A full week had passed since Orion, her distant husband, left her in another man's hands to be led to a cabin below deck. Seven full days since her once lover had knocked upon her door and greeted her with a sigh of love. The gentle knock on the heavy wood came as she worked to straighten and feminize the large space, a folded chiton in her hand removed from a trunk laid upon the bed and destined for the chifferobe leaning against the wall. A frown crossed her delicate features and the blond brushed a hand through her hair, having removed the ties that held the braids back to allow the tendrils to fall freely about her. Orion. Who else but her husband would call on her? Although why he would knock upon his own door she-<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=181783.msg9818213#msg9818213">Quote from: Jane Storm on 07-04-2014, 18:12:12</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">“Love…”  <br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>That voice. It conjured bittersweet memories of nights wrapped in female arms, legs entwined and hearts synchronized in beat as well as love. With vivid clarity she could recall that silken pull of ropes binding and constricting her just as they send her spirit soaring. Only with one person had she ever felt the sense of utter freedom in servitude, only with one person had she given herself so completely. Yet it was that same person that sent her away. Some small part of her that still ached at the loss of her first love demanded she turn Eirene away. Daphne, young as she was, wanted to yell and scream and protest her ex-lover's presence. "Why..." She whispered, the fabric dropping from her hands to fall crumbled at her feet.<br/><br/>Unbidden she approached what she thought to be her lost love, her sandal-clad feet making no more than a whisper along the wooden flooring. With shaking hands she embraced the other woman, drawing the fiercely passionate brunette into her arms and close to the rapid drumbeat of her heart. Tears that she believed she had long since cried out slipped silently down her cheeks, landing delicately on Eirene's familiar flesh. Blindly, her heart ruling her actions, Daphne sought out her Mistress' lips, drawing her into a desperate kiss. Slim fingers bunched and tangled in hair, tugging at clothing and caressing gentle curves. Daphne would have slipped to her knees before Eirene had she dared break the kiss. Hungry as she was, their shared kiss felt as thought it were the young woman's only lifeline, breaking the connection would surely send her back into the abyss she had been struggling through since the moment Eirene sent her from her home.<br/><br/>Yet as the wind caught the wooden door and slammed home she was forced to remember the truth of their reality. Daphne was a newly married woman and, despite the reluctance in her heart, she made a promise to honor her vows and with them honor her husband. During their kiss the women had managed to make their way towards the bed so when Daphne pulled away she was force to tumble backwards onto the feather stuffed bed. Her marriage bed. With her heart pounding and a sick feeling twisting in her belly, she scrambled from the bed until she stood by the wall. Beside her, the open porthole permitted the oceanic breeze to filter into the cabin, catching and toying with Daphne's blond hair with a playful charm. Still large blue eyes remained fixated on the woman on the other side of the room from her.<br/><br/>"Why are you here?"<br/><br/><div align="center">~*~*~</div><br/>Seven days had passed since Eirene approached her and in those seven days they did little but speak. They spoke of what had happened since their departure from one another. Of what became of them. Of what would become of them. Little was left unsaid but it seemed an even smaller amount was determined. Daphne expressed her confusion, and after much prompting from her Mistress, told of her pain. Despite their past the young woman had vowed herself to her husband, how could she be asked to return to her former love after being pushed away? By the time Themistocles knocked on the cabin door there was little else for Daphne to say.<br/><br/>"Themistocles, thank you but we are doing well. The storm is getting worse though, isn't it?" Daphne rose from her chair to greet the sailor, a frown tugging at her lips. Approaching the man, she lowered her voice, afraid of offending Eirene in anyway. "Please, is Orion well? I have not seen my husband since..." Her voice trailed off and the young woman visibly flinched as she remembered the way his hold had immediately dropped from her waist before he turned from her. Before she could receive a reply a fierce wave hit the ship's port, causing the cabin's occupants to lurch and seawater to burst the glass keeping the porthole closed apart sending water pouring in.