A Pleasant Surprise Prt II

Posted on Tue Jul 26th, 2022 @ 1:39pm by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Major Sacha Lavigne
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 7:05pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Rio de Jinero
Timeline: Date 2371-05-31 at 1630
7407 words - 14.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Though she could have, she didn’t linger too long in getting cleaned up and into a new dress. This one was slightly less modest. A deep purple with a low v neck held up by straps at the shoulder. It fit her figure quite nicely and showed off her assets, a slit in the skirt made sure she could walk comfortably. A quick change to a pair of black heels and a switch to some gold jewelry instead of the old fashioned pearls and she was off. For her own benefit, she went in a more roundabout way so that she would be less likely to be seen and eventually found herself out in the gardens proper. She had a decent idea where he would be and made her way there, the sound of the water hitting her before she would see it. She rounded one of the finely manicured hedges and her eyes fell on one of the large fountains where they used to meet when they were younger. “Sacha?”

Sacha had removed his suit jacket and tie in the warm Rio de Jinero weather, and was sitting on the wall of the large fountain, looking out. When he heard her voice, he looked in her direction, his eyes scanning her body less reservedly then before. He smiled as she approached, standing up, but not moving forward.

"It wasn't the dress." he said, matter-of-factly.

“You’re lucky I didn’t like it that much. Though your little stunt means I can’t sell it like I usually would.” She crossed her arms under her breasts, accentuating them more. There was a mild annoyance on her face, but it hadn’t really taken root yet as if she were giving him a chance to redeem himself. A rare gift from Giana indeed. Her eyes ran over him again without the jacket and she realized how much he really had filled out over the years. He’d grown from good looking to handsome.

He didn't have money, or he'd offer to just buy her a new one. Solutions to the problem, he had none. Instead, he gave her an understanding look, almost like he was addressing a sad child without the condescension. He approached her slowly, his head turned to the side.

"I knew you needed an excuse to escape that graveyard in there, but I guess I didn't think you might have cared about the dress." he said, pausing in front of her and, at last, grabbing her arms and bringing her in to a warm hug. He'd never wanted to upset her, but he found himself endeared by even her anger over her indifference. Immediately, he could smell her perfume; her hair. "I'm sorry, Mon Cher. I will sew you a new one myself."

Giana tensed just slightly as he hugged her, but it immediately triggered familiar memories that had her relaxing into him though she didn’t return his hug outright. It felt different with the changes in his body, but still very natural to her. “I’d like to see you sew a dress with those big hands of yours.” She laughed softly and put her hands on his hips. “So, what did you think of as your brilliant plan?”

"I want to do the most exciting thing I can think of: get to know you better. But we need to get out of here...out of this stuffy place." he said, leaving his arms around her. He spoke tenderly and quietly. "I didn't see you eat at the gathering. Are you hungry?"

It was far from the teenage suggestions of years gone by. Having her stand by and watch as he hopped over a fence at the zoo and tried to ride a giraffe. They were adults now, and they needed to do adult things at times. They were so engrossed that they didn't notice the man hiding in shrubbery taking pictures with a holocam.

“Yes, I am.” Giana replied honestly, looking up into his eyes and giving him a smile. “I never tend to get to eat at these sorts of things unless it is literally a sit down meal. Eating isn’t attractive enough. Only sipping wine or champagne.” She sighed and stepped back from him then, but her hand slid down his arm and found his hand which she squeezed. “Have somewhere in mind?”

"Somewhere dark with real food and real people, where you won't be noticed." he said with a wink. "I've got just the place in mind. Do you need to call a Imperial Guard car or can we get out of here on my bike?"

“Oh gods you still have that thing? Really?” Giana rolled her eyes and shook her head, but there was a fond little smirk on her lips. They’d run off on that more times than she could remember. “Good luck finding somewhere I won’t be noticed, by the way.”

"I haven't been back for awhile, lets say. Buying a new set of wheels hasn't been on the top of my priority list." he said, grabbing his jacket and tie and then leading the way to the edge of the garden. Jumping out was way easier than jumping in, and so he offered her his hands to help her over the wall first as they had always done in summers "Ladies first."

Giana made a slight face at the thought of going over the wall. She would have never hesitated when she was younger. Why not, though? With a bit of adjusting to make sure her dress didn’t fly up on her (paparazzi were everywhere outside) and after sliding out of her heels, she lowered herself down as much as she could and then dropped the rest of the way, landing on her feet even if she was out of practice.

Once she was down, he grabbed the wall and lowered himself down with more ease than he had ever been able to as a scrawny teen. Dusting off his pants, he took her by the hand and led her to the place where he had parked his jet-black motorcycle. He grabbed the helmet she used to wear, which he'd gotten out of storage, and climbed onto the bike seat, making sure there was room on the seat behind him.

“My helmet and everything, it is starting to look like this was your plan all along, Sacha.” She teased as she put her heels back on and then reached out to take the helmet. Giving something akin to a pleasant sigh, she took a beat to look at him and just remember their younger years. They were good times, simpler times. She slid onto the back of the bike and put the helmet on. “Give me your jacket.”

"It worked, didn't it?" he asked with a grin, though he was facing away from her, as he handed her his jacket as requested. He pressed his thumb to the reader and the bike thrummed to life beneath them, rattling ever-so-slightly like it could really use a tune up.

“You think you’re cute but you really aren’t.” She rolled her eyes at him under the helmet and pulled his jacket on to both hide and protect her dress. She leaned into him then, her body pressing against his back and he would know she was ready to go.

"You think you're cute and you're right." he said in response, undistrubed by the jab. He felt the familiar feeling of her arms around him, her body pressed up against his back. It was a feeling he had day-dreamed about for years in barracks. No matter what woman he came across, he'd always felt like he was still chasing her. Sometimes he'd dreamed she wasn't a princess so he didn't have to sneak her away. He'd marry her then, and the adventures would never end.

He gunned the engine hard, jetting off at an inadvisable speed off palace grounds and into Rio proper. He took turns like the back of his hand, only stopping for the needs of traffic. Conversation was made impossible by the sound of the engine, but several minutes into the drive, he placed hand on top of hers around his stomach and held it there, his own smile a little secret she never had to know about.

After twelve minutes of driving, Sacha pulled onto a slightly bendy side road where commoners ate, and conversed, and listened to music. It wasn't a rich place, but the people there were lively and the area was well-maintained. he parked his bike near a wall by a local shop over which a side said "Ibiza" in big water-blue letters written in a stylized formal font. The street was lively enough that no one took note of them as they got off of the bikes. Sacha pulled his back off the bike and handed it to her.

"You should be able to find some kind of disguise in there, at least until we get inside." he said, looking at her standing in his oversized suit jacket.

"Hmm..." Giana sighed and began to pull off her jewelry, handing it off to Sacha so he could put it into his pockets since she of course had none. "Shouldn't you go get something for me?" She waved a hand at him. "If I take off this helmet well..."

He stored her jewelry as she handed it off, which went a long way to make her look more common and less like someone who was super rich. His eyes scanned the area for some additional help before falling on some items of clothing left on a nearby table, undoubtedly by some woman who’d walked away for a little bit. A large floppy hat, a large pair of sunglasses, and a soft-looking light fabric scarf. He reached over and grabbed them without hesitation, simply picking them up and bringing them over to Giana like a child who had no conception of ownership.

“Will this do?”

Giana sighed and just looked at the offerings he so proudly brought over to her. Whatever, anything that went on her body would triple in value, so whoever they belonged to would be grateful in the end, right? She pulled off the helmet and fluffed her hair out quickly then put on the glasses, hat, and wound the scarf fashionably around her neck with little effort. “Better?” She asked and looked to Sacha for his thoughts.

"Beautiful." he said, with a smile, and then turned to walk through the crowd into the restaurant. He knew that Giana wasn't a teenager anymore and she of all people was not used to impromptu outfits, common people, and side roads. He hoped she still had a little fun left in her, and so far, it seemed he was right. They walked right up to the counter where a lazy-looking diminutive Brazilian man leafed through a magazine which happened to have the Imperial family on the front. "Table for two please, in the back."

The man looked at the two of them, his lids hooded, and then turned to lead them through the relatively crowded restaurant to the back. A brick-walled room with a few tables, all of which were empty except for the one in the corner. He placed menus and then walked away without a word. Sacha pulled out a chair for Giana and smiled.

"Today, you dine like the other half, hmm?"

"It has been a while. Hopefully better than that last place we went. You remember, right? The one that tried to serve us shoe leather for steaks?" Giana sighed and rolled her eyes behind her glasses. As she sat there, she realized that for a first time in a while she was actually feeling some excitement, happiness even. She wasn't sure if it was from this decidedly rebellious maneuver as a whole or the fact she was with Sacha... or maybe it was a combination. It had just been... too long. She adjusted the scarf a bit and crossed her legs. "So do you really not know why you were transferred?"

“The one with that waitress who kept flirting with me? I was on my best behavior, but you were so mad at her.” He said, laughing at the memory. He reached across the table then and grabbed both of her hands then, holding them tight. “I don’t give a damn why I’m back, Gi. I’m just glad I am. I’ll enjoy it as long as I can until your father noticed and corrects the issue, right?”

Giana sighed and squeezed his hands. Really only Sacha could have ever been so bold with her, anyone else would have gotten an earful at the very least or been removed by the Imperial Guard at worst. "You're right. Though I wouldn't be shocked if my most darling little brother hasn't already trotted off to tell him given how we parted." She shrugged and shook her head a bit. "We don't need to think about that right now though. Let's just enjoy ourselves like you said." Though maybe... No, she couldn't. Could she?

Her father had said anyone she wanted...

A waitress approached the table a black tablet in her hand. She half long blonde hair and a tan that revealed bikini tan lines where her white blouse failed to meet her neck. She smiled at them, her eyes lingering for several seconds on Sacha before she cut to Giana wearing glasses, scarf, and hat inside. They were still holding hands.

“Welcome to Ibiza. I’m Inez, your waitress for today.” She said, blinking more than the average person. “Can I take your drink orders?”

"A caipirinha." Giana ordered, not looking to the woman a moment but then she remembered where she was and who she wasn't supposed to be at the moment. She looked up to the woman, gave a slight smile, and added, "Please." Giana wasn't known for being polite to staff. She wasn't outright rude (usually), they simply didn't really get acknowledged outside of being given order and direction.

“House beer.” Sacha said, looking to the woman and taking active paints not to observe her athletic body or the hint of cleavage peaking out of the top of her blouse. Now wasn’t the time for woman-watching.

“We have Antarctica and Brahma.” She said then, reaching down next to him and pointing at a menu.

“I haven’t had either since I was a teenager.” He said with a grin. Beer wasn’t popular at court, but it was among the average man and, most certainly, in the Imperial Marines. “What would you recommend?”

“Antarctica reminds people of Carnival, and that’s always fun.” The waitress said, giggling slightly.

“Alright, I’ll trust you. Bring me that.” He ordered, not having bothered to make it a request. His kindness was in his eyes. He had always been common, though he understood the life of the elites. He wondered how his common style would mix with Giana’s glitz and glamour. The waitress walked away and he was careful not to look at her behind as it moved with her walk. Once she was out of the room, he sighed without thinking about it. “When’s the last time you were anonymous, Gi?”

Giana rolled her eyes behind her glasses as the waitress blatantly flirted with Sacha despite the fact she was sitting there still holding his hand. Tasteless. She sighed and finally pulled back from him and pressed her back to the back of the chair. "That depends. Actually anonymous? A few years ago. Anonymous with the intention of being found out in the end? Usually once or twice a year. It excites the common folk and makes it seem like I have an interest in their daily lives enough to want to participate."

"Well then you could always take off your costume." he said with a raise of the brows. "But if you did, we'd have people sweating over you the whole time we're eating unless I growl at them."

"Me?" She asked with a bit of venom in her voice and scoffed. "The waitress wants to jump in your lap and have you take her right here in front of me."

"I'm not looking at her, am I?" he asked, grinning, not phased by her defensive response. He loved Giana's fire; he always wanted to see how close he could get without getting burned. He gave her an intense gaze. "I'm looking at you."

Giana leaned closer and lowered her glasses onto her nose so she could look into his eyes with nothing obfuscating her gaze. "You are looking at me because you are an intelligent man, not because you don't want to to look at her."

"That's true." he said, smiling and leaning back in his chair. "You've got me there, mon cher. I am a man, I like what I like."

He glanced behind her as the waitress approached again carrying a glass and a beer bottle in her hands. He avoided her eyes, attempting to signal a lack of interest. She seemed to look away as well, hopefully indicating she got the message. She sat the drinks down in front of them and then stood up straight.

"Are you ready to order or shall I come back later?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her, focusing all of her attention on Giana in an attempt not to ogle the handsome marine.

Giana had pushed her glasses back into place when the waitress approached. She looked up to Inez and was quiet for a little longer than she should have been; she wanted to take off her glasses, to show this little peasant who she was dealing with and who's man she was trying to pilfer, but it would ruin the fun. Instead she gave a thin smile. "What would you recommend?" At least Sacha had the decency to respect her when he was with her. Unlike some people.

“Our picanha is to die for.” The waitress said energetically. “I would definitely recommend that, as long as you like meat.”

“Ooo, I like meat. Give me that.” Sacha said loudly, sliding his menu toward the woman and leaning back in her chair. He wondered if there would be a show.

“Make it two, then.” Giana said and slid the menu to the edge of the table. Knowing how she was, Sacha could tell she was tense, fighting herself on doing something she knew wasn’t “right” in the moment but that she wanted to do anyways.

As the waitress turned away from the table, her hips swinging still, he turned to Giana and smiled.

"Want me to dump my beer down her shirt or trip her when she walks away?" he asked, a devious smile on his face. "You look like you are about to commit a murder, Gigi. I'm not going to lie, it's very sexy. Brings back good memories."

She let out a long sigh and sat back again, wrapping her arms around herself. “No, she’d like it if you got her shirt wet and so would you. Tripping her would cause too much of a scene. I’ll just have to suffer with it, I suppose.”

"I'll handle it, don't worry." he said cryptically, and then he made an attempt to change the subject. "You know, I've seen a series of men on your arm over the years. I would be lying if I said I wasn't watching. They were all handsome, rich, stupid little boys with no backbone."

He grinned then, taking a sip of his beer.

"And I am insanely jealous."

“Stupid. All stupid.” She agreed and almost growled. Aggressively she unwrapped her silverware and threw the napkin down into her lap. “The only one that wasn’t stupid was-“ She stopped and caught herself, not wanting to get to into it in case people were watching. “Well, the one who came to my rescue when the original escort to a party decided he wanted to go fuck the hostess and did so at my expense.”

"I'm glad he helped you. And you're in love now, yes?" he asked, calmly, in contrast to her fire. He took another sip. He was testing her, seeing how long she would stay angry. He knew she wouldn't respond well if he tried to calm her down. At least, that's how she was before.

“In lo- what? What are you taking about?” She all but growled at him, starting to get frustrated. Giana crossed her arms and legs, her scowl readily apparent even with the sunglasses on. “Just what are you playing at, Sacha?”

"Nothing at all, mon cher. I'm just waiting for you to stop being so angry so I can learn more about your life since I last saw you." he said, leaning forward then. "I am not here for a waitress with a low-cut blouse and a bad dye-job. I am here for Giana Maria Pia Pietra Orsini, her dazzling eyes hidden behind sunglasses, and some decent food made by real people."

The waitress came in with a tray, placing two steaming plates in front of each of them. Lowering the empty tray, she smiled at Sacha, not being able to resist.

"How are the drinks so far? Do the two of you need anything?"

"We need you to get the fuck out of here and not to come back." Sacha said, cooly, less feeling in his statement than anything else he said. He looked the waitress straight in the eye, not flinching from the conflict in the slightest. "I mean it. Go. Get someone else to wait this table. Now."

The waitress gasped slightly, her eyes wide with surprise and confusion, and then she looked rather sad. She turned and left without another word, the sound of her sullen footsteps clapping on the hard floor as she made her exit. Sacha looked up at Giana again and smiled. It wasn't an appraising smile. He did what he did and he wasn't looking for her approval.

"I don't think she wants to ride le porteau Sacha anymore, Gigi. Can we get back to you, me, and this delicious meat?"

Giana stifled a laugh behind her hand as the waitress limped off to lick her wounds. She looked back to Sacha with an approving smile, unaware he wasn't seeking it from her since who wouldn't seek the approval of a princess? "Alright, alright." She relented and lifted her hands. The plating of the food screamed pedestrian, but that is what they were here for. Giana pulled her plate a bit closer and adjusted how she was sitting so she could cut into it. "So tell me about where you have been over the years."

“What’s there to tell? A rough boy running from his Emperor entered the Imperial Marine Academy. He got some muscles, got some discipline, and gave up on some dreams.” He said, picking up his fork and knife and started cutting into his meat. “Promotions, accolades, transfers, smashing some Klingon and Cardi sculls blah blah blah.”

“Sacha.” Giana called to him with a shocking gentleness in her voice and she placed her hand on his wrist. “Come on. I want to know. You’ve lived a whole life without me. Tell me about it.” She could not have possibly cared less for say Giuseppe and his war stories, but she seemed genuinely interested in what Sacha had to say.

He looked at her hand resting on his wrist and rethought his original response. He didn’t want to bore her and, on top of that, he wasn’t particularly excited to recount any of it, especially the difficult stuff. He sighed, softening slightly.

“I wasn’t allowed anywhere near you or the court while I was at Academy and they made sure I was off world thereafter. I served aboard the ISS Frazier as Detachment XO and then CO after that. I can tell you how I got my promotion later…it’s not proper lunch conversation.” He said, smiling finally, his tension breaking for a moment.

“Four years ago, I was promoted to Captain and Assigned as Assistant CO of the Military Police Company on Titon. It was fun there, and I was almost starting to get used to not being home. But a few days ago I got a transfer here and a promotion to Major. Assignment pending.”

Once he had started talking, Giana had moved her hand so they were both free to cut into their meal and start to eat. She listened to him with interest as he gave her a brief synopsis of what had happened since they were apart. She didn't pry for details at the very least since even she was aware that those in the active military tended to not enjoy talking about such things. "Sounds like its been a wild ride."

“It certainly had its moments.” He said with a grin and a nod. “I had some of the adventure I dreamed of…but it wasn’t what I thought. I guess I always expected to have them with you.”

“Well, we are still young. Not too late to have adventures you know.” She said suggestively and then looked at a bite of her steak. “This is actually surprisingly quite good.”

“The common people don’t worry about presentation and richness as much and focus on flavor.” He said, taking a bite himself and chewing, nodding in approval of the flavor. He looked at her and watched her eat, seeming to enjoy the sight genuinely while not staring too much. “How about you? What has life been for you?”

"The same. Mildly worse, maybe. My family can't stand me, the people love me, I'm being pushed to get married so I can be out of my father's sight for good. You know how it is." She shrugged and smiled, knowing he didn't really. "I may be venturing out into business soon, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I'll always be the socialite face of the family and I don't know if that will be allowed to change."

As curious as the other parts of her statement made him, his mind was unquestionably drawn to the question of marriage. He paused in his eating and looked up, seeming for a second very engaged before he caught himself and started to play it cool.

“So, who is the lucky man?” He asked, looking into her glasses with a slight frown. “Some Lord somewhere, I imagine? Edward Fredricson?”

"I haven't decided yet." She replied, taking note of how interested he was briefly before he had backed off. She took another bite of her food, letting the silence sit there between them for a long moment. "There are a few candidates. My mother would like Edward, my father approves of Lord Sibiya. Meanwhile I.." Giana drifted off and just gave a cryptic smile which she hid behind her drink.

“You?” He asked, looking at her. The question was on his face but he said nothing else. Instead, he thought of the connection between her comment about the “one smart escort” who saved her from an embarrassing experience at a party and remembered a photograph from not very long ago that connected Sibiya to that. “Noah is handsome and charming and he has a whole damn country.” He said, sounding reasonable. “but fuck him, also. He’s not a good pick.”

"No? Why not?" Giana asked with amusement tinting her voice. She liked it when he got a little jealous - as long as it was aimed at the other men and not at her. Though truth be told she was also interested in hearing his thoughts on Lord Sibiya.

“Well, first of all, he’s not going to be so handsome once I kick his face in.” He said soberly, taking another bite and chewing. After a split second, he gave her an expression that indicated it was a joke. Maybe. “Second, if he’s anything like he used to be, he’ll be kissing your fathers ass for your whole marriage while pretending he is neutral. There is a third thing, but that’s a secret.”

"Oh we are keeping secrets now, are we?" Giana's brow lifted and she took another sip of her drink, looking down at him through her glasses to see if he would opt to fill her in or not. CJ had said something similar though, and she was wondering if he really had no idea that the strings were being pulled to set them up.

“Well, if I told you, you’d want to marry me instead.” He said with a devilish wink.

"Is that so? Well since you're keeping it from me then I suppose that means you don't want to be considered." She said nonchalantly and focused her full attention on the plate of food in front of her, not an ounce on Sacha anymore.

“Doesn’t really matter, does it? If you even brought it up to your father, you’d be going to my funeral instead.” He said, looking at her still. He wasn’t sure where her mood was, but he knew she was quite wrong about him not wanting her. But Sacha Lavigne and a princess? “Oh, fuck it. What is life for if not to go for what we want. The big problem with Sibiya is that he isn’t me.”

Giana laughed softly at that again and lifted her head to look at him again. "No, no he isn't you." She sat back and flipped a bit of her hair back over her shoulder. For a long moment, she was quiet, considering something. Should she tell him? Truthfully she wanted to see his reaction. "My father has told me that I can pick anyone I want. You probably didn't even enter his mind when he said that, but he did offer that to me. He generally doesn't go back on his word; bad publicity."

He raised his eyebrows at that and stopped cutting, placing his fork and knife on his plate of unfinished food and looking at her seriously, his face suddenly a mask of uncertainty. He finished the food in his mouth and then he sat that way for several pregnant moments, studying her features. Not being able to see her eyes made this conversation nerve wracking for him.

“Then, the questions is: who do you want, Giana Orsini?” He asked.

"That is a very good question." Giana said, smiling slightly. "I have no doubts men will fall from the sky, though there are only three who have any potential interest to me. Would you like to hear those names?"

"Yeah, I would." he said, all ears. The joking was put on hold, and she had his full unfettered attention.

"Edward Fredricson, Noah Sibiya, and...." She stopped and pretended having to rack her brain for the last name. "Oh, right, Sacha Lavigne. Though you never know, one of those Blackwater boys could drop into the mix." She grinned deviously, knowing full well they would do no such thing.

If the roles were reversed and Sacha had just listed for her all the women he was considering being with, and she was just one among them, he well knew the petulant response he would get. She'd gotten upset because a waitress had made eye contact with him and now she was listing her options for him. It was insulting and he was securely insulted. If he hadn't stolen her from her home and brought her here on his bike, he would have paid the check and left her to the other men, but he had and he would never do something like leave her out in the world by herself. He cared for her far to much to even consider it for more than a quick rebellious second.

He picked up his knife and fork and started to furiously cut into his meat, making rattling sounds on the plate and taking bites which were far larger than proper etiquette would recommend like he was trying to finish quicker. Those romantic feelings he'd dared feel for her were turning to bile in his stomach and he needed something else in there to challenge them. He'd spent so much time liking her above the rest, but it seemed like she had a stack of options she was still perusing. He wasn't one of her lap boys. He was prouder than that.

"Sacha." Giana called to him after a moment of him eviscerating the steak on his plate. She reached out, placing her hand on his wrist. "I'm sorry. It was meant to be a joke but I can see it upset you. You have to understand I didn't even know you were an option I could even consider until... well, until today."

"I understand you and me, mon cher." he said, pausing for a moment as he looked at her, his eyes having some of the steele they tended to have when looking at others who weren't here. "Or you and someone else."

He continued cutting and taking bites, looking down at the plate again.

"I'm not a child and I don't expect you to change your life on a dime. You aren't me after all." he said, his words extremely reasonable, but his tone and body language hard and icy. He had become a contradiction.

Giana withdrew her hand and sighed. She just wanted to have fun, but obviously Sacha was more sensitive about this than she had anticipated. Had he really been pining after her all this time? She picked up her drink to finish it and then moved to stand up. "I'll go. I'm not here to fight or argue about things that happened to you that were out of my hands."

He paused in his cutting, looking up at her with the mildest hint of irritation. Nothing he said or did had any relation to what had happened to him and he hadn't blamed her in the slightest, so the fact she was removing herself from responsibility for it now was strange to him.

"We're not fighting or arguing about anything. We're old friends having a delicious meal. Sit down." he said, his face finally resolving to match what he was saying. His lightheartedness returned as did his charm along with a slight smile. "Besides, Gigi, if you think I'm going to let you walk back to the palace by yourself, you're crazy. I'll follow behind you the whole way and sneak you back out again."

He stood up with her, not waiting for her to sit down as he'd asked. He had allowed a moment of pain to ruin his time with her and he couldn't allow that.

"I didn't show up at that terrible luncheon to marry you. I can to spend time with you. Marry who you want; I don't give a fuck." he said, shrugging, his words seeming genuine. He convinced himself of his own truth as he spoke it. "Now let me feed you steak, will you?"

Giana was confused and mildly irritated herself now. If he hadn't wanted to jab at her, why had he brought up how his life had changed on a dime because of her - because of them? She heard the change in his voice and it did nothing to help her confusion in the slightest. When he said that he didn't care who she married she felt... unexpectedly sad. Why? She frowned and sighed, moving to sit down but more to process what she was feeling than anything else. She said nothing.

He sat down too, looking at her without words. Several moments passed with neither of them speaking. He was waiting and she was thinking. When he felt that things had become more awkward than anything else, he decided to speak. He did so with ease, no sign of the frustration from earlier.

"Take off those glasses, Giana. I want to see your face. If someone comes back here, I'll bark them away." he said, leaning forward and placing his hand halfway across the table, having scooted his plate aside.

Another long sigh escaped her lips and she leaned her head back against the wall, crushing the brim of the hat she was wearing but she didn't care. She didn't take off the glasses. "You know, all I really want in life is a life that is mine. I don't get to have that though, not really. Being a noble woman sucks. I do not recommend it."

"I know what you mean." he said, no malice in his tone. "I didn't want to be a Marine. At least I got mine by being an asshole. You were born into yours."

He grabbed her hand then, looking at her, though unfortunately through the sunglasses.

"Very very few people get to make of their lives what they will. The poor do not. Most commoners, even, end up a product of their family and environment. Business, success, drugs, violence. We are no different. We get to work with what we have and nothing more. Your cage is made of gold, mine of silver. Someone else has one made of steel. That's how life is." he continued, and then licked his lips. "So decorate your cage with flowers and jewelry, Gigi. Expand it as far as you can. Make it about something bigger than yourself and your problems."

Sacha wondered how much the Emperor himself was truly free. He heard that being that powerful was terrible, but he could never see how it would be. Boring meetings galore, of course, but so much opportunity to do what one wished. At the same time, so many knives pointed at your back.

"You can do it." he concluded, smiling. "I believe in you."

"It is very hard to do when the one that owns your cage thinks you are useless." She said and gave a sad smile, then shook her head and sighed while squeezing his hand slightly. "Sorry. I know what anyone would think. Shut the fuck up, Giana. I know. I get it. No sympathy for the rich."

"That's not what I said." he said, holding her hand firm. He wished he could hold her. In many ways, her outlook was the same as when she was a teenager. "Those are your words, not mine. I said I believe in you."

“I think you are probably the only one in the Empire that does.” She laughed softly though it was clearly bitter on her lips. “Anyway, you were going to feed me steak weren’t you?”

"I'm going to feed you so much steak." he said, grinning now with an added chuckle. "And I haven't forgotten about that much-needed military inspection."

“Military inspection, hm? Of what, exactly?” She asked and shifted to lean in a little closer to him over the table.

"I know I made you change dresses, but the jury is still out on how well you have filled out." he responded, giving her an appraising glance, a bit more like the meat on his plate than he had dared so far today.

“Wait, wait. Hold on now. Isn’t it supposed to be royalty inspecting the military when it is brought out on parade?” She retorted with a smirk.

"That's true, your highness." he said with a chuckle. "I brought my extended phaser rifle for that very purpose. I can equip it and do a march for you."

“Well how could I refuse the offer of such an impressive display?” Giana just laughed softly again and it occurred to her she hadn’t laughed this much in quite a while. It felt good. Sacha sitting across from her in this hole in the wall felt good. Strange, but good.

"Do you remember that time your governess walked in on us in your room?" he asked, suddenly having the memory sparked. He could see it in his mind again, the imagine causing him to stir underneath the table. "The way she screamed, someone wouldn't be blamed for thinking she was witnessing a murder."

“Oh gods.” Giana put her hand over her eyes. “The woman never knocked. She learned to knock that day. She never did tell a soul; well, at least not anyone who did anything about that particular incident.” Giana smirked and lowered her hand again.

"Well, it was her job to keep me away from you. She wasn't going to tell your parents she'd caught you riding me like I was prize horse." he said, shaking his head. She had been his first, though he'd never told her so. "If she told, your father would have had her head and both of mine mounted on a wall!"

“This is true. This is very true.” Giana said and tapped her lip pensively, her mind drifting back to the moments before the governess had interrupted them. She felt her body grow warmer and she looked over toward Sacha. “Are we done with the steak?”

"Full as full could be." he said, pushing the rest of his plate away. As promised, the waitress, Inez, had not made a return. He reached into his dress pants pocket and pulled out his wallet. Removing his card, he swiped it on a receiver at the table, paying the Imperial Crowns the restaurant charged for the plate.

“Good.” She stood then, finishing off what was left in her drink then straightened her hat out again. Giana looked down to him, quirking a brow to hurry him along.

He stood also and placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the restaurant with not a look at the still quite upset waitress who sat by the door. The two of them walked off to the motorcycle and he removed his suit jacket, placing it over her shoulders again.

"Your Highness, you seem to be in quite the hurry." he said in her ear then, his hands finding her hips outside the jacket. "You must have a jam-packed schedule ahead of you."

“Oh yes, very full.” Giana pushed herself back against him slightly as he stood behind her with his hands on her hips. Out of all those who she entertained, Sacha was certainly the most bold with his physical affections to her. “I wouldn’t want to miss a moment.”

The bulge in his pants was immediate and undoubtedly very noticeable to her. He resisted the urge to grind against her and, instead, swung his leg over the seat of the motorcycle. He started it up while he adjusted his erection with no real success.

"You should get on the bike before I pass out." he said with a laugh.

“Would you rather me drive?” She asked with a smirk as she pulled the helmet on. It had been a long while since she had, but he had taught her years ago and it was surely just like… riding a bike.

"You remember how?" he asked, looking at her over his shoulder. Without waiting for an answer, he stood and made way for her, his pants problem only getting worse, if such a thing were possible. He beamed brightly, focused on her face. He wasn't remotely embarrassed and, if anything, seemed a bit proud. "You're a regular adrenaline junkie, Princess."

“Well, if we die horribly, then no, I don’t.” Giana laughed and moved to slide in front of him. It was a purposeful move on her part, since now he had little choice but to press himself right up against her body. She took a brief look at everything in front of her then started up the bike, looking back to Sacha. “Ready?”

"Well, if I die, at least I'll die happy." he said, putting his arms around her waist and pressing himself up against her smaller frame. "Let's do it!"

Giana just shook her head and kicked the bike into gear, easing it forward and out onto the streets, heading for her private apartments here instead of the palace proper. She wasn’t about to tempt fate quite that much.

TBC