Somewhere I Belong

Soft, shining hair. Warmth streaming in from the half-open window. Arms…around her? A body? No, a person. Of course. Who, though? Shaya struggled to remember the events of the past night, brow furrowing as she remembered. Yes… Shaya had done this sort of thing many times before. But this was new to her. She usually vacated as soon as she was able. Emotion, connection, feeling… All were merely lies, and alien to her. Yet somehow…this was…different? Not because of her companion’s gender, oh no, the female body was nothing new to her, but… Something. 

Already she sensed a connection, even if it was not exactly of her preference. Maybe her companion wouldn’t be like the others. Maybe. She wasn’t optimistic, but then again, what she remembered of the previous night wasn’t exactly awful… A smile stretching across her face, Shaya shifted slightly and waited for her companion to wake up. 

A few minutes later, red eyes, still bleary from sleep, met burgundy. “…Good morning.” Shaya cautiously greeted her. “Good morning…I think…” Looking away from her, her companion stretched and cautiously pulled her arms from around Shaya’s waist. “I…hope you slept well?” “I did, thank you.” Shaya replied to her companion’s soft-spoken question, allowing the hint of a smile to cross her features. “I suppose you would like to use the bathroom…?” 

Red met burgundy again, eyebrows furrowed slightly as she asked a question. Stifling a laugh, her companion was obviously unused to having company, especially hers. “If you don’t mind. I’d like to, ah, clean up…” “O-Of course.” “Thank you.” Shaya replied curtly, slowly beginning to lose her patience with her companion’s hesitancy. Shaya deftly rose and retrieved her clothes off the plush carpeted floor, and with a loping grace, exited the room. 

Saoirse sighed to herself, rubbing her temple. Gods… Vaguely, images from the last night meandered back into her consciousness. She blushed heavily, wishing that she could turn back time. How could she have stooped so low? If anyone found out… Well, of course any number of people could have seen them together. It was folly at its best.

Well, worst.

In any case, Saoirse had discovered something new about herself. What she had previously regarded as general lack of interest…was really lack of interest in mostly everyone. Shaya… Shaya was intangibly different. It wasn’t just her eyes. Or her hair. Or even her skin… It was everything about her, so completely different, it drew Saoirse in. She really hadn’t meant for this to happen, much less to end up inviting Shaya back to her house…but she had. And now she couldn’t go back. Not at all.

Saoirse sighed, inhaling and exhaling. Don’t think about it. But of course she did… Saoirse then started wondering how Shaya felt about last night, and waking up with her. Did she mind it? Or not? Did she wish to see her again? Saoirse tried to divert her thoughts to something less painful. Like what issues would be brought to her attention today. 

Sighing again, Saoirse turned onto her stomach and pressed her face into her pillow, desperately wishing she could go back to sleep… but of course, she had to see Shaya off, as much as she was afraid of doing so. Sure, she had some servants, and people that helped, but she usually relied on them only for things that she couldn’t do herself. Like fixing broken pipes, and moving heavy furniture. That sort of thing. She prided herself on her independence – and would not consider ceding that for even one moment. Of course, Shaya was likely the same, and would resent being sent off by a servant like something shameful… Of course.