Hotel Auberge

“Oh,” remarks Naoki, placidly.

Moving from the doorframe to the closest chair in the foyer, Naoki seats herself on the edge of it, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. This position, combined with the robe she’s wearing, would give anyone directly ahead a bit of an excellent view, but the seat chosen places Skarlet off to Naoki’s right.

“Oh,” she remarks again, lapsing into silence for the space of another few moments.

“Well,” she begins, “Kate and I have reached an understanding, wherein we recognize the cravings of the flesh and the pinning of the heart as distinct, and often differing. At any given moment, and even now, I miss her, and long to see her. To hug her and kiss her and spend time with her, and do all of the things that we like to do, because I am happiest in her presence. That’s love.”

“But then simultaneously, I am a woman, and a rather salacious one, at that. My body, like any other, has cravings. Desires to breed and be bred are natural among almost all beings, as natural as fear, or hunger. Reproductive instincts are necessary for the continued existence of beings as a thing that exist. That’s lust. Beyond that, my… upbringing, if you’d like to call it that, has played a role in making me an especially libidinous person. For whatever reason, Kate seems similar in that respect, and as women, the both of us often long for things that the other cannot provide.”

Placing one cupped hand in the vicinity of her groin, Naoki draws the hand upward in a curved motion before bringing it back down on the same path, alluding to just what sort of organ neither she nor Kate possesses.

“But I digress. If she and I were to spend all of our time together, not much would get done. Either her plants, shop, and livelihood would die and fall into disrepair, or I would be unable to administrate Isra effectively. With this in mind, we both recognize that we cannot keep the other fully satiated indefinitely, and out of respect, do not disallow each other from sleeping with others. When I get back, I’ll likely tell her about last night’s encounter, make her a somewhat jealous, and then ravish her until such a point as she is no longer jealous and can no longer walk in a straight line. She may do something similar.” With this, Naoki offers a small shrug.

“I don’t mean to say that this relationship I have with Kate is normal- it’s not, or that you necessarily have to accept it, or mirror my values as your own, but I feel like it was important to articulate the state of things. If Kate had a problem with my dalliances or expresses one in the future, I would not be participating in such activities and would stop immediately, respectively. But… she doesn’t, as far as she’s told me, so I see no harm in having a bit of fun, as so long as my heart still belongs to her, things are honest between us, and I make love to her with more passion than any other. And it does, they are, and I do.”

“As for the spying… I would rather you not, really, but don’t worry too much about it- don't feel bad. I don’t have anything to hide from you as far as my personal life is concerned, and the only things I intend to keep from you are matters of the state that would make you a valuable prisoner, such as sensitive information about Isra’s military, or plots that are underway. If you’d like to know something in the future that knowing would not endanger you, just ask.”

With this, Naoki offers Skarlet a small smile that is intended to seem reassuring but comes off as somewhat weak, as if tired, or defeated.

Shrugging a bit and nodding her head, Naoki acknowledges Skarlet’s statements. It takes Naoki a few moments to parse the concept of not having at least one partner with which to do lewd things, but after a few moments, she responds, “Well, I think I sort of see what you’re getting at. Not quite sure what the best course of action might be, though. If all you’re looking to do is explore yourself, it would be very easy to simply invite anyone- you look good enough to get a queue of thirty or so gentlemen at any given point at The Sun, more if you announce as such beforehand.”

“But I don’t think that’s quite what you want. Less quantity, more quality, and reliability. If I understand correctly, you’re looking for a partner, as opposed to just any stiff prick. And in that regard…”

Naoki trails off for a moment, diverting her gaze to the side and ruminating for a few moments before continuing, “I’m not quite sure what advice to offer. Kate and I happened across each other more or less entirely by chance, and the relationship that followed is something that just sort of happened when we both came to the realization we were attracted to each other and it turned out that we’re compatible with some sort of romantic level that I can’t really speak to. Before I met her, I had no intentions of maintaining a romantic relationship of any sort- only ones of sexual nature, and that was and is very easy for me.”

“... So I think the most you can probably do is start looking. If you come across someone that you think you might like to have a relationship with, talk to them, learn more about them, and try to see if your feelings are mutual. If they are- great, go ahead and take them on dates or however, and see how it turns out. Even if they’re not ‘the one’, there’s no innate harm in maintaining and then ending a relationship as so long as you’re careful about it and honest with yourself. If your feelings aren’t reciprocated, that’s also fine. There are lots of people in this world, you shouldn’t agonize about each one.”

“Beyond that, I think you should be honest with yourself from the get-go. For a while, I had feelings for Kate but I was confused and unwilling to admit them to myself. Don’t do that. And consider what sorts of qualities you might like to see in the sort of person you’re looking for. You don’t have to be too specific, but for example, Kate is an optimistic person. She’s always bright and cheerful and looking at the better side of things. This serves to offset some of my pessimism and cynicism, and it’s very good for me to have someone to whom I can speak about personal problems and have them comfort me and tell me that it will be alright. I appreciate that in her a lot, and it leads me to doubt the possibility of maintaining a romantic relationship with someone who isn’t like that, or is too like myself as far as cynicism goes.”

“But you might want someone who’s funny, who can make you laugh. Or someone who’s strong and protective of you. There are a lot of qualities that one can appreciate in another, and you should consider what sorts of qualities you might be looking for in a partner. It’ll give you some ideas about what you might want to look for. Similarly, you should consider what sorts of things you wouldn’t like to see in a partner. For example, I don’t very much like individuals who attempt to assert their dominance or superiority verbally. Talk is cheap and any king that has to say that he is the king is no real king. Someone who does that sort of thing would turn me off very quickly, and I would be unwilling to deal with them in any capacity more than I must. You ought to think about what qualities would make an individual unsuitable for you, and keep them in mind.”

“As for actually locating individuals… I don’t have many ideas about that. There are lots of people in Isra. Lots of people come to The Sun and The Eclipse, and it would be fairly easy to approach them there. You could also try other establishments in Isra, or hang around The Citadel if you were so inclined. There are also plenty of people here in Gauldin. Lots of children of nobility who stand to inherit their parents’ holdings. That sort can often be conceited, but they’ve got good manners, generally speaking. You could also visit other nations- The Expanse might be good, or post some manner of notice that you’re seeking a partner. Young men would be crawling out of the woodwork to present themselves to you, and one might be to your liking.”

With this, Naoki offers a shrug of her shoulders, as that’s most of what she has to offer for the moment. She remains as she is, sitting silently to gauge what Skarlet thinks about what she’s presented.

“Alright, we can try to find an artist today if you’d like, but don’t apologize for that. You’ve got one, singular parent, and as it, it’s my responsibility to talk to you about these sorts of things. I don’t mind doing it, and you didn’t interrupt anything, so there’s no reason to apologize. I would encourage you to consult me on whatever you might like to.”

After reciprocating the hug, Naoki leaves one hand on Skarlet’s shoulder, holding her at arm’s length for a moment.

“Before we go- if you’d like to go, I’m going to clean myself and put some clothes on. Even if you would rather wait until tonight, I’m still pretty sticky so I’m going to get clean regardless. Consider how you might like to proceed as I’m doing so, perhaps.”

With this, assuming Skarlet doesn’t offer a complaint or otherwise dissuade Naoki from leaving, she would proceed into the next room over, the bedroom she is using, and through there, to the attached bathroom.