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Fontaine’s afternoons always felt poetic.
The surface of the water reflected the orange glow of the setting sun, stretching thin streaks of light across the damp stone streets. Songs drifted from afar through the canals. Everything felt so peaceful and dreamlike, as if the city itself were part of a beautiful dream.
At this hour, the streets were lively with activity. Merchants called out to passing customers, elegant ladies chatted about the latest fashion trends, and somewhere nearby, a child excitedly begged their parents to take them to see the play again.
Columbina and Sandrone blended naturally into the rhythm of the city.
It hadn't been long since their reunion.
Even though Columbina had imagined their reunion countless times, had sworn to take good care of her… now that they were finally together again, she found herself unable to do anything but walk quietly beside her. Sandrone, too, remained silent.
They had far too much to say.
So much that neither of them knew where to begin.
So they said nothing. Not a word about the past that still ached. That conversation could wait for another lifetime.
Since Sandrone was far more familiar with Fontaine, she naturally took the lead as they walked ahead.
Columbina’s gaze would drift toward the wind-up key on Sandrone’s back, only to travel upward and meet her eyes already watching her in return.
She immediately looked away.
“...”
Sandrone’s back had always looked so steady and dependable. Yet those shoulders looked so small. Small enough that they could not even block the warm evening light spilling over Columbina.
Quietly, Columbina stepped forward to walk beside her.
The sweet scent of pastries soon caught the attention of her empty stomach.
Fresh cream cakes gleamed beneath the warm golden lights, their smooth white frosting decorated with plump red strawberries that looked irresistibly tempting.
Sandrone quickly noticed the distraction and came to a stop.
“Do you want some?”
Even though she honestly wanted to, Columbina shook her head. She needed to act more mature and reliable.
After all, she had already decided that she would take care of Sandrone.
Her stomach let out a low growl.
“...”
“Two portions to go, please.”
The cake was so delicious that Columbina’s eyes widened the moment she took a bite. The faint disappointment from earlier vanished completely.
“Sandrone, this one’s really good. You should try some too.”
She held out the slice topped with shimmering cream toward her, eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“What? I don’t like sweets.”
Sandrone refused almost on instinct.
The little wing behind Columbina’s head drooped visibly at once.
“...Alright, stop making that face already…”
With clear reluctance, Sandrone leaned over and took a small bite from the piece Columbina offered her. The sweetness touched her tongue instantly through her taste sensors.
She frowned.
As expected, sweets really didn’t suit her…
Sandrone was about to complain, but then she caught sight of Columbina’s expectant gaze.
“...It’s good. I’m just not hungry, so you can have the rest.”
“Really? Mm, then I’ll gladly eat your share too.”
Columbina happily brought the cake back to her lips, the little wing atop her head fluttering a few times.
Sandrone could only let out a helpless sigh inwardly. She had worried Columbina would be unbearably tearful after they reunited, but looking at her now, it seemed that concern had been completely unnecessary.
A foolish little dove would always remain a foolish little dove.
“It’s getting close to evening already. Want to walk around a little longer before we head back?”
.
They returned to the inn just as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. The street lamps outside had begun to glow as well, casting a pale golden light across the windowpanes.
The room Sandrone rented was not particularly spacious, but for two girls, especially one as undemanding as Columbina, it was more than enough.
Sandrone stepped further into the room and placed the things they had bought earlier onto the wooden table in the center.
“Columbina, do you want to bathe first–”
Before she could finish, a sudden force pulled her backwards. Caught off guard, Sandrone stumbled straight into a soft embrace, and in the next instant, the arms around her waist tightened.
The god rested her head against Sandrone’s shoulder. Sandrone could not see her expression, but she could clearly hear the uneven breathing beside her ear.
And the damp warmth soaking into her shoulder…
“Was I truly worth sacrificing yourself for?”
Columbina’s voice was barely above a whisper, yet it struck Sandrone’s heart with quiet force.
Like the final drop spilling from an already overflowing cup, every emotion Columbina had been suppressing finally shattered loose.
Her voice came out rough and trembling, as though those words had been trapped in her throat for a very long time.
Back then, when she was still naive, she didn't realize what she had. Until she lost it.
The Traveler told her she deserved everyone's help. Of course they would say that.
But what about Sandrone? Was Sandrone's sacrifice... also deserved?
Even now, she could still remember the weight of Sandrone in her arms that day as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. No matter how much Kuuvahki she poured into the puppet’s body, the wind-up key had remained motionless through that endless stretch of time.
The god who possessed the power to interfere with life itself,
yet she still could not bring Sandrone back.
Columbina struggled to breathe. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks before falling onto Sandrone’s shoulder.
Her arms tightened further around the puppet, as if the moment she let go, she would lose her once again.
For a moment, Sandrone did not know how to comfort her.
Both of them understood all too well how deeply the past had weighed on the other.
But Sandrone could not allow her to fall apart like this. More than anyone else, she never wanted her little dove to drown in sorrow.
“You idiot...!”
She lifted Columbina’s face gently with both hands, sea-blue eyes meeting violet ones that seemed to cradle moonlight within them.
Only then did Columbina realize that Sandrone was crying too, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“That was my own decision. It had nothing to do with you.”
Sandrone held the goddess’s gaze firmly.
“So you don’t need to feel guilty. I never wanted that from you, Columbina.”
The blue in her eyes softened.
Sandrone was used to being a puppet. She'd never given much thought to her own feelings - after all, who ever considers the emotions of a doll? She was like a toy you turn to when you're bored, then toss aside when you've had enough. That was how Sandrone existed: never anything particularly important.
She was no one.
No one saw her.
But Columbina had said she would miss her. Columbina had held her. Sandrone had never been treated like that before.
And now she was crying. For her.
Sandrone didn't think she needed pity or anything of the sort - on the contrary, she despised those looks. But she couldn't deny that being seen and understood felt... something. She didn't have a word for it
In a rare moment of tenderness, Sandrone leaned forward and lightly rested her forehead against hers.
“All I ever wanted…”
... was for you to come back safely and live well. Don’t waste your heart mourning someone whose fate was uncertain like me.
Doll never managed to finish those words.
Columbina suddenly leaned in and kissed her.
Sandrone had never imagined that someone’s lips could tremble so much against her own. A painful ache spread through her chest, yet at the same time, an unfamiliar warmth slowly unfurled deep inside her body.
“Columbina...” Sandrone let out a faint, shaky sound as the kiss dragged on until she was nearly breathless.
Columbina loved hearing that sound.
Perhaps it was because of the sweetness of the cake from earlier, or perhaps Sandrone’s lips had always been sweet to begin with.
“Ugh, you…”
She meant it as an insult. It came out like a prayer.
Tears smeared across both of their faces, leaving the kiss tasting faintly of salt. They were a complete mess.
Hands rested against Sandrone’s bare back, carrying the lingering warmth of the goddess herself.
“Sandrone… can I remove the key on your back?”
“Mm...”
Sandrone would have taken it off before sleeping anyway, so she saw no reason to refuse.
After receiving her permission, Columbina carefully reached for the wind-up key. There was an indescribable gentleness in her movements. With only the slightest trace of Kuuvahki brushing past her fingertips, the locking mechanism quietly clicked open.
Freed from the wind-up key, Sandrone barely had time to react before Columbina pushed her softly down onto the bed.
The goddess leaned over her, settling herself between Sandrone's legs.
"W-wait!"
Sandrone panicked, raising her hand to block the fingers groping at the fabric on her chest. The doll's bustier dress offered no protection, easily tugged down by a single finger.
Her breasts were bared to the cold air. She couldn't help but shiver.
"I missed you. I missed you so, so much."
It fell like a curse laid upon fate itself, a decree of separation. The longing had eaten away at Columbina's heart, devoured her mind, all through that endless stretch of time when Sandrone's whereabouts were unknown.
She bent down, pressing trembling lips to Sandrone's breast. One hand cupped the soft mound, her thumb stroking the nipple that stiffened under the touch. Sandrone bit her lip hard, but still a small moan slipped free.
"I missed you too..."
Sandrone surrendered completely, just as she always did before her.
The words hung in the air between them, fragile and terrifying. Sandrone hadn't meant to say them. Hadn't even known they were true until they left her mouth.
She waited for the shame to come. For the familiar urge to push Columbina away and rebuild her walls.
It never came.
Instead, there was only Columbina's warmth against her chest, and the strange, foreign sensation of not wanting to run.
But those tender sucks, those slow, lazy circles of her tongue. The hand still free began to slide lower, past the dip of Sandrone's stomach.
"Columbina… wait… we should…"
The words dissolved on her tongue. Every kiss that fell upon her skin carried a smoldering heat, melting reason into nothing. The doll felt thrown into a furnace of kisses, her body going limp beneath the dove's wings.
The hand below kept kneading the softness of her inner thighs. Pesky stockings were pulled taut, then rolled down.
Columbina lifted her face just enough to meet Sandrone's eyes, her own glistening, her lips still grazing the skin of her chest.
"I want to see more of you…"
Sandrone's legs went weak.
As she always did, the little doll could only turn away, fleeing that unbearable directness.
"Hmph, do whatever you want…"
Columbina's giggle brushed warm against her skin, leaving the spot tingling with a prickling itch.
"What are you laughing at…!"
Sandrone's whole face blazed.
How could a doll even blush?
Who knew what Alain had been thinking, gifting her such an unnecessary function. But because it was something Alain had left her, she could never bring herself to remove it.
Right now, though, ducking away from that gaze, she felt a flicker of irritation at her late father.
Columbina's hand traced slowly over Sandrone's skin. Doll though she was, her body reacted no differently from a human's. She had always been adorable, and now, she was devastatingly cute.
The image surfaced unbidden: Sandrone in the past, spine straight, radiating that proud, unwavering confidence.
So reliable. She would handle complicated fees without a word, let Columbina sleep in her room. She complained often, but the worst revenge she'd ever taken was brewing a truly awful pot of tea.
And yet here she was now, underneath her, like a crumpled rose, petals scattered across the pristine white sheets. Ravaged, and still breathtakingly beautiful.
Just what kinds of sounds could she make?
Columbina leaned down, her hot breath lingering above Sandrone's skin.
No rush.
She wanted to savor every second, every single reaction. To slowly, slowly enjoy her very own cake.
Both hands settled on Sandrone's full, round breasts, thumbs sweeping gently across the pink nipples.
That alone was enough to make the doll beneath her respond fiercely. Columbina could feel Sandrone's racing heartbeat pulsing against her palms. Just the slightest pressure, and pale flesh swelled around her fingers.
"You…" Sandrone's voice was barely a whisper, her teeth catching her lip.
"Does it feel good?"
Columbina rested her head on Sandrone's chest, studying her expression with careful attention.
"... I'm not made of glass."
"You're the most reliable person to me, my dear. But I want you to know… I can share that weight with you, too."
"… Honestly, can you just shut up?"
But Sandrone didn't dislike it, she would simply never admit it.
Columbina had long overlooked the meaning hidden beneath her prickly attitude, but she'd learned: Sandrone's voice always softened, just a little, when she was too embarrassed to say something true.
Too adorable. How had she missed this for so long?
Columbina closed her lips around one stiff little bud and licked a long, slow line. Sandrone arched faintly, both hands fisting the sheets. A flush crept across her pale skin, pink deepening to rose, spreading wider.
Kissing, licking, sucking, kneading, all gentle, but ceaseless.
Sandrone really did like being treated this way…
Columbina could feel her frantic heartbeat through that thin layer of skin, could hear every ragged, stifled breath.
Her hand slid along Sandrone's inner thighs, brushing against the fabric now soaked through.
All of Sandrone's pride shattered under the woman above her. Smashed to pieces.
Between her legs, that place burned, as if catching fire with every second.
Columbina rubbed softly, slender fingers tracing from the knee upward, so slow it was torture. Each time she neared the hot, slick slit, Sandrone would tremble violently, hips unconsciously lifting to meet her. And each time, the fingers would retreat, sliding back down to the starting point.
Up. Stop. Down.
Again. And again.
"Columbin- ah..."
She still wasn't satisfied.
Maybe if she paid more attention to her chest, Sandrone would relax?
Columbina took the left breast into her mouth, sucking slowly, tongue circling the bud, then a gentle nibble. But she was never good at doing two things at once. Focusing on Sandrone's chest, she forgot about the rest entirely. Her slender fingers lay motionless along the wet slit, pressed lightly against the hot, twitching flesh.
Sandrone panted. Her body blazed, yet the place that ached most was utterly neglected.
Was Columbina doing this on purpose? Teasing her?
She glanced down at Columbina, so sincerely absorbed in lavishing attention on her chest, and the doubt dissolved.
Too mortified to voice her need, she began to rock without thinking. Unconsciously at first, then with more obvious, desperate effort. Hips tilted upward, trying to rub her dripping slit against those motionless fingers, chasing friction.
It wasn't enough.
It wasn't nearly enough.
Restless tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.
"Hah… ha…!"
Sandrone gasped violently. The frustration swelled into something almost like pain.
She wanted to be touched. To be filled.
Yet all she received were feather-light brushes, as if she were being tormented on purpose. Clear fluid kept spilling, soaking her inner thighs, slicking Columbina's fingers, but the wetter she got, the more unbearable the emptiness became.
"Columbina…!" Her voice shattered into a sob. "Don't… don't just stay up there…"
"Sandrone, what's wrong…"
The pain in her expression was unmistakable. Had she done something wrong again?
"Below…"
At last, Columbina noticed the desperate rocking beneath her. The soft flesh pressed against her fingers was still spilling with slick heat.
"Sorry, I forgot…"
She pressed a light kiss to Sandrone's cheek in apology. Then her finger moved, just a millimeter, enough to trace gently along the seam. Sandrone jerked, a long, aching moan tearing from her throat.
Through the haze, Sandrone saw Columbina smile down at her.
"Tell me if it hurts.”
One finger slipped inside.
Sandrone jolted, a broken moan escaping. "Hah…!"
She was hot and impossibly soft inside, clenching greedily around the intrusion. Columbina paused, giving her time to adjust, then curled her finger with gentle curiosity, mapping the inner folds.
Each tiny movement pulled devastating sounds from Sandrone. Her back arched, mouth open, panting.
"Ngh…! Colum… bina… ah…"
Columbina added a second finger. She pushed in, pulled out along that slick channel, an enthusiastic explorer charting untouched territory. Each pause was exquisite torture for the woman beneath her.
When she curled her fingers and pressed deep into the most sensitive spot, Sandrone came undone for the first time.
Her body locked tight, inner muscles clamping down, a rush of hot liquid flooding Columbina's hand.
For a few heartbeats, the world stopped. There was only the pulsing heat, the shuddering of her own frame, and Columbina's name caught somewhere between her throat and her chest.
Columbina carefully wiped the tears clinging to Sandrone's lashes.
"Are you okay?"
"Hm…"
Sandrone's fingers slipped from her shoulders, and she sagged back into the pillow, spent.
But something was still wrong. Why did she still ache so badly?
Sensing that discontent, Columbina smoothed a palm over her belly.
The night was still young.
She parted Sandrone's slender thighs, fully exposing the flushed, glistening sex.
"Wha–"
The slick folds were still fluttering softly, a brazen invitation.
“I’ll go slowly…”
Another kiss, meant to soothe.
Then she bent down.
Her teeth sank into the tender flesh of the left inner thigh, right beside that dripping heat. She bit hard, worrying the delicate skin between her teeth.
"Aah…!"
A sharp spike of pain, Sandrone flinched. But a heartbeat later, the pain transmuted into a searing wave of pleasure racing up her spine. Her inner muscles spasmed, squeezing out more slick fluid.
When Columbina drew back, the imprint of her teeth stood out starkly on the pale skin.
A small, quiet sense of accomplishment bloomed in her chest.
If she marked Sandrone more deeply, would she stay? Would she never leave her again?
She turned to the other thigh and bit down once more.
A second mark.
A third. A fourth…
Each bite sent a jolt through Sandrone's chassis, pain and pleasure tangled so tightly she couldn't tell them apart anymore. And worse: she didn't want to.
The bites burned like brands, blooming angry red against the doll's bloodless skin.
Sandrone's processor blurred, no longer able to separate pain from pleasure.
"Hah…! Stop biting… Columbina…"
One hand pushed weakly at her - while the other twisted into her hair, pulling her closer.
Sandrone bit her lip, choking on the chaos surging inside her.
Columbina gazed up, puzzled.
"Are you still uncomfortable, Sandrone?"
Doll wanted to lie. Wanted to say yes just to make Columbina feel guilty. But her body was already answering for her: hips lifting, thighs parting, a wet sound that made her want to sink into the floor.
So she let out a sharp, mocking laugh through her nose.
"Hmph… why don't you try guessing…"
It would have been more convincing if her thighs hadn't been trembling.
Columbina also found that instead of waiting for words Sandrone would never say, it was easier to read her body.
She lapped softly at the bites she'd left behind, her hot tongue a balm over the burning skin, before moving at last to the center.
She guided Sandrone's legs over her shoulders and lowered her mouth.
Just as she'd thought. This was what Sandrone wanted.
The moment her tongue slipped inside, the most beautiful sound Columbina had ever heard spilled from above.
She licked slowly along the wet, quivering slit, then drew the swollen, oversensitive bud into her mouth.
"Columbina… ngh–"
Sandrone's trembling legs tightened against her shoulders. The bites on both thighs still throbbed; each shudder, each rock of her hips sent sharp little shocks radiating outward, tangling with the pleasure of Columbina's mouth into something unbearable, electric.
Columbina drank her down like someone dying of thirst in the desert, obsessed with the place where sweetness flowed endlessly from Sandrone's body.
A tight, building pressure coiled low-
Sandrone's fingers twisted into Columbina's hair, not pulling her away but holding her there. Don't stop. Please don't stop. The words wouldn't come, but her body was screaming them.
"W-wait a moment-"
A rush of hot liquid gushed free. Sandrone forgot how to breathe. Her inner muscles fluttered helplessly, spilling wetness over Columbina's chin and lips.
Columbina lifted her head, taking in the masterpiece she'd made.
From throat to chest, stomach, and most vividly across both inner thighs. Everything glowed a faint, bruised pink. Dark kiss marks, scattered bite prints, the light ghosts of her fingers. Both thighs still trembled.
"You're the worst…"
Sandrone panted, too weak to close her legs, even with Columbina's gaze fixed on the mess between them. The slightest movement made her lashes quiver, fresh tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.
Columbina reached up, thumb brushing gently at the tear still clinging there. She leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss to Sandrone's forehead.
The deity felt a twinge of guilt. She still had much to learn about making Sandrone truly comfortable.
"Forgive me, was I a little too rough?"
Her fingertips traced the red marks on those inner thighs, as if she couldn't bear to pull away.
Sandrone bit her lip, icy blue eyes rising to meet hers.
"Now that it's all over, you realize you went overboard? Forget it. I won't hold it against you…"
And then Columbina's entire weight collapsed onto her.
"Hey!! You're so heavy…"
"Sandrone."
"What?"
Columbina closed her eyes, burying her face deep into the curve of Sandrone's neck.
"Je t'aime."
She had heard that in Fontaine, this was how one confessed love to their beloved.
This was ridiculous.
The idea of feelings blossoming between them sounded utterly foolish. After all, both of them were strangers to emotion. A god, and a doll.
And yet-
Slowly, as if remembering something left unfinished, Sandrone's arms rose. Her hands found Columbina's shoulders, stiff and uncertain, before pulling her into an embrace. The way a doll might hold someone. If a doll ever learned how.
She had owed her this embrace for a very long time.
"...Moi aussi," she breathed, barely a whisper against Columbina's hair.
A pause. Then, quieter still-
“It means… I love you too.”
Columbina stilled. Then a smile spread softly across her lips - quiet, light, as if something heavy had finally lifted.
The little dove and her doll finally held each other the way they had always meant to.
After everything they had been through, this right here was finally home.