Hot and Cold I

Posted on Fri Nov 4th, 2022 @ 6:27am by Princess Royal Giana Orsini & Major Sacha Lavigne
Edited on on Thu Jul 13th, 2023 @ 7:13pm

Mission: Historiae Terrae Et Imperii
Location: Rio de Jinero Palace
Timeline: Date 2371-07-08 at 1830
3815 words - 7.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

The Guards at the entrance to the palace weren't exactly thrilled allowing Sacha to walk through without a check, but the orders they had been given were clear and left little room for them to make things difficult for him. A week of work and only a few brief messages with Gianna had left him eager to see what was going on in her world. Besides his love for her, he was getting increasingly worried about what the current political situation might mean for her safety and wellbeing. He walked up to the door to her apartment and wrapped on the door quickly with his knuckles.. As he waited for her to come and let him in, he studied a servant carrying supplies on a tray down the hallway.

The door was opened by one of Giana's maids inside and the woman seemed surprised to see Sacha, but gave a polite nod and stepped back to allow him inside.

"Is that Sacha?" Giana called from down the hallway.

"Ah, yes, my lady!" The woman replied then looked to Sacha. "She will be out in just a moment. Can I get you anything, sir?"

"No, I'm fine." he said, his tone dismissive, his eyes not even scanning over the woman as he moved past her and into the apartment proper. Lavish, of course, but intimate and cozy, it lacked the grandness of the more public areas and was meant to be comfortable and personal. She had many like it, of course.

A few minutes later, Giana came out from her room, brushing stray strands of hair back behind her ears. Her hair had been put up in a messy bun which true to form she managed to pull off effortlessly and actually make it look like a fashion choice. She wore an off the shoulder soft pink shirt that exposed the black straps of her bra and a pair of loose, billowy black silk pants obviously meant for house wear rather than going out. When she saw Sacha, she gave a smile.

"You came." She said, almost as if she were surprised.

"I manage to make time for you...every now and then, hmm?" he responded playfully, his teeth hovering around his lip as he looked at her. "It has been a long time, no?"

"It has." Giana gave an apologetic smile and closed the distance between them though didn't touch him. It then occurred to her they hadn't seen each other in a while because of her. "I'm sorry." She added in.

An apology? Sacha looked at her as if she'd just told him she'd killed someone. It took a few seconds for him to recover from the surprise of it all. Pursing his lips, he turned his head to the side, offering an awkwardly amused chuckle.

"That's okay, I understand." he said, reaching up and grabbing her hand. "It's a hard time. You are busy."

"Yeah, things have been... well, you know." She chuckled in a disconnected way and turned from him. Her hand slid out of his as she walked over to the couch and sat down. "How have you been? Are things alright? No threats? You're still here so... I assume not."

"Still here? I'm not leaving over threats, I can tell you that." he said with a self-willed tone, as if the idea made him incredulous. "No one has said a word to me about anything related to this family feud. Other than that, I've been fine. Work has been boring as fuck. How is Bella Gia?"

Giana patted the couch to signal him to come over and sit with her. "Its... I don't really know. I think it's alright. We are trying to ramp up for our runway debuts but certain people are being difficult. I'm having some trouble dealing with them on their level which isn't good for business."

Sacha complied with her wish for him to join her, but slowly. When he was beside her, he listened to what she was saying and decisively placed his arm around her shoulder. He wasn’t taking no for an answer on the physical contact.

“Why don’t you just put them in their place? You are the princess, after all. It is your company.” He asked, his eyes focused on hers, his rebellious advice pointed and unvarnished. “Fuck those peons.”

Giana sighed and shifted to lean into Sacha as he put his arm around her. She found herself glad he wasn’t upset with her, she had been concerned he might have been and then she didn’t really know what she would do. She had quietly admitted to herself she wasn’t sure if she could handle someone else hating her even if it would have been temporary. Her hand found his knee and she sighed again. “See, I did that, and apparently it scared all the peons into not wanting to work for me because they simply can’t mentally handle the viciousness of things that would be said in court. Personally I thought telling a man it’s no wonder his wife is leaving him and taking his kids was pretty tame… but I guess not.”

“You said that?” He asked, smiling widely, showing white teeth and big eyes. “In a meeting with commoners? That’s hilarious, Gigi. Good for you.”

He chuckled then, a few times, before he naturally regained his composure. He wasn’t laughing at her, but found the comment to be genuinely funny on its own.

“To be honest with you, even after being a marine for years…courtiers are fucking mean. They aren’t programmed for that, and they don’t want to know it exists either. But aren’t they there to make money anyway? Why do they care whether you’re nice to them?”

"Because of what you just said. They don't want to have the reality that I'm anything but pretty princess Gigi." Giana shrugged and frowned. She didn't seem herself at all, really. "Though really who does."

"I do." He said, his arm still around her. His voice was warm and genuine, but not overly engaged. He knew how quickly she could turn, and if she showed her his heat, he was certain she would hurt him. Yet still, he loved her. Perhaps he was stupid, but he did. "I never saw you as a pretty princess. And I never treated you like one either."

"Well, you are different." She smiled just a bit, putting her hand on his knee in a gesture of affection that was so rarely shown. Sure she would hop into bed with him, but little gestures were never really her thing. The wrong one displayed in public could of course be disastrous. "Always have been." It's why her father didn't like him. That and he had that archaic mindset that Sacha had "defiled" her.

"Then you have to let them see you as I do." he said, leaning in and kissing her cheek gently before moving back again. He placed his hand on hers atop his knee. "Show them your tits."

Giana laughed. She always had at his bawdy humor - at least when it was just the two of them somewhere. Anywhere else and she would have been quite upset. "Well, actually..." She began and looked at him. "There was an idea floated to me that you and I should maybe make a public appearance at the inaugural fashion show for Bella Gia. How would you like that?"

It was a mixed bag. Appearing with her? Yes. Appearing on a magazine cover? Yes. Appearing with the daughter of the Emperor? No. The question couldn't be simply answered. He found he smiled at the same time he sighed.

"Our relationship is secret so...that came from within the family, right?" he asked with confusion on his face rather than fear. "Otherwise your father would lose his mind."

"Well, I'd have to talk to my father about it." Giana shrugged, seemingly oblivious she had just tipped her hand a bit that someone else outside the family knew about them. "I don't particularly want to get you killed, but maybe you wouldn't like the appearance at all. I know what I do isn't really your thing." It was a rare moment of consideration to be sure.

"No it isn't. But you are my thing." he said, leaning over and kissing her cheek again, this time sweetly and without a joke in mind. "I want to be seen with you. If this is how we do it, then let's do it."

"Well, best not to get too ahead of ourselves anyways on that front." She shrugged. "Work has been boring you? I'm surprised with everything that has been going on."

"I have a cozy desk job in Rio's military office. How exciting could it be?" he asked, his tone sounding annoyed at the idea he would even be having a bit of fun. He also hadn't been entertaining himself outside of hours because fun, in his mind, meant getting drunk and that almost always meant going to bed with someone. He was trying to be good, but he found good incredibly boring. "I've killed zero fucking Klingons."

"Well sorry for taking an interest in your life then, I guess." Giana scoffed and immediately pulled away from him, standing up and moving to one of the windows to look outside.

He looked at the back of her head and said nothing as she walked over to the window. This was how she was and he knew that as well as anyone. The difference was that he accepted her this way and didn't really try to change her, nor did he want to. He smiled thinly and spread his arms out over the couch. He looked at her backside, admiring her figure for a bit and then looking past her into the distance.

"You know, none of this makes any damn sense." he stated. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be here but...why? How did I, of all the people in the Empire, get stationed right next to you?"

“Are you glad to be here? Doesn’t really sound like it.” Giana pouted sourly, crossing her arms under her breasts and just looking defiantly out of the window. Why was everyone being so difficult?

His smile grew as he watched her. She was doing what she always did. He understood how much pressure she was under, and he knew what she might be thinking. After a few seconds of silence, he stood up and walked up behind her, warping his strong arms around her without waiting to see if she wanted it or not. Outside the window, footmen showed courtiers in and out of the palace in the courtyard. The window was one way and he knew no one could see into the private apartments from the outside, even as the sun was setting and more light was produced outside than in.

"Remember that time I snuck up here after some foofy dinner party and you didn't discover I was here until after dark when you got out of the shower?" he asked, his mind completely in the memory. "You were so worried we were going to get caught and your dad was going to have me flayed. I convinced you to come out on the balcony after the staff had gone inside and I slipped my hand under your dress."

He kissed her cheek again, warmly. Then, after a pause, her neck.

"You have to pick sides, don't you?"

Giana had relaxed a bit under his touch and reliving the memory with him, she really had been afraid for his safety then, and she still was now. Her father was a dishonest and cruel man, he couldn’t be trusted. She had been about to respond, was distracted by the kiss on the neck, and the next words soured her mood once more. She pulled back and huffed a sigh.

“This whole thing is stupid and I wish they we-“ She stopped, caught herself, and just shook her head.

As she started to pull away, Sacha tightened his arms and pulled her back into the embrace. He didn't attempt to kiss her this time. Still the hug was tender, though much more insistent than before.

"We don't have to talk about it." he said, shaking his head. "Why don't we get the strongest Romulan Ale we can find up here, get fucking plastered, and then we can talk about it when we're too drunk to talk?"

For just a moment it seemed like Giana might fight him, but she settled and gave another dramatic sigh. "Alright... Alright, we can do that, yeah. Do you actually want Romulan Ale though? I thought you didn't like it."

"I find that, if I drink enough, I don't care as much." he said, letting her go and walking straight over to the door. He opened it and looked at a servant walking down the hall. After communicating their order, he closed the door again and returned to her. Without further communication, he reached for the latch and opened the window that led to the balcony. Stepping out, he stood with hands on the rail, his eyes fixed on the moving servants and courtiers below.

Giana just stood there and blinked as Sacha took charge, but she accepted it and straightened up a few flowers in one of the vases near her. They'd need to be replaced soon. Sacha swept past her to the balcony, and she followed and looked out to them. "Care to join them?" She asked cryptically and moved to the railing next to him.

“I want to see if I can piss that far.” He said, pointing to a woman standing several feet away under the balcony. He reached for the zipper of his pants and looked at Gianna, clearly only half joking. He would do it if dared, she knew. “If I can ruin her makeup, you owe me 5,000 Crowns. Deal?”

Back in the room, the sound of the doors indicated the Romulan Ale had arrived. The servant placed a tray with two glasses and the glass container of light blue liquid on the table and then receded from the room.

“You can be so disgusting sometimes.” Giana gave an exasperated sigh and turned to deal with the drinks that had just been brought to them. She had done so quickly enough that it wasn’t readily apparent if there was amusement to go along with that exasperation. Politely, she poured drinks for both of them, and even brought Sacha’s to him as he remained by the rail. Giana herself found Romulan ale to be quite interesting; it was strong, slightly sweet, but the hangover from having too much was absolutely awful.

“You’re sure you want this?” She asked as she extended Sacha’s glass to him.

He took the drink from her quickly and took a deep series of gulps, quickly draining half of it before he came up for air.

"No, I'm not sure." he said, grinning, and then leaned over to look into her eyes. He lived there for a bit, admiring her beauty but saying nothing of it. "If you wanted a prince, you could have had one. You chose me. I'm a grade A asshole with a macho streak and I remind you that rules can be bent."

He took another sip, but less this time. He winced as he swallowed it and then looked down at the woman beneath them again. It wasn't obvious if he was joking or not about his deal, and he wasn't interested in indicating his intent either way. He was being a distraction for her, nothing more.

"Deal or not, Gigi. Put your money where your damn mouth is. Just you, me, a bottle of the green-bloods' finest, twenty feet of nothing but air, my cock, and a load of possibilities."

"Yes, because that's just what I need right now is the both of us being dragged before my father and him deciding to cut off that cock of yours." Giana scoffed and put her drink down untouched. Why was he like this all the time. She had chosen him, but now she was wondering if it was the right choice. "Just... I don't know. How's your family doing?"

"My mother suspects I'm dating you, so she's overjoyed at the prospect of a royal marriage...and more scared she's going to see her son's head on a spike any day now." he said grinning. "My sister is kissing ass in Paris, waiting for our mother to die. Same as always."

He took another sip and looked at her drink.

"You've put your drink down," he observed. "I think you're missing the point of our plan."

"Well I know your mother isn't an idiot so I guess I don't have to tell you to tell her to keep it to herself." She looked down at the ale, made a face, but did pick it up again and gave it a small sip. "How's your.... boss?"

He narrowed his eyes at her a bit. Not irritated, but suspicious. She'd never taken this much interest in his life, or at least the parts that had little to do with her. What had gotten into her? He knew he couldn't find out by asking, so he didn't even try.

"My boss? He's a grumpy old man in a dead-end posting waiting for retirement. He lets me do what I want as long as I get the reports filed." He tipped the drink back, finishing the vile liquid and starting to feel its effects. "He has a younger wife who likes to come onto the base for some reason. All the boys make passes at her when the Colonel isn't in ear shot, and I've been known to keep him distracted so they have a chance. So, just stupid nonsense, really."

Giana made a face at the mention of the younger wife that liked to come around and she looked at Sacha suspiciously. Keeping them distracted? She had her doubts. She then noticed his narrowed eyes with her own. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She demanded.

He returned a smirk for her question but gave no answer. He hadn't been dismissive in the slightest, but simply made no move to give her a response. He stepped away slowly into the room and returned seconds later with a refilled glass.

"I like looking at you." he said, taking a sip and looking out over the balcony again.

"That wasn't why you were looking at me like that. I know the 'I like looking at you' look, and that wasn't it." Giana insisted, now scowling at Sacha. "So what was the look?"

She was being so incredibly difficult and, if he was honest, absolutely no fun at all. Impossible to talk to; cold when given answers, hot when answers were refused. Touchy as touchy could be. Part of him regretted coming. Increasingly, Giana Orsini was better in his memory. He tried to keep this disappointment out of his eyes, but he didn't entirely succeed.

"You've just never asked me about my family before." he answered, relenting, and feeling suddenly irritated and bored. He took another long sip and felt another spike of irritation that she wasn't drinking too. They weren't kids anymore, that was for certain.

"Well, isn't that what people in relationships are supposed to do?" She asked, frowning and snatching up her glass again. This time, she moved to the railing of the balcony and drank. Why was it when she tried to do anything nice or "right" it always ended up like this? She turned to Sacha, anger flashing dangerously, and then all of a sudden evaporating. She slumped a bit. "Try and take an interest in each other?" Her voice was quieter now, lacking that venom.

He looked at her then, seeing her expression and wondering if she really was trying with him. For years, he had felt like her toy, her escape. Now he was being brought into her real life, in the day, and it was stressful for both of them. They were each afraid of being despised by the other.

"It is." Sacha answered, pretending like he really knew. He had never really been in a relationship before. Shifting his drink to his left hand, his right found her hand and squeezed it. "Do you have any other questions about my family or my job that you would like to...take interest in?"

"I don't know." Giana replied and sniffed slightly, taking another sip of her drink, and then a longer, proper drink of it. "There's something down in the garages for you."

“What?” He asked, caught off guard by the comment. He looked at her, waiting for a clarification. “For me?”

"Yeah. I got you a present." She finished her drink and her face scrunched at the burn. Shaking her head, she looked at him again. He'd probably end up hating it, but she did it anyway.

“You did?” He asked, managing to mask his surprised tone again. From his memory, the last time she’d given him a gift, it involved him on his knees between her legs for a half hour. He had enjoyed that present thoroughly. “Well, let’s go see it then!”

He turned quickly and moved back into the room. Grabbing the Romulan Ale, he ran back out and refilled both of their glasses. He then looked at her, smiling.

“I bet I Can empty my glass faster than you.” He said with a playful grin, hoping she was capable of such an interaction still.

Giana just looked at him for a moment, the fire still out, then it suddenly appeared in a spark and she tipped the glass back against her lips and just poured it down her throat. Swallowing the last bit, she stomped her foot on the ground a few times at the burn and let out a squeak before looking at Sacha and grinned.

"Loser. I win." With that she headed for the door, empty glass in hand.

“You have a very skillful throat, mon Cher.” He said, having finished his drink too. When he followed her, he was only slightly uneven.

As they walked out of the room, the two guards that had been by the door fell in step behind them. They went about ten feet and then Giana halted abruptly, turning and looking at them. "Back. Just, shoo. Back there." She waved her hand at them. "He's not going to kill me and you know what if he did no one would give two shits at this point and they'd all be happy. You'd probably both get promotions. Back off."


TBC