"It's good to be bad." --Tasian brothel proprietor, c. 1090 AE
April 22, 1110 AE
Shiromori Castle, Ayumora, Shiromori
"Thank you for meeting me here," Maru greeted Aurius with a smile as he placed his hands on her waist and spun her away from the archway. She had adapted a rather devil-may-care attitude in regards to their meetings, so he found that he had to take it upon himself to make sure that they were, at the very least, somewhat concealed. Still, he had to admit, there was a certain thrill that came with the risk of getting caught--granted, he was not keen to know the consequences.Aurius laughed. "It's not as if it's any inconvenience."
"Good. I need to tell you something."
The neutrality of her voice caught him off-guard. From his experience, that sentence was usually said with some sort of strong emotion, whether it be excitement or anxiety or urgency, but Maru might as well have stated that the sky was blue. "All right. Good news, or bad news?"She shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. It's a bit of a... complication, perhaps. I think we can figure something out, though."
"A complication?" he repeated; since when was Maru one to worry about complications? "What sort of complication?"
"The sort that complicates things, stupid."
Chuckling, he ran his fingers down the side of her face, then caught a quick kiss; she'd eaten honey recently. "I'd figured that much. What does it complicate?"She glanced up at him with a playful smirk. "Well, you'll have to figure it out, considering it's half your fault."
"Only half? That's a first."
Nodding, Maru reached for a lock of his hair and twirled it around her finger. "I wouldn't get used to it if I were you. Anyway, you see--"
"Aurius? Aurius, are you there?"
It was Kohashi's steward. He sounded like he was some ways away, but Aurius hadn't been born yesterday; if he didn't answer soon, then Kojihasha would find him.
And Maru. Together.
He gave her one last parting smile, then released her. "I'm sorry... can it wait for tonight?""It's going to have to," she agreed. "They must need you. Come to my room when everyone's asleep, all right?"
"I will," he promised as he hurried out of the room. "I love you."
"That's nice. Now, just shut up and don't keep them waiting, all right?"
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