Wide Awake

[Penelope Blaise]

Arms tightened around her form, but it was evident the thief was still sound asleep. She provided no reaction to the way she was kissed, and as moments passed Penny drew herself further into consciousness. Small movements were aware of the sleeping form curled next to her form, never shifting too suddenly to wake the girl who wasn't supposed to be there.

When she finally opened her eyes, she was truly as close as she had felt to be. Her eyesight blurred between proximity and her own tiredness, but as her eyes adjusted and she moved her head back a few inches, she was granted the chance to look. The thief always had woken up before herself; catching her asleep was a true rarity.

She looked so different. That harsh grin no longer existed, taken over by what looked like innocence. Asleep, she couldn't keep up her guard. For someone so rough, she was beautiful.

Staring as she did, it was only a danger, and as the moments passed, Penny quickly realized it as such. She wanted to stay and linger, and that within itself was threatening. So the senator reminded herself the call to work as she slowly tried to ease herself out of the hold she was in.

[Lucy Serrano]

Somehow, Lucy felt reluctant to let her go. She almost refused to let it happen, but there was only so much strength an unconscious hand could give. Fingertips loosened and dragged across her form only seconds later.

With the space free, it took Lucy a little time to reach across the empty mattress to idly find someone to cling to. When there was no one, she crinkled her eyebrows and groaned absently.

[Penelope Blaise]

Pulling away felt like a chore when there was someone who wanted her to stay, unconscious or not. There might not have been true strength behind those hands, but they still seemed reluctant to let go. It practically pained the senator as her feet pressed to the cool flooring. When she sounded disgruntled.

Penny continued nonetheless, readying herself for what could be guaranteed to be another long day of arguing. Clothes that had been tossed aside before were picked up and neatly folded by her desk. Next to them was a note; large, clear handwriting explained that she had to leave. That she couldn't leave. On top of the guards, there was something much more threatening. Daylight made it possible for anyone to catch sight of a person leaving the senator's home. Worse; a woman leaving her home.

And before she left, she returned to that bed. If only to the edge of it, she still leaned down, pressing her lips to her hair gently. Without the threat of being caught, the little stint of affection couldn't be helped before she made her exit.

[Lucy Serrano]

When no one joined her, Lucy had followed the instinct to sprawl out in the large bed. There was great comfort despite the fact that she was now on her own. She made the hint of a sound when lips pressed against her hair. Buy then she was on her own, and she slept for hours.

When she woke up, it was the middle of the day, and she dragged herself up with a jolt. Sleeping for hours on end was well beyond what she was used to; she pressed hands to the mattress and hauled her body up. Fingers dragged through her hair to keep it away and to one side.

"Fuck."

This was bad. So bad. It was ridiculous. She hauled her legs to the side of the bed and searched the nearby window. How guarded was this place during the day? She'd never been here before at this time.

Lucy caught sight of her neatly stacked clothes. She was tentative to catch the note left for her. Offensively large text was to drill the information into her brain. She was stuck here all day. Immediately, Lucy believed that this was the very reason she wasn't woken up. How thrilling it must have been to know Lucy was forced to wait in her home all day.

"Fuck." Again. But at least she laughed to herself about it.

She crumpled that note into a ball and tossed it to the table top, because it didn't matter anymore. She put her pants back on at least, and spent her time lining every pocket with whatever she could find. If she were to miss a day of work, someone had to pay for it.

[Penelope Blaise]

Trying to leave her place of employment early was a struggle, though mostly because she knew those that would take advantage of her absence. She was on the brink of a new law that would help those less fortunate - if the senator were to excuse herself, by the time she returned the next morning, it wouldn't be put into effect. So she stayed. Argued as she always did. It was exhausting, and in the end, it wasn't worth it.

Outvoted. It was hard to promise progression when she had to out convince the gold that lined her fellow senator's pockets. There was nothing to give them for personal gain, and evidently as healthy economy wasn't enough for them to change their minds.

When she returned home, she almost wondered why she had left it in the first place.

"At ease." Penny offered the guard at her front door. "You may take the rest of the day." She went on to further explain before pushing through the large front door of her estate. When she closed the door, she was immediately searching for the person she left that morning, quiet steps taking her further into her home as she wondered if she listened to the instructions left for her.

[Lucy Serrano]

Opening doors had Lucy more alert than she was used to being. She might have spent hours in a home practically wrapped in guards, and for that she had been careful, but she also understood the space. She could hide from anyone who thought they heard something.

The thief eased herself to the edge of a wall, careful to peer back and see the steps being taken. It was light. Dark eyes took on the sight of a woman first, and she quickly moved about the space to reposition herself. She wanted to be seen first; still shirtless with draping pants weighted by a heap of refined, custom silver.

Lucy looked relieved to see her. Happy, even. She was happy to see her. It was always good to see her. A second day a stare lingered for far too long, and she closed her eyes for a moment more. When she opened them, she grinned.

"Oh good, you're here," Lucy denoted finally, "I can finally run the thing."

And just like that, she was gone again, headed for the bathroom situated off her bedroom.

[Penelope Blaise]

Penny was unsure what to expect when she walked into her home. She supposed in part that she expected the thief to be gone. She wasn't the best at listening, but when she made herself known, it seemed as if she took consideration with the warnings Penny had written out for her. That was, of course, assuming the thief could actually read at all. It was still a questionable subject.

Dark eyes immediately caught sight of the state of dress Lucy was in. Or lack thereof. She felt the twitch of her lip upon seeing her, but her gaze was quick to drop down the length of a still exposed form, from her torso down to the sagging nature of her pants. Of course she would find something to fill those heavy pockets.

But before she could say anything, she spoke, and Penny's eyes snapped up, eyebrows raised as she silently questioned the thief. Except Lucy likely didn't see it; her back was already turning like she was on a mission, and Penny had no choice to follow her up to her bedroom, and then the bathroom.

"It looks as if you were busy." Penny pointed out smartly as she walked through the doorway.

[Lucy Serrano]

Though they fought, Lucy was always unknowingly full of the concept of compliance. She watched the way those eyes wandered her form like she'd never seen it before. More, she knew it would be appreciated. It was the very reason she didn't get as dressed as any other person likely would have. It had to be for her. Who else would it be for?

So she made herself scarce, if only for a second. For all the chasing she did, she deserved to be a little chased, even if it was just through someone else's home.

A voice followed her. Lucy didn't need to turn around to see her. It was actually a lot easier to handle her when she wasn't able to be looked at.

"You've gotta pay for my whole day." Lucy pointed out idly, staring at the bath this woman owned; "And the night, if I'm staying."

[Penelope Blaise]

At least here, there was her. It was the perfect distraction to come back to; the thief had her mind working within seconds of walking through the door. Had her heart racing the moment she set eyes on her. And while she couldn't look as much as she'd like to as her back was turned to the senator, Penny still walked closer. A hand pressed lightly to her back, fingertips drawing down the length of bare skin.

"I know the rules." Penny responded factually, but she wasn't bothered by them. Time spent in her home was time that could be used more effectively somewhere else. She had been taking the thief's company on almost a nightly basis. It was ruining a solid source of income that Penny had the ability to compensate for.

And so she reached into a satchel at her side, drawing out a heavy pouch. She wrapped an arm around Lucy's side, holding the pouch out in front of her. "Less personal." She explained. Because what could be less personal than coin?

[Lucy Serrano]

A turn of a single tap and Lucy then watched the way water started to fill. But she felt her entire body tense when a hand reached for her body. A hand followed the contours of her form completely, bringing the two of them closer. Lucy allowed it; more to the point, she practically melted into it. She had done her absolute best to avoid contact the second she saw her. It was the reason she moved away in the first place.

She raised a hand, holding steady to the literal money handed to her. The second it was in her possession, she swung a hand low and dropped it to the floor. Because really, it didn't matter.

And then she reached for her. A hand tracked back and curled around the back of her neck. She worked to pull her in. A body pressed to her own was far better than a single hand.

[Penelope Blaise]

There was enough weight in the bag to make those that she passed it onto pleased, Penny was sure. Yet that didn't seem to matter, she heard the thump of the pouch hitting the floor and it hauled a useless breath out of the senator. It was almost too easy to comply with the request; she pressed herself against the thief's back, arms tightening around her bare stomach.

Within such a close proximity, Penny was reminded of the way they woke up. How it felt to wake up with her, and how it felt to miss her throughout the length of her day. The tip of her nose dragged up the length of her neck up until she could press a precise kiss to the back of her ear.

"I wouldn't have expected you to know how to run a bath." Penny offered next with a drop tone. "Have you even had one before?"

[Lucy Serrano]

Truth be told, the money was far from Lucy's mind, despite how it already filled her pockets. A familiar body against her own dragged a useless breath from her lungs. It shouldn't have been so easy to distant her.

And true to form; she was already being teased.

"It's one or the other." Lucy didn't spare the glance towards either of the two choices when it came to running water. At least she knew she hadn't gotten it wrong. It looked hot enough.

And then she looked tentative, grateful that her eyes couldn't be seen given current proximity. "You're the only person I know who has one." She replied instead, carefully.

[Penelope Blaise]

Penny paid no mind to the running water, despite how she teased the thief for it, and despite how she was enthralled to know she had waited for the senator's company before starting it. The bathtub was certainly large enough to fit two. She pressed her lips again to behind her ear as she let out a breath that threatened humor.

"So you haven't had one before, then." She denoted on her own, palms turning flat against Lucy's stomach as they slowly trailed down her form. Her thumbs tucked under the band that was barely hanging from her hips with all the weight she carried within her pockets. Slowly, she started to inch the material down, though not working nearly as fast as she wanted to.

"You're free to use it as often as you'd like," Penny continued to explain. "I would go as far as recommending that you do."

[Lucy Serrano]

It was almost unfair to let her win so easily. From the correct denotion made to the way her hands seemed to have free reign on the thief's form, Lucy saw the way she allocated every piece of power back to the person who had left her here.

As such, it was getting harder to fight her already. "Your entire silverware drawers in those drawers." She pointed out, knowing they'd make a crashing sound when they inevitably hit the floor.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

[Penelope Blaise]

Though the thief's pockets were clearly full, Penny hadn't known just what she'd taken; she didn't know what she deemed valuable enough to be taken in her home. When it was announced as her silverware, she almost wanted to laugh. Of course Lucy would find the one set of items that were both practical and fine in her home.

Her head ducked down as she kissed her shoulder. "I figured if someone like you were still asleep, you likely needed it." Penny explained simply. She dragged that band down a little lower, allowing the weight of valuables to force them completely to the floor quite loudly. At least the door was closed.

"And it wasn't as if you would be able to leave then, either."