Second Date (for Wanderer)

[CaptainL]

As soon as Lyra mentioned not really having much experience in singing, Sanae blushed a little and glanced off to the side. She probably should have seen that coming, she thought to herself. "Oh, right...maybe I got a little ahead of myself." The idea of she and Lyra working together in some capacity was an exciting one, so much so that she hadn't stopped to think if the partnership could really work. Still, Lyra seemed open to the idea, and at that, Sanae looked back at her with a smile and a nod. "I don't think I've ever heard you sing...but I'd love to! Oh, maybe we could go to a karaoke bar some time...or, wait, that wouldn't really work because they'd recognize my singing voice," she mused to herself. "Maybe once we go public, but...wouldn't the media think it was beneath me to sing karaoke?" Sanae bit at her lip. She wasn't used to having to manage a relationship, and now there were so many little things she needed to balance, it was almost overwhelming. And that wasn't even taking into account her commitments to wrestling or her musical career, which would only be even more to juggle with.

At the least, she and Lyra could still bond over wrestling. When Lyra brought up the prospect of a tag team, Sanae grinned even wider, and she leaned in closer to the blonde. "Believe me, I've been in the ring with Alizeh, as a partner and as an opponent, and that's no small feat." Then, her eyes went wider as another thought came to her. "Oh, oh! What if it was me, you, and Alizeh all together? Or...would that be less personal? I don't want her getting in the way! Don't get me wrong, she's my friend and all, but-!" Another blush, and another bite at the inside of her cheek. There were the worries again. This wouldn't be as easy as she'd thought.

[Pegasus]

“To be fair, karaoke is considered music for everyone. I don’t think the media would hound you on singing below your career. Even some musicians sing karaoke back where I’m from,” Lyra stated as she hugged Sanae to her side. “But it is wise to wait on the karaoke bar date. If my vision is true about us going public this date, we should be in the clear once your fans get word of our relationship.”

Lyra knew this was all much to think about even for their second date together. They had Sanae’s fans and the media to worry about regarding their initial opinions on Sanae dating. Not to mention, Sanae needed to manage time around Lyra, training with Jonathan, wrestling for LAW, and handling concerts. Maybe even with occasional visits to the United States to wrestle for World Frontier Pro Wrestling. The more exposure is the more pressure put on the younger woman and Lyra needed to be the leader in this relationship being the oldest. She needed to make things easier for their relationship to prosper.

“Me, you, and Alizeh?” Lyra asked as Sanae brought up a potential trios team formation between herself, her girlfriend, and her best friend. “Don’t worry, Sanae. I’m sure Alizeh would be pumped to team with us. She already does it with you so I’m only more the merrier. We’re all rising stars so we have that going for us.”

[CaptainL]

"Oh, yeah, heh...I guess so." Sanae chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head as a blush spread over her face. "I'm...sorry. I really am overthinking all of this. I shouldn't be making it this hard..." It was strange to think that Sanae would be looking to Lyra for advice on how to proceed. Sanae was certainly the more famous and acclaimed of the two, with more publicity surrounding her wrestling career alone than Lyra had been able to achieve to date; although Lyra's fortune-telling certainly made her stand out from many other women on the roster, it was hard to compete with Sanae's breathtaking athleticism, her infectious eagerness, and her celebrity status that had made her a fan favorite practically from her first mach. And yet, Lyra was the older of the two, and the more experienced when it came to dating. The public would have expected Sanae, a respected public figure, to have all the answers, but here she was, deferring to the more humble, unassuming Lyra's judgment. Of course...Sanae didn't mind. She was happy to have someone she could count on. Even more that it was Lyra.

Smiling wider, she nodded to Lyra as the blonde agreed to her proposal of a trios team. "Awesome!! Oh, man, you need to meet her, too! I think you two could get along great! I mean, she can be a bit of a handful, but the three of us together would be unstoppable!"

It was then that Sanae glanced over at the clock - and when she saw the time, she let out a gasp, suddenly jumping back up to her feet. "Oh, oh-!! Shoot! I should probably get my outfit ready for the show!" She blushed harder, realizing that she'd lost track of time just hanging out at Lyra's side. "You don't mind waiting while I get changed, right?"

[Pegasus]

Lyra knew it was a big pain having to think about all of this especially right at the beginning of their relationship. Sanae probably didn’t date a lot due to her celebrity status and was worried what her fans would think if she got a boyfriend or girlfriend. Heck, before this, she might’ve not known she would be willing to go bisexual. So much to think about, but Lyra wanted her to focus on putting on a nice concert for her fans and they’ll handle the public announcement later. Lyra leaned forward and gave Sanae a comforting kiss on the lips before kissing her forehead.

“I’m by your side no matter what, Sanae. We aren’t stopping here,” Lyra promised and then Sanae had to get ready for her concert as Lyra stepped back. “I’ll be right here. I’m sure you’ll look good!”

[CaptainL]

Sanae had a lot of things going through her mind right now. As excited as she was to see her star rising higher and higher, she was all too keenly aware that with greater fame came closer attention from the press, and greater responsibilities to maintain her image - she owed everything to her fans for helping to give her the motivation she needed to come this far, and she wanted to give her thanks for making her success possible. If she was going to be an idol, she was determined to be an idol everyone would want to cheer for at every performance she put on. But that also meant she had to hold herself to higher and higher standards, and sometimes, she found herself struggling under the burdens she heaped onto her own shoulders - she felt like she had to be perfect to make sure no one would be disappointed if she didn't live up to the hype. And when Lyra entered her life, Sanae thought about their relationship in much the same way. She wanted Lyra to be happy. She wanted everything to be perfect. And that left her head abuzz with too many worries, wondering if she could really do it - if she could make Lyra as happy as she knew she deserved.

But when Lyra pulled her closer, and placed a kiss on her lips, Sanae let out a soft, contented sigh, letting the tension in her body ease as she sank in closer to the fortune teller. A smile spread wider over her face. No matter what happened...Lyra, she reminded herself, would always understand. It didn't matter what Sanae did, or how she looked. All that mattered was that she was Sanae. And as long as she was Sanae, Lyra was happy. When she broke away, Sanae looked back up at the blonde, a bright smile on her face as she nodded her head. "Of course! Thanks, Lyra. I know I can count on you..."

Sanae still looked back over her shoulder, letting her gaze linger on Lyra, as she walked over to the dressing room. And after the door closed, it was still a good amount of time that passed with Lyra alone on the other end. The more fame that Sanae accured, the more production went into her appearances and her concerts - and the more elaborate her outfits and makeup became, so too would her routine grow more and more in-depth. It would have been around half an hour from when Sanae disappeared to when she came bursting out through the door, now fully decked out for the performance in an elaborately decorated dress. And even if she and Lyra had just reassured one another that everything would be fine, the green-haired girl still came running up to Lyra in a panic, panting for breath. It seemed as though this was her idea of rushing through things.

Spoiler

"Oh gosh, oh gosh-! I'm really sorry for leaving you waiting out here; I really should have done this earlier-!" She bowed her head low in a gesture of apology. At first, Sanae was once again striken by her worries of the worst-case scenario - if she'd let Lyra down, if she'd deprived her of the time they could have been spending together. But as she looked back up at her girlfriend, she reminded herself of what she'd said - that she'd still be happy, no matter what. Clearing her throat, Sanae stood a little taller, smoothing out her skirt - and as she met Lyra's eyes, she smiled to her, even through a faint blush.

"...well, do you like it?"

[Pegasus]

Lyra blinked in rapid fashion as Sanae practically took the dressing room door off her hinges and she grabbed her girlfriend’s shoulders to steady her. She let Sanae get her breath back and then heard the idol profusely apologize for leaving her out here for a long time. The fortune teller just wore a smile on her face. It’s really sweet that Sanae would want everything to go well and it showed she cared about their relationship as much as Lyra did. However, she is also a celebrity so Lyra didn’t mind if she had to take extra time to get ready. A majority of this date would be her in the crowd, anyway. They really only had this down time before the concert to speak and hang out.

Upon looking at her dress, Lyra took something into account very quickly. This dress and costume…it was the same one Sanae wore in her vision. That just confirms this would be the date they would open their relationship to the public and if all went according to plan, their ship name would be chanted all around the arena. Lyra wasn’t sure when, but that would be for a later time as the long string of silence didn’t help matters and she didn’t want to worry her love.

“You look very mystical…..darling. It suits you really well and….you’re beautiful all the same,” Lyra replied with her own blush and look to the side smiling.

[CaptainL]

When Sanae returned to Lyra's side, her face was red, and her feet fidgeted nervously back and forth. Even if her makeup had been freshly applied, the sweat beading on her brow was already starting to show through. It seemed absurd that she would be decked out in such frilly, fancy garb that could only mark her as ready to go out on stage and still look like a nervous wreck, but even when she was supposed to be putting her best face forward to the fans, it was Lyra she was most concerned about - and it was Lyra who she was most afraid of letting down. And right now...Sanae couldn't help but worry if she had done just that.

Lyra wasn't saying anything; she was just staring back blankly, as though there was something else on her mind. The green-haired girl began to bite at the corner of her lip, leaning her weight from side to side as she teetered on the balls of her feet. The longer this went on, the more her mind raced with all the possibilities this could go wrong. Why wasn't Lyra saying anything? Did she not like her outfit? Maybe Sanae was overdoing it. But what if she was upset that Sanae had left her behind? The thought of that left a sinking feeling in the idol's stomach. She loved Lyra, she cared about her; the last thing in the world she wanted was to let her down. And if this was supposed to be a date, a special moment for the two of them, then she had already wasted it.

But it was then that Lyra, at last, spoke up - and when she did, Sanae looked up toward her with a gasp. She blushed harder at her compliments and glanced aside - she didn't know if she'd ever quite get used to hearing Lyra call her beautiful - but when she locked eyes with the fortune teller once again, there was a twinkle to her eye, and she flashed a bright and confident smile. That was all she needed to reassure her. Sanae didn't know why she would have ever doubted Lyra. She would always be there to cheer her on, no matter what.

"You...really like it?" Sanae needed no further encouragement - she leaned in closer to Lyra, throwing her arms tightly around her to pull her into a hug! "Thanks so much, Lyra! Now I know that when I go out there, I'll have you cheering for me...and I know I'll do my best when you're watching!" she added with a wink. A moment later, though, after she let Lyra go, she let out a soft, awkward chuckle, and her blush deepened. "...that wasn't too corny, was it?"

[Pegasus]

“Sanae, even before me, I know you can be the best at what you do. You wanted to do this for the longest time and it even shows in your aura. I’m not the only one with you tonight. You have the universe cheering you on and the mystical forces that accompany it. They foretell your success. So, you have no worries for tonight,” Lyra promised.

She brought Lyra in for a quick kiss on her lips to give her even more confidence and the lipstick residue on Lyra was very tantalizing. Lyra usually never got too deep into things, but she had to admit Sanae had a good taste in lipstick. Anyway, a stage worker came over to the couple waiting to interject his announcement between them.

“Miss Saitou, we go live in 30 seconds. They need you on the stage,” The worker stated in Japanese, but Sanae would understand it.

[CaptainL]

Maybe it was a little silly. Maybe most people would brush it off as all superstition and nonsense. But Sanae saw no reason to question it. She'd always entertained the idea that magic, ghosts, and spirits might be real, and Lyra gave her reason for all her speculation to be confirmed. When she spoke of her visions, and about the grander plans of the universe, she did so with such conviction and such sincerity that Sanae saw no reason to disbelieve her. If Lyra said it, it had to be true...

Which, of course, meant that when Lyra foretold of Sanae's success, of her favor with the stars, it was all the encouragement the idol needed. Her mouth dropped open in a gasp, and the more she thought about what Lyra had said, and what it meant, the more a bright, shining smile grew wider and wider across her face. She stood a little taller, and she looked out into the distance with a gleam in her eye. Maybe it was silly...but to Sanae, it was all she needed.

"Well, if that's the case..." Sanae began, "...I don't have anything to be afraid of!" She nodded her head to Lyra with an eager, confident grin. "Thanks a lot, Lyra...it helps a ton." Sanae's heart had been filled with confidence, and that was enough to lift her spirits, re-invigorating her to forge onward into the future. All it took was Lyra reading her fortune. Believing she would have success - and that the whole universe had faith in her.

Of course, the kiss Lyra soon pulled Sanae into didn't hurt either. She let out a contented sigh as she felt her lips brush against Lyra's, and even after they parted, her gaze still lingered into the fortune teller's eyes, her smile growing even wider. For a moment, she let herself be lost in that dreamy-eyed look, content to bask in it all day, and to feel the warmth of Lyra's presence and her company. But then the stage worker came in on the scene - and, at the sound of his voice, Sanae immediately froze, spinning back around to face him.

"Eep-!!" She let out a yelp, her face going red. Could anyone see her and Lyra like this? Not only did it feel like this moment was too personal to get out - it would betray the closeness they felt, and the bonds they shared - it also didn't help with Sanae's fears of the story of their relationship being picked up. But she quickly shook that thought out of her head - one look back at Lyra was all it took to remind Sanae of what really mattered. The universe wanted to succeed. If she put her trust in the universe, all would be fine.

"O-Of course! I'll be right there, sir!" After the worker left, Sanae took in a deep breath, but when she looked back up at Lyra, she flashed her a grin. "Okay...it's time for me to go on out," she said. "You should probably get to your seat. I don't want you to miss a moment!" Sanae giggled to herself, winking an eye to Lyra. As she proceeded to the door, she blew the blonde a kiss over her shoulder. But soon, she disappeared out of that door, and onto the stage beyond. It was showtime.

[Pegasus]

The kiss was so incredible and the truly first intimate moment she and her girlfriend shared was very mystical. The way they stared at each other just screamed a scene from a romantic movie, but Lyra was on cloud nine from there. Alas, they had to separate before Sanae would be late to perform and the stage worker offered to escort Lyra to her seat so she wouldn’t get lost. Lyra accepted saying goodbye to her lover and then she walked out to a packed crowd settling in. Sanae drew quite the spectators and her adoring fans held up signs, merchandise, and she even had some cosplayers in her dresses. Lyra never really got the whole idea about fandoms, but at least Sanae could be happy with the support.

She got front row right on the edge so she could get out easier. Lyra didn’t even stick out like a sore thumb so no one paid her any mind thinking she was just another fan. Though, Lyra did have some fans looking at her and whispering they probably knew her from somewhere. Must be fans from LAW that came out as well. Anyway, the lights dimmed before a blue spotlight was shown on the stage and the smoke machines started whirling to life as a mystical melody was played.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the moment has come! Here is your adoring idol and the main attraction of the evening, Miss Sanae Saitouuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!”