin the wheel, won't you, chica?" She gestured to Kitty, who quickly obliged and spun the arrow. As soon as it stopped, the second Queen cheered.
"Finally!! Had to leave the best Queen 'til last, didn't you?" Anne retorted at the small spinning wheel.
"Anne, seriously?" Kitty giggled, lying down sideways on her chair. "Truth or Dare?"
"Definitely a Dare," said Anne without a second thought.
Looming over the table, she put her hand in the red jar and pulled out a big slip of paper. Then, she opened it. Without meaning to do it, her eyes skimmed over the text which freed a few snickers. "I Dare you, and I quote, to very affectionately kiss another participant."
"Yes!! Watch yourself, Cathy-kins, because I'm coming for you--"
"However," Kitty continued much to Anne's surprise, "the person that you kiss will be determined by the spinning wheel. If the recipient refuses, they forfeit by kissing the first person they see on the streets with of equal affection." Throughout the entire last section, Kitty was drowned in laughs. The others were soon infected by the laughter and joined in. "Oh, my God, this game just gets better and better! Haha!!"
"This just got good." Catalina cackled.
"Let me get this straight," Anne began, holding her head in her right hand, "I have to very affectionately kiss someone in this game that might not be Cathy?" Accusingly, she pointed a finger at the third and fifth Queen. "What about you two? You're my cousins!"
"We'll sit out," Jane suggested. "If it lands on either of us, spin it again. It gives you more of a chance to get Cathy."
"So, I'll either have to very affectionately kiss the love of my life or my cousins' girlfriends?" Everyone nodded. "Okay, okay. Kitty- my sweet, lovely flower- and Jane- my tender, little dove- we do not hold grudges between each other. I am not, by any means, trying to steal your girlfriends because neither of them- I repeat neither of them- could compete with Cathy Parr." Then, she turned to the sixth Queen with puppy-dog eyes. "Cathy- Cathy-kins, love of my life- I promise that if I don't get you, I still love you even after this stupid Dare. I'd rather kiss another Queen than some rando on the streets."
In response, Cathy laughed colourfully. "No worries." Her expression flexed into a cunning smile. "Feel free to make it up to me afterwards, blossom."
Cringed, Anne hesitantly reached for the spinner and flicked it. Sweat rolled down her head as the arrow began to slow down. The Queens watched, curious to see. The second Queen's heart raced, seeing it slow down towards the sixth Queen. Nonetheless, before she could cheer, it edged a little more to the right and landed on Kitty. Without a word, she flicked it again. Only this time, it landed on Jane. The others began to giggle at the anticipation. Heartsunken, she groaned with a sweaty face. "Merde!!" she hissed, slamming her fist on the armrest. "Juste atterrir sur quelqu'un d'autre déjà!" Furiously, she gave the spinner a hard flick. Quicker than it had been, it spun round and round. It took it a good half a minute before it slowed down. It slowed down more and more until it came to a halt. Eyes following the arrow, she saw that it had landed on the other side of Cathy. "Pour l'amour de Dieu!!" she hissed again, feeling her face flush: unsure if it was out of embarrassment or anger.
Finding herself on the same boat as Anne, the first Queen groaned. "¿Me estás tomando el pelo?" Pinching the rib of her nose, Catalina groaned while her significant other somewhat chortled. "I take it back. This is not getting good!"
On the other side, Anna eased and sunk back into her chair. "Danke Gott," she breathed with a thankful smile. At the same time, Kitty leaned over and pecked her lips.
"More for me," she cheekily said with a grin- stealing another kiss before they both turned over to the first and second Queen.
Anne had decided to sit on the left armrest of Catalina's chair to get a bit closer. The other's hand held her knee, flushing a little. The Queen was as equally flushed as her clammy palms held her shoulders. Puckering her lips slightly, she forced herself to edge closer to the pair of lips. The second Queen was so hesitant, heart hammering in coyishness. Then, just as they were inches apart, she shoved back. "Hold on!! Cathy-kins, I'd feel better if you look away. Same for you, Janey. Just do something so you don't have to look at me do this!" she pleaded, frowning. Gratified, her significant other and her cousin spun around to face the back of their chairs and covered their eyes. Once they had, Anne turned back to Catalina. She edged closer, swifter this time. Alas, she stopped again with another shove. "By very affectionately, do you mean I have to--" then, she stuck her tongue out.
"How do you kiss Cathy?" Anna smirked, currently running her fingers through Kitty's soft hair again.
"What?! But I--"
"Can you just get on with it?" Jane suddenly spoke up, shaking her head while her palms covered her eyes.
"Bo, I already said that it's fine." Cathy nodded while nodding her head with her palms covering her eyes. "The prospect will only rise if you don't do it."
"But what if--"
"Anne Boleyn, just shut up so we can get this over and done with!" Catalina barked, sneering as another bead of sweat rolled down her head.
With her own sneer, Anne grabbed the other's face and had no other choice but to smack her lips to the other's. It was extremely awkward. Anne's fingers tangled into the other's hair; her eyes squeezed shut, telling herself just to imagine that it was Cathy who she was kissing. As her body very slowly eased, her fingers grazed her cheek. A soft motion felt upon the first Queen's lips, finding that she had entered her mouth. A deeper blush covered their cheeks when one of them let out a heavy breath. The first Queen blushed, guilty of allowing it to drop.
Catalina's hand sprawled over the second Queen's leg. She had done the same as what she assumed Anne was doing. She focused her thoughts on Jane, imagining that it was her instead. Her heart pounded when she felt the other's fingers graze her neck. By nature, her hand moved to shape the side of the other's thigh. Without warning, a heavy sigh dropped from them. It was evident that Anne was guilty of that one.
That drew the last straw.
The second Queen grasped the other's face and pulled back. It took a few moments for them to restore their breaths, glaring into another's eyes. Golden eyes clashed with the emerald ones. A dark, crimson blush stormed their cheeks. Then, once the few final moments passed, the same idea crossed through their minds.
"Shove it, Aragon, I need to go to the bathroom," she said in a rush, springing to her feet.
At the same time, Catalina shot up and met her at the doorway. "No, you shove it. Let me through!" They pushed another as they fought over who went through first.
"No! You let me through!" Anne hissed when the pair of them wedged in the doorway.
As soon as they were through to the other side, they spat curses at another in their different languages. A lot of which were very, very audible but were quite limited to a few Queens because they couldn't understand some dialect; minus Jane when it came to Anne shouting at Catalina and Cathy when it came to Catalina but only knowing a bit of Spanish. There was a lot of pushing and shoving on the way to the stairs.
"Tu es un horrible baiser!!"
"¡Tu aliento huele horrible!"
"Je ne comprends pas ce que tu dis mais move it, Catalina!!"
"No way!! Muévelo, Boleyn!!"
Even when they reached the flight of stairs on the other side of the house, their cursing could still be heard from here.
Remained in the living room were the four Queens. Cathy and Jane had coiled back into their former position as Kitty and Anna laughed.
"It's funny because that was the Dare I got which made events escalate from there." Anna laughed, slapping the armrest through laughs.
"Only we got too carried away!"
Unsure with how to react, Jane and Cathy shared awkward looks. What was there to say anyway? Their girlfriends had just kissed with them still in the room. Of course, it was a Dare but that didn't resolve the awkwardness rising between them. Cathy asked Jane if she took it personally, but Jane replied saying that it was only part of the game. It wouldn't affect their friendship or anything. However, they both feared what their partners would do to another for the rest of their second-lives. As the laughter between the fourth and fifth Queen died down, a stillness flowed it. Reflecting on it now, the couple shared the awkwardness in the room. Kitty wanted to reassure them that it would be okay but was persuaded to hold her tongue as soon as marching sounded through the corridor.
Stomping through the doorway, the Queens still wore fuming looks with silent growls. The smell of mint, cherries and strawberries entered the room too. The Queens figured out that it must have been the mouthwash they used. The four of them thought that it was a little extra.
Aggressively crunching the mint that she grabbed on the way in her mouth, Anne hissed as she stomped over to Cathy. "I refuse to leave that taste in my mouth." Without a word after that, she strongly spun the sixth Queen's chair around so that the pair of them were hidden from sight. From behind it, Cathy began to say something but was instantly cut off. Her hands were seen clawing at the armrests with a surprised gasp. Anne's hands hand fallen on top of them, giving them a squeeze before lacing their fingers.
When Anne had supposedly pulled the sixth Queen into a passionate kiss, Catalina had stormed over to Jane with a growl. Sneering in Anne's direction, she had also grabbed the back of Jane's chair. "That's because that taste is clearly not for you." Spinning her around in two strong holds, the other couple was out of sight too. Within seconds, the third Queen's arms were raised up to the head of the chair- held by Catalina's visible hand.
While the separate Queens fully expressed the meaning of very affectionately to their true partners, the remaining couple sat awkwardly waiting. There were mutters in Spanish and French from the first and second Queen, stealing their partners' breath away. Anna suggested that they should join in but Kitty said not to encourage them. All they could do was wait. And that was what they did.
Eventually, Anne and Catalina had left their partners completely breathless when they broke from their heated kisses. Their chairs turned back to face inwards. Even when they strolled by another, they still managed to shoot a less-aggressive grimace at another. Apart from a few inaudible curses, nothing happened after it. As if nothing happened, they sat back on their designated seats with a stone face. Sat facing the game instead of another, they huffed.
"On with the game?" Anne reeled her knees onto her chair, leaning over to the spinner.
"I concur," agreed Catalina, calmly checking her nails.
Puffing her cheeks, Cathy shook her head to try and clear her mind. A boiling blush spread across her face, trying to blow air to her face. At the same time, Jane fanned herself again while trying to cool off.
Settled, the second Queen inhaled and spun the arrow.
"Are we really going to avoid what just happened?" Anna dared to question, earning a predatory glare from the first two Queens. A smirk curled her lips. Before she could push her luck with another remark, Kitty slapped a hand over her mouth with a bemused look.
By that, the arrow stopped. Somewhat switching back to her normal self, Anne smiled in the direction of the sixth Queen. "Alright, Cathy-kins." An innocent tone dripped from her voice. "Truth or Dare?"
"Er..." she sat up, finding her thoughts and her breath, "...Truth." As much as she wanted a Dare, she found that it would be best to avoid any action for the meantime.
Easily, she fished out a piece of paper. Unusually, she began to hum the chorus of her own song while skimming her eyes over the text. "Okay, Cathy--" a wider smile painted her lips while connecting their eyes-- "who is your true love?"
Without a doubt, she sat up and rested her smiling face in her hand. "My true love is non-other than the most stunning, cunning and bold lady I've ever met," she purred softly, finding her normal breathing pace. "Anne Boleyn, my beloved blossom and true love, I love you." Delighted, Anne squealed and giggled.
"I love you too, Cathy." She beamed, sighing sweetly.
It was nice to see that she was pacified; Anne was very quick when it came to emotion hopping. Catalina, on the other hand, wasn't as quick but was soon pacified too when she caught the third Queen's serene gaze.
As everything cooled down, Cathy reached over and quickly spun the wheel. As quick as it spun, it stopped and pointed to the fourth Queen, who still puzzled over how the Queens were just ignoring what had just happened. "Anna," Cathy grinned, "Truth or Dare?"
"Dare. Why not?"
Pulling out a piece of paper from the red jar, she read it over. "Anna, I Dare you to: shout the first word that comes to your head." Her eyes widened and connected to hers. "Ooh, okay. I'll count down from three and you just yell it out. Got it?"
"Uh...sure." Anna's eyebrows furrowed, suddenly put on the spot. Her mind was suddenly so packed that too many words sprinted by.
"Alright. Three...two..." Anna took a deep breath, "...one..."
"Streichholzschächtelchen!!"
The room fell silent. The Queens all stared at the fourth Queen in confusion; even Anna looked confused. Mentally, she cursed when she gazed around. "Uh..." Catalina spoke up, raising a finger in favour of the Queens, "...what on earth does that even mean?"
"Yeah...er...that sounded like a mouthful." Kitty gave her significant other an odd look.
"Was that really one word?" Jane questioned, trying to remember what Anna had yelled out. For all she knew, it could have been a series of curse words.
Regardless, what she had said had taken them aback. "It means matchbox."
Anne blinked, astounded. "Wait, say that word again."
"Er...streichholzschächtelchen..?"
"And that means..?"
"Matchbox." The Queen smirked, regarding their shocked faces. "Oh, come on, Queens. That's not the longest word in Germany, you know. Don't look so surprised."
"What other words you know?" Cathy asked, folding the piece of paper and placing it to the side.
"Let me see...oh, another one I know is: rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften. That's a pretty long one." She smirked again, leaning on the side of the chair. "It means legal expenses insurance companies."
"Isn't that four words?" Kitty tilted her head, perplexed.
"Technically, Liebling, but it's one word in German. I'd be happy to spell it if you want." However, she shook her head with a tender giggle.
"Why do languages work like that?" Anne inquired, the thought actually piquing her interests.
"I actually did research on this one night." Cathy raised a hand, catching everyone's attention. "It depends on a few factors, such as character width and limitation of abbreviation in a few languages in regards to observation, but I think it's mostly to do with compound nouns. Languages like Dutch, German, and Finnish have single words, rather large words, to replace what would be a sequence of smaller words in some other languages. As well as this, the rate of which languages are spoken are different too. This comes down to the fact that each language has its own grammatical rules. Like I mentioned earlier, abbreviations aren't applicable to some languages and a collection of words might have a single word used in place. For example, uh, Lina, Jane and Anna, after each other, say--" she paused a second to think-- "I don't need your love." She grinned, earning amused looks from the Queens. "Say that in your home languages."
Catalina reflected the sixth Queen's grin. "No necesito tu amor."
"Je n'ai pas besoin de ton amour," said Jane with a smug look.
"Ich brauche deine Liebe nicht." Anna chuckled, liking how this had become a language lesson.
"So, in Spanish," she motioned over to Catalina, "there were only four words present to say the five worded phrase in English."
"Mmhm!" Catalina giggled. "That's correct."
"On the contrary, in French," she waved over to Jane, "the sentence is more proper. I think if you put it to dodgy English, it doesn't directly translate."
"Correct." The third Queen beamed. "Literally, it means: I have not to need your love."
"The French grammar is very accurate and, therefore, makes it a little longer." Turning over to Anna, she pulled her lips to a line. "I'm not entirely sure about German but I think it doesn't directly translate either. Not many abbreviations are used, I suspect?"
"This time, it does directly translate," Anna offered to explain. "It depends on the sentence. As long as it complements the verb, an abbreviation is okay."
"That's interesting."
"I'd be happy to offer an explanation but I fear it'll take forever."
"Yeah, maybe another time, An." Realising that she had rambled on, Cathy rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Queens, I got carried away."
"Oh, no, please. I think it's really interesting!" Kitty clapped her hands. "I wish I could speak another language."
"Besides, I think you've captured Anne again." Jane chortled, waving a hand in front of the second Queen's eyes.
Anne sat in a hunched position, chin resting on her fist with a dreamy look. Contented, she sighed. "My girlfriend is so smart," she said in a nostalgic tone. Cathy grinned, giggling at the same time.
Anna had spun the arrow and it immediately landed on another Queen.
"Huh, Ari--" she raised an eyebrow with a curious look-- "Truth or Dare?"
"Still holding onto Truth." She made a gesture. "Maybe I'll pick Dare next time." As Anna reached into the jar, the first Queen sat up in her chair.
Unfolding the paper, she read over it. A smirk started forming across her lips as she muttered something in German. "Alles klar..." she clicked her tongue, "...answer this truthfully, Ari: have you ever taken a liking to a close friend and has anyone noticed?"
"Have I ever taken a liking to a close friend?" Catalina scoffed with a grin. "More like, have I ever fallen in love with a close friend? And if you haven't noticed who it is..." she leaned on the left armrest to catch the pair of azure eyes two seats away from her, "...I'll have you know that she's certainly made me see more," Catalina purred softly, clearly pacified from the events of earlier on.
"Aww, you're so sweet, Lina." Jane chortled while raising her right shoulder.
"Te quiero, mi amada ángel," she said with a thick accent, making the other's head spin. The first Queen's tone made her glow in the cheeks with another chortle.
"Je t'aime davantage, ma chérie Lina," the other responded with a wink. Having heard Catalina say it to her many times made her responses quicker.
Nonetheless, before they could get carried away, Anne coughed into her fist. "Hate to interrupt but I believe it's time to spin the wheel, Ari?"
"¿Qué? Oh, right." After gifting Jane a final affectionate look, she reached over and spun the wheel. Everything was at ease now and the awkward tension had eventually evaporated. "Kitty," she said just as the wheel pointed at her, "Truth or Dare?"
"Dare!" She eagerly answered, making her significant other jump slightly.
By that, Anne snickered. "L-O-L, you made An jump. I've never seen that before."
As the Queens shared a friendly laugh, Catalina pulled out a piece of paper between her fingers. Scanning her eyes over the words, she read it aloud. An amused look coloured her face. "I Dare you to: become the slave of another player of your choice until your next go." Casting the paper onto the table, she chuckled. "What?"
"That's a pretty easy choice." Pulling a smirk, she edged her eyes to the right. Then, she turned her body completely; her body was hoisted with help from the armrest. With lidded eyes, she purred and regarded the fourth Queen with significance. "So, Mistress Anna--" taken aback, the Queens' stared wide-eyed at the mischievous fifth Queen; Anna, above all, had her jaw dropped as well as widened eyes when she felt a heavy thud in her chest-- "are you in need of anything right now?" Kitty's elbow rested on the armrest, perching her chin in her palm while analysing the other's face. "Goodness, Mistress, you're looking a little flushed. Let me go get some water for you. Staying hydrated is very important." Her voice was already like cold liquid, easily washing over her and making her shiver slightly. Seconds after, Kitty actually stood up. Delicately, she ran a finger over the other's face: tracing her cheekbone, lips and jawline. "I won't be long, Mistress." With the sway of hips, she trailed out of the room.
Managing to snap her mouth shut, Anna found that she was, indeed, blushing. Upon connecting gazes with the as equally shocked Queens, she blinked a couple of times while sweat rolled down her head. "I can assure you that we have never tried roleplay before. Honestly. We haven't." Covering her mouth with her hand, she decided to reflect on what just happened. Zoned out, Anna didn't realise how seduced she felt.
"Oh, my..." Jane produced a teeth-sucking noise.
"You know, I wonder what age this Truth or Dare is actually applicable for," Cathy wondered, tapping her chin softly. "First glance at it, I thought it was a fun game for children. You just never know what might come out. One second you're making a silly joke and the next you're seducing someone."
"I wonder what other sins are kept in these jars..." Catalina narrowed her eyes at paper-filled jars.
"Who cares? At least it's not boring." Anne laughed, tapping her shoulder and pointing to Anna. The second Queen leaned over to Catalina- of course, minding her distance. "Besides, I think Anna's just realised that she has a kink," she whispered while letting out a guilty giggle. In response, Catalina giggled too.
Soon enough, Kitty had entered into the room. Before Anna could bat an eye, the fifth Queen sat down on the other's armrest and slid down. Situated on her lap, she held the glass of water between them.
"Wait, is that one of my wine glasses?"
"Sorry, JJ, but I think Kitty's a little occupied to answer," said Cathy, regarding the couple.
"I only had to get the best for my Mistress," The Queen replied, flashing an innocent look. "But, seriously, it is, please don't be mad. I promise to wash it myself afterwards. It was the first one I saw." Kitty's side response was really quick and was slow to process through the third Queen's mind.
Regardless, Jane waved it off with a smile.
Clearing her throat, Kitty switched back into character. "I've got you cold water. I believe it helps with the heat, Mistress." Her magenta eyes met the blazing ones, running her fingers through the short, black hair. Pressing the glass to the other's lips, she tilted it. Slowly, Anna drank it with her eyes still gazing into Kitty's. Her heart hammered, anxious for her next move.
All of a sudden, one of the Queens coughed. "Kit, I believe you have to spin the wheel," Catalina reminded, lips flexing into a smirk as Anne struggled to hold in a laugh.
"Oh, yes, that's right." Kitty nodded, resting the glass on the opposing armrest. Anna's fingers curled around the neck of the glass, eyes not leaving the other's for a second. "Allow me to just spin the wheel, Mistress." With half a nod, Kitty grinned as an idea occurred to her. Shifting onto the fourth Queen's lap properly, her back faced her. Sat on her knees, she had completely bent over to reach for the wheel. All of a sudden, the sound of Anna spitting the water back into the glass was heard. After flicking the spinner, she giggled and sat back up. Casting her gaze over her shoulder, she mimicked a modest, apologetic expression. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mistress. Was that uncomfortable?" However, before Anna could find the means to speak, the arrow stopped. "Lovely." Kitty clapped her hands softly. "Bo-Bo, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth," she swiftly replied, "one hundred percent Truth."
As giggles filled the air, Kitty bent over again to get one- much to Anna's evident delight. Pulling it out, she adjusted herself on Anna's lap so that she sat properly with her back against the armrest. "Anne: what's the first thing that you would do if you were invisible?" Brushing the smooth face of the paper down Anna's jawline, she giggled. "A bit of a strange one, don't you think, Mistress?"
"See what I mean, you never know what you're going to get." Cathy gave the jars a hard glare.
"O-M-G, this is actually a good question." Anne crossed her legs on her chair. "If I ever become invisible, the thing that I've always wanted to do is cover myself completely in glitter and troll a bunch of people saying that I'm the scary glitter monster that threatens to throw glitter at you if you don't buy me an ice-cream."
"A question," Jane raised her hand, unsure where this was going, "why would you choose glitter? That is an absolute nightmare to clean." She shuddered at the memory of when someone had spilt a jar of glitter all over the lounge counter. Even now, none of the Queens admitted who it was because Jane was beyond furious. There were all at the scene of the crime which could have meant that it was at least one of them. Glitter was impossible to clean up entirely; whenever Jane thought she had caught every sprinkle, there had always been more the next day. Grimaced, she gritted her teeth. "If you ever do become invisible, I will not allow you to cover yourself in glitter unless you tell me who spilt that jar a few weeks ago."
Taken aback, all five Queens jumped. "Er..." Anne forced a laugh, nervously rubbing the back of her neck, "...I don't even know what you're on about, sweet Jane dove. Anyway, I'll be more responsible than whoever tipped that sparkly jar of glitter on Thursday in the afternoon two weeks ago. I'll just cover myself in glitter outside and jump into the ocean before coming home. That way, the glitter would totally wash off."
"And risk harming marine life..?" Cathy raised a perfect eyebrow in her girlfriend's direction.
"Well...uh...of course not, Cathy-kins. The glitter I'll wear will be...uh...edible...yes." Satisfied with that answer, Anne shrugged and nodded to herself. "I'll just nab lots of it from the bakery-- ack! Of course, tipping the owner with a generous donation and a signed photograph of the one and only Anne Boleyn," Anne quickly added on before Jane could accuse her of stealing. "That way, when I wash off, the glitter would be washed out into the sea and because it's edible, no harm will come to the fishies. Any more objections? Ari? Anna? Kitty?"
"Just a quick question." Catalina raised her hand slightly. "When you say completely cover yourself and run around basically terrorizing people, are you implying that you'd be naked?"
"Well, duh! Well, maybe one of those skin-tight leotards because it might be a bit breezy but that's basically being naked." As if it was the obvious answer, she made a gesture. "If I'm invisible, no one can see this sexy body running around anyway. Only my dear Cathy-kins gets to see that. Anywho, moreover: less clothes, less weight, more running around and more ice-cream!!" Triumphantly, her hands waved in the air. The Queens, bar one, stared at her awkwardly. Facepalmed, Cathy didn't know if she should laugh or tell her girlfriend off for being so unbelievable.
"Uh..." Anna managed to speak up after minutes of silence, "...on with the game..?" Feeling a set of fingers sweep through her hair, she sighed warmly.
"I believe my Mistress wants you to continue." Twirling long strands of hair around her finger, she pressed her lips to the fourth Queen's cheek.
Obliged, Anne leaned over and flicked the wheel. By that, it decelerated and landed on the third Queen. "Oh, yes. Jane, Truth or Dare, love?"
"Hmm..." she hummed, making a slight gesture, "...Dare. Why not?"
"Another victim of potential trauma," Anne said while fishing out a slip of paper from the red jar. The other Queens laughed. With a straight face, she read over the text. Then, she grinned. "I'd like to see this. Jane, I Dare you to: whisper into your boyfriend's slash girlfriend's- in this case, obviously girlfriend's- ear something very intimate that makes them go red in the face." Flicking the paper with a finger, the second Queen softly scoffed. "If only I got this one, damn it. You would've had it bad, Cathy-kins!"
"Well, good for me and unlucky for you then." Cathy smirked, sticking her tongue out.
"Something very intimate, huh?" Jane thought for a second.
"Yup! And it has to make her apparently blush really hard." Cathy switched to a grin, pulling her legs onto the chair.
"Yeah, like how all Kitty has to do is call Anna Mistress to make her go silent for a while and redder than scarlet." Anne cackled while casting the fourth and fifth Queen a cheeky look.
"But, of course, dear cousin." Kitty faked a pout, tipping Anna's face to hers and pressing their cheeks together. "I would be so lost if I didn't have Mistress Anna to help me on the way. I would do anything to show her how much I truly appreciate her being there for her." Then, she kissed her cheek again with a soft look.
A little cooler than before, Anna chuckled. "I think I'm starting to get used to this," said she in a low voice, running her own fingers through the other's hair.
"Well," Catalina began as she leaned back into her chair, crossing one leg over the other, "do try your best on me, Jane. I doubt you could make me blush right away. There's no way you can."
Rising from her chair, the third Queen scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself, chérie. Be mindful that I know a lot of things that the others do not." Softly, her fingers grazed the top of the first Queen's chair as she leaned down. Catalina brushed aside her curls as the other used a hand to block the sound from escaping. "For example..." Finally tucking her hair behind her ear, Jane's melodic voice filled her ears.
It was totally silent. Only the occasional soft, inaudible mutters of Jane's voice could be heard.
Much to their surprise, within seconds, Catalina's face immediately changed from her smug look to a completely jawdropped, blushing mess. Even Anne tried to lean in to figure out what the Queen whispered to the other but she was held back by Jane's other hand.
"Damn it!" Anne slammed her fist on the armrest of her chair. "Never have I ever seen high and mighty Catalina so red!! Just look at her!"
Before she could complain any longer, the third Queen had leaned back with a dainty smirk across her lips. "Wouldn't you like that, my big bad Lina?" She had put special emphasis on the adjectives, making the other stumble for words. All Catalina did was nod slowly with a burning blush spreading even more. Tenderly, she kissed her cheek before standing straight. Tossing her hair, she turned heel and headed over to her chair. "And it looks like I can make you blush good," Jane said in a harmonious voice while sitting down.
"Woah..." Anne's gaze was still glued onto Catalina, who was rubbing her face with her hands and sat in a hunch.
"...Jane, I think you broke her." Cathy struggled to hold in a laugh.
"Damn right I did." Jane's smirk widened, discreetly passing a wink to her lover when their eyes locked for a second.
In a heartbeat, Anne sprang up and clawed Jane's armrest. "What did you tell her?!"
"That wasn't part of the Dare, Bo."
"But-- But-- I need to know! I've never seen her so red before!" She pressed her hands into a clasp. "Prettiest of the pleases?"
"Sorry, Anne." The other giggled. "Not happening."
"Then, I Dare you to tell me!"
"May I see the paper for that?" In a ridiculing way, Jane held her hand out.
In defeat, Anne groaned. "Fine! Now I'll never know Ari's weakness!"
"Ay..." Catalina deeply sighed while finding herself and sitting up. With puffed up cheeks, she shook her head. Catching Jane's eyes, she sighed again. "Okay, fine, you win. You can make me blush hard. Y hazlo muy bien. Oh, Dios mío..." Ere to Anne posing a question, she groaned. "Can we just move on? I think I'm about to collapse."
"Shall we do one last round?" Anna suggested with a snicker. "I think this has done enough overwhelming for one day."
"Sure," Jane said with a genuine shrug.
"Yeah, I was going to ask but didn't want to." Anne grinned.
"It's okay for me." Cathy smiled with a nod.
"Sounds really good," Catalina stressed, sitting up slightly.
"Whatever you want, Mistress," Kitty purred.
After Jane spun the arrow, she stood up. This time, she paced by Catalina and kissed her head. "Désolée, chérie. I'll get you a glass of water." As soon as she strolled out, the Queens eagerly eyed the first Queen. Anne, above all, gave her a curious yet smug look.
When the Spaniard gave them a hard look, the arrow landed on the empty chair of the fifth Queen.
"Well, then!" Cathy raised her hands. "Looks like it's Kitty's turn and that means--"
"Awh, shucks. I enjoyed that." The fifth Queen pouted. Brushing it aside, she grinned and stole a sweet kiss on Anna's lips. Before she pulled back, the other returned the gesture. A giggle left her lips as she melted against her. After a moment, they leaned back. Stroking her hair a final time, Kitty crawled over to her own chair with a laugh. "Mistress Anna sure has a nice ring to it."
"It sounds even better coming from your lips, mein Schatz," Anna smirked, earning a pleasant chortle from her significant other.
As the couple shared a chaste nose nuzzle, Jane strolled into the room with a glass of water. Elegantly, she eased towards Catalina and handed her the glass. Before she stood back up, the first Queen held her down and zealously kissed her lips. Ere to her letting her go, she leaned into Jane's left ear and whispered something. Although the other's couldn't hear anything, the expression they saw on the third Queen's face had said it all. Quickly, she sprang up with a delicate blush. When Catalina flashed her a daring smirk, she recoiled a little- abashed. Smoothly, the other sipped the water. "Gracias, mi amada."
Swiftly finding her place, she cleared her throat. "So...uhm...what was I going to say..?" Jane tapped her chin. "Oh, yeah. When I was getting the water, I saw that it stopped raining outside. We could walk to the mall and go out for dinner, if you'd like?"
"We can go outside?!" Anne gasped in a thrill. "Yes!! Okay, okay. After this game, we'll go out. We're buying ice-cream though!
"Hold your horses, Bo." Cathy laughed. "It's Kitty's turn first."
"Oh, Kit, it's you?" Jane questioned, sitting back down with a cooler face. The Queen nodded. "Okay, then, Truth or Dare?"
"I'll end on a Truth, please, Janey." Kitty crossed her legs on the chair.
With a hum, Jane reached into the blue jar and gave it a gentle stir. Pulling a piece out, she skimmed her eyes over it. "Kitty: what is that one thing you would never do if someone offered you all the money in the world?"
"Well, for starters, I already have more money than I could need," she mumbled in thought. "Uhm...but something I'd never do? I guess I would never use it all in one go. If I did, I wouldn't have much or any of it left. Instead, I'd save it up and use it to treat myself, my loving girlfriend and my closest mates!"
"Aww, how lovely of you, Kit." The fourth Queen giggled, lacing their fingers together. Locking their hold, Kitty grinned.
"Always for you, my Annie." Without releasing their hold, she leaned over and spun the arrow. It spun for five seconds exactly before stopping on Catalina. "Okay! Ari, Truth or Dare?"
For a moment, she remained silent to contemplate. Was it worth risking it? At the thought, she shrugged and nodded. "Dare. What's the worst that could happen? I've been through enough already." Without meaning to, she batted an eye at Anne who grimaced in return.
Kitty reached her hand into the red jar and stirred it. Even when her tongue poked out, she took a good few seconds before pulling one out. Unfolding it, she read over it. "Oh, gosh. Uhm...Ari, I Dare you to: only speak in a different language until the end of the game."
Catalina burst out laughing.
"Oh, my God, she could literally be talking shit about me and I wouldn't even know." Anne had her head in her hand.
"I can understand a bit of Spanish and by that, I really do mean a bit," Cathy admitted with a small smile.
"At least it's the last round," Anna whooped with a broad grin.
"Okay, Ari." Kitty managed to speak between giggles. "Starting from now you have to speak Spanish."
"Está bien, eso está bien para mí." With an amused look, she gazed around the room to meet the eyes of every Queen. "No tienes que parecer tan sorprendido. Me escuchas hablar español a veces. Especialmente tu, mi amada."
"Uhm..." Jane managed a small smile when she caught the nickname that Catalina naturally called her by, "...yes, that's very nice, Lina, but...uh...I think you should continue the game, don't you think?"
"Sí," she responded while giving the arrow a gentle flick. By that, the arrow slowed down and landed on Anne. With a smirk, she snickered. "¿Verdad o Reto, Anne?"
The second Queen gave her a strange look before speaking. "Uh...Reto..?" she answered in a heavy British accent. She concluded that Verdad probably meant Truth and Reto meant Dare. However, the first Queen might have switched them around for all she cared so she took her chances. What could she lose?
Catalina dropped a hand into the red jar- indicating that it was a Dare she had chosen- and gave it a thorough mix. Then, she pulled out a slip of paper and began to read it out. Her gaze lifted: should she do it just to tease them? Besides, it was her Dare after all and it was not the end of the game yet. "Está bien, Anne," she started in her mother tongue, "te Reto a: cierra los ojos; una vez que están, el grupo elige a un jugador para que se pare frente a ti y tienes que adivinar quiénes son." Afterwards, silence filled the room. The Queen shared glances with Cathy but even she was too overwhelmed with how quick she had spoken as well as the vocabulary well out of her range.
"I knew it. Aragon's talking shit about me, isn't she? I freaking knew it!!" In a somewhat menacing way, she raised herself up by the armrest. "Well, guess what, Ari, two Queens can play at that game!!" On the contrary, just as she took a deep inhale, Jane managed to hold her down. Anne's hands were clawing the air while pretending to hiss. Rolling her eyes, Catalina passed the paper to Cathy who read it aloud in English.
"She was reading out the Dare, dear." The sixth Queen tsked. "You have to: close your eyes; once they are, the group chooses one player to stand in front of you and you have to guess who they are."
"Really?" Anne blinked in bewilderment. "It sounded more like a threat instead of a Dare."
"Close your eyes, won't you, my blossom?"
Balling her eyes back, Anne grinned and closed them tightly. "Whatever you say, love of my life." When her eyes were closed, the group gazed at another. They were all quiet, not allowed to discuss out loud since it would give the person they chose away.
"Entonces," Catalina smirked, realising that she was the only one who could speak since Anne had no clue as to what she was saying, "¿a quién estamos eligiendo?" Then, an idea struck her. She put her fist out while trying to find a way to solve it. "Piedra-Papel-Tijeras?" Of course, they gave her blank looks. Gutted that they didn't understand, she mimicked a sideways frown. By the end of it, she demonstrated by making the actions for each bet. When she had, they all understood.
"Ooh! I get it." Kitty laughed, putting her fist in at the same time the other three did.
"Está bien..." she said, giving them a look, "...tres...dos...uno..." then, they threw in their bets. To their surprise, the fourth Queen drew rock when the rest drew paper. Anna almost swore.
Kitty snorted and giggled.
"Okay, Anne, we've picked the Queen. She's heading over now." Cathy grinned as Anna crouched down to Anne's level. "Try and avoid touching the hair though. It'll be too easy if you don't."
Straight away, Anne's hands fell upon the mystery face. "Pshh, I've got this, Cathy-kins." However, as she was blinded, she frowned as no senses came to her. The Queen's face was smooth; but then again, they all were. Slowly, her finger felt upon the eyebrows. "Oh, wait, sorry, whoever this is. I hope I didn't smudge anything." Shaking her head, Anne sighed. Then, she felt the Queen's jaw. It didn't deduct any suspicion of who it could be. "This is so hard! It could be any of you." When no one responded to her, she whined. Again, she cast her fingers higher up the face. The second Queen gasped. "Wait a second..." her thumbs grazed over the cheekbones, noticing that it was an evident clue. Triumphant, she grinned. "Ah-hah! I only know two Queens whose cheeks are this sharp. This is either Anna or Ari. Not going to lie: I wish I had cheekbones like that." Still, no response. "Alright, don't reply. I've totes got this." Freely, her hands waded further up the face. Her initial thought was Catalina because she probably would have done it to tick her off, but then again not because of earlier's events. Touching her face was just a little extra. Then she thought about Anna. This person could more likely be Anna. She was less likely to kill her for touching her face and she wasn't forced to kiss her.
As if to prove her point, Anne took the liberty to feel the hair.
"Haha! I've solved it!! This is Anna Of Cleves!" She pumped the air with celebratory yelling. "No one rocks a pixie cut better than Anna."
"Aww," the mystery Queen- who was Anna- chuckled, "thanks, Bo."
"O-M-G, am I right?" Revealing her eyes, she squealed. In full victory, she yelled again and brought her into a hug. "I am amazing!!" She also yelled in a singsong voice before releasing the fourth Queen.
The Queens clapped.
"Nice going, Anne," Kitty congratulated as Anna trailed back to her chair. "But, like, you think Annie and Ari have nice cheekbones?"
"I mean, duh." Anne shrugged, unashamed. "I wish I had cheekbones like that. They are so on fleek!"
As they all laughed, Anne reached over and gave the arrow a spin. Soon, it stopped and landed on Anna.
"Oh, what a lovely coincidence." The second Queen chortled. "Truth or Dare, Anna?"
"Dare. Go big or go home, girls!"
Sticking her tongue out, Anne shoved her hand right to the bottom of the jar and violently rustled around until she grabbed one. Neatly, she reeled it out and gave it a read. "Annd, we're back, ladies." She snorted, catching Anna's eyes. "Alright, An, I Dare you to: name five body parts that your partner loves to kiss. But, miss out the obvious one. We all like that. Do we not, ladies?"
"Anne, oh, my God." Cathy facepalmed again.
"Vraiment, Anne?" Jane sighed into her hands.
"Dios mío," Catalina ran a hand over her face, "dame fuerzas."
"Really?" Kitty- instead- was blushing darkly while giving her significant other pleading eyes. "Really, Annie?"
"A Dare is a Dare, mein Schatz," Anna mused, resting her chin on her fingers. "Five body parts that my sweet beloved loves to kiss include--" Kitty covered her face-- "lips...cheeks...chest...stomach...and thighs." With every word, she made a gesture to them. When she had got to the third one, the fifth Queen buried her face in Anna's neck with a timid whine. Playfully, she rolled her eyes and kissed the top of her head. "That's what I think anyway. Minus the obvious one we all like."
"Aww, it's okay, Kit." Jane giggled. "We all have guilty pleasures. Am I mistaken, ladies?"
"Not at all," Cathy smirked the same time as Anne.
Anna had spun the arrow and landed on the penultimate player. "Cathy!" she announced cheerfully. "Truth or Dare?"
"I think I'll end with a Truth, please, An."
"Suit yourself, Cat." Then, Anna reached into the blue jar and fished out a slip of paper near the top. "Okay, Cathy: if you could, which player would you like to swap lives with for a day?"
"That's a good question actually." She took a few moments to gaze around the room. It didn't take her long to come up with a judgement after a mental argument with herself. "I think I'd like to swap lives with Jane. Sure, I don't necessarily like cleaning but if I swapped lives with Jane, I think I'd enjoy it since she does." She beamed. "On the plus side, since Jane can cook, that means I can too! I've always been a disaster in the kitchen."
"That is so true." Anne agreed. "Besides the cleaning, I would really enjoy it if I could actually cook something edible."
"Same here," Anna spoke up.
"Here-here!" Kitty shot her hand up.
"Sí. La última vez que cociné casi incendié la cocina."
On the other hand, Jane exhaled again as she rubbed her forehead. "I don't just cook and clean, girls."
"That's true. It just seems ideal to be Jane," Cathy explained further. "She's gorgeous, she's smart, she doesn't procrastinate and she can cook. Aragon must be chuffed."
"Darn right I am," Catalina muttered under her breath with an affectionate smirk aimed at Jane.
"Yeah, but, I'm super chuffed I have you, Cathy-kins. You're gorgeous, you're smart, you procrastinate from time to time and you can't cook. Everything I need in a girlfriend!" And by that, she blew the other a kiss.
Kitty chortled. "So, last person?"
"I believe it's Jane." Anna pointed at the third Queen with a grin.
"Alright, Jane. The final contestant of this lovely game--" Cathy grinned-- "Truth or Dare?"
"Since I'm the last person, let's risk it and go for Dare. Like what Lina said, what's the worst that can happen?" Jane raised her shoulders with a coy smile.
"Esa es mi novia!" Catalina laughed.
"Yay! Let's finish this with something not too spicy." Cathy reached the very bottom of the jar and picked the one right at the bottom. She took it out, unfolded it and read it aloud. "Jane, as the final player, I Dare you to: embrace the first person that passes through the neighbourhood."
"Oh, wow. That's actually not that bad." Jane hummed, delighted. "Well, since we're going out anyway, this seems about right." Standing up, she flattened out her blouse.
While she did, Anne had stood up and waded over to the window facing the front of the house. Behind the curtains showed very few people walking out and about. "Looks like the neighbourhood's starting to wake up. No paparazzi in sight either...for now." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Alright. As soon as I come back in, we have to get ready. Gonna have to get dressed into something proper if we're eating out." Jane made a gesture.
"I can make a reservation now," Cathy volunteered as she pulled her phone out from the side pocket of her jeans. Upon unlocking it, her thumb hovered over the restaurant app that they all adored. "The usual, ladies?"
"Yes!!" Kitty cheered, jumping on the chair excitedly.
By that, she clicked on it and began to make an online reservation for six o'clock, which was just under two hours from now.
As Jane began to stroll out the room, Catalina took her arm. "Noo," she somewhat begged, "no te vayas, Janey."
"Oh, come on, Ari. It's just a hug. We do it with the fans all the time!" Successfully prying her grasping hands from her arm, she pecked her forehead. "Okay, you can start speaking English as soon as you see me outside. It'll be a quick in and out. See you in a bit!" Then, she dashed through the doorway before Catalina could protest.
Where the other Queens were, the first Queen bolted to the window. Pressing her palms against the window, her protective eyes followed Jane's figure as she left the door. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, held up by a hairtie that she might have grabbed on the way.
"Oh, look, there's a guy." Anna pointed a finger against the glass.
As if on cue, Jane had turned and met up with the guy. He seemed to have earphones in. However, as soon Jane stepped in the way with an amiable wave, the earphones were immediately taken out. The man looked like a teenager going into a young adult: wearing a red and black branded hoodie with jeans. He looked really surprised and happy to see Jane. They began to talk then.
"What is she doing? Just hug the guy already!" Anne pressed her cheek against the glass.
"I don't like this," said Catalina as her teeth gritted.
"It's okay, Ari," Kitty reassured her. "It's just a Dare."
When the Queen responded with a grunt, Jane stepped in and brought the man into a hug. As it appeared, the man embraced back: resting his head against her with a broad smile on his face. It seemed that they were still talking as they saw the man's mouth move.
"Are they meant to last this long?" Catalina clawed the window as impatience rose within her.
"You're over-reacting, Ari. Take a chill-pill." Anne rolled her eyes as she rested an arm upon Catalina's shoulder.
The Queens regarded Jane and the man embrace. They seemed to still be in the embrace while talking.
"I don't like this."
"Relax, Ari," Cathy jumped in, joining the Queens at the window. "Just booked it for us. They said they were going to organise something for us so we really do have to dress up!" She forced a laugh when she noticed how tense Catalina was. She looked like a predator ready to pounce onto its prey.
The embrace continued.
"Uh..." Anna winced a little, "...this is normal right?"
"I think so." Kitty nodded, sweat dropping as she was truly not sure. "Maybe he's a big fan. I've had a lot of guys like that."
The silence strung on and Jane's embrace still carried on. The nerves soon passed by every Queen.
"This is definitely not normal," Anna concluded.
"Yeah..." Anne made a teeth-sucking noise, "...someone should get her."
However, before the first Queen could answer calmly, they regarded the man's hands move around the third Queen's figure. They noticed how Jane tried pushing back but he still had a strong grip around her. Clearly uncomfortable with it, Jane tried to pry his hands off her but he seemed very insistent. By that, the four Queens dared to glance up to the Spaniard. Little did he know, Catalina was very insistent too.
Catalina de Aragón was furious.
"That's it!!" she boomed as she barged her way through the Queens and thundered down the corridor. "¡Esa es la gota que llena el vaso! ¡¡Nadie trata a mi novia así!! Y, especialmente, ¡no un bastardo sucio!" By that, the front door was kicked open.
From the window, they regarded the man jump back from Jane. As soon as Jane caught sight of Catalina, she was pulling on her own hair. Catalina spat curses in Spanish at the man. Even when he attempted to shout back, the Queen would prowl forward.
"Poor guy." Anna tutted. "Get down you dirty rascal," she said, observing the man sink down onto the pavement with Catalina basically looming over him as if he were dirt. The Queen was visibly bearing her claws at the trembling man.
"Should we...do something?" Kitty recoiled as she noticed how scared the man looked.
"Nah, I'm sure it's--"
"He's on the run!!"
Kitty was right. The man was suddenly being chased by an enraged Catalina with Jane following after them in a panic. Immediately, the Queens gasped.
"Goodness me! We should go and help before Ari kills the bastard." Cathy was scared for the man and caught Anna's eyes.
"Why, dude?" Anne groaned while Kitty still stood by the window while watching the scene. "Why do you have to get so handsy and especially on Lina's girl? We're lucky it wasn't Kitty because Anna would have kicked the shit out of him." Dismissively shaking her head, she stumbled to the door. "If we're lucky, he hasn't been pushed in front of a car or off the bridge...or maybe both! Let's go, Kit!!"
Then, in an unorderly fashion, the Queens of SIX barged through the front door (obviously, locking it) and chased after the other Queens and the poor man. They never knew that an innocent-sounding game like Truth or Dare could lead to many extremes caused by the strange Truths or the very suggestive Dares. Alas, here they were, chasing after the Spaniard who would probably end up killing the man because of the Dare her girlfriend had obliged to do.
But, at least now, Anne wasn't bored.
End.