The Price of Solace (1/1)
By Tralla

"Dorothy, open this door right now," ordered Relena as though she would bust her way in if Dorothy didn't do what she demanded.

Somewhat stunned, Dorothy took stock of her current situation. It was early morning and Relena was outside her hotel suite door, intentionally making a ruckus.

"5 stars," murmured Dorothy to herself. She was in a 5 star hotel with an irate woman pounding on her door. She toyed with the notion of sitting back to witness how far Relena would go, but then a stirring thought crept in. For once, Relena Peacecraft had come looking for _her_. A moment later, Dorothy reached out to open the door, and in Relena walked.

Despite the anger in her voice just a few seconds prior, Relena was perfectly composed as she entered the suite. After hearing the door close, she turned around and faced Dorothy to ask, "Why have you been hiding?"

Dorothy glanced at the door before turning back to Relena to say, "My, I never thought curiosity on your part could take such a forceful form."

Relena stared at her. Years of having Dorothy make unsolicited appearances had left Relena accustomed to that form of harassment. To have Dorothy suddenly break that routine had set Relena on edge, and the fact that she was on edge, instead of relieved, put her even more on edge. Finally, Relena said, "It's been three weeks since I've last seen you, since anyone has seen you."

Briefly, Dorothy raised a forked eyebrow before she responded, "You've been asking around? You came here to shock me."

"I came here to confront you. You purposely disappeared to create a stir, didn't you?"

Dorothy walked past Relena and further into the suite. As she did she caught sight of herself in a mirror. The glimpse was enough. It was clear that this morning she wasn't at her best. She was far paler than usual and had near soulless-looking eyes. Her undone hair was the only thing that was lively about her. Sleep had made it unnaturally voluminous, as though she'd had a wild night of tossing and turning...cavorting. It was her hair that reminded her of the morning, how she came to consciousness. She awoke in a daze, feeling hot and wet as her flesh was titillated by the rhythmical pulsing at the juncture of her thighs. The night before, like so many others in the past months, she had dreamt of what it would be like to have Relena put her fingers in her--

"Dorothy, I refuse to speak to your back."

"You're already in the process of doing so." Slowly, Dorothy turned around. "As for your earlier accusation, my disappearance has nothing to do with a plot to create a stir. At times, even I need to be alone."

Relena frowned at her before saying, "You didn't need to check in under an assumed name. If you wanted to be left alone, saying so would have been enough." With that statement, Relena turned around to leave.

Dorothy interrupted her. "No one said you should leave." The words came out snappish.

Relena went stiff before she turned around. She stared back at Dorothy before asking, "Why...are you completely red? Are you _that_ angry with me? First the hiding and now this? What have I done?"

"It's not anger," responded Dorothy tersely. The color began to recede from her face and she simply looked fatigued. Reason was admonishing her, telling her that letting Relena leave would have been more sensible if what she sought was a pleasant morning.

Relena shook her head as a gesture of impatience before demanding, "Then what is it that has you acting out of sorts?"

There was a lag. 5 seconds and then 10 and then 15 passed. Dorothy couldn't give a response. The tense seconds of quiet gave rise to internal turmoil that kept her distracted. She felt light-headed and her stomach seemed to be rising up into her throat. She could feel herself being taken away. An embarrassment. Was she about to faint? Just because of one prying question she couldn't bring herself to answer? Then again, this sudden loss of her faculties...wasn't this a fitting end to a series of fretful years?

Dorothy's mind began to drift but, through the growing haze, she could hear fast approaching footsteps and then a noise of surprise before she felt herself being supported.

Relena had dashed over to grab hold of Dorothy. She held Dorothy close to keep her standing before saying quietly and somewhat shakily, "You're unwell...why didn't you tell me earlier? You haven't been taking care of yourself, have you?"

"You look awash with guilt," whispered Dorothy.

"Why shouldn't I be?" replied Relena defensively. "Right now, you can barely get your words out."

Relena found the bedroom and helped ease Dorothy onto the bed, a bed with more pillows than was necessary. Relena had counted seven in total. She watched Dorothy make herself comfortable amongst them.

After some seconds of quiet, it was worry that creased Relena's brow and caused her to ask Dorothy hesitantly, "Is it...life-threatening?"

"If one can die from desire, then I already have one foot placed irretrievably in the grave," replied Dorothy while looking up at her.

Relena asked suspiciously, "Why are you smiling?"

"You find it unsettling?"

"Yes, I do, Dorothy." Relena moved her gaze elsewhere. It had made its way to a pillow that was separated from the rest. Relena stared harder at it. There were indentations on the pillow. It was as if Dorothy had been clutching it while she slept. Strangely, Relena felt almost annoyed with it, as though it was mocking her from its position. If pillows could laugh, this pillow would have been doing a haughty one right at her. She found herself reaching for the offensive thing in her sight, but Dorothy pulled the pillow away before she could lay a finger on it.

While taking in Relena's surprised expression, Dorothy commented, "You wouldn't want to touch this. You can't imagine the things that seep from me when I sleep." After a few moments of quietly inspecting Relena, Dorothy found herself saying, "I've always wondered what it would take to get you here."

"Here?"

"At my bedside, looking as though you half want to stay and half want to retreat." Dorothy turned onto her side, away from Relena, removing her from sight. Dorothy embraced the pillow as she added, "Indecision is a look that fits you perfectly."

"And for some reason you can't bear to see that expression on..."

"Looking is unnecessary. I have it etched in my memory."

"Etched," murmured Relena.

"Your lips, how they part and then close and then open again as you try not to nibble on them. Your warm eyes looking up and off to the side. Your cheeks flush, almost mischievously, as though you're keeping a salacious secret. That is your variety of indecision."

"How long have you been...watching me intently enough to..."

Relena had whispered that unfinished question and Dorothy found herself whispering in return, "How long have I been watching intently enough to steal away comfort? Long enough to cause me to finally flee."

A few seconds passed before Relena responded, "I've...never been completely comfortable around you."

"That's fine," replied Dorothy softly. "If concern brought you here, then I'm even grateful for that." After a pause, she added, "Don't tease me by saying that you were motivated by more than concern."

Dorothy felt the bed take a dip. Relena was joining her and now lying down behind her. Relena spoke to the back of Dorothy's head as she said, "It was anger that brought me here."

"Anger?"

"For the past week I've been thinking: 'How dare she not show up.'"

A brief, incredulous laugh escaped Dorothy before she commented, "You never condoned the times for my visits. In fact, at most, I've gotten an air of tolerance from you."

"Despite that...I'd come to expect your visits, to organize my life around them. To have something secure taken away..."

"Was enough for you to take on the bearing of an Amazon, hunt me down, and use my door as a war drum," murmured Dorothy.

For some reason, Relena found that image appealing, or rather the comparison appealing. She had come to Dorothy's door with a fearless agenda. She'd felt daring and alive as soon as she found Dorothy's location. That bold feeling...it was refreshing and welcome. It felt...right.

Dorothy shifted in her position on the bed and then turned around to face Relena. The pillow was still in her embrace, securely tucked within it, as though it belonged there. She didn't mask a look of amusement as she murmured warmly to Relena, "You're frowning, dear."

Relena still wore a look of distaste as she said, "I just realized how absurd it is...to be jealous of a pillow."

"Absurd it may be," commented Dorothy while drawing closer to Relena, "but that kind of admission is all I ever needed to hear."