It wasn't often she had time to herself. The needs of the hive usually demanded her attention. Most, however, were unaware of her contribution because her often agitated colleague was at the fore the Buggrom effort. Some had even begun to regard her as something of a 'silent parnter'.
None of this bothered Diva. Dispite the obvious split in the moral divide, she, like Rune, conducted herself as a true queen should: never lauding her efforts or shirking in them. What mattered was that she carry them out and see to the furtherment of her people. And that meant taking her rightful place as ruler of all El Hazard, preferrably with a certain someone at her side.
Diva heaved a sigh as she undid the clasp of her upper body attire, letting it slip down to her forearms. Then, bending lightly at the waist, proceeded to strip out of the glossy black leather; finally pulling it free from her long luscious legs, leaving her totally bare.
The bath was warm and inviting. The dim rose tinted lighting added to the ambiance along with the aroma of incense candles and coconut scented bath oil. Eyunea petals (a little known flower which blooms only along the Holy River) were scattered about the floor. And on the rim of the tub was a long stemmed wine glass and a tray of grapes. It was utter indulgence.
With sensuality and grace accenting her every move, she eased in til only her knees and neckline were visible above the foamy liquid. She only just entered and already she could feel tension ebbing away. After allowing herself a moment, her thoughts ressumed where she'd left off.
Jinnai.
Funny how that name had such a profound effect on her these days. Until now she'd only thought of him as an ally, her army's general. But now....
A faint rose tint highlighted her cheeks just then, a hand resting lightly on one of them as her visage turned to one of wistful longing. When did everything change? she wondered to herself.
Part of her supposed it might've had something to do with that time he suggested she "lay more eggs". That one had come as a complete surprise to her. When he'd said he wanted a word in private she hadn't expected it to be about something quite so private. Of course, Diva had been too stunned to tell him she hadn't laid any eggs at all. The current Buggrom population was the offspring of the previous queen, not hers.
Even so, she had been willing to go along with it. She had convinced herself, at the time, that it was solely to replenish Buggrom race. Now she wasn't so sure. How else could she explain the sudden beating of her heart and the flush in her cheeks when he'd suggested it? It'd been more than just modesty at work.
What got her was, he'd been unwilling to co-operate even though it'd been his idea! As a last resort, Diva had tried taking matters into her own hands, but he had passed out before they could even begin.
Could it be that he finds me undesireable?
Most anyone would have scoffed at that. Diva was nothing if not attractive. Make that positively stunning. She was definitely deserving of her name as she practically oozed sex appeal... without even trying! The fact that Jinnai had kept his hands off all this time was nothing short of astonishing as most anyone else would surely have given in to temptation long before now.
Either that or he was just that focused on one upping Makoto.
She sipped from her glass, easing back to let her head rest against the smooth marblelike stone. Her eyes slid closed as a long forgotten verse came to mind.
"As grows the Eyunea blossom, rich in full bloom;
seen by few, revered by all, yet touched by none.
And so it remains unspoiled.
It's beauty everlasting, in memory, though it fade.
Her eyes opened, her expression sullen as she added a line of her own, 'So too shall the Queen of the Buggrom be.' Diva had caught her own subjects oogling her from time to time, but knew they knew better than to try anything. That privillege had been reserved for one person only, if only he'd except what she was willing to offer.
Just then, she heard a familiar scream and voice to match. Diva made a face and sighed again. Three guesses who it was. Reluctantly, she got out of the tub, water dripping sensually off her form. Her smooth caramel complexion highlighted with an oil like sheen. Better go see what's upsetting him this time. she thought as she grabbed a towel and entered the hall.
___________________________________________________________________
Idiots. All of them.
What good was it to come up with perfectly fiendish plans if they were just going to screw them up every time?! This latest fiasco was a perfect example. He'd planned it out perfectly. How to find her. How to overpower and subdue her. In the girl's weakened state, it should've been a done deal. And what happens? They friggin' blew it! There'd been something about "outside interferrence" but he'd been too pissed to read beyond that.
The bottom line was it hadn't been Mizuhara or those harpies. Though, truth be told, the only one he considered a threat was that foul mouthed fire priestess. The other two were mild annoyances at best. And with one of them knocked up and out of the way (on her honeymoon), they had no excuse for failing this time.
Just the same, Jinnai found it odd that anyone would be willing to help Kalia. Practically everybody knew better than to fall for her cute and innocent routine by now. So who could it have been, he wondered.
The soft click of the door as it opened alerted him to another presence in the room. Jinnai knew without turning who it was as only one person had the authority to enter his office without premission. Not that she needed it.
"Ah, it's you Diva." he said, as he faced her, using an almost formal tone of address. He would've said something more but, upon seeing her, he went beet red and did an about face. The reason was that Diva was clad in a pale bathrobe. It was only partially closed allowing him to see the form fitting satin white nightie underneath. The back was lowcut, the hem barely reaching midthigh. Diva's ample bossom was left visible from the sides and covered just barely in front. Her only other attire was a gold anklet with a charm attached. It was distracting to say the least.
If Diva noticed his reaction, it didn't show. She simply came in and let the door close behind her. "Mr. Jinnai." she said in reply. Then inquired, "So?"
After taking a moment to regain his composure, he cleared his throat and began. "Our plan to capture Kalia failed. Seems those boneheads ran into a bit of trouble."
"How do you mean?" Diva wanted to know.
"I'm not sure. All the message said was something about someone interferring. I'll have to get the rest of it when they return."
"I see."
"I don't." Jinnai countered calmly. "It wasn't Mizuhara. That much I'm sure of. They'd have told me otherwise. And I doubt it was any of those priestesses. I can't think of anyone other than them who'd intefere with us. Can you?"
"No. But you have to remember, all of El Hazard considers us the enemy. And Rohstaria isn't the only nation with military might."
"True. But this was the work of a single individual." Jinnai informed her. "Besides that, you know as well as I do that Roshtaria is the only nation that can oppose us. The others may as well not even be there."
Diva crossed her arms and closed her eyes reflectively. Jinnai had a point. If not for Roshtaria, they'd have conqured El Hazard ages ago. "Let's just hope it's not another Demon Doll." she said finally. "The last one was bad enough."
"And still a pain in the ass." Jinnai agreed. "Still, I can't help thinking that if we can sway her to our side, she'd be a major addition to our forces. Even without all her power, at very least, she'd be a match for those damn harpies and Ifurita."
"Are you sure?" Diva asked him.
"You doubt she could?"
"The part about the priestesses I can agree with. Ifurita is another matter. If Kalia's truely been weakened as they say, she could be at a disadvantge now, where Ifurita's concerned." Diva pointed out.
Jinnai rubbed his chin. "Hm. Hadn't thought of that." he admitted. "But we won't really know anything til we capture her."
"Agreed."
Now that that bit was out of the way, Jinnai felt the need to address his 'other' concern. "By the way... " he said, leaving the sentence open. Diva was about to question what he was going to say when she finally noticed the flush in his cheeks and where he was pointing.
"Oh. Yes." she said, clearling her throat self consciously. Diva closed her robe, fastening the belt securely. "Better?"
When all he could manage was a nod in reply, she stifled a laugh with the back of her hand.
"Mr. Jinnai." she said with a light nod, the amusement in her tone being more than evident. Jinnai simply turned and waved over his shoulder. The poor boy was trying desperately to hide the growing bulge in his slacks. He just hoped she hadn't noticed. Diva said nothing, however, and excused herself though she noted (with some satisfaction) the way his eyes followed the sway of her hips as she left. Once outside, she smiled to herself in triumph.
Meanwhile....
See other episodes by NyteFlite
(Posted Mon, 24 Sep 2007 01:29)
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