Awaking to a state of uncertainty, Astrid looks over to find Lesso calm for once. Astrid's face scrunches in tension at what went down last night. What if somebody heard? Stressing to herself, Astrid tucks herself back in the covers and stares at Lesso. Wake up... come on! She kisses her forehead, attempting to startle her awake. Instead, she places both hands on the sides of Lesso's waist and digs her fingertips in, tracing them back and forth as she tickles her tremendously. "Hey! Stop that you little bitch!" Lesso says aggressively in a teasing way. "Do you wanna go to the doom room?" Lesso raises her eyebrows, still pissed from being awoken. "Oh yeah, of course. I heard there's whips down there." Astrid pushes away from Lesso, but is brought back by Lesso's smooth arms. "Sh, you said you're still sore." Lesso shushes her and kisses her face. "What if somebody heard us..." Back to her overthinking self, Astrid picks her nails at the thought. "Astrid. No, I don't think so." Lesso shakes her head. Placing her coat around herself, standing over the bed. Uncertainty fulfils Astrid's blank canvas of a mind, infiltrating her day with a bad aroma. "Better get ready, classes start in about half an hour you need to go back over the other side." Lesso kneels next to the bedside, grimacing toward Astrid dearly. Astrid stares back unphased, too cushioned with lavishing bedding. "Don't make me throw you out of this bed!" That same lavish melts into charcoal piles as Lesso flicks the bedding off of Astrid. "But it's so comfortable-" Arms trace alongside the surface of the sheets, burning with friction; Lesso burning with determination, grasping Astrid's ankles to slip her out of the bed. "Oh stop whining!" Lesso's voice strengthens alongside her grip, yanking Astrid to the floor. "Ugh!" Disapproving of her own situation, Astrid slowly, sluggishly, scrapes herself off the floor. Right, I have classes to teach. Cannot forget that. But I don't know how I can just put last night behind myself! That was the best I've ever felt, ever. "Well then-" Zipping up the once excluded dress "-I must be off." Astrid smiles, smiling with vibrance amidst Lesso's darker than night bedroom. "Get back here, princess!" Lesso crosses her arms, smirking secretly underneath her septic behaviour. Astrid queries Lesso, spinning on her heel, hand ascending lightly above the door handle. "You don't just leave like that!" Lesso strides closer, heels snapping and clicking loudly. Astrid shies off, feeling as if she should retreat back into cold isolation. She attempts to act careless about Lesso's bitchy behaviour. Lesso's eye winks, shuttering away a fresh mint hue rapidly. The door, solid as ice, supports Astrid's spine - near ready to collapse and chip in fear. "You leave after this-" The wobbliness in Astrid's spine shifts to her knees, wanting to collapse in astonishment because of that sensation again. Lesso's hand, solid as ice, supports Astrid's back; allowing it to be somewhat stable whilst the rest of her melts underneath commandment of Lesso's vicious lips. She's so... alluring. Gasping for air and thought, Astrid becomes squeezed into Lesso. She feels like they're now not just separate. They're tied forever. No matter how many times a day Lesso terrifies her. No matter how many times she get's too aggressive or cynical. Astrid always finds something to love. Underneath the blood washed thorns is always something more delicate and breakable, like the stem of a rose. Lesso pressures the back of her palm deeper into Astrid's back, forcing her still. Her lips force and pierce Astrid's conjoined with hers. Astrid squeezes her eye's shut, squeezing Lesso's waist to control her growing urges. Eventually, the kiss separates. Leaving Astrid, back on the door, hand venturing toward the handle, cheeks red with blush and Lesso's lipstick. "No, no. You cannot leave with that all over your face, come here." Lesso handles her face, polishing it softer and cleaner. The blood red stain absorbs into Astrid's silky face, each press of Lesso's finger vanishes the colour like magic. "There you go." They both smile. Lesso's hands extend further down Astrid's face, deepening down onto her collarbone and shoulder where she holds them. The red stain, now truly blood red as Astrid's blood vessels explode inside her cheeks. Lesso notices and peers deeper into her soul, realising the effect as she smiles proudly, keeping Astrid in her grasp. "I'll see you later this afternoon, my love." Lesso pulls Astrid into her, coddling her tightly. "I love you Leonora..." Soft natured words echo amongst the fabric of Lesso's shoulder, seeping into cotton fabric of her coat. Lesso murmurs something into Astrid's head, interrupting Astrid herself. "Do not worry. Nothing will come between us, never ever." Astrid backs off, leading herself toward the door. "I'll see you later, baby." Astrid sighs, clicking the door behind her. What if something does come between us? This is all too good to be true.
Nothing significant happened on that particular Thursday afternoon. Everything academic was depleting. School was nearly out, the year was concluding and so were the teachers effort. Even Lesso and Astrid were exhausted. Post-exams were a rough time for both of them. Not only do they have to review the overall grade, but they have to endure disappointment from observing so many failing students. Them, as deans; want their school to do well, but that is not apparent within 50% and lower test percentages. Maybe it was the teachers? Maybe kids were getting dumber? Maybe it was them? Maybe the work was too hard, or maybe something else? Whatever it was, nobody may ever know unless surveys are conducted - which are pointless, no student takes them serious. Whatever it may be, Lesso and Astrid are wearing the same exhausted face everybody else in the school has. It's been a very tough year for both of them. Now it's finally catching up like a cat catching it's mouse. But who or what is the cat?
Lesso shuffles up the stairwell, slumping in-front of the door to her bedroom as she slips a key inside, unlocking the only physical place of comfort she has right now. She sighs, blankly staring at enveloped OCD in the room; shown in perfection stacked upon perfection, no dust visible. Misted windows hide any source of cloud shrouded sunlight, making everything greyer than usual. Lesso scoffs as she lowers herself on the bed, ripping off her high heels immediately. This is what you get for wearing 4-inch pin points on your feet all day, I guess. She chucks the high heels in the air, awaiting the stab of the pumps to penetrate into the floorboard and descend loudly. Lesso herself descends forcefully onto the bed, back straight as a pole on the bed as she stares at the celling, listening to the clattering of her heels falling. She exhales stress, sucking in peace. Now, I truly can relax without having to feel so on edge in those heels... literally. Her eyes close, her mind closes. She's just here, omitting a near translucent presence with her rare serenity. She lays on the right, reaching her hand over for something that's usually adjacent her. Expecting smooth, silk, strands of glossiness; instead met with imagination, no sense being met makes Lesso annoyed. Where is she! It's half four... ugh. Realising how desperate she really has become makes Lesso worried for herself. She's never once been this attached to somebody and this new feeling is very overstimulating for her. She's not used to such social interaction constantly. Lesso's head staples neatly ontop of the pillow, her eyes seem to staple shut as she does not want to open them until she knows it's worth the while.
(BAD ENDING)
Hours - more like ten minutes, pass. Lesso restlessly flinches at the noise of knocking. Expecting Astrid, Lesso smiles and excitedly voices, "Come in, baby!" She never has any other visitors anyway. No response at the door, just slow, ominous creaking raises Lesso's concern. "Astrid? Are you ok?" To no avail, Lesso arches upward on the bed. The door fully pushes open, revealing a shock: Professor Dovey.
"Clarissa..." Lesso scowls and exclaims at once, she cannot believe what she's seeing. Her whole world is flipping upside down again, her brain is taking the toll first; feeling like the apocalypse. Professor Dovey walks in, shuts the door and crosses her arms disappointed. "Look, Clarissa-" Professor Dovey shushes Lesso, yelling right over Lesso's cautious but riling up words. "Don't even explain anything 'Leonora'!" Dovey mocks Lesso's name. "You ruined my life! You got me banished for some selfish fantasy you were too lazy to retrieve yourself!" Dovey oddly towers over Lesso for once as she pushes herself higher, standing above the bedside Lesso sits angered upon. "I was not lazy! If I was lazy, I wouldn't have done anything. You're the lazy one! You always frolicked around in your stupid princess gowns, doing nothing!" Lesso yells, pointing her finger right in Dovey's face, wanting to pierce her knife like nails into her arteries. "Oh, shut up! I don't care, Lesso!" Dovey balls her hands, attempting to throw them toward Lesso before stopping herself as Lesso screams in annoyance. "How the fuck are you here anyway. Why are you here!?" Words fall silent as Dovey tries to cool herself down, before the big main event. "The school master wanted me back. I don't know why, he just insisted on doing so..." Dovey opposes innocence, Lesso raises an eyebrow, growing furious each second. "You know about Astrid?" Scared for her own life, Lesso masks it with infuriation. "Yes, Lesso. I do, I know a lot about her and you-" Not buying Dovey's snarky tone, Lesso throws herself off of the bed and pushes Dovey into a wall. "What the fuck do you mean. Tell me everything, right now. I'm not letting her slip away from me all because of you!" Dovey laughs, in a petty way. "That's rich, especially coming from you, Leo-" Lesso shoves her into the wall further, flaming like a fire. "Do not call me Leo!" Lesso grits her teeth, scrunching her eyes into even more of a hood shape, sharpening them into an overly angered form. "Why not? It seems Astrid enjoyed doing so last night?" Dovey snickers, causing Lesso to snicker her face into a maniacal smile. "You better shut your god damn mouth. You know damn well I could break you in one snap." Both their chins raise, Lesso's to intimidate, Dovey's out of some form of fear. "No, I'm not gonna shut up about it since you two didn't clearly want to shutup! I cannot believe what I overheard. I got told to go to your room to confront you about my arrival, but then- I heard that going on!" Dovey seems stunned, so does Lesso as she realises. "Well you better keep that god damn mouth of yours shut around everybody else!" Lesso picks up her cane and flicks Dovey's chin up with it even more before going to sit on the edge of the bed, observing Dovey's behaviour closely. Why would the school master make her go to my bedroom at night? That's the most unprofessional thing ever, everybody knows to not disturb anybody at night time... something's not adding up. Dovey smirks and seems to be being wary of the outside world as she keeps standing in front of the door and acting antsy. "Leave!" Demands Lesso. Professor Dovey seems to be warning her of something as she softly says. "Are you sure? You might regret it..." Lesso nods, very confidently. "Of course, go ahead. I rather suffer than be around you any longer." Lesso smirks, not knowing what's coming for her. "Alright then, have fun suffering with this. You bastard." In the slamming of a door, the opening and the slamming again. Dovey retrieves what was hard out cold on the floor for the past ten minutes. Dovey's hands drip with bright red, the rose leaks red as it melts into nothing. The blood is overtaking the rose, shrivelling it into non-existence, a fragment of history. "Well?" Says Dovey, dragging behind the means of Lesso. Lesso freezes, hands balling into something more than just a regular fist. She stabs herself with her nails, feeling like the fault in everything as she stares at what she now has to live in misery for, forever. I thought I escaped misery. I thought I broke my curse. But my curse retaliated and broke me harder. Lesso as an entirety stiffens, unable to comprehend what her eyes are displaying to her. That same dress that was once unzipped, displaying beauty now is zipped up; containing the blood and tattered skin. Luscious waves of hair now fall flat, resembling straw of a barn, riddled with dead life. Eye sockets once containing the shiniest eyes ever, now stay stationary in one position forever. Lesso is bewildered, shocked. She notices that she must've been dead for hours now, rigor mortis is clearly upon a once bubbly woman she once called her love, her princess. A princess... she should be alive, enjoying her life but now... she's unrecognisable. "Yes, Leonora. I did kill her. You took away my position at the school so I took away your means. The school master summoned me again. He couldn't destroy you himself so he called on somebody you'd never expect to see again, and guess what? I'm back for good." Lesso is defenceless, something she's never experienced and endured. She's truly pained this time. So in pain she can't even express any hatred or evil, she's so numb, so cold. "I would kill you, but... I think this punishment will be even more exquisite if you have to live with it forever. Like I had to live for ages miserable and a waste after you got me banished." Dovey drops Astrid's body to the floor. Lesso leaps out of bed and screams, kneeling next to Astrid. She holds her head up, leaking tsunamis of tears to the floor. "This is fucking insane! You just got banished! You didn't lose a fucking loved one! But guess what? You're back now anyway... you got what you want!" Lesso's anger rises again, burning through the ice that is now her heart. "Exactly! I did what you did, I had to ruin somebody else to get what I wanted! Thanks for sharing your special formula. I've been through both sides, I think it's time you do as well." Dovey slams the door shut, locking it from the outside. Lesso bashes her fists against the door, tearing her knuckle. Fuck! She falls back to the floor, smashing her backbone and ass smack hard on the floor. She winces in pain, resting on her elbows as she looks at Astrid; sending cuts of tears down her cheek, slicing them with their heat and pureness. "Astrid... no..." Lesso whispers under her breath, rubbing Astrid's head like she always used to. She lifts the rose, the final petal in her fingertip and it crumbles immediately turning to ash, crisping up like flames. Lesso searches in the drawers, locating a lighter. Her nail snaps trying to light it, but she eventually does. She holds it directly to her nose, watching the flame twist and flare like the ends of her hair. Time to experience what your sister went through. The woman who led me to you. Lesso smiles, shuttering back tears as she extends her arm to the carpet, watching as the candle sets alight to the fabric. It spreads immediately, catching to the curtain nearby. Suddenly, the flames ascend, levitating in the air as they twist and grab for nearby objects to attack. Eventually everything in the room is crisping up. Lesso smiles as her, herself, crisps into obscurity. Time for a new rose to grow.
(GOOD ENDING)
"Lesso?" Slithers Astrid's voice, chirping pleasantly. Lesso rubs her eyes and groans in an enticing way. "How was your classes, baby?" Lesso straightens her back against the headboard, looking outward to the charcoal coloured skies of the Never school. "Oh you know, the usual-" Desperate hands curve around Astrid's hips, flinging her body back into the lap of Lady Lesso. "-The students are just tired, not bothered... they just want the year over with." Astrid sighs, finding a pleasure in her stressful life - that being Lesso.
"I think we're all tired, princess." Lesso slowly bounces her leg up and down, Astrid blushes at the roller coaster like feeling. "I just hope you aren't tired of me, I am certainly not tired of you." Lesso winks, feeling up Astrid's poofy dress sleeves, slowly inching down toward her chest.
"Let mommy please you, darling." Lesso says in a smoky voice, sounding deeper and more attractive than ever with a rich accent.
Oh god... her voice alone makes me leak like a waterfall. Astrid nods her head, Lesso removes her from her lap and lays Astrid on her back, caressing her chin and jaw with fine tipped nails. Astrid can just feel her skin tearing, it turns her on. She can't contain herself and reacts aggressively, slamming Lesso's body down onto hers. Astrid moans deeply into Lesso's ear. "Fuck the stress out of me, now." Lesso smirks and starts unzipping the back of Astrid's dress, holding the small of her back with one hand. Astrid's face smooshes into Lesso's chest and it's the best form of suffocation she's ever experienced.
Lesso fully zips the back of Astrid's dress off, only maintaining a loose and unstable piece of laced fabric clinging to her chest and torso at the front. "Oh just look at my little princess." Lesso chuckles, blushing with confident eyes. Lesso places her right hand in the middle of Astrid's chest, caressing it up and down. Becoming startled with a knock at the door.
"Lesso!" Astrid whispers loudly. Lesso throws Astrid back under the covers and wraps her up, brushing herself off and walking toward the door, furious at the interruption.
"What!" Lesso screams into the hallway, being met with a familiar voice.
"Leonora?" Softens Professor Dovey. She stands blankly, observing Lesso with intrigue and hate. "Oh god." Mumbles Lesso. Why is she back here! I thought she was gone for good! "Why are you here Clarissa?" Lesso crosses her arms, barricading the door way. "Lesso. There's no need to hide it. I know you have another woman in there. I know. The school master informed me about everything. And that's why I'm here. He wanted me to come and put a halt to this by murdering Astrid, hoping you'd flip and kill yourself in the end. I of course could not do this. I'm sparing your life, Leonora." Professor Dovey has a shiver in her tone. Lesso looks dumbfounded. "What's gonna happen if you don't get rid of us?" Lesso relaxes her stance slightly, surprised that Professor Dovey wouldn't take any opportunity to destroy Lesso's life as Lesso obviously destroyed hers. "I don't know-" Professor Dovey's silhouette dissolves as something else appears infront of her.
"Well, I do." Rafal levitates a few centimetres above the floor, standing in the midst of the two women. Lesso's face freezes, Dovey has a look of optimism in her face. "As I have told your girlfriend, I'll always be floating around. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I've already helped you. I killed my brother." Rafal delivers upfront and forward, the two women are frozen in disbelief and excitement. "So who is the school master?" Asks Lesso, not believing anything her once untrustworthy boyfriend says. "You and Dovey. There can't only be one because you're both evil and good, if one took over, everything would be unbalanced. You both need to rule and bring harmony and balance back to this school." Rafal calmly states, Dovey sighs and shakes her head. "No." She steps forward, holding Lesso's shoulder. "Lesso and Astrid should rule this school. Astrid is the current dean of good, it only makes sense. I know you want me because I've had more experience than her. But I think Astrid has already had well more than enough experience in such a short amount of time, it's impressive." Astrid perks herself out of bed, sneakily zipping her dress back up and steeping toward everybody else.
Lesso wraps one arm around her and holds her tightly, protecting her from nothing. "Yes, Rafal. I agree." Lesso says intrigued. "Well, sure then. As long as there's no more issues. I'm over dealing with this." And before he can even say goodbye, Rafal vanishes in an eye blink.
Professor Dovey smiles lightly, taking her cue to leave. Before Astrid dashes after her.
"Hey! Don't just leave. We need a new teacher around here... we need somebody who can take over the dean position." Astrid smiles down upon Dovey, Dovey turns around and her eyes flicker. "Really? But I thought I was gone?"
Astrid shakes her head in response, "Lesso got what she wants. You're safe." Astrid laughs slightly, tapping Dovey's shoulder. "Now, you know what to do. Go prepare yourself! I'm sure the students like you more than they ever liked me." Astrid smiles as she watches Dovey frolicking down the darkly lit stairwell, knowing she will be in a place truly fitted for her persona soon. Astrid sighs, and turns back to witness Lesso standing tall in the corner, awaiting her. They both exchange a smile and a burst of laughter. Astrid bursts into Lesso's arms, Lesso catches her and spins around with her in her arms. Lesso rubs her nose against Astrid's and kisses her face, smothering her until Astrid can't take it anymore. "I told you, my little princess. It would work out!" Lesso sounds super ecstatic, she kisses Astrid one last time before taking her back in the bedroom.
"I guess we won't be needing this anymore?" Lesso stares at the withering rose and retreats to the window, tempted to let it fall back into its harsh nature.
"No." Astrid responds, curiously observing.
"Time to give it back to nature. Maybe it'll last another century or two, but hopefully nobody else will ever have to use it as you and me will be changing the rules of this place." Lesso watches the rose twist and turn into the dense grass, melting into the darkness. Becoming nothing, just like their harsh past. It's only greatness from here on out.
After all, they're in charge now.