Divine Guidance

[BlackAkuma]

‘The poison story’.

Divine’s brow furrowed as Aroha gave her own unique interpretation of the ending to Romeo and Juliet. It took her a moment to process what she was saying, but when she did, she broke out in a full laugh, one that took a few moments to melt into giggles. ”Well, she was unconscious at the time, because she took a poison that made it look like she was dead, but he didn’t know that because there was a plague, and then he took a poison that actually killed him, and she woke up, and it’s a whole thing.” She waved it off. ”I’ll take you to see it, sometime. Or watch the movie. Movies, it’s been adapted about a hundred times.”

She filed that though away for later as she used Aroha’s leg as a headrest, very much enjoying the warmth and softness it provided. The hands running through her hair were a welcome addition, scratching at her scalp in all the right places.

It made for a pleasant backdrop as Aroha explained her own philosophy, making an interesting comparison that would never have occurred to Divine. She understood the general concept of migratory birds - she had watched some Discovery Channel show on the subject - but the way the islander described it was so mystical. Two birds, flying through the skies, seemingly aimless. But they knew where to go, where to be. They probably couldn't explain how they knew, even if birds knew how to explain anything. Instincts. Fate.

”Mm. I like the sound of that, Aroha. I don’t know if it’s true, but I hope it is.” She lazily looked up at Aroha, catching her gleaming eyes in the pale lights of the room. ”I’d like to think this is the beach I’m supposed to be on. I hope it is. I rather like it.”

For a moment - a few moments - Divine stared up at Aroha, growing quiet as she contemplated her next step. Two young, beautiful women, alone in an apartment, surrounded by the foliage. It painted a vivid picture, and it did not take much imagination to see where this could go. If she pushed it in the right direction. If she said the right words. The scene was romantic enough. She could lean in, steal a single kiss, then go from there…

No.

A tiny voice warned her, and she listened to it for once. If this could, or should develop into something, this wasn’t the time to make that call. She wasn’t sure when the right time would be, but she felt she would know it when saw it. If she saw it.

Divine gave Aroha’s leg a final rub with her cheek, savoring the sensation, and then began to push up to her feet. ”You’re a lovely host, Aroha. But I think it’s time for me to go for the night.”

[HotWheels]

Oh. Oh. As Divine laughed, Aroha had almost started to laugh with her because she found laughter contagious, but recognition slowly swept across her face when she explained.

"Oh! She was pretending to be dead!?"

Aroha didn't fully follow what made that situation so funny, but she supposed it seemed funnier than being actually dead, come to think of it. "That makes more sense! Still very confusing, though." She tried to follow the explanation - plague, poison, waking up - but it all sounded like a series of unfortunate miscommunications that could have been avoided with a simple conversation, and having understood it in the wrong way in the first place, Arohad had no chance of catching up to the explanation. But the idea of seeing it again- "Yes, please! I would like to. The movie one, I think. I am not sure I would understand all the words if people are acting it out on a stage."

The idea of Divine taking her to see something offered as much of a flutter in her chest as the other plans they had made. She would need to write all these down later.

When Divine looked up at her, Aroha met her gaze without flinching or looking away. She'd never been good at reading the complicated things people didn't say out loud, but she could sense the woman thought about something. She didn't understand what it was, but she didn't get her thoughts together quickly enough to ask before Divine ruminated more. "I hope it is too," Aroha said softly, her hand never pausing in Divine's hair. The words about beaches and belonging settled warm in her chest. "And I am glad you are here. On this beach, I mean. How else would I have met you?"

With Divine continuing to peer back at her, the Maori woman nearly paused her own staring back long enough to ask if she had anything on her mind, but Divine interrupted and sat up first - for a terrible reason!

"Oh! You are leaving?" Aroha asked, unable to stop sounding quite like a somewhat saddened puppy. She sat up and stared up at the woman with similarly saddened eyes. "But it is so late now! And you came all this way." She swung her legs off the couch and stood, closing the small distance between them.

"You should stay!" Aroha said, reaching out to catch Divine's hand and briefly squeeze it. Her fingers laced with the other woman's naturally, like they'd done it a hundred times before. "It seems silly for you to go all the way home in the dark when you are already comfortable here. Plus, I make very good breakfast. Nothing fancy, but filling. Eggs and toast and fruit." Her smile widened, hopeful and entirely unaware of how the invitation might sound.

"And then in the morning, you can go home in the light! Much better."

[BlackAkuma]

There was a time, not too long ago, when Divine would’ve jumped at the chance to spend the night with a woman like Aroha. Or a woman not like Aroha. Most women, in general, if she were being honest. Back with the Valkyries, she had enjoyed a fairly open relationship with most of her sisters, with casual sex being the norm. It had worked out well for them, at the time, though every once in a while it did create friction with those who took her affections to be the start of something serious.

She didn’t regret those times, or that way of living. But she knew that wasn’t for everyone, and she was hesitant to even come close to it with someone like Aroha. The woman gave off the impression of an open book, like Divine could take her words at face value without much worry, but…

She was unsure how to proceed, and in the face of such uncertainty, the best idea was to retreat. Aroha, on the other hand, had different ideas.

Divine had made a good distance towards the door when Aroha came after, closing in with those soft, padding feet. She expected that much, but not the hand grasping her own and pulling her back. That was enough to bring her march to a standstill, as surely as if the woman had chained her down.

It wasn’t a strong grip, there was hardly any force to it, and that was the whole problem. Aroha’s touch was light and trusting, grasping Divine with the familiarity of a lover. It wasn’t greedy or lustful, there was none of the lascivious hunger that she’d come to expect in these situations.

Aroha was pure. Everything about this woman was so pure.

”Oh, Lord. That look. Those eyes.” Divine could only stand looking at Aroha’s face for a few moments before she turned away with a defeated sigh and a low laugh. Her shoulders slumped, and she squeezed the woman’s hand, strong and tender. ”You win, I’ll stay the night. For the eggs.” She actually could go for some eggs, too. It had been a while since she’d had a home-cooked breakfast. ”But don’t think those puppy-dog eyes will work on me forever. I’ll grow immune to your adorableness, sooner or later.”

Probably not.

[HotWheels]

Aroha's entire face lit up like someone had just told her Christmas came early. The victory was so complete, so immediate, that she actually bounced on her toes a little bit, unable to contain the joy that surged through her at Divine's capitulation.

"Yesssss!" She squeezed Divine's hand harder, her grin threatening to split her face. "And the eggs are very good, you will see. I learned from my aunty, and she makes the best eggs in the whole village. Well, she says the second-best, but I think she is being humble."

The comment about puppy-dog eyes, though... that made her pause, her brow crinkling in genuine confusion. Puppy dog eyes? Had she made them look small and beady like a hound's? Or sharp and piercing like a husky? Or big and rather silly looking like a kuri? She touched her own face briefly, as if checking what expression she'd been making before deciding it didn't matter.

What struck her a moment longer, however, was Divine's other choice of word. Adorableness. People back home called her many thing - strong, enthusiastic, too loud sometimes - but adorable wasn't usually one of them. She wasn't sure how to feel about it, but Divine said it fondly, so she supposed it was good. In fact, a touch of warmth crept into her cheeks because it sounded so positive, even when Aroha was making demands... light demands, but demands nonetheless!

And speaking of... she tugged Divine's hand gently, leading her away from the door and back toward the interior of the apartment. "Come, come! Let me show you where you can sleep." Aroha pulled her through the small space, past the couch and the scattered plants, until they reached the bedroom. She pushed the door open with her free hand, revealing a surprisingly large bed that dominated the modest room. It was neatly made with simple white sheets and a colorful woven blanket folded at the foot - something she'd brought from home.

"So, you can sleep anywhere you like," Aroha said, gesturing broadly at the bed. "But I never had a bed this big before. Back home, I had a sleeping mat, very thin, on the floor. But this?" She patted the mattress enthusiastically until the springs squeaked. "This is for two people, they told me when I got it. I did not understand why I would need a bed for two people when I am only one person, but they said it was the normal size here."

She looked at Divine earnestly, still holding her hand. "So you can sleep on one side, and I can sleep on the other side, and we both have so much space! Or if you want the whole bed if it is normal for you, I really do not mind the couch. It is very comfortable, and I have fallen asleep there many times by accident anyway."

She tilted her head, suddenly remembering something. "Oh! Do you need something to sleep in? I have extra clothes, but..." She glanced down at Divine's frame, then at her own build. They weren't total opposites, but Divine was taller and Aroha longer in the torso, meaning very different length legs. Hmmm. "They might be a bit short on you. But they are clean!"

The practical concerns of hosting were starting to occur to her now, things she should have thought of before but hadn't because she'd been too focused on convincing Divine to stay. "And I have a spare toothbrush! Still in the package. And towels if you want to shower in the morning before breakfast."

[BlackAkuma]

This was probably a bad idea, and Divine knew it was a bad idea, and yet she was doing it, anyway. Her mind raced to come up with excuses, reasons for ducking out. She didn’t want to give Aroha the wrong idea, didn’t want to feel like she was taking advantage of someone so sweet and naive and innocent. They’d just met. It wasn’t proper, even though Divine had done far more improper things with women she’d known for even less time than Aroha.

She was making excuses, and she forced herself to stop. As Aroha tugged her through the apartment, Divine only put up the smallest amount of resistance, enough to be playful but not enough to outright stop the tour.

After a few stumbling steps, Divine found herself overlooking Aroha’s bedroom space. ‘Spartan’ was the first word that came to mind, but she wouldn’t dare speak that out loud, and not just because her host likely wouldn’t know what it meant. But it was also quaint and cozy, simplistic and practical, much like the woman who owned it. It was certainly a far cry from the lumpy nightmare she had waiting back home.

She idly strolled along the side, running her hands along the covers as Aroha went on, though she perked up and gave the woman an incredulous gaze when she mentioned the idea of taking the bed for herself while the islander took the couch. ”Aroha, I am not coming into your apartment, sleeping on your bed, and putting you on your couch. That’s out of the question.”

She totally believed the woman when she said she had a habit of falling asleep on the couch before, though. She could even picture it. It made for a cute mental image.

The next topic brought up a potential issue, though, and she folded her arms as she mulled it over. ”I can sleep in my underwear. If you don’t mind.” Seemed reasonable enough, since they’d likely be wearing less when they met for their mud and oil matches, anyway. She typically slept nude, actually, but she wasn’t even going to risk bringing that up.

Divine began to take off her clothes, sliding out of the boots, then peeling her tight pants off and setting them neatly to the side of the bed. Her lower body was fully revealed in all its tight, tanned glory, with her lacey underwear clinging to her skin. She had started on her top when Divine made the final offer. ”I will take you up on the brush and the shower. Fair warning, though, I’m a heavy sleeper, and I’ve been told I snore.”