The consistent knocking of the past five minutes was enough to draw a frustrated groan for Arei as he unfurled his oversized frame from the window seat of the small library. "Are you going to get that or are you going to have the man pound that door all day?"
"Huh? Oh!" Russ jumped in alarm from behind the desk where he'd been working. His attention moved to the door as yet another knock sounded. "Coming in." He called loudly. He shook his head as the man walked in carrying several large boxes. "You should have just come in. You don't have to wait for my permission." He grumbled as he pushed up from the chair.
"But I do, Sire. It is only proper."
Russ rolled his eyes as he let out an exhausted sigh. "Because it's my palace… and because I make the rules, right?" He waited as the man nodded and bowed slightly. "Then I'm making a new rule. If I haven't answered in three knocks, just come on in."
"But I my disturb his Grace's-"
Russ raised a hand to stop the man. "I'll never be doing anything so important that someone should have to stand out in the hall toting around all this crap." He examined the many boxes. "What is it anyway?"
"It is the outfits for your coronation, Sire. I am the tailor."
Russ arched his brows at the many boxes. "I see… Um… you know this kingdom is broke as fuck, right?" He walked over and opened the largest of the boxes. His frown deepened as he took in the fine details and expensive ornaments. He shook his head as he closed the box. "I can't go out among my people wearing that, I'm sorry."
"But Sire-"
He cut the man off once again. "No buts. What am I supposed to say? Hi, I'm your new king. I know you're all still starving, homeless, and wearing rags; but check out my new outfit. Swanky right?! Pass."
"But Sire-"
Russ lifted his hand again, this time turning away in growing irritation. "I said no."
"But the expenses have already been covered. I simply made what was asked of me."
Arei chuckled as he lifted and closed each of the boxes with the tip of one finger. "This has dad's name all over it."
Russ narrowed his eyes as he turned his attention back to the boxes and Arei. "How much would you guess it's all worth?"
Arei shrugged as he lifted and closed another lid. "I'd say ten to twenty thousand an outfit."
Russ's eyes bugged before they narrowed again in disbelief. "Per outfit? How many damn outfits are there?"
The tailor cleared his throat. "There were three suits ordered, Sire, and one uniform."
Russ's brows furrowed as he turned on the tailor, his irritation about to overflow. "Why do I need three goddamn suits?!"
"W-well, Sire… It is customary-"
Russ rolled his eyes as he slammed his palm against his forehead. "Please tell me you didn't convince the goddamn god of the sea that he needed to purchase all this shit."
"W-well no, Sire… It… well, he merely asked about the last few crownings, Sire."
Arei chuckled again as he stepped forward. "Do us a favor, would you?"
The man nodded almost frantically.
Arei's smile widened as he nodded to all the boxes. "Take these back with you. The prince would like you to prepare one of the suits and the uniform in a more simplistic way."
"But Sir." The man tried to cut Arei off but was stopped again instead.
"Don't worry. You may keep the pay. Bill him extra for the troubles if you'd like. But for the extra materials and expenses involved in this maybe we could have several other cheaper outfits made? Possibly some new uniforms for the staff and maybe some things for the town's people."
The man blushed as he nodded. "Yes, of course." He turned away as he asked. "And… um… will the same be required of the bride's attire as well?"
Russ and Arei both exchanged troubling looks. No doubt both wishing for the same person to help them out in the matter. Russ finally sighed. "As much as I'd love to doll her up and treat her like the queen she deserves to be treated like… I feel like she would want things the same as me… make her things simple but beautiful."
The tailor nodded as he bowed again. "I do apologize for insulting you so, Sire."
Russ blew out a breath. "It's fine. I'm not insulted. You were just doing as you were told…" He helped the man carry out the boxes even as the man protested. When he'd finally made it back to the library Arei was sitting behind his desk flipping through the papers he'd been working all morning on. "I'm still not very good at balancing it all… but I am starting to understand… most of it…"
"Hum… yeah, can't say I myself am much help when it comes to budgeting a whole kingdom." He set the papers down and turned his attention to Russ. "But I know someone who is. Chary is amazing at finances. I could give her a call for you. Maybe, we could email her some of the more problematic documents."
Relief washed over Russ. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"
Arei sent him a crooked smile. "Nah… The sooner you can do this shit on your own, the sooner my babysitting duties will be over."
***
Scylla wiggled against the wall as she panted, the ringing of the phone only partially distracting her from the wonderous torture her body was currently undergoing. "Your phone…" She muttered between the tight press of the lip she was biting.
Chary groaned in irritation as she took the phone from her back pocket and tossed it without moving her focus away from the stocking-covered thigh she currently had thrown over her shoulder.
"What if it's something important- Ah!" Scylla yelped as Chary pulled the band of the thigh-high stocking with her teeth and let it snap back into place. "Job- could be… ah… about the… oh!" Her hands moved away from where she'd been bracing herself against the wall and into Chary's long red locks. "Chary! My legs are about to give out as it is! Please-"
Chary sent her a wickedly playful smile as she looped her arm under Scylla's other leg and threw it over her shoulder as well before standing up. Scylla cried out in surprise as she was lifted from the ground and pinned against the wall. Chary's skillful tongue worked the thin lace of her panties to the side as she gripped both firm ass cheeks in her palms.
Scylla gripped Chary's hair more firmly as she glanced around at the floor that now seemed so far away. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind…" Her eyes darted to the bed they rarely got to share. "I was thinking more along the lines of the bed- ah!"
With a shrug, Chary released her one leg at a time until they were at her waist. Then, instead of letting Scylla stand, she hooked her arms under her thighs and forced them around her waist. A seductive smile curved her lips. "I don't know why you're acting so shy… I told you I want to peel this dress off you, didn't I." She captured Scylla's lips as she carried her toward the bed.
"Well, yes… but I didn't expect it to be with your teeth…" She let out a surprised grunt as her back hit the mattress, but it was quickly cut off as Chary followed her down, recapturing her lips as she did. All thoughts of arguments promptly died off as Scylla tangled her fingers into Chary's hair once again, this time pulling her closer.
Chary growled against Scylla's small, pert breast as the buzzing of the phone started back up again for the fifth time. "God's damnit. Who the hell could it be?!" She bit out as she pushed up in the bed and walked over to where the phone had been abandoned on the floor. She narrowed her eyes at the caller ID as she answered it. "This better be important. Like your head better be on a damn cutting block!"
Arei chuckled from the other end. [Did I interrupt girl time?]
She glared at the phone in irritation. "You know damn well you did! What do you want? Hurry and spit it out, would you!"
He chuckled again. [I mean it's nothing super important, I guess it could have waited… but since I have you on the phone already, and I want nothing more than the entire world to be as sexually frustrated as I am right now…]
Chary rolled her eyes as she headed back toward the bed, her eyes trained on the sheer hose covering Scylla's long, lean legs. She set on the edge of the bed and began running her hand over the slight curve of Scylla's calf causing her to bite into her bottom, red-stained lip. "Fine… what is it? But I'm going to warn you regardless of what you have to say, you're the only one who's ending this night frustrated, and unless you want to hear the proof of my words, I suggest you talk fast baby brother…"
Arei flipped the call over to speaker before he answered. [Go right ahead. Russ and the others here could use something to blow off a little steam too… Say hi, boys.] He called out sending Russ an encouraging wink.
"I'm sorry, I would help you taunt her, but I'm going to be honest with you… She scares the hell outta me!" Russ answered in the background.
Chary laughed as his words caught her by surprise. "At least one of you has some sense…" Her brows knitted. "Wait, what are you doing there with the kid? Where's Ry?"
[Didn't dad tell you? He's off being stupidly valiant.]
Chary pulled Scylla into her arms as she leaned against the headboard. "What do you mean?"
[He thinks if he can convince Calypso to break Jos's curse then we can go back to living happily ever after regardless of all the other issues in our relationship… Namely me and my stupidity…]
Chary and Scylla both exchanged worried looks. "Arei, even if she wanted to… Calypso isn't going to be able to break her curse. From what I gather in the limited information we were able to turn up on the matter, it wasn't her curse to be broken. He's only going to end up getting himself trapped there."
[Yeah, well convince our idiot brother of it… You know how he gets.]
"Yeah, I do… the exact way you get!" Her irritation shifted back to concern. "Have you heard from him at all since he left?"
[Yeah, a few days ago. He'd been on the island before so it hadn't taken him long to work out a way back on it that wouldn't disturb Jos… Though, I have to assume she's pretty far away if he was able to reach it regardless of the method.]
Chary frowned. "Maybe… would the United States be far enough away?"
The line was silent for a few minutes. [So, I was right… She is with you guys…]
Chary searched Scylla's worried eyes for an answer to her unasked question. When Scylla nodded, she closed her eyes and blew out a sigh. "Yeah… She's with us… We're about to head to Maine for her first evaluation…" She could hear the movement of a chair scrape across the floor. "You're not planning on heading there now are you?"
[Why wouldn't I? Tell me where you are, and I'll come there instead.]
Chary let out another sigh. "Do you really think that's the best idea? She must have left for a good reason… don't you think?"
The call flipped back from speaker as Arei made his way from the library. [Yeah, because I hurt her without realizing it. Don't you think we deserve a chance to work that out?]
Chary held Scylla's gaze, able to read her thoughts on the matter without words. "Depends… what did you do?"
Arei paused mid-step. [She hasn't told you?]
"No, she really hasn't said much besides you guys wanting different things, and that she really didn't know you all that well…" Chary hesitated before adding. "I'm sure that's changed some though… Dad gave her your old journals. She's been reading them tirelessly since she got here."
He gave a half-hearted chuckle. [Well, at least she's reading something… She's not read a single one of the messages I've sent… Not even one left on read…] He quickly gave her the full rundown of what had happened. He sighed heavily as he shoved the last of his things into the saddle bag. [In all honesty, the more I think of it… I wouldn't mind children, not if it were with her… but I'm afraid that the curse would cause complications… I'd gotten lost in a bottle of scotch the night Ry left and told him as much…]
"So, now you're blaming yourself for Ry's stupid choices?" Chary berated him.
[No, not exactly… I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought over the exact same thing… Hell, he and I had talked about it before… but I came to the same conclusion as you. It would be pointless.] Silence fell over the phone line as she thought over his words, and he worked the buckles of the bag closed. [Send me your current address.]
"Is there any talking you out of this?" Chary asked, still hesitant as she and Scylla exchanged another glance.
[Nope… so make it easier on the both of us, would you.]
Scylla nodded again as she clutched her fists against her chest. Chary blew out a resigned breath. "Very well… I'll text it to you, but you've been here before. We're at the townhouse in Jacksonville, Florida." She could hear the smile reflect in his voice.
[Thanks, see you guys in about two hours.]
Chary and Scylla both stared at each other as the line went dead. "Should we go warn her?" Scylla finally asked still clutching her hands against her chest nervously.
Chary chewed on her bottom lip as she thought it over. "I mean… if we did, she'd probably take off… and she'd probably be super pissed off at us…"
Scylla rung her hands. "Are you planning on lying to her when he shows up out of the blue?"
Chary shrugged. "I don't know… I figured she'd just blame dad… Or Arei's tracking skills…"
Scylla frowned. "There's no way this is going to go well… is there?"
Chary blew out an exhausted breath. "Probably not…" Her eyes moved over Scylla. "We should probably start getting you ready for the pool…" Her eyes traveled over the tight, red dress and involuntarily licked her lips. "Unless by some miracle you're still… in the mood…"