//------------------------------// // 2. Kissing a tourist (SylkWeaver) // Story: Twiggled: A RariTwi Exquisite Corpse // by SigmasonicX //------------------------------// Rarity leans a little closer at Twilight's lack of a response, curiosity quickly turning to a gentle concern for her impromptu tour guide. “Sitwee? Is everything quite alright? You’re looking a little red in the face… you’re certain you’re well enough to continue this tour?” Twilight’s eyes flick towards the royal guards that are still marching their way stoically towards them at the same pace as before. Her eyes flick back to Rarity, and then over to the alley which still contains the two men passionately making out. Rarity continues talking, blind to the disguised princesses internal turmoil. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed your company so, but if you require rest I would hate to keep you!” Rarity leans closer and finally invades Twilight’s space for the first time, reaching her hand up to the princesses forehead and laying her palm gently against it. With the exception of the castle's servants and her own mother, Queen Twilight Velvet, nobody has ever dared to do something as intimate as caress Twilight's face before. Rarity isn’t the only one surprised when Twilight kisses her suddenly. Twilight's brain hiccups and stutters slowly back into working order mid-kiss after having briefly short circuited from the barrage of thoughts. She screams at herself internally at her impulsiveness, glad to have her mouth occupied at the moment so that the screaming remains internal. She holds the other woman by her sides firmly, unsure where to put her hands. Rarity initially freezes up at the abruptness of the kiss, standing completely stock still. After a second of hesitation and confusion, she leans into the kiss. Wrapping her arms around her disguised tour guide's neck, Twilight's hands still holding her firmly by the waist. After a few years of incredibly confusing bliss, Rarity is the one that pulls away first. Having been so enveloped in the moment, Twilight is startled by the cough from behind her. “Erm, excuse us, misses?” Turning slowly to the source of the voice, she finds the two royal guards from before standing right in front of them. Twilight cringes back away from them, clutching gently at Rarity’s arm. Her dog, Spike, presses close to her leg, sensing her anxiety at the situation. She had gotten so enveloped in the kissing part of keeping people from coming after you that she had completely forgotten the incredibly crucial `diving into an alley` part. Twilight glances over at Rarity nervously and finds Rarity looking at her in turn. The face of the pale tourist that she kissed so abruptly is flush with color now. Her cheeks are a beautiful and rosy crimson, drawing Twilight's attention to the adorable dimples she has. Dimples caused by the smile she’s been making since Twilight kissed her. Rarity turns away from Twilight to look at the guards once more and Twilight's eyes follow nervously. “Ahem! Mmm, yes! What can we do for you two dashing gentlemen today?” Rarity recovers her composure much quicker than Twilight can, smoothing her bashful and slightly goofy smile away into the more polite smile she was wearing earlier. The guard standing slightly closer looks between the two slowly for a moment and Twilight swears that his eyes linger for a second longer on her before he pulls out a rolled up scroll. “We’re looking for some guys that look like this. I don’t suppose you’ve seen them?” Twilight tries not to let her relief at them not addressing her be too apparent. Rarity looks at the image for a while, tapping her cheek thoughtfully with a finger. “Not that I can recall. You’ll have to forgive me, officers, I’m not a local here. What about you, Sitwee?” Rarity’s eyes drift slowly over to Twilight. Twilight tries to fight the rising butterflies that Rarity’s look gives her, focusing instead on the sketch. Despite not going out of the castle before, the faces on the scroll look weirdly familiar to her. Twilight allows her eyes to drift with her thoughts, drifting towards the nearby alleyway. The two men from before are still sloppily making out. Spike growls a little from his spot below everyone, reminding Twilight that he’s there. Glancing back at the scroll, Twilight can see that the guard has followed her gaze towards the alley. He turns the scroll around, looking from it to his partner with a solemn nod. “Thank you, ladies. Sorry to bother you. We hope you both enjoy your stay here in Canterlot.” The two guards immediately turn to make their way over to the alley. Unsurprisingly, the two men they’re after don’t waste any time in beating a hasty retreat once they realize the guards are headed their way. Without even having to utter a word Twilight made it through that harrowing encounter with her kingdom’s royal guards. She turns to look at Rarity excitedly, the edges of her mouth turned up into a goofy smile. Rarity’s cheeks haven’t stopped emitting a rosy glow. With the two guards having left the two of them in peace, she’s allowed her smile from just after the kiss to at least partially come back. She coughs gently into her left hand, her right arm still being clung to by Twilight. “So, ah, not that I’m complaining of course, but… That kiss was-” Rarity doesn’t get a chance to finish whatever thought she was working towards as Twilight becomes suddenly very aware of their continued closeness. Letting go of Rarity’s arm Twilight starts sputtering out a hasty apology, looking around for anything that could be a good explanation for her behavior. Something that isn’t the truth of her deception and her actual identity as the princess. “Ah! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t- I just- You were right there and I panicked and-” She stops talking as a finger falls over her lips, her eyes flicking back to Rarity’s still present smile. “It’s okay, darling! I’m not mad! It was… it was nice.” Rarity’s eyes appear slightly distant as she says this, looking somewhere beyond Twilight for the briefest of moments. Her eyes refocus quickly and she stares intensely at Twilight. “But I don’t like to be toyed with, Sitwee.” Twilight flinches at the emphasis that Rarity puts on the fake name that she gave. Her eyes cast downwards guiltily at the thought. Twilight nods gently, knowing that Rarity is right. A soft hand takes Twilight's chin, tilting it up slightly so that she’s now looking Rarity in the eye again. The woman smiles warmly at her, bringing Twilight's spirits back up slightly. “What say we continue having a good time on this `tour` of yours and see what the day has for us, hmm? You’re very nice Sitwee, but I hope you can understand that I can’t exactly jump into the arms of someone I just met.” Taking a few breaths to calm her nerves, Twilight returns the smile as best she can. “Um, yeah, yes, please. I’m sorry. You still want to go to that bookstore near the temple?” “Hmmm…” The very pretty tourist turns away from twilight, “Well… I suppose it can wait. You’re my charming tour guide after all! Where do you think we ought to head next?” Despite what she just said about taking things slowly, Rarity doesn’t pull any punches with her flirting. The fluttering of her eyes mixed with the way she accentuates the word charming both work very hard to destroy Twilight's carefully rebuilt composure. Twilight curses to herself over having asked the question in such a way. This is still her first foray into the city and that book store sounded plenty interesting. She glances down at Spike, hoping that he would have some advice on the matter. Unfortunately for her he hasn’t stopped being a dog and can only give her what seems to be an apologetic head tilt. Or maybe he’s just doing that because that’s a thing dogs do when you look at them sometimes. A man in a poncho watches the disguised princess and the tourist closely. He flexes his accordion slowly like you would a muscle, slow enough that it doesn’t even make a sound. Finding the princess hadn’t been too difficult for a man of his skills. Her disguise isn’t even that good if he’s being honest. Then again, Senor Queso would never discount the effectiveness of simple articles of clothing at obscuring one's identity. But really, she isn’t even wearing a hat like he is, she just has some glasses and tied her hair in a ponytail. He tilts his head, letting the brim of his cowboy hat obscure his eyes slightly while he smiles to himself. It was a good effort, but some things really do separate the pros from the amateurs. He watches the two women interact from a distance, watching them share a kiss with great interest. With this new information, he takes the time to study the tourist just as closely as he has been studying the Princess. The Duchess Muffin had ordered the Princess to be brought to her alive, even if he had to hurt her. An idea for how to get the princess to come with him willingly is starting to take shape. He watches as the royal guards leave the women alone, rapping his fingers gently against his accordion. Years of experience tells him that it would be best to wait for a clear opportunity. He can be patient for now.