Atop the Phoenix Dawn

Akeya's first reaction to seeing this airship was confusion, given its rather unusual shape and method of levitation. It looked like Leila had gotten herself a flying fortress which didn't bother with either wings or hot air, but instead stayed afloat through the power of magic and fire. Looking it over from a distance she concluded that while it definitely helped create space for other things and removed some glaring weak points it wasn't necessarily stealthy either. She herself would prefer using her own wings, or otherwise her magic of light and dark.

However she wasn't here to judge or criticize Leila's new airship, as interesting a design as it might have. She was here because she wanted to check up on Leila. When they parted the last time around the goddess appeared to have gained a handle on the dragon magic that now flowed through her body, but the dragoness wanted to keep an eye on things to make sure the integration truly went without further incident. Dragonfication, as it was called amongst the mortals, was often an unpleasant experience as the mortal body tried to resist the changes. While she didn't think her friend would suffer the same discomfort Akeya was by nature a cautious person.

Besides, it wasn't like she needed an elaborate reason to go visit Leila. They were partners after all. The only reason why she may need an excuse is why she'd fly all the way to the goddess's new airship for a visit.

For now the dragoness was hovering a fair distance away from the flying vehicle in her humanoid form, considering her method of approach. She'd be stupid to assume that a ship like this wouldn't have defensive systems, including some very dangerous ones. While being in the sky kept you safe from a lot of mundane dangers the dangers which did show themselves tended to be the kind you really wanted to have a response ready for. Would those point defences treat Akeya as hostile...? Maybe in her dragon form. While it couldn't hurt to be careful she would assume that Leila at the very least had made sure her airship wouldn't try to shoot Akeya out of the sky.

With that in mind she closed in at a rather lazy speed, descending from her higher altitude at the same time (Akeya found herself most comfortable when she was flying high up, higher than pretty much any other terrestial creature would find comfortable). The descent was uneventful and over fairly quickly, and soon the dragoness was standing on the deck looking around for signs of the goddess. She could sense Leila's presence and magic but it seemed the abundance of magic in the construction of this airship was taking some getting used to.

She turned her head when someone other than Leila hurriedly approached her, the dragoness turning her body to face this stranger fully. However before she could speak the other woman was already getting to the matter at hand. "You're Akeya right? I assume you're here for Leila?" The dragoness gave the busy woman a quick bemused glance before nodding. "Yes. Where is she?"

The answer was a finger pointed towards the opaque dome at the front of the ship. "She's in there at the moment. I don't think she locked it so you can just go in." With that she bustled off, leaving the dragoness mildly amused at the energetic lady before walking over to the large dome-like protrusion. Given that it was at the very front of the ship and that it was made of glas she assumed that it was the kind of design where you could see out but not in. Some kind of command centre? Except it smelled like herbs and... hot water...

The assassin stood there for several seconds, weighing her options, before entering the small extension attached to the back of the dome. As she had expected going by the scents it quickly turned out to be a preparation area like you'd see at a public bathhouse. While wondering what kind of ideas that busy woman on the deck might have in her head the dragoness obediently removed her clothes, pushing them into the shadows to store them away before going through the showers.

Having cleaned herself thoroughly she stepped out into the bath itself, blinking at the amount of herbs and petals that adorned it before her gaze homed in on Leila.

Of course, given that Akeya hadn't been in a hurry and Leila had the power of foresight, the goddess might already have been aware of Akeya's arrival...

Akeya definitely hadn't expected that reaction. She knew that Leila wasn't exactly the type to run around naked but she'd have thought that the goddess would be fine with sharing the bath with other people... especially since this ship had a really big bath which you could never justify as belonging to a single humanoid. And it was too shallow for a dragon in its true form.

"Uhm... Leila?" She called out with some confusion as she watched the other woman flounder about in her confusion. Luckily with the depth of the water there wasn't any serious risk of drowning unless Leila somehow managed to knock herself unconscious. Once the goddess had resurfaced and asked her rather startled question the dragoness raised an eyebrow before walking over to her. "I wanted to check up on you and one of those people outside told me that you were in here. Didn't you see me coming with foresight?" In contrast to Leila Akeya was showing no inclination towards covering herself, her natural confidence and pride (and vanity) effectively obliterating any sense of shame. Especially given that it was natural that in a public bath you'd end up seeing other people naked, and they'd see you naked as well.

Unless Leila moved away Akeya would sit down about a meter or two next to the goddess, making herself comfortable as she looked at Leila. "While you've been adapting well to the rose dragon's essence so far I wanted to make sure there weren't any further complications. I know you're not human but you might still endure some of the same issues they do when the dragon essence takes hold." Her emerald eyes shot down for a split second before returning to meet Leila's blue eyes, the corners of her mouth curling into a smirk. "Although it looks like you're adapting very well indeed."

Akeya raised an eyebrow at Leila moving backwards, but didn't say anything about it as she just sat down and let the warm waters of the bath wash over her body. Although she had to admit that she had to get used to having so many herbs and petals around: it seemed like they'd be a hassle to get rid of when you got out and they were sticking to your wet skin.

She did take notice of Leila's apparent discomfort, although it didn't prevent her making herself comfortable next to the silver-haired goddess and talking to her. She didn't think that the embarrassment was justified in this situation and she held confidence that if she just pushed through Leila would also regain her mental balance. Despite her getting flustered by something as simple as Akeya entering the baths she did have plenty of mental fortitude.

"That's good to hear. Still, you should remain careful for a while longer at least. It could be that there's complications slowly building up underneath the surface. Given your progress so far I think you'll be fine but it never hurts to pay a bit more attention to things."

As she spoke she silently compared her own draconic features to Leila's. It probably was just because of their different body types, but it seemed like the goddess's features were a lot more slender than her own. Akeya, being rather tall in her humanoid form, had a tail which, while smoothly tapered and flexible, also looked like she could smash apart boulders with it if she wanted to (which she could). While she didn't doubt that Leila could also unleash devastating attacks with her tail once she'd become more used to it the red flexible limb looked more whip-like.

"I didn't expect you to be so flustered though." And in the end Akeya was still as blunt as ever.

Akeya's ears widened as she listened to Leila's heartbeat slowing down to a more mundane frequency. She wondered if she should tell Leila that with some practice she could get used to using her ears and nose to pick up information on people that said people would rather remained hidden. For now it was just a useful trick to keep track of just how flustered Leila really was.

Wanting a bit more freedom of movement the dragoness moved away from the edge of the bath, in the process turning slightly. This was because she wanted to spread her wings without hitting Leila with them, at the same time also stretching out her tail flat along the floor of the bath.

"Good." With Leila having agreed to keeping an eye out there wasn't really much left to say on that subject. Akeya had done what she initially had been planning to do, namely check up on Leila. The reason why she didn't immediately leave was because she was actually finding this rather pleasant. The amount of plants in the water was unusual but it was nice and warm and the scent of the herbs was nice.

"If you're so flustered by being seen naked, why did you decide to take a bath in a public location? I know that only people on this ship could intrude but I'm pretty sure there's more than just you and that girl outside." She said this rather nonchalantly as she raised her tail out of the water to watch droplets slide down and then fall from the very tip. "Besides, it's not like your appearance is anything to be ashamed of."

Akeya looked at Leila when she heard the rather strange sound the other girl was emitting, then returned to looking at the way the water flowed along her tail. Although she blinked with clear surprise when Leila explained that this water was meant to both nurture and regenerate mana inside people. Scooping up a handful of water with one claw she looked at it before letting it flow back into the bath.

"Really? That explains why this place feels so comfortable. For creatures of magic like you and me that makes this bath even better for relaxation." She figured that the reason she hadn't noticed it was because she'd been focused on Leila. And hadn't expected something like this.

Raising an eyebrow she listened as Leila stuttered her way through her response, Akeya shrugged with her hands up. "That's one of those silly customs humans have I guess. That said..." She fell silent for a moment before leaning backwards while at the same time her tail sneakily moved underwater until the tip could slowly move up Leila's spine. "What was that last part? I didn't quite catch it."

Akeya had to admit that Leila had done a good job decorating the baths, if it was indeed Leila who was responsible for the design. The layout was a bit lavish, and some people might say that it was excessive in showing off, but there were all kinds of art and the dragoness could appreciate showing off a little bit. At least in these kind of settings where it didn't get in the way of efficiency. The decorations didn't hinder the bathing experience, and ideally speaking this dome wouldn't have to be prepared for any form of conflict... although Akeya always preferred to opt into extra caution when it came to places where hostilities might occur.

It really was pretty nice here, which may be part of the reason why she decided to toy with Leila the way she did. Maybe this place just made her feel enough at ease that she was willing to play around a bit. Maybe she was taking Libra's advice to heart and being a bit more open and physical with the goddess. Whatever the explanation was, she had to suppress a chuckle when Leila suddenly shot out of the water as if stung by a wasp.

However if the silver-haired maiden were to look at the dragoness she'd see that Akeya's eyes were closed and her expression relaxed, as if she wasn't even fully paying attention to what was happening. Although the way that the tip of her tail was now swishing from side to side above the water made it clear that she was completely aware of the situation.

"I thought you said something interesting so I was hoping you could repeat yourself for me. Also, Libra told me that physical contact is important, so I was hoping a light touch would help you compose yourself a little." Not a single twitch on Akeya's face to betray either deceit or amusement. Instead she opened one eye slightly to look at Leila, only a slit of green visible between her lashes. "I'd like to help you be at ease, but that won't work if I don't know the exact problem."

While Leila was busy regaining some of her composure Akeya thought about the best way to handle this. She'd been enjoying herself so far, but she was guessing that by this point she either had to commit or back out. Lingering on the line between would eventually stop being amusing and probably just frustrate Leila to the point that she'd demand that Akeya leave. Or leave herself.

Of course one question to answer was whether she really wanted to commit. It wasn't like what she was thinking about had zero consequences... but on the other hand, it was the mortals who exaggerated the importance of these kind of things, or how careful you had to be with it at least.

Another question was whether Leila would actually go along with it if she decided to commit. Going by the scents and the sounds Akeya gave herself good odds, but she couldn't say for certain. She may have the more dominant personality but she couldn't actually force Leila into anything, given that the goddess was still the stronger one.

"Only attractive? I'd almost be offended. But, well, if that's what's bothering you... I can think of two ways to fix that particular issue."

Lifting one claw out of the water she extended one finger and used it to beckon Leila, her tail making the same motion. "Come here." Her voice wasn't harsh, cold, or even demanding. It just carried the tone of someone who most definitely wasn't expecting there to be any disagreement, and that sliver of green between her lashes was focused on Leila with Akeya's usual intensity.

If Akeya was annoyed by Leila not doing as she was told she didn't show much of it. She just let the softest sigh escape past her lips while her tail sank back down into the water. Other than that her expression and position were the same as before, her claw still upraised as if Leila's remaining stationary was just her delaying her actual reaction.

"You say you're bothered by the fact that we're doing this despite not being an intimate couple. There's an easy solution to that. Come here." This time she snapped her fingers... which for some reason produced a spark of light. Not bright enough to blind, but definitely distracting if one wasn't expecting it. And Akeya really hoped that it was strong enough, because at the same time her tail shot forward to wrap around Leila's waist, pulling her straight into the bigger dragoness's lap.

If Leila didn't resist or escape she'd then find Akeya's arms wrapped around her, the olive-skinned dragoness looking her in the eyes with her own emerald orbs which actually seemed a bit softer than usual. "The easy solution is to be an intimate couple. Makes sense doesn't it?" Her tail in the meantime uncurled from around Leila's waist to instead coil around the rose dragon's tail, the twilight dragon's wings also spreading out to form a protective ring around the two of them.

Akeya was honestly curious how Leila would react to her rather blunt advances, although she did hope that it would be a positive response. Aside from the fact that she did actually want Leila to accept the offer there was also the fact that if Leila rejected her that would make future interactions more problematic. And the dragoness didn't want to deal with that.

Of course that just meant she wasn't going to give up easily. She wanted to be considerate of Leila's wants and needs since that was what you did for people you actually cared about, regardless of whether you were a dragon or a god or a mortal. However at the same time being a dragon she also had a strong urge to make sure she got what she wanted, even if she needed to be very relentless about it.

"What kind of problem are you talking about?" As she spoke she lowered her head until their foreheads were touching, her emerald eyes almost appearing to have a faint glow to them as she kept looking straight into her friend's blue orbs. In response to Leila's demand to be let go she eased her embrace just a little, enough that the goddess could try to squirm free if she wanted... although she'd have to do so while her tail was still encircled by Akeya's.

"Are you saying you're not attracted to me? Or do you think I'm not attracted to you? Is there some oath you swore not to get intimate with me or anyone else?" A soft sound emerged from her throat, like a rasp or an extended chirp. Her tail gave Leila's a soft squeeze while her scaled fingers gently traced circles on the goddess's back. "If you really want to get out of my embrace you could do it without even harming me. So just be honest and explain what kind of problem there might be with this." Her reptilian eyes were half-lidded now as her voice lowered to a whisper with just a hint of a hiss to it. "I can smell your arousal and hear your beating heart, and I think by now it's obvious that the attraction is mutual. What other objections could you have?"

Akeya could clearly hear Leila's heart beating furiously in her chest, and while she wasn't showing it as such the other girl might also be able to sense that the dragoness's heart was also pounding stronger than usual. Despite her demeanour Akeya wasn't made of ice, so in situations like these her blood would rush the same as for anyone else. The fact that it wasn't as apparent on the outside was simply because she wasn't the type of person to show much emotion no matter the circumstances.

Still, she was trying her best to at least make Leila feel like the twilight dragon wasn't hiding anything. She waited for Leila's response when the goddess managed to regain enough of her composure to close her eyes and think things through, then blinked when that response was for her to doubt Akeya's sincerity. The line of reasoning wasn't entirely strange, but it still left the dragoness startled for a moment before narrowing her eyes slightly.

"I do understand enough about these kind of things to know that what I'm doing right now isn't something you do just to get closer to someone... But if you want me to prove that I know what I'm doing..." One of her claws moved up Leila's back, cupping the back of the goddess's head. Lowering her head Akeya finally closed that last gap, pressing her lips against Leila's while her tail squeezed her friend's tail.

Now that she'd gotten started Akeya wasn't intending on stopping. She was by nature cautious and liked to think things through before she acted, but once she had set herself a course there was little that slowed her down. The nature of the predator was to be thoughtful but decisive, because while a reckless leap might land you in trouble a hesitant leap was doomed to fail.

Once Leila's lips had parted Akeya's long reptilian tongue slipped past them to wrap around the goddess's tongue, the dragoness deepening the kiss as the claw not supporting Leila's head held her a little tighter, pressing their bodies together while the tip of her dark tail stroked Leila's rose-coloured tail as the remainder of Akeya's fifth limb gave another soft squeeze. She could feel that Leila was still having some trouble accepting all of this but she could also tell that this was confusion and shock rather than revulsion or rejection. Her plan for now was to just keep going and hope that Leila would snap out of it and accept it... and it wasn't like she had much of a choice at this point. She was pretty sure that if she abruptly quit now it'd do more harm than good. It might make Leila think that all of this had just been part of a tasteless joke.

And beyond that there was the fact that while Leila wasn't exactly reciprocating her body wasn't resisting either. Akeya could feel the warmth radiating from the silver-haired maiden. It combined well with how her body didn't pull back or resist being guided by the twilight dragon's claws, although for now Akeya was going to keep to the kiss until she'd felt some kind of real response from the goddess.

It was a pleasant sensation when she felt Leila begin to move in response, pressing deeper into her embrace and returning the kiss. While the goddess's movements were still a bit clumsy the dragoness took that as enough of a sign that Leila, despite her original hesitation, had accepted Akeya's advances. Which meant that she could now be a bit more aggressive than just a kiss.

The scale-covered hand which had pressed Leila's body against her own moved to rest on the woman's thigh, stroking it while Akeya gave the goddess a muffled low moan as encouragement. While her tail remained wrapped around Leila's the tip wormed its way between the silver-haired lady's legs, getting itself positioned even as the dragoness finally decided to cut off the kiss, or at least pull her head back for less than an inch so she could speak to Leila with a rather breathy voice.

"Sso... Do you accept my ssincerity?" There was a slight hiss in her voice and her eyes had regained their usual intensity, even if at the same time they still possessed some of that... something which they usually didn't have. It wasn't that they weren't hard or sharp, but that they were really, truly looking at Leila, appreciating who they were looking at. The kind of quality which was reserved for when you gazed at someone of true importance.

"I wissh to make thiss an occassion to remember, but I also wissh to hear your assent firsst."