Private Tales Warm Company on a Frosty Night

[Charity Briarthorne]

To say Charity was nervous would be a grave understatement. Tonight, for the first time, her girlfriend Dianna was coming over for a visit. And it was a sleepover no less. When was the last time she had a woman stay overnight that wasn't just a one night stand? Charity wondered. Did her sisters count? No, she decided. Having her sister over, and having her girlfriend over were two totally different things.

Charity shook her head vigorously. There was no time for that! There were so many things left to do, and so little time to do them! But it wasn't like Dianna didn't already know about her somewhat messy lifestyle. Even so, Charity wanted everything to be perfect. At least for the night.

But first things first. Dinner. Charity lit the fireplace, and set about preparing the ingredients. She recalled Dianna speaking fondly of a venison stew her family made, and so had decided on that as the night's main course. Thanks to some guidance, and a list of ingredients and steps from Marilyn, Charity felt reasonably confident that all would turn out well. It also helped that the recipe was so simple. Potatoes and carrots were clumsily peeled and chopped, and dumped into a small cast iron pot. Then the small chunks of venison were added along with a messily minced onion, a few spices and a healthy amount of water. Charity carefully lifted the pot and gingerly carried it over to a flat stone placed just inside the fireplace. Despite her best efforts, a good bit sloshed over the side. Charity sighed and thanked her lucky stars that this was hopefully a one time thing.

Alright. One thing checked off her list. She looked around the room, each pass of her gaze finding more things that she had missed the first time around. Great... Just great. Charity puffed her cheeks and blew out the air. Well, there was no use putting it off any longer. Dianna could be arriving at any time! After changing into a plain dark brown skirt, she set to work. Books were returned to the bookshelf. Bags upon bags of gold and jewels gained through illicit means, stashed away in a small chest. The table was set with dishes and a bottle of wine, with the addition of a beautiful cake courtesy of Cleo.

Charity's eyes caught on the support beam in the center of the room, looking very much like a pincushion with knives of varying sizes and styles sticking out from it. She briefly considered hiding them, but ultimately figured that her collecting knives wouldn't come as much of a surprise considering what Dianna knew about her and her interests.

Next, she picked up Lucy's toys that were scattered around the room and placed them in a wooden crate next to a simple crib. Had she told Dianna about her niece? She honestly couldn't remember. Either way, Charity was sure Dianna would absolutely love her to bits. But they would have to meet another time. Lucy was off with Cleo for the night, and tonight was all about Charity and Dianna.

She shivered as she pondered what to do next. The nights had been cold as of late, and so she dug out another blanket from a closet and spread it over the bed. Though Charity hoped they wouldn't need it. If she got her way, she would be spending the night sleeping soundly, cuddled up to Dianna.

Charity paused as she made her way to stir the stew, and looked in the mirror. Did she look okay? Not one to care much about appearances, the thought of trying to look presentable for somebody else was an alien concept to Charity. But through the efforts, the saintly patience really, of her sisters, she had a basic grasp of what was needed, and the possibilities of what could be done with cosmetics. She approached and set to work with the multitude of tiny containers that sat on a shelf below it. Satisfied with her work, Charity pulled back from the mirror. It was all a bit messy, but she was sure Dianna wouldn't mind. The point of it was to show Dianna that she was making an effort. It didn't have to be perfect, or so she hoped. She fixed a tuft of hair that stubbornly stuck out just as a loud knock sounded at the door.

She beamed brightly as she opened the door. "Dianna!" Charity cried excitedly. "Come in! Come in!" Upon removing her coat, Dianna would find herself wrapped up in a tight hug. After a quick kiss on the cheek, Charity released Dianna. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "I made dinner! Or... tried to at least..."

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Dianna felt... Awkward.
It's not like she was predisposed to avoid confrontation or intense situations, as both a socialite and a soldier she was more than prepared for situations like that!

This was not that.

This was a date with Charity, and Dianna still wasn't quite used to the idea.
They had gone on a few public outings, Alliria is a big place and Charity knew it inside and out, but this was the first time that Dianna would get to see where Charity lived.

Ostensibly this was a dinner date, but it was with Charity so Dianna didn't have to dress up in anything fancy like she normally might have.
But at the same time, Charity isn't JUST Charity, she's her girlfriend now and Dianna wanted to do nice things for her, do herself up and be pretty. But just in subtle ways though, as if she were preparing for a trist with a man who did not care for frivolous things, like she so often read in fictional writings.

Just small enhancements to her eyes and mouth. But even though Charity wouldn't care what she wore one way or another, Dianna still wasted a good few minutes deciding what to wear.
She settled on some good seasonal clothes, a pair of trousers, a red tunic laced in the the front with a leather string, and a light coat.
Alliria didn't get nearly as cold as Mardania during the fall months, but it was enough to throw an extra layer on to ward off the chilly sea breezes, so she added a blue shawl as well.

Dianna consulted her mirror one last time before heading out the door. She smiled in approval at her reflection, it was like she'd finally shed any form of noble pretentiousness and was just a normal person, a soldier and a patriot with a loving girlfriend...
Dianna belted on her sword, picked up her basket containing a light contribution to their meal, and locked the door behind her as she left.
As she walked, following the directions Charity had given her, she reflected on how much she'd changed since she had entered a relationship with Charity. She had begun to sometimes see herself as the prince in the books she read, saving the damsel and riding into the sunset. Or she would still imagine she was the damsel, but the prince was actually a princess and a warrior coming to rescue her.

Such ideas were still strange to her, but again, so was all of her time in Alliria.

Dianna arrived at the tavern and went up the stairs to the room in Charity's instructions.
She took a deep breath to steady herself and knocked on the door, a little louder than she intended, but she straightened as she heard Charity's steps approach and the door opened.

She beamed brightly as she opened the door. "Dianna!" Charity cried excitedly. "Come in! Come in!"

Dianna met her greeting with a smile of her own!
"Charity! It's so good to see you again!"
She entered the small apartment and took off her shawl and coat.

Upon removing her coat, Dianna would find herself wrapped up in a tight hug. After a quick kiss on the cheek, Charity released Dianna. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "I made dinner! Or... tried to at least..."

Dianna quickly returned the hug and kiss and looked about at her surroundings.
"Yes, indeed! I came prepared with an appetite. I'm sure that whatever you made is as delicious as it smells!"
Just as she expected, Charity certainly lived much differently than Dianna might have expected from quite literally ANY other child of a successful merchant, she chose a more frugal lifestyle... But not without comfort. It was a more spacious room than a normal tavern might offer, she likely bought two rooms and had the wall between them knocked out to live in more permanently.

She couldn't help but smile at the knife ravaged post in the middle of the room.
No higher class room or house could survive with Charity for very long.

Dianna returned her attention back to Charity.
"I brought a small post dinner treat, to keep us warm tonight! I think you'll like it."
Dianna removed the cloth from her basket revealing two bottles. It was wine, but not the dinner sort. It was a special winter wine, a potion used by Mardanian soldiers to revel with, keep warm and sleep well during long winter campaigns.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"I brought a small post dinner treat, to keep us warm tonight! I think you'll like it."
Dianna removed the cloth from her basket revealing two bottles. It was wine, but not the dinner sort. It was a special winter wine, a potion used by Mardanian soldiers to revel with, keep warm and sleep well during long winter campaigns.

Charity couldn't hold back a small cheer upon seeing the two bottles of wine. "I love it!" She put her arms around Dianna's waist and leaned in to lovingly kiss her. "I dare say you know me too well Miss Calcutte!" Leaning back, a warm smile spread across Charity's lips. She could hardly believe that Dianna was really her girlfriend. It seemed almost as if the perfect woman had manifested herself from a younger Charity's dreams. "And two bottles? You knew I wouldn't want to share didn't you?" Charity giggled.

"C'mon! Let's eat!" Taking the basket in one hand, and Dianna's hand in the other, Charity led her guest to the table. "I made venison stew! Though it probably isn't quite the same as you would have back at home." She pulled out a chair and set down the wine basket. "Please, have a seat. I will go fetch the stew."

Charity approached the fireplace feeling very much like the gentlemanly princes she had read about in stories. The manners her mother had taught her were slowly bubbling back to the surface of her memory. Dianna was a high class woman, and Charity intended to treat her as such.

But at the same time, Charity was fighting a firece battle internally. It had been gods know how long since she had a beautiful woman visiting. And with all the wine, how was she supposed to behave herself? She would just have to, Charity decided. That's all there was to it. She couldn't risk royally messing things up again and driving Dianna away.

Charity carefully retrieved the stew pot and even managed not to spill any as she brought it over to the table. But as she set it down, a bit splashed on her hand, causing her to emit a loud string of curses. Charity shook her hand, trying to shoo the pain away as she got the bottle of wine for dinner.

She poured Dianna and herself a glass each as she glanced nervously at the stewpot. It really didn't look right. The chunks of potatoes and carrots varied wildly in size. And was that a whole half of a potato?! The onion looked like a giant had crushed it in his hand before dropping it into the pot. Was the meat even done? she wondered. Hopefully Dianna wouldn't even notice her lack of culinary skills...

"I'm honored that the brave Paladin would take time out to meet with a damsel such a myself!" Charity teased as she filled Dianna's bowl and her own, before sitting down. "So... Anything exciting happen at the embassy lately?"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity couldn't hold back a small cheer upon seeing the two bottles of wine. "I love it!" She put her arms around Dianna's waist and leaned in to lovingly kiss her. "I dare say you know me too well Miss Calcutte!"

Dianna sighed as a deeper kiss was pressed to her lips and her eyes fluttered closed as she drank it in. Hands around her waste could only be answered by arms about Charity's shoulders in a close embrace.

Dianna was all smiles when they parted again and her eyes opened dreamily as she caught back the breath Charity stole from her.
She couldn't really say she knew Charity all that well yet, but she was rather easy to read once you saw what sort of personality she had.

Leaning back, a warm smile spread across Charity's lips. She could hardly believe that Dianna was really her girlfriend. It seemed almost as if the perfect woman had manifested herself from a younger Charity's dreams. "And two bottles? You knew I wouldn't want to share didn't you?" Charity giggled.

Dianna joined in the giggling.
"Well, I brought two because I thought one wouldn't be enough, but your guess works just fine as well!"

"C'mon! Let's eat!" Taking the basket in one hand, and Dianna's hand in the other, Charity led her guest to the table. "I made venison stew! Though it probably isn't quite the same as you would have back at home." She pulled out a chair and set down the wine basket. "Please, have a seat. I will go fetch the stew."

Dianna took her seat. She was impressed in no small way by this dinner invite, she really didn't take Charity for much of a chef, though given the way she chooses to live Dianna might be convinced that Charity had a streak of independence that didn't run all the way along the lines of rebellion.
The desire to be self-sufficient alongside independent.

Charity approached the fireplace feeling very much like the gentlemanly princes she had read about in stories. The manners her mother had taught her were slowly bubbling back to the surface of her memory. Dianna was a high class woman, and Charity intended to treat her as such.

But at the same time, Charity was fighting a firece battle internally. It had been gods know how long since she had a beautiful woman visiting. And with all the wine, how was she supposed to behave herself? She would just have to, Charity decided. That's all there was to it. She couldn't risk royally messing things up again and driving Dianna away.

Dianna struggled with her own internal thoughts and insecurities, but of a different sort.
Dianna didn't know over much about Charity's private life except for what they shared together, they made up with each other after Charity made her feelings known to Dianna and she walked away. The journey they took back to each other wasn't an easy one and boundaries had to be set, but in the end they decided to start dating.

Dianna might have believed that after dinner was a mere sleepover had they still been "just friends", but now they were in a relationship so Dianna severely over thought everything about this invitation and may have come prepared for a... "Restless" night.

Charity carefully retrieved the stew pot and even managed not to spill any as she brought it over to the table. But as she set it down, a bit splashed on her hand, causing her to emit a loud string of curses. Charity shook her hand, trying to shoo the pain away as she got the bottle of wine for dinner.

Charity arrived with the pot of food but it was the pained string of curses that brought Dianna from her momentary revery.
"Oh, Charity! Are you alright?"
She rose from her seat to see what was wrong till she figured out that it was the overfull pot of hot stew that brought it on.
She sat down again.
"Put some cold water on it!"

She poured Dianna and herself a glass each as she glanced nervously at the stewpot. It really didn't look right. The chunks of potatoes and carrots varied wildly in size. And was that a whole half of a potato?! The onion looked like a giant had crushed it in his hand before dropping it into the pot. Was the meat even done? she wondered. Hopefully Dianna wouldn't even notice her lack of culinary skills...

Dianna examined the contents of the pot.
It wasn't a professional job, it looked like she did it all without following a recipe... But, she couldn't say it was bad. In a way this seemed to represent Charity so well, unrefined, chaotic, overcooked... But trying, she was trying to be different for Dianna's sake and she couldn't help but feel a little unworthy as Charity served her

"I'm honored that the brave Paladin would take time out to meet with a damsel such a myself!" Charity teased as she filled Dianna's bowl and her own, before sitting down. "So... Anything exciting happen at the embassy lately?

The smile that grew in her heart from this entire situation showed on her face as her bowl was filled. She felt an inexplicable sense of appreciation in this moment and it overflowed from her heart to her face.

"Nothing significant. The relationship between Mardania and Alliria is good and growing. Recently the Alanthis Trading company has established a trade route between our countries and that's further strengthened our alliance here."
She took up her spoon and used it to cut a chunk of potato into a manageable piece before scooping it up with the broth and taking a bite.
"Mmmm! This is good Charity!"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Nothing significant. The relationship between Mardania and Alliria is good and growing. Recently the Alanthis Trading company has established a trade route between our countries and that's further strengthened our alliance here."
She took up her spoon and used it to cut a chunk of potato into a manageable piece before scooping it up with the broth and taking a bite.
"Mmmm! This is good Charity!"

Charity nodded slowly as Dianna talked. Good... So claiming the area around the embassy as her turf seemed to be mostly working. But the trade between Alanthis and Mardania was news to her as somebody who kept close tabs on trade in the city. She was going to have to have a word with her sisters after Dianna left.

"Oh thank the gods!" Charity sighed in relief. Dianna thought the stew was good! Her posture relaxed and she slumped a bit in her chair, draining a good portion of her glass of wine. All day she had been stressing out trying to decide what to make for the evening, figuring out what ingredients were needed, and worrying whether or not it would be something that Dianna would actually like. Not to mention her bad habit of royally messing up anything and everything hanging above her head like a sword. But now all her fear was dissipating, and Charity could start enjoying herself.

"I'm really happy you like it!" Charity began eating her food as well, nearly choking on a large piece of carrot. "Its my first time trying my hand at it as I never really had to learn how to cook. Cleo always did the cooking when I was a kid, and now I just buy whatever Marilyn is making downstairs and share it with Lulu. Though that typically just ends up with her refusing to eat and me trying to bribe her with sweets."

She paused and took another sip of wine. For as much of a disaster she felt the stew had turned out to be, Charity did feel a small amount of pride. Fixing a meal proved to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated, but if it was for Dianna, she could do it. If only to see that wonderful smile of hers.

Charity's silence continued for a brief moment, filled only with the soft sounds of eating. There were so many things she wanted to say and do with Dianna that night, but she found herself stuck with new doubts filling the spaces left behind the old worries.

Having a date at home was also proving to be more difficult than she had originally thought. At least in public there were other things to look at and listen to. But here? It was just the two of them. What if she wasn't interesting enough on her own merits and Dianna got bored and wanted to leave?

And what if Dianna had somehow had heard of her escapades and thought that Charity had only invited her over to sleep with her? She couldn't deny that the thought had crossed her mind, but wasn't it a bit early for something like that?

And what if... And what if... Charity could feel herself spiraling out of control. She drank what remained of her wine and cleared her throat. Taking a breath, Charity quelled the doubts and pushed them aside. Dianna and her personal life were still quite a mystery to Charity. She didn't really know Dianna all that well besides the tidbits she had shared on their dates, so maybe that would be a good place to start?

"Umm.. So... What's your family like?" Charity asked as she topped off their glasses. "And didn't you say something about having a sister too?"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity nodded slowly as Dianna talked. Good... So claiming the area around the embassy as her turf seemed to be mostly working. But the trade between Alanthis and Mardania was news to her as somebody who kept close tabs on trade in the city. She was going to have to have a word with her sisters after Dianna left.

"Oh thank the gods!" Charity sighed in relief. Dianna thought the stew was good! Her posture relaxed and she slumped a bit in her chair, draining a good portion of her glass of wine. All day she had been stressing out trying to decide what to make for the evening, figuring out what ingredients were needed, and worrying whether or not it would be something that Dianna would actually like. Not to mention her bad habit of royally messing up anything and everything hanging above her head like a sword. But now all her fear was dissipating, and Charity could start enjoying herself.

The soup was indeed good. Not as good as back home, and Charity was noticably new in the kitchen, but she got the seasoning and proportions right even if she needed a crash course on how to mince and chop veggies.
She took a bite of meat and chased it down with a sip of wine.

"I'm really happy you like it!" Charity began eating her food as well, nearly choking on a large piece of carrot. "Its my first time trying my hand at it as I never really had to learn how to cook. Cleo always did the cooking when I was a kid, and now I just buy whatever Marilyn is making downstairs and share it with Lulu. Though that typically just ends up with her refusing to eat and me trying to bribe her with sweets."

Dianna didn't complain as she ate and listened to Charity. She used her spoon to hold a chunk of meat still while she cut it into thirds with a knife.
She mentioned a few names. Dianna remembered that Charity said she had a bunch of sisters, so she assumed that's who they were. Except Marilyn, the tavern keeper.
"You did good for your first time! The seasoning is perfect!"

She paused and took another sip of wine. For as much of a disaster she felt the stew had turned out to be, Charity did feel a small amount of pride. Fixing a meal proved to be more of a challenge than she had anticipated, but if it was for Dianna, she could do it. If only to see that wonderful smile of hers.

Charity's silence continued for a brief moment, filled only with the soft sounds of eating. There were so many things she wanted to say and do with Dianna that night, but she found herself stuck with new doubts filling the spaces left behind the old worries.

Having a date at home was also proving to be more difficult than she had originally thought. At least in public there were other things to look at and listen to. But here? It was just the two of them. What if she wasn't interesting enough on her own merits and Dianna got bored and wanted to leave?

And what if Dianna had somehow had heard of her escapades and thought that Charity had only invited her over to sleep with her? She couldn't deny that the thought had crossed her mind, but wasn't it a bit early for something like that?

And what if... And what if... Charity could feel herself spiraling out of control. She drank what remained of her wine and cleared her throat. Taking a breath, Charity quelled the doubts and pushed them aside. Dianna and her personal life were still quite a mystery to Charity. She didn't really know Dianna all that well besides the tidbits she had shared on their dates, so maybe that would be a good place to start?

"Umm.. So... What's your family like?" Charity asked as she topped off their glasses. "And didn't you say something about having a sister too?"

Dianna took another sip of wine before cutting a few carrots into bite sized pieces.
"My family? Well, I've told you that I come from Nobility. My father is a fair man, he looks after his holdings well and he has the respect of his subjects. My mother? Well, she's probably similar to the noble women you might read about. She's a master courtesan and socialite, very strict and traditional when it comes to the role of a lady-in-waiting. Unfortunately my younger sister takes after her, I think they both enjoy politics and manipulations far more than any decent person should..."

She took a bite of carrot with a soft crunch, it hadn't been properly steamed but that was fine. All together this was probably better than the best efforts of some of her subordinates out on the field trying to make military rations stretch from ten days to fifteen!

"... Then you have me! A soldier serving as guard to the ambassador on foreign soil. That about sums up my family! I love them all dearly."
She accidentally took a healthy bite of onion thinking it was a piece of potato, the raw fumes nearly made her tear up, but she resisted the urge to chase it down with wine, the alcohol would only make the stinging worse!

She dabbed at her eyes with the collar of her tunic.
"What about your family? I've heard you mention so many names I've almost lost track! You've said that your father is a merchant?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Dianna took another sip of wine before cutting a few carrots into bite sized pieces.
"My family? Well, I've told you that I come from Nobility. My father is a fair man, he looks after his holdings well and he has the respect of his subjects. My mother? Well, she's probably similar to the noble women you might read about. She's a master courtesan and socialite, very strict and traditional when it comes to the role of a lady-in-waiting. Unfortunately my younger sister takes after her, I think they both enjoy politics and manipulations far more than any decent person should..."

Charity sometimes found it hard to believe that Dianna was a noble. She certainly didn't act like Charity thought a noble would. From what Charity had seen, Dianna wasn't bossy, or snobby, and she never demanded special treatment. Except for her perfect posture and the way she spoke, Charity doubted anybody would've guessed that Dianna was a noblewoman.

"Your family sounds wonderful!" Charity smiled. "Your father sounds like a fine, upstanding man, and your mother and sister sound like the powerful, womanly Ladies I hear about in stories! I hope I get to meet them one day!" Though saying that, she already knew that she wouldn't get along well at all with Dianna's mother and sister. If they ever did meet, Charity wasn't sure she could endure the strict traditions or the politics without challenging them. There was no way her chaotic nature would let her.

She dabbed at her eyes with the collar of her tunic.
"What about your family? I've heard you mention so many names I've almost lost track! You've said that your father is a merchant?"

"Hmm? Daddy?" Charity furrowed her brow. A merchant? Was that what she had told Dianna? She felt terrible for not being completely honest with Dianna, but at the same time couldn't very well tell her that her father was one of the top players in the Allirian underground. And she supposed that he was technically a merchant so it was fine. "Yeah, he's a merchant. He has his hands in all sorts of things throughout the city. Everything from small markets all the way up to the largest caravans travelling across Arethil! Daddy's a very shrewd business man and doesn't let anyone or anything stand in his way! Sometimes there are things people are unwilling to hand over and that's where I come in!" Charity said proudly. "Repossession, misplacing shipments, locating valuables. You name it and I can find it or get my hands on it!"

Charity's face flushed as she realized she had revealed way too much. There was no reason for her to make Dianna suspect that her girlfriend was one of the most wanted criminals in the city. Or so she hoped. "Ah...I mean... Um... I'm the one who's sent to... source higher value merchandise, and... negotiate prices..." Charity said nervously. "ANYWAY! That's enough about my father." she blurted out.

"I have a bunch of sisters!" she said excitedly, quickly changing the subject. Charity recomposed herself as she began talking animatedly about her favorite topic. "They're all so strong and beautiful! It makes me kinda jealous!" she giggled. "Well first there's Faustian! She owns a tavern and fights like a warrior! AND she's the best, coolest older sister in the whole world! Heticate runs a school for gifted children that was started by my mother. She's very strict and uptight, and honestly a bit of a wet blanket. But I still love her! Oh! And I can't forget Elli! She's very sweet and lovable, and is the one who started the church I brought you to that first night. But I haven't seen her in a few years... Dropped her daughter Lucy off with me one night before disappearing off to who knows where." Charity grumbled. "Can't complain too much though. Lulu is a joy to have around most of the time."

Charity continued talking about her sisters, listing off names, professions, and random facts about them until she realized she had been rambling on for a good while. "That's probably enough about my sisters," she grinned sheepishly. "So that's my family. They're all a bit wild and chaotic but I wouldn't want it any other way!" She purposefully left out any mention of her mother as she rose from her seat and distributed the last bit of stew between their two bowls.

"What is Mardania like?" Charity asked as she sat back down. "Is it a big city? What are the people like? Are there a lot of fun things to do?" She took a large spoonful of stew before continuing to talk around it. "Never been outside of Alliria myself and have always been curious about other places."

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity sometimes found it hard to believe that Dianna was a noble. She certainly didn't act like Charity thought a noble would. From what Charity had seen, Dianna wasn't bossy, or snobby, and she never demanded special treatment. Except for her perfect posture and the way she spoke, Charity doubted anybody would've guessed that Dianna was a noblewoman.

"Your family sounds wonderful!" Charity smiled. "Your father sounds like a fine, upstanding man, and your mother and sister sound like the powerful, womanly Ladies I hear about in stories! I hope I get to meet them one day!" Though saying that, she already knew that she wouldn't get along well at all with Dianna's mother and sister. If they ever did meet, Charity wasn't sure she could endure the strict traditions or the politics without challenging them. There was no way her chaotic nature would let her.

Dianna couldn't help but laugh a little. 'powerful' and 'womanly' was certainly one way to look at it, but Dianna suspected Charity was just being charitable with that description.
As far as opposites went, Dianna's family and Charity were as far away from each other as possible.

"Hmm? Daddy?" Charity furrowed her brow. A merchant? Was that what she had told Dianna? She felt terrible for not being completely honest with Dianna, but at the same time couldn't very well tell her that her father was one of the top players in the Allirian underground. And she supposed that he was technically a merchant so it was fine. "Yeah, he's a merchant. He has his hands in all sorts of things throughout the city. Everything from small markets all the way up to the largest caravans travelling across Arethil! Daddy's a very shrewd business man and doesn't let anyone or anything stand in his way! Sometimes there are things people are unwilling to hand over and that's where I come in!" Charity said proudly. "Repossession, misplacing shipments, locating valuables. You name it and I can find it or get my hands on it!"

As far as Dianna could tell, the repossession of merchandise was a pretty dangerous job. If a merchant lost any product it was either from a thief at the market or highwaymen and bandits on the road. Of course, just judging by their first meeting Charity was certainly strong enough and skilled to take on your run of the mill group of bandits... The way Charity worded it, however, was slightly suspicious, and she had her suspicions from previous conversations in which she talked about her father.

Charity was obviously strong and her father employs her to protect his merchandise. Dianna wondered how strong her father was, if he was the one who trained her. Or perhaps he had connections with other groups that could train someone like Charity to be as deadly as she is unassuming.

Charity's face flushed as she realized she had revealed way too much. There was no reason for her to make Dianna suspect that her girlfriend was one of the most wanted criminals in the city. Or so she hoped. "Ah...I mean... Um... I'm the one who's sent to... source higher value merchandise, and... negotiate prices..." Charity said nervously. "ANYWAY! That's enough about my father." she blurted out.

Dianna smiled at Charity's awkward adorableness, letting her quirkiness dispel her suspicions for now.

"I have a bunch of sisters!" she said excitedly, quickly changing the subject. Charity recomposed herself as she began talking animatedly about her favorite topic. "They're all so strong and beautiful! It makes me kinda jealous!" she giggled. "Well first there's Faustian! She owns a tavern and fights like a warrior! AND she's the best, coolest older sister in the whole world! Heticate runs a school for gifted children that was started by my mother. She's very strict and uptight, and honestly a bit of a wet blanket. But I still love her! Oh! And I can't forget Elli! She's very sweet and lovable, and is the one who started the church I brought you to that first night. But I haven't seen her in a few years... Dropped her daughter Lucy off with me one night before disappearing off to who knows where." Charity grumbled. "Can't complain too much though. Lulu is a joy to have around most of the time."

Charity continued talking about her sisters, listing off names, professions, and random facts about them until she realized she had been rambling on for a good while. "That's probably enough about my sisters," she grinned sheepishly. "So that's my family. They're all a bit wild and chaotic but I wouldn't want it any other way!" She purposefully left out any mention of her mother as she rose from her seat and distributed the last bit of stew between their two bowls.

Dianna listened to Charity talk about her sisters while she worked down her bowl of stew. She listened absently at first, but as Charity began listing more and more names Dianna couldn't help but blink in surprise and stop eating to listen in enraptured amazement!
To have so many siblings... The largest single family she had ever known in Mardania had five children and she thought that was a lot!

"Good heavens! Are all of your siblings by the same mother?! I hope you don't mind my saying so, but your father and mother are incredible to have so many children!"

"What is Mardania like?" Charity asked as she sat back down. "Is it a big city? What are the people like? Are there a lot of fun things to do?" She took a large spoonful of stew before continuing to talk around it. "Never been outside of Alliria myself and have always been curious about other places."

Dianna grinned about one of HER favorite subjects, the country of Mardania.
"Mardania is a large country, and it's capital city, Mardus, is a city unlike any you'd find elsewhere! For starters, our historians and archeologists hypothesize that it was once a city made by giants in the clouds. All of the buildings and walls and even the palace are made out of a super durable glass using a magical forge which we've only barely begun to understand!
During the day people need to wear eye protection because the sun makes the entire city glitter and shine like a diamond! And there's plenty of things to do there, an entire village could fit inside a single building and people are safe with plenty of resources, so there are plenty of entertainment plazas and gathering places for people to keep themselves busy!

Like I said, it's a very big city. I don't doubt that we could easily fit at least half of Alliria into the city before it would start to get crowded!
Transportation and communication is a bit of an issue, because the city is so big you need a horse or carriage to get anywhere quickly. Recently the military has been experimenting with taming griffins as a reliable way to traverse the city quickly. A few prominent citizens use Pegasus or other fast moving mounts to get around, but such creatures are always expensive."

She drained the last of her wine and started working on the last bowl of stew Charity served her.
"Our king is a good man, my father served with him during our last war with one of our neighboring countries. He's getting on in years so all of Mardania is looking forward to his daughter and only surviving heir to inherit the throne. The princess of Mardania is my liege, and I have been sworn to her service."

The details were important, but she left them out because they weren't anything that would concern someone not from Mardania. If they actually got to visit Mardania together Dianna might fill her in on the rest, but for now talking about the civil unrest and the power grabbing nobility, and the opposition to the ascension of Princess Helia wasn't a topic for polite dinner conversation.

"Does your mother work an interesting profession? Or does she help your father run the merchant trade?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"Good heavens! Are all of your siblings by the same mother?! I hope you don't mind my saying so, but your father and mother are incredible to have so many children!"

"Nonono! Of course not!" Charity laughed waving her hand in front of herself. "My mother's an amazing woman, but even she can't birth that many children. She only gave birth to two twin daughters, Faustian and Heticate. The rest of us daughters, at least as far as I know, were orphans or children given up for one reason or another, that they took in when nobody else would."

"I myself was a street rat running around in the slums for the first few years of my life, until Daddy came along and brought me home with him. Same story goes for many of my other sisters as well. We get taken in and adopted, and taught the necessary skills to function in society, and to make our own way in the world. Some stay and work in the family business like me, while others set off on adventures or start their own businesses. Either way, we are all eternally grateful to Mother and Daddy for all they've done for us!"

Charity listened in awe as Dianna described her home city. A massive city of glass made by giants?! One that glitters like a jewel in the sunlight?! If anybody else aside from Dianna told her about Mardania, she would think they were lying! Even the most fantastic fairy tales Charity had ever heard paled in comparison to Dianna's description!

And just think about all the amazing artifacts and specialty items the city could produce! How much those items would be worth in the Allirian market! By force of habit, Charity began running the numbers in her head, estimating the going prices of such things and plotting where she could sell them with the least amount of trouble. She forcefully derailed that train of thought though. If she were to ever visit Mardania, it would probably be with Dianna, and her usual antics of that sort would cause no end of trouble for the poor woman.

"Mardania sounds absolutely wonderful!" Charity smiled. Both at Dianna's description of the city and the apparent amount of enthusiasm she had for the subject. "I would love to go there with you some day if we ever get the chance! I'm sure there's so many things that you can show me, and fun things that we can do together! Maybe I could meet your family as well!"

"Does your mother work an interesting profession? Or does she help your father run the merchant trade?"

"Mother? Mother is-" Charity frowned sadly, "was an archivist. She used to run the largest archive in the city. Research, preserving old documents, selling information, keeping records for various people and businesses... You name it and she could do it." A bright smile appeared as she reminisced about Gwendolyn. "Mother was an incredibly brilliant, intelligent woman!"

Charity tipped back in her chair as she continued. "She was the headmistress of an all girls school too. Opened it way before I came along. They mostly catered to the elite families of the city, but also took in exceptionally gifted girls from all over Arethil too! Now that Mother is gone, Cate is in charge of it and is trying to run it as best she can." Charity sighed and brought the chair back down to the floor. "Mother always wanted me to attend, but I was too busy running around the city causing mischief." A missed opportunity in Charity's mind. She wished she had listened to her mother's wishes and advice many times since Gwendolyn's passing.

"Anyway..." Charity rose from her seat. "Are ya ready for dessert?" She began clearing the dishes, stealing another quick kiss from Dianna as she did so. "Cleo made a cake for us!" A simple round cake covered in snow white frosting, and topped with sliced strawberries was brought to the table along with one of the bottles of wine Dianna had brought with her. "I know it doesn't look like much, but Cleo's cakes are better than anything you'll find in the city's best bakeries!" Charity served the cake onto small wooden plates and refilled their wine glasses, before sitting back down to stuff her face with cake.

"After dessert, I was thinking we could cuddle on the couch!" Charity said around a mouthful of cake. "Oh! And, uh... talk more of course!" she laughed. "It's still much too early for sleeping!"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Nonono! Of course not!" Charity laughed waving her hand in front of herself. "My mother's an amazing woman, but even she can't birth that many children. She only gave birth to two twin daughters, Faustian and Heticate. The rest of us daughters, at least as far as I know, were orphans or children given up for one reason or another, that they took in when nobody else would."

"I myself was a street rat running around in the slums for the first few years of my life, until Daddy came along and brought me home with him. Same story goes for many of my other sisters as well. We get taken in and adopted, and taught the necessary skills to function in society, and to make our own way in the world. Some stay and work in the family business like me, while others set off on adventures or start their own businesses. Either way, we are all eternally grateful to Mother and Daddy for all they've done for us!"

Dianna looked relieved that her mother didn't have to go through labor that many times, then she listened with a slight smile, imagining a little Charity running around the streets snatching purses.

Dianna could only imagine what it must have been like to try and survive on the streets, her few visits to the slums painted a bleak picture. For someone who grew up in nobility and privilege her experience was only tempered by her time as a soldier.

Charity listened in awe as Dianna described her home city. A massive city of glass made by giants?! One that glitters like a jewel in the sunlight?! If anybody else aside from Dianna told her about Mardania, she would think they were lying! Even the most fantastic fairy tales Charity had ever heard paled in comparison to Dianna's description!

And just think about all the amazing artifacts and specialty items the city could produce! How much those items would be worth in the Allirian market! By force of habit, Charity began running the numbers in her head, estimating the going prices of such things and plotting where she could sell them with the least amount of trouble. She forcefully derailed that train of thought though. If she were to ever visit Mardania, it would probably be with Dianna, and her usual antics of that sort would cause no end of trouble for the poor woman.

"Mardania sounds absolutely wonderful!" Charity smiled. Both at Dianna's description of the city and the apparent amount of enthusiasm she had for the subject. "I would love to go there with you some day if we ever get the chance! I'm sure there's so many things that you can show me, and fun things that we can do together! Maybe I could meet your family as well!"

"Yes! That sounds like a wonderful idea!"
She'd thought about it more than once, taking Charity to Mardania and showing her the capital city... But she always balked at the idea of taking her to meet her family.
She was essentially disowned from the family by her mother for becoming a soldier, but it wasn't like it was written in stone.
Homosexuality wasn't exactly uncommon in Mardania, but it was greatly frowned upon in noble society.

The use of mistresses and concubines was common practice though, probably for this reason. A noble household always had a duty to look to the future of their house and family and, unfortunately, adoption or bastards were not readily recognized as heirs.
Third and fourth sons already had it rough, but to be born to another woman or to have no known lineage at all was unacceptable.
Girls had it a bit easier, they were the ones who took family names and rarely had the responsibility of continuing their father's line.
But if Dianna returned with Charity... What would that even mean for her family?

"Mother? Mother is-" Charity frowned sadly, "was an archivist. She used to run the largest archive in the city. Research, preserving old documents, selling information, keeping records for various people and businesses... You name it and she could do it." A bright smile appeared as she reminisced about Gwendolyn. "Mother was an incredibly brilliant, intelligent woman!"

Charity tipped back in her chair as she continued. "She was the headmistress of an all girls school too. Opened it way before I came along. They mostly catered to the elite families of the city, but also took in exceptionally gifted girls from all over Arethil too! Now that Mother is gone, Cate is in charge of it and is trying to run it as best she can." Charity sighed and brought the chair back down to the floor. "Mother always wanted me to attend, but I was too busy running around the city causing mischief." A missed opportunity in Charity's mind. She wished she had listened to her mother's wishes and advice many times since Gwendolyn's passing.

The somberness and joy she showed when speaking of her mother was touching. They were obviously very close.
Dianna struggled to remember her mother, her father's first wife. Golden hair and a gentle smile was all she could recall.

"Anyway..." Charity rose from her seat. "Are ya ready for dessert?" She began clearing the dishes, stealing another quick kiss from Dianna as she did so. "Cleo made a cake for us!" A simple round cake covered in snow white frosting, and topped with sliced strawberries was brought to the table along with one of the bottles of wine Dianna had brought with her. "I know it doesn't look like much, but Cleo's cakes are better than anything you'll find in the city's best bakeries!" Charity served the cake onto small wooden plates and refilled their wine glasses, before sitting back down to stuff her face with cake.

"Yes, dessert sounds lovely!"
Dianna let her lips linger a little bit in their kiss. A few months ago she never would have guessed that simple act of pressing lips together would fill her with such a sense of completeness.

"I look forward to trying Cleo's cooking! Remind me which sister is she?"
In all the names Charity barraged her with, Dianna was sure she'd mentioned Cleo once or twice.
She took a bite of the cake and hummed in bliss, the sweetness of the icing and strawberries hit just right and she visibly melted.

"After dessert, I was thinking we could cuddle on the couch!" Charity said around a mouthful of cake. "Oh! And, uh... talk more of course!" she laughed. "It's still much too early for sleeping!"

Dianna laughed. After getting to know Charity a little better she could guess what she was really looking forward to, but Dianna admired her restraint. Charity was trying her hardest to impress her on this date, and Dianna had to admit that she was indeed impressed!
The effort she put into the meal and planning this whole date, complete with wine and cake!

Dianna was looking at Charity with open adoration. She'd joined the army before any suitors could come calling, she'd been accosted a few times during her service, but she'd never had someone put in so much effort to show her such respect and affection.

"This entire evening is absolutely lovely, Charity. Thank you for this wonderful time! I shall have my work cut out for me on our next date!"
Thanks was insufficient for this wonderful night, but Dianna was determined to properly reward her for all of this.

After refusing her advances time and again, Dianna felt that it would be a betrayal to both of them to reward Charity in that way. After all, the reason she wouldn't go that far with Charity was because of her desire to do right by her family. If she had intercourse before she was properly wedded, how could she convince her mother and father that what she felt for Charity was true love?

Dianna took another stress melting bite of cake.
"Mmmmm, Cleo IS an excellent chef!"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"I look forward to trying Cleo's cooking! Remind me which sister is she?"
In all the names Charity barraged her with, Dianna was sure she'd mentioned Cleo once or twice.
She took a bite of the cake and hummed in bliss, the sweetness of the icing and strawberries hit just right and she visibly melted.

"Oh, Cleo?" Charity took a break from shoveling cake into her mouth to look up at Dianna. "Oh! Cleo isn't one of my sisters. She-" How to explain who Cleo was... She certainly couldn't tell Dianna that she was a demon! "Cleo is-was my mother's secretary? No, that's not it. Attendant?" Charity paused once again, struggling to find the right word. "Assistant! Cleo helped keep track of Mother's meetings and appointments, and anything else she needed in her personal life. She also helps people find what they need in the archives. Cleo knows the location of every single book! Now that Mother is gone, she's kinda taken over the whole operation."

Dianna laughed. After getting to know Charity a little better she could guess what she was really looking forward to, but Dianna admired her restraint. Charity was trying her hardest to impress her on this date, and Dianna had to admit that she was indeed impressed!
The effort she put into the meal and planning this whole date, complete with wine and cake!

Did Dianna not believe her when she said that she only wanted to talk? Was Dianna thinking that her sole reason for inviting her over was to get in her pants? Hopefully Dianna wasn't thinking that she was trying to trick her into sleeping with her. Maybe inviting her over for a sleepover and sharing the same bed so soon wasn't the best idea... No! It's fine! Charity told herself. She had promised herself that she was going to be on her best behavior tonight, and she meant to stick to it!

After rejecting Charity's many advances in the early days of their relationship, Dianna had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't comfortable with, or ready for something more intimate. It seemed to be a moral matter for her so Charity had let the subject rest until Dianna decided she was ready. For the time being, she was more than content with the endless stream cuddles and kisses that Dianna had seen fit to shower her with.

"This entire evening is absolutely lovely, Charity. Thank you for this wonderful time! I shall have my work cut out for me on our next date!"
Thanks was insufficient for this wonderful night, but Dianna was determined to properly reward her for all of this.

Charity returned Dianna's adoring gaze with a wide grin. "Of course! I couldn't invite my beautiful girlfriend over for a date without spoiling her! It just wouldn't be right!" She hoped to find many more ways to spoil Dianna before the night was over. Between how hard Dianna worked, the monumental stress she endured on a daily basis, and all the love and emotional support she had shown Charity regardless of that during their time together, she certainly deserved it! "I look forward to what you come up with!" she smiled, reaching over to take Dianna's hand.

After they had finished eating, Charity would refill Dianna's glass and hastily wash the dishes in a wooden basin, leaving them out to dry. It would be no good to let Dianna think she was a slob! She drained what was left in one of the wine bottles, pulling it away from her mouth with a satisfied gasp. Taking the remaining bottles and their glasses, Charity made her way over to the couch. She set the wine on a small table before dropping herself onto the couch, opening her arms invitingly. "Now that we've had our dinner, it's time for cuddles!"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Oh, Cleo?" Charity took a break from shoveling cake into her mouth to look up at Dianna. "Oh! Cleo isn't one of my sisters. She-" How to explain who Cleo was... She certainly couldn't tell Dianna that she was a demon! "Cleo is-was my mother's secretary? No, that's not it. Attendant?" Charity paused once again, struggling to find the right word. "Assistant! Cleo helped keep track of Mother's meetings and appointments, and anything else she needed in her personal life. She also helps people find what they need in the archives. Cleo knows the location of every single book! Now that Mother is gone, she's kinda taken over the whole operation."

"Oh, right!"
Dianna nodded her head, recalling what Charity had told her about Cleo.
"So, since your mother passed away Cleo's been running the archive? Have you thought about running it yourself? Or one of your sisters maybe?"
She took another bite of cake. She took the smallest bites possible to make it last, she wanted to savor everything about this evening.

Did Dianna not believe her when she said that she only wanted to talk? Was Dianna thinking that her sole reason for inviting her over was to get in her pants? Hopefully Dianna wasn't thinking that she was trying to trick her into sleeping with her. Maybe inviting her over for a sleepover and sharing the same bed so soon wasn't the best idea... No! It's fine! Charity told herself. She had promised herself that she was going to be on her best behavior tonight, and she meant to stick to it!

After rejecting Charity's many advances in the early days of their relationship, Dianna had made it abundantly clear that she wasn't comfortable with, or ready for something more intimate. It seemed to be a moral matter for her so Charity had let the subject rest until Dianna decided she was ready. For the time being, she was more than content with the endless stream cuddles and kisses that Dianna had seen fit to shower her with.

Charity returned Dianna's adoring gaze with a wide grin. "Of course! I couldn't invite my beautiful girlfriend over for a date without spoiling her! It just wouldn't be right!" She hoped to find many more ways to spoil Dianna before the night was over. Between how hard Dianna worked, the monumental stress she endured on a daily basis, and all the love and emotional support she had shown Charity regardless of that during their time together, she certainly deserved it! "I look forward to what you come up with!" she smiled, reaching over to take Dianna's hand.

After they had finished eating, Charity would refill Dianna's glass and hastily wash the dishes in a wooden basin, leaving them out to dry. It would be no good to let Dianna think she was a slob! She drained what was left in one of the wine bottles, pulling it away from her mouth with a satisfied gasp.

After the food was gone and Charity took the dishes, Dianna sat and just savored the moment while she let her food settle.
She felt extremely lucky to have met Charity, someone that appreciated her and wanted to impress her.

So much of her life up to this point was comprised of impressing and appreciating others, from her mother to her commanding officer... Even to the princess she'd made her oaths to.
It felt nice to be on the receiving end of consideration, but Dianna couldn't be selfish with this. She must ensure that she compliment Charity and make her feel appreciated just as much as Dianna did right now!

Taking the remaining bottles and their glasses, Charity made her way over to the couch. She set the wine on a small table before dropping herself onto the couch, opening her arms invitingly. "Now that we've had our dinner, it's time for cuddles!"

Dianna smiled and stood from the table, following her to the living room.
At the invitation she happily sat down and placed herself between Charity's open arms, wiggling herself and snuggling into her embrace before grabbing one of the warm blankets and wrapping it around the both of them.
"Again, this has been a lovely evening, I'm happy to spend it with you!"
She gave Charity a kiss on the cheek.
After that she accepted a wine glass and let Charity fill it for her.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"So, since your mother passed away Cleo's been running the archive? Have you thought about running it yourself? Or one of your sisters maybe?"
She took another bite of cake. She took the smallest bites possible to make it last, she wanted to savor everything about this evening.

"Me? Run it myself?" Charity pondered Dianna's suggestion as she chewed her cake. She did know the archives like that back of her hand. But she shook her head. "No... I couldn't possibly do it. I know where all the floors, secret passageways, hidden doors, and rooms are, but if you were to ask me where to find information on a certain topic? I'd be at a complete loss. Besides, running it myself would require me to actually care, which unless there is loot or a pretty woman involved, I generally don't."

"Plus, I wouldn't have the time. A good portion of my day is dedicated to whatever odd jobs Daddy needs done. Between that and the other things I have on my plate, there just wouldn't be any time left in the day for it." Charity paused to stuff another huge bite of cake into her mouth. "As for my sisters taking over, Faust and Cate were running it for a while, but they ran off to work on some secret project they won't tell anyone about."

Dianna smiled and stood from the table, following her to the living room.
At the invitation she happily sat down and placed herself between Charity's open arms, wiggling herself and snuggling into her embrace before grabbing one of the warm blankets and wrapping it around the both of them.
"Again, this has been a lovely evening, I'm happy to spend it with you!"
She gave Charity a kiss on the cheek.
After that she accepted a wine glass and let Charity fill it for her.

Charity wrapped her arms around Dianna lovingly as she snuggled up to her. Charity could feel a light warmth in her cheeks and her heart skipped a beat. For all the dates they had been on, and all the time they spent together, she still felt a small rush holding Dianna so close. With all her past girlfriends, they would just skip to the bedroom. But Dianna was not that type of woman, instead causing Charity to push those sorts of indecent thoughts from her mind, and forcing her to enjoy a different sort of intimacy. Not that she minded of course! "I'm happy to be able to spend it with you too!" she grinned, also giving Dianna a kiss on the cheek.

"So, Dianna," Charity continued after a moment. "I know that we have been dating for a little while now, but I don't really feel like I know you all that well. On a personal level at least, and I was hoping we could get to know each other a little better! We can take turns, and I'll also tell you anything about myself that you want to know!"

"I'll ask first okay?" Charity snuggled closer to Dianna as she thought up questions. "So! What are your favorite things to do when you're off duty? And spending time together and dates don't count!"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

"Me? Run it myself?" Charity pondered Dianna's suggestion as she chewed her cake. She did know the archives like that back of her hand. But she shook her head. "No... I couldn't possibly do it. I know where all the floors, secret passageways, hidden doors, and rooms are, but if you were to ask me where to find information on a certain topic? I'd be at a complete loss. Besides, running it myself would require me to actually care, which unless there is loot or a pretty woman involved, I generally don't."

"Plus, I wouldn't have the time. A good portion of my day is dedicated to whatever odd jobs Daddy needs done. Between that and the other things I have on my plate, there just wouldn't be any time left in the day for it." Charity paused to stuff another huge bite of cake into her mouth. "As for my sisters taking over, Faust and Cate were running it for a while, but they ran off to work on some secret project they won't tell anyone about."

Dianna blinked in surprise for a moment.
Secret passages? Hidden doors? Hidden rooms? What sort of archive was this?!
Then she remembered who she was talking to, it wasn't like she could expect anything normal from this family, so she ultimately shrugged it off.

Charity wrapped her arms around Dianna lovingly as she snuggled up to her. Charity could feel a light warmth in her cheeks and her heart skipped a beat. For all the dates they had been on, and all the time they spent together, she still felt a small rush holding Dianna so close. With all her past girlfriends, they would just skip to the bedroom. But Dianna was not that type of woman, instead causing Charity to push those sorts of indecent thoughts from her mind, and forcing her to enjoy a different sort of intimacy. Not that she minded of course! "I'm happy to be able to spend it with you too!" she grinned, also giving Dianna a kiss on the cheek.

Cuddling on the couch by the fire felt nostalgic for Dianna, and she found herself thinking about her sister.
It wasn't exactly the same, of course, Dianna's relationship with her sister was different from the courtship she had with Charity. All of the physical contact and kisses had different meanings and she was completely here for it!

A brief period of cuddling a playful kissing ensued as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire, the blankets and each other.
Pure moments like this soothed her generally tense nature, she could relax in this sort of atmosphere.
Being ever aware of the body pressed close to her was a bit distracting, and the fact that it was a body she desired in a carnal fashion didn't help...
But that was probably just the wine talking.

"So, Dianna," Charity continued after a moment. "I know that we have been dating for a little while now, but I don't really feel like I know you all that well. On a personal level at least, and I was hoping we could get to know each other a little better! We can take turns, and I'll also tell you anything about myself that you want to know!"

"I'll ask first okay?" Charity snuggled closer to Dianna as she thought up questions. "So! What are your favorite things to do when you're off duty? And spending time together and dates don't count!"

Dianna chuckled as Charity's short hair tickled her nose but she enjoyed the smell of her copper strands, her own long blonde hair sprawled in a halo under her head.
"Off duty activities that don't include spending time with you? I'm afraid you picked the wrong girl to ask that question to!"
She laughed again good naturedly.
"Eating and sleeping, with a few chances to visit a tavern with my men, make up the whole of my off duty schedule if I don't include the time I carve out to spend with you..."
Dianna trailed off for a moment in contemplation.
"And honestly, that should tell you a lot about me... My duty is to protect the ambassador, given to me by the princess of my homeland. I'm a soldier, I serve my country through loyalty and obedience to the sovereign that I've sworn myself to..."
She trailed off again as she looked Charity in the eyes.
"... I would die for my country, if it meant dying while protecting her people I wouldn't hesitate to stand on the front lines and perish in service to the future queen. Even if the Allirian army started marching on our embassy I would be duty bound to stay and fight in order for the ambassador to escape. In that scenario my squad would likely be in charge of escorting the ambassador, but if the Allirian rangers dogged our trail we would be forced to put the ambassador on the fastest horse and stay to buy him as much time as possible."

She said it so matter-of-factly. The idea of her death in service to her country was all too familiar to her and she saw it as simply common sense.
"In that same token, if it meant saving my squad from being entirely wiped out, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice myself for them... And by that same measure, if it meant saving you, I wouldn't hesitate to die in your place... That's the sort of person I am, I suppose."
She had gotten a serious tone in her voice but as she finished she brightened again.

"My turn!"
She buried her nose in Charity's hair for a moment as she thought of a question.
It wasn't so simple for her, she really did want to know more about Charity but asking the wrong question could put her in an awkward situation... There were simply things she didn't need to know in order to love Charity for who she was.
"When you were little, after your parents took you and your sisters in, did you have any special memories? What sort of things did you do for fun?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Dianna chuckled as Charity's short hair tickled her nose but she enjoyed the smell of her copper strands, her own long blonde hair sprawled in a halo under her head.
"Off duty activities that don't include spending time with you? I'm afraid you picked the wrong girl to ask that question to!"
She laughed again good naturedly.
"Eating and sleeping, with a few chances to visit a tavern with my men, make up the whole of my off duty schedule if I don't include the time I carve out to spend with you..."
Dianna trailed off for a moment in contemplation.
"And honestly, that should tell you a lot about me... My duty is to protect the ambassador, given to me by the princess of my homeland. I'm a soldier, I serve my country through loyalty and obedience to the sovereign that I've sworn myself to..."
She trailed off again as she looked Charity in the eyes.
"... I would die for my country, if it meant dying while protecting her people I wouldn't hesitate to stand on the front lines and perish in service to the future queen. Even if the Allirian army started marching on our embassy I would be duty bound to stay and fight in order for the ambassador to escape. In that scenario my squad would likely be in charge of escorting the ambassador, but if the Allirian rangers dogged our trail we would be forced to put the ambassador on the fastest horse and stay to buy him as much time as possible."

Charity smiled to herself and leaned back into Dianna. The woman's dedication to her work, and her loyalty to her country and those around her never failed to impress Charity.

"In that same token, if it meant saving my squad from being entirely wiped out, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice myself for them... And by that same measure, if it meant saving you, I wouldn't hesitate to die in your place... That's the sort of person I am, I suppose."
She had gotten a serious tone in her voice but as she finished she brightened again.

"I know you would my love," Charity scooted back, snuggling even closer into Dianna. She rested her head on Dianna's shoulder, and tipped it back to look up at her. "You're so noble and selfless, and that's one of the things I love so much about you!"

But when it came right down to it, Charity had her doubts about how effective Dianna would be at saving her. In Charity's mind, if she was ever in such a situation that she would need somebody to step in and save her, their sacrifice would be equivalent to throwing their life away. If she couldn't save herself with the immense strength she possessed, then nothing could.

"My turn!"
She buried her nose in Charity's hair for a moment as she thought of a question.
It wasn't so simple for her, she really did want to know more about Charity but asking the wrong question could put her in an awkward situation... There were simply things she didn't need to know in order to love Charity for who she was.
"When you were little, after your parents took you and your sisters in, did you have any special memories? What sort of things did you do for fun?"

Charity hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, every morning Mother would have tea and cakes with Elli and I before giving us our lessons for the day. It didn't matter how busy she was, or whatever else she had going on, Mother always made sure that she was there for tea even if she couldn't stay to personally oversee our lessons that day. It became our own little ritual of sorts, and I loved it!"

"Other than that, I have a ton of sisters so there was always something fun going on. Fighting, playing cards and dice, drinking, running from guards, causing a ruckus..."

"Also spent a lot of time in taverns and bars watching them flirt with the men. Though I used what I learned on the cute barmaids." Charity grinned. "So yeah. There was never a dull moment!"

Charity sat quietly for a moment before looking back up to Dianna. "Ok ok! My turn! Did you have any boyfriends or suitors back at home? I imagine a beautiful noblewoman such as yourself would be drowning in dinner invitations!"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity smiled to herself and leaned back into Dianna. The woman's dedication to her work, and her loyalty to her country and those around her never failed to impress Charity.

"I know you would my love," Charity scooted back, snuggling even closer into Dianna. She rested her head on Dianna's shoulder, and tipped it back to look up at her. "You're so noble and selfless, and that's one of the things I love so much about you!"

But when it came right down to it, Charity had her doubts about how effective Dianna would be at saving her. In Charity's mind, if she was ever in such a situation that she would need somebody to step in and save her, their sacrifice would be equivalent to throwing their life away. If she couldn't save herself with the immense strength she possessed, then nothing could.

Dianna smiled and squeezed her reassuringly.
Her pride in her homeland and the faith she pours into her oaths and convictions were large parts of her as a person and it made her happy that Charity admired her for those things.

For all her failings as a noblewomen she believed that she still managed to reflect well on her family and ultimately bring honor to her house through her dedicated service. Her stepmother or little sister may not recognize it, but she believes her father does.

Charity hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, every morning Mother would have tea and cakes with Elli and I before giving us our lessons for the day. It didn't matter how busy she was, or whatever else she had going on, Mother always made sure that she was there for tea even if she couldn't stay to personally oversee our lessons that day. It became our own little ritual of sorts, and I loved it!"

"Other than that, I have a ton of sisters so there was always something fun going on. Fighting, playing cards and dice, drinking, running from guards, causing a ruckus..."

"Also spent a lot of time in taverns and bars watching them flirt with the men. Though I used what I learned on the cute barmaids." Charity grinned. "So yeah. There was never a dull moment!"

Dianna chuckled with Charity, she could have guessed that Charity's debauchery began early.
"It sounds like you've led an adventurous life, even here in the city! I must admit, I'd never been inside a tavern until I became a squire."

Charity sat quietly for a moment before looking back up to Dianna. "Ok ok! My turn! Did you have any boyfriends or suitors back at home? I imagine a beautiful noblewoman such as yourself would be drowning in dinner invitations!"

Dianna thought for a moment before responding.
"Well, I left to become a squire when I became of age to enter service. My mother had begun making arrangements for when I graduated from our University in the capital, but I left before going to university so those plans fell through before they could come to fruition...
I admit, my mother lost some face because of that so that may be why she resents me for leaving.

"I did know a few boys when I was little, some aristocrats on our land had children and we would play together, and on occasion we would visit other nobles and meet their families during meetings or feasts. A few of them were nice, and I saw myself marrying them someday as a childish fantasy.

"Once I became a squire and then a knight paladin I greatly admired another knight, he was a captain when I was in training and later became commander of the entire order. He's the sort of hero you might read about in a storybook and I fantasized about meeting him and having him approve of me. But it's essentially a celebrity crush, a man such as him seems so great and untouchable that surely nobody could be good enough for him."

She paused, considering her words and reddened a bit.
"... Not that it matters! Being with you is different, but the same as well. I don't deserve you, and yet I have you all the same!"
She hugged her tightly and planted a passionate kiss on her lips, perhaps a little more forcefully than she intended but she wanted to assure Charity that there was no contest between her and the Knight.

She took a moment and found another question.
"Okay, you said that you learned to seduce women when you went to the tavern with your sisters, while they seduced men. What made you take interest in women?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

Dianna thought for a moment before responding.
"Well, I left to become a squire when I became of age to enter service. My mother had begun making arrangements for when I graduated from our University in the capital, but I left before going to university so those plans fell through before they could come to fruition...
I admit, my mother lost some face because of that so that may be why she resents me for leaving.

"I did know a few boys when I was little, some aristocrats on our land had children and we would play together, and on occasion we would visit other nobles and meet their families during meetings or feasts. A few of them were nice, and I saw myself marrying them someday as a childish fantasy.

"Once I became a squire and then a knight paladin I greatly admired another knight, he was a captain when I was in training and later became commander of the entire order. He's the sort of hero you might read about in a storybook and I fantasized about meeting him and having him approve of me. But it's essentially a celebrity crush, a man such as him seems so great and untouchable that surely nobody could be good enough for him."

She paused, considering her words and reddened a bit.
"... Not that it matters! Being with you is different, but the same as well. I don't deserve you, and yet I have you all the same!"
She hugged her tightly and planted a passionate kiss on her lips, perhaps a little more forcefully than she intended but she wanted to assure Charity that there was no contest between her and the Knight.

Charity listened quietly as she slid forward a bit to rest her head on Dianna's chest. She would never understand nobility and their arranging of marriages. Who would want to be tied down to somebody they didn't love? But the thought of a young Dianna playing house and pretending to marry the boys brought a smile to her face. A smile which quickly faded into a jealous pout as Dianna went on to describe the other Knight. Charity returned the kiss with just as much force, and she hugged Dianna's arms tightly to her chest. There was no way she was going to let some Knight steal her girlfriend!

She took a moment and found another question.
"Okay, you said that you learned to seduce women when you went to the tavern with your sisters, while they seduced men. What made you take interest in women?"

"Have you never seen a woman before?!" Charity exclaimed. She often forgot that though Dianna was dating her, it didn't necessarily mean that the Knight was attracted to other women outside of their relationship. "They have lovely faces and beautiful smiles, sexy curves, and they're always so talented and good at what they do!" Charity gestured animatedly as she spoke. "Plus they always smell so good! Like flowers! Or spices! Not to mention my sisters always told me that women were so much better in bed!" Charity's cheeks blushed a light shade of pink as she realized what she had said.

"Anyway... Growing up, I mainly saw boys as rivals. Someone to run around or roughhouse with. Wanted to show them that I could match or top them in physical activities and that I wasn't just another girl that they could push around. Guess I just never grew past that to see them as possible romantic partners..."

"But yeah, I guess I've just always preferred other women over boys or men for whatever reason." She spoke slowly as she collected her thoughts. "Even as a little girl, I had a "girlfriend". And when we grew up and the silly games ended, I still found myself choosing a woman as a partner, while all the others girls had moved on to men." Charity shrugged. "Women are just such loving, caring, beautiful creatures that I can't help being drawn to that."

"And you, my dear Miss Calcutte, are the most beautiful and loving one I have found yet!" Charity sat up to kissed Dianna deeply and passionately. She rose and refilled their wine glasses to momentarily distract herself from the temptations growing inside of her. Pushing Dianna's glass back within her reach, Charity sat back against her. "So say you weren't born a noblewoman or never aspired to be a knight. Was there anything else you dreamed of being or doing growing up?"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity listened quietly as she slid forward a bit to rest her head on Dianna's chest. She would never understand nobility and their arranging of marriages. Who would want to be tied down to somebody they didn't love? But the thought of a young Dianna playing house and pretending to marry the boys brought a smile to her face. A smile which quickly faded into a jealous pout as Dianna went on to describe the other Knight. Charity returned the kiss with just as much force, and she hugged Dianna's arms tightly to her chest. There was no way she was going to let some Knight steal her girlfriend!

"Have you never seen a woman before?!" Charity exclaimed. She often forgot that though Dianna was dating her, it didn't necessarily mean that the Knight was attracted to other women outside of their relationship. "They have lovely faces and beautiful smiles, sexy curves, and they're always so talented and good at what they do!" Charity gestured animatedly as she spoke. "Plus they always smell so good! Like flowers! Or spices! Not to mention my sisters always told me that women were so much better in bed!" Charity's cheeks blushed a light shade of pink as she realized what she had said.

Dianna reddened a little as well when Charity went into what she found attractive in women, embarrassment even though she's the one who asked the question.
She often felt or thought the same things about men, not all men but at least a few, but she never considered traits that she possessed herself as something she would desire in a partner, such as curves or a flowery smell.
It was more like an "opposites attract" situation and she found that to be so for many people besides herself... Which, applying that idea to Charity made sense because she was fairly opposite of Dianna in many ways!

"Anyway... Growing up, I mainly saw boys as rivals. Someone to run around or roughhouse with. Wanted to show them that I could match or top them in physical activities and that I wasn't just another girl that they could push around. Guess I just never grew past that to see them as possible romantic partners..."

Dianna nodded, she'd often felt the same way during her training, especially when they sparred together daily and she had to go toe to toe with the boys to prove herself.
She even had to prove herself against the other girls. A squire had a duty to represent the knight they were squired to and as such were expected to make a good account for themselves in their group training sessions.
Though, for Dianna, her excuse for not indulging in romantic activities with them was because of her family and noble upbringing, she had extra expectations on her to not put a black mark on her family.

"But yeah, I guess I've just always preferred other women over boys or men for whatever reason." She spoke slowly as she collected her thoughts. "Even as a little girl, I had a "girlfriend". And when we grew up and the silly games ended, I still found myself choosing a woman as a partner, while all the others girls had moved on to men." Charity shrugged. "Women are just such loving, caring, beautiful creatures that I can't help being drawn to that."

"And you, my dear Miss Calcutte, are the most beautiful and loving one I have found yet!" Charity sat up to kissed Dianna deeply and passionately. She rose and refilled their wine glasses to momentarily distract herself from the temptations growing inside of her.

Dianna closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, caressing Charity's cheek with her right hand to deftly transition to tucking a lock of her short coppery hair behind her ear.

Dianna was a little breathless when they separated and she watched Charity as she moved away to refill their drinks, like a dire cat regarding prey it wanted to tear to pieces from behind a Mithril cage.
But she recovered her senses and cleared her throat as she thanked Charity and took a sip from her refilled glass.

Pushing Dianna's glass back within her reach, Charity sat back against her. "So say you weren't born a noblewoman or never aspired to be a knight. Was there anything else you dreamed of being or doing growing up?"

As she sat against her Dianna languidly wrapped her muscular arms around the girl and hugged her close while she thought of her answer.
"I always enjoyed the circus as a child. The magic, the exotic animals and colorful clothes delighted me! But I think what amazed me most was the trapeze artists, the acrobats and tumblers in their bold but practical skintight clothes creating art through dance and movement.
Of course, even my birth mother wouldn't have approved of it, but I wanted to become an acrobat after my first time seeing them perform!"

Dianna thought back to that time. She was so young sitting in her nurses lap beside her mother in a huge dark tent with light spells flashing dramatically and the people diving and sailing through the air in death defying displays of skill!
She gasped in terror when two trapeze artists missed each other's hands and for a heart stopping moment she was in free fall, poised dramatically in midair like one who had accepted their fate, only to be saved a split second later by another trapeze artist that had begun his swing late, unnoticed by the crowd in order to create that single adrenaline filled moment and shock and astound the audience.

No fear of death, that's what Dianna admired about them and what she initially aspired for. Now as a knight, she's certainly no acrobat, but she could confidently keep her balance on a narrow board in full armor while engaged in combat, without armor she could walk a tightrope and still engage in combat.

She smiled to herself and picked up her glass again to take a sip.
"Of course I've had many dreams, perhaps a few of them might have come true if I hadn't become a knight. But also a few did come true because of it."
She put the glass down and gave Charity another loving squeeze.

"My turn again! Let me see..."
Again, Dianna had to be careful and considerate when formulating her questions.
"You've always told me how amazing your mother and father are, but what's the worst fight or disagreement you've ever had with them?"
She hoped she didn't already know the answer. If Charity's father disapproved of their relationship Charity hadn't indicated one way or the other, but if Dianna's baseless assumptions about that family were right, she couldn't imagine that her father would be alright with his daughter dating a paladin.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

As she sat against her Dianna languidly wrapped her muscular arms around the girl and hugged her close while she thought of her answer.
"I always enjoyed the circus as a child. The magic, the exotic animals and colorful clothes delighted me! But I think what amazed me most was the trapeze artists, the acrobats and tumblers in their bold but practical skintight clothes creating art through dance and movement.
Of course, even my birth mother wouldn't have approved of it, but I wanted to become an acrobat after my first time seeing them perform!"

Charity smiled as she imagined Dianna as an acrobat. The woman certainly had the physique and physical strength for it. Her cheeks reddened as she pictured Dianna in a tight circus outfit that clung to every curve of her body. She also felt a sharp stab of fury at the hypothetical crowd ogling Dianna in her outfit. Dianna was hers, damn it! Only she was allowed to look! Charity realized how silly she was being, feeling jealous of people that didn't even exist, and smiled again. "That sounds like a lot of fun!"

"My turn again! Let me see..."
Again, Dianna had to be careful and considerate when formulating her questions.
"You've always told me how amazing your mother and father are, but what's the worst fight or disagreement you've ever had with them?"
She hoped she didn't already know the answer. If Charity's father disapproved of their relationship Charity hadn't indicated one way or the other, but if Dianna's baseless assumptions about that family were right, she couldn't imagine that her father would be alright with his daughter dating a paladin.

"The worst fights I have ever had with my parents..." Charity hummed to herself as she considered the question.

"Well, let's see. All my fights with Daddy have been... business related. There are two really bad arguments that I can recall. The first one happened before I was even a teenager. Daddy had had me training in one occupation, but once I saw that I could use those same skills in a different way and make loads of money doing it, I dropped the first to pursue the second. He was furious of course, after investing so much time and money into professional lessons. I remember being grounded to the family estate for a while and arguing with him about how I should be able to do what I wanted. I'm sure you can imagine how well that went over."

"And the second major argument happened not even a year ago actually. After Mother's death, I decided that I wanted to split off from the family and do my own thing. Daddy wouldn't hear of it of course, so I spent many days arguing with him until he finally relented. I'm still technically working under the Greywood syndicate so there were a slew of contracts and whatnot to go through. But now I'm free to find my own work and run things how I see fit as long as I continue to pay my dues. Was even able to recruit a few of my sisters to join my little... subsidiary."

"As for Mother, we only ever argued about one thing. And that was my girlfriends. Besides that, Mother and I always got along splendidly. We did have a few small spats here and there but it wasn't ever anything major, and they were over almost as soon as they had started."

"But my love life on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. It didn't matter who I was dating, who she was, or what sort of life she came from, Mother would always find some tiny issue to nitpick about. One wasn't from the right family. Another could have an 'undesirable' profession or 'unbecoming' mannerisms and habits. It could even be as petty as Mother didn't think she was pretty enough. It was always something." Charity sighed in annoyance. "She had a nasty habit of scaring off every woman I brought to meet her."

"That was except for one woman, Ashe. She was the daughter of one of Mother's business partners. Ashe was the very first girl I met outside of the family after I joined the Greywoods. We were best friends as children, and have dated on again off again since our teenage years. No matter how hard Mother tried, she could never find anything wrong with her. Ashe came from the right family, had the right connections, everything about her perfect."

"And she was perfect," Charity continued. "Beautiful as a princess, super smart, and a shrewd business woman." Charity trailed off dreamily. "Oh! And she used to do this thing in bed where-" Charity's teeth clicked together sharply as she quickly shut her mouth. Maybe the recalling of her escapades with an ex while her current girlfriend was right there wasn't the best of ideas.

Charity rolled over in Dianna's arms and tightly hugged her. "Sorry... I got a little carried away..." She adjusted the blanket as she snuggled into Dianna's warmth. "I want you to know that she doesn't hold a candle to you. You're everything she ever was and so much more!" Charity laid in silence for a bit, feeling foolish for what she said, and fervently praying that Dianna would trust her words.

She could feel the wine beginning to take effect as she started to doze off. Charity shook her head, forcing herself to stay awake. She wanted the conversation to continue, even if that meant there was a chance she would say something else stupid. But at the same time, Charity wasn't sure how long she could hold out. She wracked her brain trying to come up with one more question at the very least. "Okay! The next question is a tough one! What is your greatest fear?"

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity smiled as she imagined Dianna as an acrobat. The woman certainly had the physique and physical strength for it. Her cheeks reddened as she pictured Dianna in a tight circus outfit that clung to every curve of her body. She also felt a sharp stab of fury at the hypothetical crowd ogling Dianna in her outfit. Dianna was hers, damn it! Only she was allowed to look! Charity realized how silly she was being, feeling jealous of people that didn't even exist, and smiled again. "That sounds like a lot of fun!"

"The worst fights I have ever had with my parents..." Charity hummed to herself as she considered the question.

"Well, let's see. All my fights with Daddy have been... business related. There are two really bad arguments that I can recall. The first one happened before I was even a teenager. Daddy had had me training in one occupation, but once I saw that I could use those same skills in a different way and make loads of money doing it, I dropped the first to pursue the second. He was furious of course, after investing so much time and money into professional lessons. I remember being grounded to the family estate for a while and arguing with him about how I should be able to do what I wanted. I'm sure you can imagine how well that went over."

Dianna nodded sympathetically. She had a similar conversation with her mother when she wanted to become a knight, that argument itself was almost as legendary as the rage her mother exhibited that day... But ultimately, Dianna she got her way.

"And the second major argument happened not even a year ago actually. After Mother's death, I decided that I wanted to split off from the family and do my own thing. Daddy wouldn't hear of it of course, so I spent many days arguing with him until he finally relented. I'm still technically working under the Greywood syndicate so there were a slew of contracts and whatnot to go through. But now I'm free to find my own work and run things how I see fit as long as I continue to pay my dues. Was even able to recruit a few of my sisters to join my little... subsidiary."

Dianna nodded along. She couldn't imagine what sort of relationship Charity had with her father, but it sounded like things were a little smoother now.
And getting some of her sisters to help sounded nice as well, although the way Charity was trying to be careful with her words was somehow just making whatever work they did sound worse than it probably was.
She wondered about her mentioning "Greywood", she'd never heard of that 'syndicate' or organization, but she also wasn't super familiar with all of the trading companies in the city.

"As for Mother, we only ever argued about one thing. And that was my girlfriends. Besides that, Mother and I always got along splendidly. We did have a few small spats here and there but it wasn't ever anything major, and they were over almost as soon as they had started."

"But my love life on the other hand, was an entirely different matter. It didn't matter who I was dating, who she was, or what sort of life she came from, Mother would always find some tiny issue to nitpick about. One wasn't from the right family. Another could have an 'undesirable' profession or 'unbecoming' mannerisms and habits. It could even be as petty as Mother didn't think she was pretty enough. It was always something." Charity sighed in annoyance. "She had a nasty habit of scaring off every woman I brought to meet her."

Dianna couldn't really sympathize as much with that. As a noble, marriage was practically expected to happen at some point in her life, so long as it was to someone that would be politically beneficial to marry.
Thus, her interests were never really a factor. Even if she liked a boy, she couldn't think about marriage with him unless it would benefit both of their families to form a union.

She left her family right when she came of age to marry, and up till then all the boys she knew were still just boys in her eyes, and thankfully her parents hadn't decided on a union before she decided to leave.
Then the military became her parent, and relationships were off the table entirely.

"That was except for one woman, Ashe. She was the daughter of one of Mother's business partners. Ashe was the very first girl I met outside of the family after I joined the Greywoods. We were best friends as children, and have dated on again off again since our teenage years. No matter how hard Mother tried, she could never find anything wrong with her. Ashe came from the right family, had the right connections, everything about her perfect."

Dianna raised her eyebrows when Charity brought up Ashe and listened closely. Charity now had Dianna's undivided attention.

"And she was perfect," Charity continued. "Beautiful as a princess, super smart, and a shrewd businesswoman." Charity trailed off dreamily. "Oh! And she used to do this thing in bed where-" Charity's teeth clicked together sharply as she quickly shut her mouth. Maybe the recalling of her escapades with an ex while her current girlfriend was right there wasn't the best of ideas.

Perfect... Dianna wondered what 'perfection' looked like to Charity... Was Dianna anything like her then? Dianna couldn't really call herself a businesswoman, or super smart by the standards of education in Mardania.
Tactically Dianna considered herself pretty intelligent, but even in that regard she wasn't what the military would rank as a tactician, there were actual people who held that rank.
As a captain she was expected to be capable of a certain level of decision making, and once she proved herself capable of more she could likely be promoted.

Dianna frowned when Charity started to describe their bedtime activities before she stopped herself.

Charity rolled over in Dianna's arms and tightly hugged her. "Sorry... I got a little carried away..." She adjusted the blanket as she snuggled into Dianna's warmth. "I want you to know that she doesn't hold a candle to you. You're everything she ever was and so much more!" Charity laid in silence for a bit, feeling foolish for what she said, and fervently praying that Dianna would trust her words.

She could sense that Charity was genuinely sorry for bringing up that topic, but she couldn't quite let it go at that.
"It's fine, Charity."
To show Charity she forgave her, as she snuggled into her Dianna snuggled down and nibbled her ear. Both a punishment and a forgiveness to lighten the mood again.

She could feel the wine beginning to take effect as she started to doze off. Charity shook her head, forcing herself to stay awake. She wanted the conversation to continue, even if that meant there was a chance she would say something else stupid. But at the same time, Charity wasn't sure how long she could hold out. She wracked her brain trying to come up with one more question at the very least. "Okay! The next question is a tough one! What is your greatest fear?"

The weight of the alcohol on her mind was a tangible blanket that made everything fuzzy, and she too was beginning to doze off.
But she roused herself again for Charity's next question.

Her greatest fear?

The romantic answer would be, 'losing you, obviously!'
And while that was admittedly a scary thought, it wasn't truly her greatest fear.

What scared her most... Her country falling into the wrong hands, her princess turning up dead, her parents along with the current aristocracy and even her sister being put to the sword because of their ardent support of the princess.

Normally she couldn't say something like that, it'd be tactless, and she'd just gotten the mood back on track... But she was also pretty tipsy at this point...
"My greatest fear?... I fear the future and what it could hold for me, my family and my country... Yes, I guess I'm afraid of a future that I'm helpless to change or prevent..."
If the princess never returned, if she turned up dead, it would also mean that Dianna would have to leave Alliria and Charity... Her orders in that scenario would likely be to return home, she would be stripped of her knighthood and very possibly executed to prevent any dissent in the new regime that would be established.

If Dianna escaped execution, she would be a fugitive and hunted as a criminal. Best case scenario, if she managed to return home before her family faced execution, she could possibly rescue them and they can go on the run together, maybe even seek asylum here in Alliria or join whatever resistance is born in the wake of the new regime.

For the sake of her family and her country she prayed that the princess was safe and that she would return soon. The royal Kyzo family line has ruled over Mardania since its founding, Dianna would rather die than see it end.

She took another swig of her wine, accidentally grabbing the bottle this time, and the burning liquid seared her throat and brought tears to her eyes, though that wasn't the only reason she was tearing up at the moment.
She gasped and coughed as she quickly set the bottle down, her words became a little slurred.

"Ahhh!... It's nothing, don't mind me! It's my turn for a crestion now!"
She put her fingers to her temple and squeezed her eyes shut trying to concentrate through the growing haze of the wet blanket that wrapped itself around her brain... Her intoxicated mind couldn't find a question that the normal Dianna would ask at this juncture, so she went with the first one that popped into her head.
"Once I marry you, do you wanna cuddle in different ways? How do girls even 'do' it, ya know? It's not like we got a manhood between us... Like... Are you even a virgin? cause, I am. That was always the most important thing as a noble, you gotta be a virgin on your wedding night, my mom gave me that talk right before I became a knight, and then AFTER I became a knight because she was afraid I'd jump on those guys the minute they showed interest!"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

She could sense that Charity was genuinely sorry for bringing up that topic, but she couldn't quite let it go at that.
"It's fine, Charity."
To show Charity she forgave her, as she snuggled into her Dianna snuggled down and nibbled her ear. Both a punishment and a forgiveness to lighten the mood again.

Charity squeaked in surprise and her breath caught sharply as Dianna nibbled her ear. She felt a burning desire growing inside her but quickly quelled it, giggled, and returned her attention to Dianna. Though a nagging thought sat at the back of her mind. Was it really fine? Charity knew for herself at least, that if Dianna had spoken of an ex in such the same way, she would feel extremely jealous and upset. But maybe that was one key difference between them. Dianna was able to forgive and forget.

"My greatest fear?... I fear the future and what it could hold for me, my family and my country... Yes, I guess I'm afraid of a future that I'm helpless to change or prevent..."
If the princess never returned, if she turned up dead, it would also mean that Dianna would have to leave Alliria and Charity... Her orders in that scenario would likely be to return home, she would be stripped of her knighthood and very possibly executed to prevent any dissent in the new regime that would be established.

Charity nodded as Dianna responded. She recalled the many times Dianna had spoken of the turmoil in her homeland, and the possible outcomes for its future. It was no small wonder that Dianna's biggest fear would be something that was potentially life changing. As for Charity, she had decided long ago that wherever Dianna went, she would follow. And if Dianna was to be executed, she would do everything in her power to save her.

This led to an interesting thought. If she could steal heavily guarded goods, how hard would it be to steal a person from a fortified city? Charity filed that question for now and smiled. "The future is always changing, and you have way more power over it than you think!" She wasn't sure how true that was in Dianna's case, but she hoped it sounded comforting at the very least.

"Ahhh!... It's nothing, don't mind me! It's my turn for a crestion now!"
She put her fingers to her temple and squeezed her eyes shut trying to concentrate through the growing haze of the wet blanket that wrapped itself around her brain... Her intoxicated mind couldn't find a question that the normal Dianna would ask at this juncture, so she went with the first one that popped into her head.
"Once I marry you, do you wanna cuddle in different ways? How do girls even 'do' it, ya know? It's not like we got a manhood between us... Like... Are you even a virgin? cause, I am. That was always the most important thing as a noble, you gotta be a virgin on your wedding night, my mom gave me that talk right before I became a knight, and then AFTER I became a knight because she was afraid I'd jump on those guys the minute they showed interest!"

Charity propped herself up on her elbows, forcing herself to focus on Dianna's face through the thick fog that clouded her mind. What did those damned Mardanians put in their wine?! she wondered. On any other day she could drink wine like it was water with no problem!

Charity smiled down at Dianna. The way she squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands on her head as she thought was absolutely adorable! The stark contrast between adorable, silly, drunk Dianna, and her level-headed and thoughtful sober self was a bit strange to Charity, but she loved getting to see both sides of the knight.

She refocused as Dianna asked her question. The entire question threw her for a loop, and there was a lot to unpack.

Huh? Marriage?! While Charity had certainly considered the notion, she was a bit shocked that Dianna had as well. Dianna having a female partner while abroad was one thing, but Charity could only begin to imagine the firestorm that would be sparked once the rest of the Calcutte family learned of her intent to marry. But it was comforting to know that they were both aiming for the same sort of future together. "I will cuddle with you in as many different ways as you would like!" She leaned down and lightly kissed Dianna.

"How do girls even do it?" Charity echoed. "Well, it all starts with cuddling and kissing, with a bit of touching thrown into the mix!" She squeezed Dianna's breast playfully for emphasis. "After that, it all depends on what you're in the mood for." A devilish smile spread across her lips as she went on to describe various methods in vivid detail. "So see? Its not nearly as complicated as one might think. And there's a ton more ways than that!"

Now the question of being a virgin or not, was whole other matter. Charity felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Dianna was a woman who was steadfastly holding on to her belief in saving herself for her future spouse, while unbeknownst to her, the woman she dreamed of one day marrying didn't hold these same convictions and had a long track record of one night stands. Never once had the thought of saving herself for somebody crossed Charity's mind. "No... I'm not a virgin." she replied. "Besides Ashe, there have been more women than I can remember, or care to count for that matter," Charity admitted shamefully. "Never really seemed like something that was important to hold on to I guess..."

"Umm... anyway, its getting late." Charity remarked. "C'mon. Best we turn in for the night..." She stood gingerly, out of questions and struggling to stay awake as the room slowly spun around her. Taking Dianna's hands, Charity helped her up and led her over to the bed, looting the knight's pajamas from her basket on their way by.

Charity sat Dianna on the bed with a kiss on her cheek and placed her clothes next to her. She took her time stripping naked, sure that Dianna was watching her like a hawk, before pulling a long nightshirt over her head. Charity threw herself onto the large bed with open arms as she watched Dianna finish changing.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

Charity squeaked in surprise and her breath caught sharply as Dianna nibbled her ear. She felt a burning desire growing inside her but quickly quelled it, giggled, and returned her attention to Dianna. Though a nagging thought sat at the back of her mind. Was it really fine? Charity knew for herself at least, that if Dianna had spoken of an ex in such the same way, she would feel extremely jealous and upset. But maybe that was one key difference between them. Dianna was able to forgive and forget.


Charity nodded as Dianna responded. She recalled the many times Dianna had spoken of the turmoil in her homeland, and the possible outcomes for its future. It was no small wonder that Dianna's biggest fear would be something that was potentially life changing. As for Charity, she had decided long ago that wherever Dianna went, she would follow. And if Dianna was to be executed, she would do everything in her power to save her.

This led to an interesting thought. If she could steal heavily guarded goods, how hard would it be to steal a person from a fortified city? Charity filed that question for now and smiled. "The future is always changing, and you have way more power over it than you think!" She wasn't sure how true that was in Dianna's case, but she hoped it sounded comforting at the very least.

Dianna could only smile sadly, in appreciation of the attempt at comfort, but unless she abandoned her post and struck out for Vel Anir, there was absolutely nothing she could do.
She wasn't with the princesses escort. According to the last report that they were able to receive here in Alliria, the survivors of her escort were still searching for her, and no small number of diviners were being used to try to locate her.

Charity propped herself up on her elbows, forcing herself to focus on Dianna's face through the thick fog that clouded her mind. What did those damned Mardanians put in their wine?! she wondered. On any other day she could drink wine like it was water with no problem!

Charity smiled down at Dianna. The way she squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands on her head as she thought was absolutely adorable! The stark contrast between adorable, silly, drunk Dianna, and her level-headed and thoughtful sober self was a bit strange to Charity, but she loved getting to see both sides of the knight.

She refocused as Dianna asked her question. The entire question threw her for a loop, and there was a lot to unpack.

Huh? Marriage?! While Charity had certainly considered the notion, she was a bit shocked that Dianna had as well. Dianna having a female partner while abroad was one thing, but Charity could only begin to imagine the firestorm that would be sparked once the rest of the Calcutte family learned of her intent to marry. But it was comforting to know that they were both aiming for the same sort of future together. "I will cuddle with you in as many different ways as you would like!" She leaned down and lightly kissed Dianna.

Dianna giggled and returned the kiss eagerly. Then she listened with wrapped attention to her answer with an increasingly reddening face and widening eyes!

"How do girls even do it?" Charity echoed. "Well, it all starts with cuddling and kissing, with a bit of touching thrown into the mix!" She squeezed Dianna's breast playfully for emphasis. "After that, it all depends on what you're in the mood for." A devilish smile spread across her lips as she went on to describe various methods in vivid detail. "So see? Its not nearly as complicated as one might think. And there's a ton more ways than that!"

Dianna's face immediately went from brightening to beet red the moment Charity fondled her breasts.
Suddenly she was completely out of her element and absolutely bewildered!
As Charity went on in great detail to describe the various aspects of girl on girl intimacy Dianna could feel herself beginning to sweat a little.

By the end of Charity's description Dianna was quite thoroughly shocked, scandalized, breathless and red as a tomato!

But as Charity went on she sobered a little since Charity took a more somber tone.

Now the question of being a virgin or not, was whole other matter. Charity felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Dianna was a woman who was steadfastly holding on to her belief in saving herself for her future spouse, while unbeknownst to her, the woman she dreamed of one day marrying didn't hold these same convictions and had a long track record of one night stands. Never once had the thought of saving herself for somebody crossed Charity's mind. "No... I'm not a virgin." she replied. "Besides Ashe, there have been more women than I can remember, or care to count for that matter," Charity admitted shamefully. "Never really seemed like something that was important to hold on to I guess..."

Dianna nodded. She figured that was the case but had asked the question in conjunction with her first one cause she was curious how one even lost one's virginity without interacting with the male member.
But after hearing Charity's vivid description she now had a clear picture of how it was done.

She hugged Charity to herself for a moment.
"It's fine... I'm not holding that against you... Rather, if anything I must ask you to be gentle with me, considering I've no experience one way or the other and my chastity is unbroken."
She kissed Charity's head then leaned her own head against the pillow, immediately regretting it since that movement caused her mind to swim.

"Umm... anyway, its getting late." Charity remarked. "C'mon. Best we turn in for the night..." She stood gingerly, out of questions and struggling to stay awake as the room slowly spun around her. Taking Dianna's hands, Charity helped her up and led her over to the bed, looting the knight's pajamas from her basket on their way by.

Charity sat Dianna on the bed with a kiss on her cheek and placed her clothes next to her. She took her time stripping naked, sure that Dianna was watching her like a hawk, before pulling a long nightshirt over her head. Charity threw herself onto the large bed with open arms as she watched Dianna finish changing.

Dianna willingly followed Charity to the bed, stumbling occasionally when her toes ran into her own feet but eventually she successfully sat down.
Her nightgown materialized beside her and Dianna refocused to see Charity begin changing in front of her.

She'd seen her naked before, and even now she might have thought nothing of it except that her mind and imagination were now armed with the scandalous information that Charity just gave her.
So now she watched with new interest in her girlfriend.

When she was done Dianna stood up and began to imitate her, changing slowly out of her clothes until she at last slipped the nightgown over her head.
She pulled her long blond hair free from the collar and produced a brush from her night bag.
She sat on the edge of the bed with her hair over one shoulder, gliding the brush through her long silky strands.

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

She hugged Charity to herself for a moment.
"It's fine... I'm not holding that against you... Rather, if anything I must ask you to be gentle with me, considering I've no experience one way or the other and my chastity is unbroken."
She kissed Charity's head then leaned her own head against the pillow, immediately regretting it since that movement caused her mind to swim.

It was reassuring to know that Dianna wouldn't hold all of Charity's previous partners against her. That was one of the big things she had worried about Dianna finding out most. That was all behind her now. She had Dianna, and that's all she needed. "I will be. I promise!" Charity rested her head on Dianna's shoulder. "But let's not worry about that for tonight." She hugged Dianna tightly again and leaned in to kiss her lovingly.

Charity watched hungrily as Dianna changed into her nightgown. Her gaze traced every curve, and followed every tiny movement. Did Dianna have any inkling of how beautiful she was? Charity wondered. This and all the other lecherous thoughts faded away once the knight was dressed and set to brushing her hair.

Truth be told, Charity was quite proud of herself, going all night without making a move on the beautiful woman before her. Charity smiled smugly to herself. She didn't typically exhibit that level of self control, and it actually felt kind of nice to just enjoy another's company for once without her main objective being getting in the other person's pants.

Charity stared at the ceiling and drummed her fingers on the bed, trying her best to give Dianna space and time to do what she needed to. Why did it have to be so difficult? She had received enough hugs and kisses over the course of the evening to last her a day or two. And she should've been used to it, not getting to see her girlfriend every day.

Even though Charity could reach out and touch Dianna, she seemed infinitely far away, and the lack of her touch was excruciating. She couldn't do it. She needed Dianna close. Charity scooted over to Dianna and wrapped her legs loosely around her.

"Mmmn... Diannnaa," Charity pouted sleepily, leaning forward to rest her chin on Dianna's free shoulder. "Ya almost done? I wanna cuddle s'more..." She reached out to twirl some stray hair, before hugging the knight. "Your hair really is lovely, ya know?" Charity remarked after a long silence. "Kinda makes me wish my hair was just like it. Its so soft and silky. Bet all the other women at the embassy are jealous." Charity hugged her quietly again, only speaking up again after a moment. "When I was a child, Mother kept my hair a good bit longer, 'cept it was always in two braids so it wouldn't get dirty while I was playing. But I could never have it that long again," she lamented. "With all the running around and the fighting I do now, it would just get in my face. Besides that, it seems like it would be such a hassle."

Charity's head drooped on Dianna's shoulder for a split second before she jolted herself back awake. "Hey, doesn't it all get in your way too when you're on duty? And isn't it a pain to take care of? Like washing and brushing and all that? Oh! And when it gets too long, do you get somebody to trim it for you, or do you do that yourself? Me? I just take whatever knife I happen to have on me and chop it off. Maybe that's why it doesn't look as nice?" Charity mused.

 

[Dianna Calcutte]

It was reassuring to know that Dianna wouldn't hold all of Charity's previous partners against her. That was one of the big things she had worried about Dianna finding out most. That was all behind her now. She had Dianna, and that's all she needed. "I will be. I promise!" Charity rested her head on Dianna's shoulder. "But let's not worry about that for tonight." She hugged Dianna tightly again and leaned in to kiss her lovingly.

Charity watched hungrily as Dianna changed into her nightgown. Her gaze traced every curve and followed every tiny movement. Did Dianna have any inkling of how beautiful she was? Charity wondered. This and all the other lecherous thoughts faded away once the knight was dressed and set to brushing her hair.

After changing she had undone her braid and brushed out her long hair in smooth strokes, smoothing out the tangles and golden waves over her shoulder with practiced ease.

Truth be told, Charity was quite proud of herself, going all night without making a move on the beautiful woman before her. Charity smiled smugly to herself. She didn't typically exhibit that level of self-control, and it actually felt kind of nice to just enjoy another's company for once without her main objective being getting in the other person's pants.

Charity stared at the ceiling and drummed her fingers on the bed, trying her best to give Dianna space and time to do what she needed to. Why did it have to be so difficult? She had received enough hugs and kisses over the course of the evening to last her a day or two. And she should've been used to it, not getting to see her girlfriend every day.

Even though Charity could reach out and touch Dianna, she seemed infinitely far away, and the lack of her touch was excruciating. She couldn't do it. She needed Dianna close. Charity scooted over to Dianna and wrapped her legs loosely around her.

When Charity sidled up to her from behind, Dianna let out a small sigh and leaned back against her while she continued to brush her hair.
Closeness... Something that a high noble wasn't very familiar with few exceptions.
Nobility were a higher social class, they had positions of power and served in political roles where they made decisions for the common people whether they liked it or not.
Even though Dianna had a few friends amongst the commoners in her father's holding, that was a luxury she enjoyed because her father was generally well liked by his people. She was still taught that you should never let your friends close enough to poison your drink or draw a knife on you, servants and friends were kept at a platonic distance and only family could be trusted any closer than that.

But this was what it was like to let her guard down... To not be a noble and just be a person like everyone else.
Charity was very much a woman of the world, and to Dianna that meant she was more real. She wasn't filtered through a lens of nobility, where mistrust and paranoia were commonplace, wondering what motivated her.
In a way, Charity was predictable, which made her a constant, a consistency, a solid foundation, trustworthy.

Nobility often sought to form bonds with people they could trust implicitly in spite of the paranoia of their world, yet also precisely because of their paranoia they had to have SOMEONE they KNEW would have their back no matter what. Sometimes this was a guard, a childhood friend, a servant, and they would keep them close.
If Dianna had gone on to become a lady instead of a knight, she imagined she would have wanted someone like Charity to be her confidant.

"Mmmn... Diannnaa," Charity pouted sleepily, leaning forward to rest her chin on Dianna's free shoulder. "Ya almost done? I wanna cuddle s'more..." She reached out to twirl some stray hair, before hugging the knight. "Your hair really is lovely, ya know?" Charity remarked after a long silence. "Kinda makes me wish my hair was just like it. Its so soft and silky. Bet all the other women at the embassy are jealous." Charity hugged her quietly again,

Dianna chuckled a little at her last remark. While the other female knights did hold a noble title to some degree, most of them were lesser nobles or aristocrats that were essentially commoners in all but name, they had far less social obligation to maintain their appearance.

There actually weren't very many women with her same situation amongst the knights, very few noble girls of the higher noble families aspire to or are allowed to become knights, and those who do often fail or settle for another military position that requires less of them physically.

only speaking up again after a moment. "When I was a child, Mother kept my hair a good bit longer, 'cept it was always in two braids so it wouldn't get dirty while I was playing. But I could never have it that long again," she lamented. "With all the running around and the fighting I do now, it would just get in my face. Besides that, it seems like it would be such a hassle."

Charity's head drooped on Dianna's shoulder for a split second before she jolted herself back awake. "Hey, doesn't it all get in your way too when you're on duty? And isn't it a pain to take care of? Like washing and brushing and all that? Oh! And when it gets too long, do you get somebody to trim it for you, or do you do that yourself? Me? I just take whatever knife I happen to have on me and chop it off. Maybe that's why it doesn't look as nice?" Charity mused.

Dianna nodded her head in agreement, "Yes, it is a hassle. And honestly, while they acknowledge that my hair is beautiful, the other women do not envy me for having long hair. As you pointed out, it gets in the way if the braids ever come undone during combat..."
Dianna had a funny thought and stopped brushing for a moment.

She turned her face, so she had her nose pressed against Charity's cheek.
"I imagine, if I were to ever have my hair cut, I would be completely invincible in battle!"
She giggled and finished brushing her hair, putting her brush away before carefully wrapping and arranging her hair into a sleeping bun and putting on a nightcap.

"I maintain my hair myself. I have exception to the military protocol for hair length because of my family situation, so this length I have? It's literally as short as I'm allowed to go. Noble women, especially young noble women, are socially encouraged to have and keep long hair because it can more easily be styled into more extravagant hairstyles. So, the social encouragement has developed into a noble duty. And since I technically still have a duty to my family as a lady, I'm obligated to keep my hair as it is."

She turned towards charity and drunkenly put her arms around her shoulders and fell into the bed, taking Charity with her.
"You're so cute! I can see you with little red pigtails and a face full of freckles climbing trees and roughhousing with all the boys!"
Dianna giggled at the thought and fumbled with the short ends of Charity's hair, drunkenly trying to imitate pigtails!
She fiddled with Charity's hair a little longer, her eyes drifting closed for a moment as the haze seemed to fully engulf her thoughts before slowly coming open again.

Dianna pulled the sheets of the bed up and snuggled close to Charity before pulling the blankets over them.
Closeness... Intimacy... If Charity were a man, there was no way this would be an acceptable activity even if everything was kept platonic. In a way, that made their relationship all the closer. As a man the proper thing to do would be to take her home, no cuddling in their nightclothes, no sharing the same bed, the hugs and kissing could be forgiven but this night would have gone very differently if either of them were a man.
For that, Dianna was grateful... It's like she was able to enjoy both worlds of close friendship and romantic relationship!

Images of Charity's vivid descriptions of intimate activities played through Dianna's mind, and she couldn't deny that more than a few of them sounded extremely tempting. But even drunk Dianna couldn't bring herself to go that far... Not yet... Still so much to do... So much fear to overcome... Chairty had to meet Dianna's family; Dianna had to meet Charity's family...
Dianna wanted to hold on to the things she considered pure and proper, not just for her family's sake but for herself and her own conscience that she would be rebelling against.

A final question rose through the fog in her brain as she began to drift off to sleep.
"Charity... When will I meet your father?"

 

[Charity Briarthorne]

"I maintain my hair myself. I have exception to the military protocol for hair length because of my family situation, so this length I have? It's literally as short as I'm allowed to go. Noble women, especially young noble women, are socially encouraged to have and keep long hair because it can more easily be styled into more extravagant hairstyles. So, the social encouragement has developed into a noble duty. And since I technically still have a duty to my family as a lady, I'm obligated to keep my hair as it is."

That was as short as it was allowed to be?! Charity shook her head. And Dianna had to deal with and maintain all that all by herself? No thank you!

Why were young noblewomen encouraged to have such long hair anyway? Did noblemen find it attractive? Did other noblewomen think it was pretty? Was it just a big contest to see who had the longest hair, or the craziest hairstyle? And why did Dianna still have such a strong obligation to her family? She was stationed in Alliria. It wasn't like they were going to see that her hair wasn't up to their standards if she had decided to go with shorter hair. The more Charity learned about noble life, the less she understood about it, and the more questions she had.

Charity tried to picture Dianna with hair as short as her own. But the image didn't sit right with her. There was just something about it that was off. Maybe if it was a bit longer? Shoulder length or so? No, it still didn't look or feel like Dianna. Maybe some women just looked way better with longer hair, and all the effort to maintain it was worth it.

She turned towards charity and drunkenly put her arms around her shoulders and fell into the bed, taking Charity with her.
"You're so cute! I can see you with little red pigtails and a face full of freckles climbing trees and roughhousing with all the boys!"
Dianna giggled at the thought and fumbled with the short ends of Charity's hair, drunkenly trying to imitate pigtails!

"Woah!" Charity let out a surprised cry as Dianna turned and they fell onto the bed. She laughed at Dianna's description of her younger self, and put her arms around Dianna's waist. "Yes! Yes! I was exactly like that! How did you know?" Charity giggled, and leaned in to kiss her. She missed her target, with the kiss instead landing on Dianna's chin. Charity laughed again, and pulled her closer.

A final question rose through the fog in her brain as she began to drift off to sleep.
"Charity... When will I meet your father?"

"Hmm?" Charity opened one eye sleepily. "I dunno... Daddy's dreadfully busy with work and so many other things. Its difficult to find time to see him. Even I need to make an appointment these days unless its an emergency."

Not that it particularly bothered her anymore. Amadeus disappering from her life because of work was nothing new, and Charity had grown to accept it. If Amadeus had a job for Charity, he would send one of the sisters to fill her in on the details. She rarely if ever got to see him in person.

And when it came to the matter of Dianna, this was a blessing in disguise. Charity already knew how her father would react to Dianna. Amadeus would be polite, but make it very clear that Charity was to cut ties with Dianna. She had work to do, and no woman was going to get in the way of that. Besides, Charity was sure that she was being watched, and that her father already knew all there was to know about this foreign woman. So the longer it took them to finally meet, the better.

Charity yawned and nuzzled Dianna. "Soon love. You'll meet Daddy soon. I'll see what I can set up in terms of a meeting, but no promises 'kay?" Charity pressed herself up against Dianna with another big yawn, and buried her face in Dianna's shoulder. "Maybe we should just meet your family first..." she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.