(OOG: This is really more of a joke than a serious post. ^_~ It is "official" however.)

Myaru sighed, resting her cheek on the high arm of the chair she was lounging in. She held a chilled cup of jenai tea in her lap, and the window just behind her was open to admit a light, somewhat cool breeze into the room.

Heat. She hated the heat. If there was one thing she truly liked about Solaris, it was the temperature. When you had a city above the first layer of cloudcover, you had to expect daily fog and cold prevailing winds. She doubted the temperature up there ever passed Nisan's early spring levels.

At least she had company. She glanced at the clock, taking a long sip of her iced tea, and amended the last thought -- she -would- have company, if and when Ariath got back. It was already well past eleven. If he expected to "rest up" for the fight tomorrow, he wasn't starting off very well.

**Well, it's his honor on the line, not mine. He can always get another sword.** He could win, she knew, but something told her there would be a surprise in store for everyone tomorrow. His defeat, perhaps? Her feelings told her it would be closely tied to the tournament -and- herself. What else would it mean? Gods knew he would be hard to live with if he had to suffer a defeat. Coupled with this heat --

She twisted to her feet, setting her glass on Ariath's desk and heading into the bedroom. As she walked she began to shed her robes, tossing them onto the foot of the bed and padding over to the wardrobe. She felt...... damp. It disgusted her to have to put up with this heat on the surface, when she could have been much more comfortable elsewhere. Without her control base......

No no, there was no other place to be if she wanted to keep her plans intact. Ariath needed her support. So she would just have to grin and bear it, and hope she wouldn't melt like the candles that were sitting on the table in the other room.

Hadn't Aveh ever heard of central air-conditioning?

Finally, after rifling through her belongings, Myaru found what she was looking for. She pulled a nightgown out of the bundle of clothing and slipped the flimsy material over her head, breathing deeply in relief as the cool, smooth cotton enveloped her. She started to warm up again immediately now that something covered her bare skin, but the heat wasn't nearly as bad.

Still...... she should probably close that window. Letting in -more- hot air wasn't going to improve the temperature.

"Is the heat really that bad?" She completed her turn to find Ariath standing in the doorway, a faint smile gracing his face. "I heard you cursing from the main foyer......"

She blushed, swallowing another string of curses that would have made a desert pirate go red in the face. She should have expected him back soon, but letting go of her irritation had felt so good at the time...... At least she hadn't vented any feelings about -him-.

"I......" She shrugged, running her fingers through her hair and pulling it back into a loose ponytail. Her bangs fell into her eyes again, but she ignored them. "It's just so much nicer in Etrenank this time of year......" Her blush wasn't going away. In fact, her face was growing warmer.

**Young love...... how sweet.**

The voice and its sarcastic remark hardly registered. She grabbed her robes and stuffed them into a hamper, feeling his eyes follow her every move. Somehow, she couldn't work up a decent bout of annoyance over that.

"Would you like to go back?" he asked calmly, that faint hint of amusement still in his eyes. "I can arrange for one of the escort ships to return you to Solaris if that is what you want."

"Return?" Myaru smiled and walked over to him, clasping her hands behind her back. "No, I'll live."

He laughed softly, moving from the door to embrace her. "I'm not worried about your survival -- I'm more worried about the Lambs. I pity whoever runs in on one of your moods."

She flashed her own smile, though he didn't see it. He had no idea! "What took you so long?" she murmured instead, deciding a little affection wouldn't be amiss tonight. Just in case...... "You have the tournament tomorrow, remember?"

"I'm not worried." He broke their embrace and shrugged out of his coat, then sat on the bed to remove his boots. "Kellen is good, but I don't foresee much difficulty in defeating him. I just hope he presents a decent challenge."

"So overconfident......" Myaru said softly, aware that she was treading on treacherous ground, and not really caring. "What if he turns out to be better than you think?"

His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been watching. "Do you think that will happen? Do you think I'll -lose-?!"

Myaru cut him off before he could go any further, sliding into his lap despite his protesting glare. "No, of course not!" She made a disgusted sound, waving in the direction of the arena. "Luck can't beat experience, can it? I'm just saying...... he may give you a run for your money."

"Not very supportive of you to say so......" he began in a tight voice.

"Isn't it?" She put her fingers over his mouth to still his response. "Am I discouraging you? Have I told you I don't think you can do it?" He didn't respond. This close to him, she could see every individual pigment in his eyes...... they were like crystal, almost, faceted in a million fascinating colors.

His expression softened. "No......" he said finally, sighing.

"You deserve to be arrogant," she said with a small smile, "But if you're too overconfident...... it might work against you. Mordon made the same mistake with the Ministry, and he lost one of his more valuble projects because of it."

"You're starting to sound like a mother. Are you going to tuck me in too?"

"Tuck you in? Hardly." She kissed him, pushing him back onto the bed. "Just looking for a little distraction......"

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Ocean waves, beating upon a shore......

At least, that's what the scene looked like. Myaru stared at the ceiling above the bed, eyes tracing the patterns engraved in the plaster panels. They didn't resemble much of anything -- in fact, they were probably designed to emulate the thoughts of the viewer, like those silly ink-blot tests in Jugend's entrance exams.

Ariath slept peacefully beside her, one arm across her waist. He was heavy, and he was also very warm, but it was a good deal more pleasant than the heat of the desert. She still planned on dressing Durant down for the lack of amenities, however. Making them suffer like this was intolerable.

Oh well...... at least she had gotten thoughts of the tournament out of his head -- the last thing she wanted to think about during their lovemaking was Darius Kellen.

No, that image wouldn't do any good at all. For a martial artist, he was remarkably undeveloped.

Who would want to sleep with someone who still showed baby fat?

**You disgust me. Is that all you can think about?**

Myaru's mouth twisted. **What can I say? It's one of the few pleasures left in my life. Don't tell me it isn't educational for you.** She smirked. **Or rather, we'll -call- it education......**

**I don't know why I bother to talk to you.** The sister gave the impression of a disapproving sniff. **I doubt I'll ever get through to what's left of your soul.**

Soul. Did she even have one of her own any more? She had overtaken so many...... **Why worry? As soon as I die, we'll all be free. Best for everyone, wouldn't you say?** The other was silent. And then, her presence was gone.

At least she wasn't ranting about stabbing people in the back anymore. It was none of her business, really. What she decided to do with Ariath was her own concern, not that of a long-dead Nisan nun.

Myaru closed her eyes, pressing herself further into Ariath's arms. **At least -this- is working out the way I planned.** The rest would fall into place eventually.

What could go wrong?