[GP] Midnight Carnival

[st_aff]

Once, back at the beginning, Songrans had started the Carnival at midnight and ended it an hour later at one minute past. At least, it was reasonable to suppose they had, but, in truth, it had been such a long time ago, it was an article of faith rather than fact. Nowadays, Midnight Carnival began when the sun went down and ended when it came up again. It had been wryly suggested by many more than one Songran that it ought to be renamed "All Night Carnival," but somehow it never was. It made for convenient fiction on the Day of Kosal that all licentiousness had taken place in a single, short, non-existent hour, and so it remained as it was.

What it was depended on who did the describing. It might be wild twists of fortune at games of chance tended by sloe-eyed men and women in brilliant costume. Or it might be fine rice wine sampled from one end of the street to the next until the world spun like Samnang's wheel. For lovers of the Youngest, it might be greasepaint and cartwheels or blindfold-tag in a crowd or blowing soap bubbles at passersby. Chanda's devotees spent the night in sexual revels or romantic trysts under firework strewn skies, while enterprising followers of Vanna might find selling candy or trinkets or operating currency exchange more to their delight.

As soon as the sun set, buildings vomited forth a brightly festooned sea of humanity lit by colored silk or paper lanterns. The night smelled of sweetened puffed rice, rich and salty fish dumplings, spicy chili-fried insects. Turn a corner and chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, gave way to sweat, smoke, wine and sex. By midnight, the Carnival resembled nothing so much as a bejeweled caterpillar comprised of myriad masked and painted faces, in wild distortions of ecstasy, agony, and joy.

Comments

[st_arcrossed]

It wasn't a surprise to hear the woman enjoying herself during the feeding but it was definitely nice to hear the soft moans and whimpers that came out of her. They were almost a distraction from how closely Rebekah listened to her heart but she wouldn't slip. The woman cared for her and that meant something to Rebekah even if she had no real idea who she was. It soothed something in her too because it had been a long time since someone had cared so opening.

Then she heard the soft whisper of how much the woman had missed her and she tightened her arms around her in response. She only drank a little bit more after that, just enough to sate her for awhile, before running her tongue over the bite mark and lifting her head.

Licking the blood from the corners of her lips, she eased back to look at Regina. "Are you okay?"

[st_oriedqueen]

Regina's tongue dragged over her own bottom lip as though she'd been the one feeding and her eyes came back into focus gradually. "Hardly. But that has nothing to do with the feeding."

She felt the emotion churning and the tears trying to form and flow, but she swallowed them back like she'd done for the better part of her life. Then forced up a smile instead. "A man, of course."

[st_arcrossed]

One brow lifted sharply when Regina first started to answer because she was sure that she had been careful in feeding on her but the look switched to one of understanding when the other woman clarified that a man was at the heart of the issue.

"Isn't it always?" She asked somewhat dryly while running a finger over the bottom of her own lip. "Do you want to get a drink and talk about it?"

[st_oriedqueen]

"Yes," Regina answered with an uncharacteristic lack of reserve. "I do. Very much." She wanted the comfort of friendly commiseration so much that Rebekah's presence tugged at her like a magnet.

"But not tonight." She reached out again, her fingertips to Rebekah's elbow in a gentle caress that promised it wasn't a rejection. "You need time to get used to me again. And I need--" Not be holding her against the standard of her other self, expecting what Rebekah couldn't yet give. "To get back to the inn before Snow worries. Maybe we could have breakfast this week?"

[st_arcrossed]

Rebekah started to nod before pausing when Regina decided that they would meet another night instead of continuing where they were. It made her wonder but she didn't argue as she nodded her head slowly, allowing herself to be soothed by the touch to her elbow.

"Of course." She hummed. "I'm in Room 183 if you should ever need to find me."

[st_oriedqueen]

"195," she answered. "And likewise."

Resisting the urge to lean in and kiss Rebekah again, Regina instead brushed the hair off the other woman's cheek and smiled, unknowingly wistful. "Please don't be a stranger." I couldn't bear it.