It has been nearly two weeks since her steamy encounter with Eri, a fellow Spican student and perhaps now more than ever before a dedicated harem girl. The night had amounted to some degree of mutual satisfaction that left them both feeling a little differently about one another. Though for Shoka, it made no difference, it didn't distract her from her goals of taking down Ubu and ruling the campus.

Today though, there was another matter of importance. She had been asked to participate in the school play, she liked theater to a point, but decided she could try to audition and was stopping by to pick up a copy of the script. A sister was visible for a moment when she entered the brand theater room and walked down the long aisle to the stage and then she saw her leave it a back exit. Alone she walked back stage, past a pile of discarded costumes atop some decorated gum mats that must have been used as a prop at one time or another to the office.

The door was unlocked and it was empty save for the rows of filing cabinets abd drawers full of scripts. It seemed someone had already gotten out the box of scripts for this year's play, Beauty and the Beast, and neglected to put the box away. The Spican, with her long hair pulled up in a high pony tail pulled out a copy. She flipped it open and began to read as she walked back out to the stage where she sat front and center, one leg dangling off.

A noise made her violet orbs lift from the pages to spot another student, one sge woukd recognize anywhere. Esther, cherry blossom kisses. She remembered the girl's sweet taste as she watched her through her eyelashes wondering when the girl would notice her. Wondering what she was doing here, and even more interested in what she'd be doing in the immediate future.

She stayed quiet, but made a point that if the girl went back stage, she'd certainly and casually surprise her through the curtains with a darkly pleasant hello.

One year of working hard at being a normal high school girl had been a mixed bag, mostly of good things for Esther. Even though she was a foreigner the girls in all her classes had been fairly welcoming and supportive. If anything they were curious about where she'd come from, the language she spoke and all sorts of little questions here and there. No need to mention her athletic prowess to any of the girls though. Enough time had passed since her confrontation with Akemi Aracelli that people had mostly forgotten about it even happening. That was the way the purplenette preferred it, off in the distant past and barely recalled by ayone. a cute girl wasn't going to be the type to confront the Etoile over the semantics of sport, even though she was right. Now that the big faker was gone Esther had been walking around with a spring in her step.

That was, until she'd come across an even more confounding example of the very same fakery which had set her off months previously. What was with that girl? Out of nowhere the bizarre girl with fashionably long hair had appeared to confront her about... something. Esther was totally confused as to what the girl was talking about once she got around to saying something. At first she'd just stood with her hands on her hips and laughed like some crazy melodrama villain. Then had come the ranting about new clothes, the holidays and people getting devoured. In those eyes had been a fire which suggested that this girl was liable to do actual physical harm to her. The only parts of the speech which made sense were referring to Esther personally as the one who'd dared question the Champion of Astraea Hill. So.. this was some weirdo fan or worse yet, relative of Akemi Aracelli? While the girl had been digging through a bag nearby for something Esther had fled into the nearest building.

So far she thought she was safe from the prying eyes of the strange, tiny girl with the cat ears. How could someone so small be so terrifyingly insane? Esther shook her head. It was okay now that she'd escaped from the girl. Where was she? In her rush to flee from the catgirl she'd not taken note of where she was going. There was a curtain behind her, various stage dressings before her and an intensity in the air. A theater of some sort, it appeared. Esther smiled; she'd been convinced to do some acting by Etain after their first date. Getting to see Etain again had her heart beating fast.. but then that intensity returned to her notice. That wasn't coming from thoughts of her girlfriend. Instead it was an overwhelming presence she'd felt only once before under the cherry blossoms during a festival. But she didn't see the goddess who'd descended to spend a day with her anywhere.

"Maybe it's just my imagination..." she thought aloud as she sighed in relief at her successful escape from the catgirl.

Sure enough, the girl wandered right past, deep in thought and went back stage. Shoka got up with a smile and strode after her, lingering in the shadows until the girl spoke,

"Imagination?" she purred loud enough to be heard by the other girl, "What on earth might you be fantasizing about in here? COuldn't possibly have anything to so with little old me," it was Shoka's way of making a joke, also, she wanted to say something interesting to startle the girl into turning around where a certain tall purplenette would be standing there, waiting, arms crossed, a sly smile, and a script in her hand.

She waited for the recognition to appear in the girl's eyes and then she would continue,

"Esther, my dear, you seem rather distraught, are you alright?" she asked in English, thinking that using the foreign language might impress the girl. But in part, the question was an experiment.

Talking with Eri, as she had that night, strengthed something between them. Not love, but a certain respect. It wasn't like the friendship she shared with Kuramiko or ever Naomi, but something else. She wondered if inquiring into the girl's life would manifest similar emotions for her, with her, other than those of physical attraction.

Speaking of...

She made sure to take a sweep of the girl's outfit, gaze lingering on her legs and the shadows of her skirt over her skin, (as I'm assuming she's in uniform).

"it's been a while," she said, eyes glimmering in the low light of the theater's back stage. She was eager to close the distance between them, if only in greeting, but rather than approach the girl, she held out her arms for a hug. Maybe the girl would accept, the trouble was that Shoka probably wouldn't just let her go. Perhaps even more troubling, was that the girl might not want to be let go.

Quite surprisingly that sense of not being alone turned out to be quite accurate. Someone else was on the stage of the theater, and not just any girl either. Through the curtains stepped a tall young woman whose beauty was forever ingrained in Esther's mind. The grace with which she walked told a story both deep and overwhelming, reinforced with every step. Once again the goddess had descended from the heavens to grace Esther with her presence. An awesome aura surrounded the older purplenette as always, so powerful that Esther stepped back instinctively. If the goddess were here that meant she had to have come for Esther, since no one else was around. Blushing at the thought of Shoka coming just for her the Israeli girl wondered if there was still that interest in her. Such interest that the other girl had kissed her under cherry blossoms wafting through the wind.

"Oh, Shoka-kun! Good day! I didn't realize you were here too!" Esther responded with a curtsy, trying to remain demure in the presence of an angel like Shoka.

When that angelic being asked her what was on Esther's mind the girl was quite surprised. She'd not expected Shoka to ask such a thing immediately, so it took her aback. Blushing more she tried to think of just how much she should reveal to the woman who'd taken her first kiss. Meeting Shoka was such a rare occurrence that she didn't want to waste the opportunity with frivolous talk about things that didn't matter so much. Everything about her wanted to be close to the goddess even though she had Etain and was very happy with her. Something about Shoka was pulling her in despite her current relationship status - something magnetic about the Spican. Esther's eyes went wide in surprise when the girl spoke in English of all things. So the woman before her spoke at least two languages as well! That was enough to pull Esther back into the taller girl's arms, gently hugging Shoka despite herself. Maybe talking about things with Shoka a little bit wouldn't hurt.

"Actually I had a feeling that someone else was here.. and it turned out to be you," she explained, then sighed, "But there was this silly or crazy girl.. I don't know which.. who started ranting about something at me... and she knew who I was so she might've been trying to pick a fight.. but now I'm safe.. right?"

She watched the girl hesitate and then give in, she'd seen that hesitation before. Could it be this girl had someone else? It didn't seem to matter even so, as she came to Shoka regardless which made her feel powerful. So powerful was she that even having a bond with another was weak against her charms, and she took that power in hungrily.

"Who on earth would want to fight with you, and why?" She asked softly, holding her against her chest, "of course you are safe, surely no one will bother you here with me."

She could smell the light scent of shampoo, sweet and delecate from the girl's hair, and she couldn't help touching it. "It's been a while," she commented, releasing her just long enough to put down the script and then leading her to sit on the painted gym mats.

"Tell me what I've missed," she said, reclining back on her elbows, looking at the girl like a predator, even as the coy gaze slid away. Shoka wondered if looking away from her would help her focus on her words instead of her legs. But an urge rose to touch her, so casually, she let one hand wander closer, the back of one finger tracing the girls thigh.

Then, just like that, the casual touch ended and she waited for what might happen next.

Esther knew just how overpowering the goddess' attentions could be, but it still managed to surprise her every time. The embrace of the taller pruplenette was so strong that she felt secure in that one spot no matter what happened. Only one other person in the world could make her feel so safe just by touch alone - her girlfriend, Etain. Etain presented a bit of a conundrum for her with Shoka suddenly returning to her life like this. They went to different schools, Shoka and Esther, so it was rare for the pair to cross paths. Pretty much every day she had a chance to see Etain for classes or club activities. Why did it feel like she was cheating Etain out of something by feeling so oddly secure in Shoka's presence? Maybe she'd bring it up with her girlfriend later, but for now the goddess needed her full attention. She fidgeted a little when the seemingly ethereal woman touched her hair so gently, making her feel tingly all over. What was this feeling she had around Shoka?

"I don't know who she is, Shoka-kun.. just some strange girl with black hair who was wearing cat ears and rambling about new clothes and holidays. But she seems to know Akemi Aracelli.. that big faker, Akemi Aracelli! And she heard about the confrontation we had when Akemi Aracelli was Etoile. So now she thinks that I'm her enemy or something," Esther explained, her voice both confused and upset at the strange events which had preceded her arrival in the theater.

She let out a surprised yelp when Shoka traced her thigh suddenly. Shoka could be so bold! Thoughts swam around aimlessly in the Israeli's mind as she tried to analyze the signals the goddess was giving her. There may or may not be interest which was genuine here, but it couldn't be ruled out. They had kissed before after all. So much time had passed since that encounter and now that she wasn't sure if Shoka still thought of her that way. Esther wasn't about to question her though; not when the goddess was so caring about what was going on in her life.

Esther looked up at Shoka and added, "Not much else has happened, Shoka-kun. I didn't go anywhere special over the summer so there's not much to tell you.. what have you been doing? It's been so long.. and I've been curious about what you were up to.."

"Akemi? The former etoile? Faker?" She chuckled, Esther was pretty adorable. She shook her head to tell the girl she need not explain. She chuckled again at her reaction to her touch. But then the question was turned to her and she dropped her hand away entirely. She let out a breath in a small laugh, looking down at stomach"Me? Heh...making enemies. I'm trying to organize a fund raiser to rebuild Miator's ruins and Spica's ashed lands, Lulim seems willing, but Miator, as you would guess, is rather difficult. Many Miator students seem to dislike Spica and thus myself, quick to shoot venom readily at any cause I bring up. I swear I could cure cancer and I'd still be a villain as long as I wore this white uniform."

It wasn't totally true, and she'd left out that she very well deserved the hate directed at her, but she was trying to help, even if helping miator was a side effect of her fund raising endeavor. But playing this card on the manner of conversation with the Lulim flower would be a smart move to keep their relationship going well for the moment.

She wasn't going to tell her about her recent episodes with other girls, that was certainly tactless. "Be thankful your school has no rivalries." Without her meaning for them to, her eyes were back on the girl's legs. "Have you gotten taller?" She asked meaning to compliment her as well as disguise her lusting as observation.

This time her finger traced the other girls hand, rather absent mindedly. Touch. It was such an important part of human interaction. She remembered kissing her beneath the cherry blossoms, wondering if that memory reflected in her gaze as she looked at her. Somewhere in that warmth was loneliness, it was calculated, purposely present even if the genuine emotion behind the look was questionable.

"If I could be so bold," she said, feining a look of uncertainty, "you are so much more beautiful than the last time we met, your hair is different too. I like it." Her finger traced circles on the other girls hand, then down her fingers before resting over the back of her hand, allowing her thumb to move slowly back and forth, stroking gently. She pushed herself up so she could touch the girls hair, but this positioned her leaning toward the girl, as if to kiss her, one hand near her cheek, fingers in her hair, the other on her hand. Her gaze was lingering on the strands but she asked her gaze to fall to the girls lips, to see if they parted, to her cheeks to see if they blushed, and finally to her eyes, to see if they begged...

When the goddess spoke of politics between the schools, Esther felt rather lost and uncertain of what to say in response. She'd forgotten that indeed this girl was more than just the person who'd given her that first kiss. Rumor had it that she had been chosen the student council president for Spica. What Shoka explained as having been her recent activity served to confirm the stories that she'd heard since returning from summer break. Not being very good with politics herself Esther was very glad that she wasn't part of LeRim's student council. It sounded like things were getting very complicated for Shoka these days, which would just be worse for someone with less self control. Had Esther been a part of such proceedings she would have tried to do what she'd wanted to do to Akemi Aracelli that one time; the only difference would be who was on the receiving end of her furious frustration. That said she was glad the topic wasn't in discussion for very long.

Instead it turned to the goddess paying attention to how Esther had changed since they had last met. The Israeli blushed at the words of praise which came flowing from Shoka's lips. Those firm yet caring lips which had met her own during a festival, reassuring her that she was genuinely cute. Hearing it from someone other than her sister was always bound to make the purplenette a bundle of nerves. Etain had told it to her constantly since they'd first met, then begun dating. There was a different power behind Shoka's words though. Something which made Esther kind of shiver in excitement despite the embarrassment she felt at the level of attention accompanying them. Suddenly the goddess' finger was on her hand and Esther looked instinctively up into Shoka's eyes. How surprising! Did she.. want to become close again? This came right as Shoka began to stroked her hair and hand simultaneously, driving Esther mad with anticipation. It felt like another kiss might be coming.

"Why thank you... Shoka-kun.. I was hoping people would like my new look. It means a lot that you like it too..." she responded, her body language suggesting she was expecting and willing to be kissed again. All the while her mind raced, at some level screaming 'You shouldn't be doing this!'

Her lips curved ever so slightly in a smile as she closed the distance, taking the girl's lips for her own. She could sense something, embarrassment? Shame? Worry? In her recent studies of pheramone and psychology, she'd become mroe attuned to what others were feeling. Some called it empathy, others called it emotional intelligence. Either way Shoka knew the girl was nervous about something, but couldn't exactly tell what. She could also tell the girl wanted this, so she deepened the kiss, the hand on her cheek wandering down her neck, to her collarbone, to her chest just above a certain swell, then it veered to her side, then lower to her hip, where it rested.

Her tongue teased at her lips, asking them to part, and her mind was all but set on seeing just how far she could push the limits before she decided to ask the girl what was wrong. Shoka could tell that this, this touching, this wasn't the problem, but something else. Her original idea was that perhaps the girl was taken, if that was the case, then this was all the more delicious. HAving the power to tempt even a promised heart was mighty in it's own way. How far then, could she test that loyalty? How far could she take this girl into her web?

If the girl hadn't stopped her by down, she'd move her kissed to her neck, and the hand on her hip would slide back following the curve of her body to where it met the gym mat beneath. The other hand moved from on top of Esther's to a location dangerously near a taboo location on her chest, she teased, like she might dare touch, but didn't, not until the other gave some indication that she wanted her to, though she could tell her actions were welcome, it was a matter of how much she could do.

Of course, there was something driving Shoka too, and it wasn't just the power of seduction. She had been very frustrated since that night with Peo, and like a vampire starved of sacred blood, she was making her killing everywhere else. For as long as she couldn't touch Peorth, she'd have to focus her efforts elsewhere, and besides, this furthered her research.

The Theatre wasn't usually a place she'd go, but Peorth found herself there. She'd been asked to help with the backdrops, as she was a fairly talented artist. At least that's what she'd been told. Peorth didn't believe a word of it, and it made her uncomfortable and embarrassed, but she'd agreed to help nonetheless. So now she was here, trying not to get lost as she looked for the one who'd asked her to help. She couldn't remember her name, nor what she did, but she remembered what she looked like. She was about to give up, when she heard a voice that made her heart sing.

Shoka-sama!

But then memories of the other night flashed through her mind. Shoka-sama in bed with some other girl! Tears formed as she relived that most painful moment. She shook her head, her brown hair waving about her. No! There had to be a reason! The girl was upset and Shoka-sama had been consoling her! Yes! That's it! With that thought, she headed towards where she thought Shoka-sama was, a smile on her lips. She rounded a curtain. And froze.

Shoka-sama had another girl in her arms! And they were kissing! The breath caught in her throat as her chest tightened. It felt like her heart had stopped, and she couldn't even cry. It felt like time had stopped. But then she blinked, and time flowed again. Her heart broke and a sob escaped her lips as the tears flowed. She stepped back, knocked against something, before she turned and ran.