In Your Honor

Light leaked into the halls of the fine estate, exposing dust particles upset from their resting place on the furniture and floors. With the strokes of a broom and a duster, more dust was displaced and miniscule filth was corralled into a pile. When the grit was assembled into a considerable mound, a pan was placed onto the floor and the mess swept into it. Deposited into a trash bin, the young man, named June, stowed his broom and pan, breathed a sigh, and plunked himself into an armchair.

"Finally, aaaall done. How are you doing with the dusting, Elime?" June was a young man, 24 years in age and wearing it well. His skin had a peach hue, and was sun kissed in select places. He was principally petite in build, reaching only 5'4" in height with his hips being his only wide point, his rear generous in pliability. On his ring finger, he wore a silver ring with a sapphire set into it. He craned his neck to see the nearby maid, his blonde, shoulder length locks twisting behind his head.

"Almost finished Mr. Stetz, just getting the dust off a few more shelves!" the girl maid, who was in her older teen years, was indeed feathering the shelves gracefully, sometimes standing up on her toes to reach the highest ones. Her maid outfit was simple and utilitarian, devoid of frills or lace. She had a black bowl cut framing her ebony skin, along with rounded prescription glasses. "There we go, finished!" She adjusted her glasses and placed her hands on her hips, proud of her work.

June pulled himself out of the seat, and came into the neighboring room where Elima had finished her work. He looked immediately pleased; clasping his hands together, he chirped "Oh, wonderful, Elime! You did great work here! Here, let me get you your payment." June walked into a nearby room, searching for his coin pouch.

Elime was happy to receive such praise. "Thank you again for the job, Mr. Stetz. It's nice to have all the funds I can get to spend at the festival."

June walked back into the room, pouch in hand. "I should be thanking you, you came on such short notice!" Pulling the pouch open, he plucked out several coins and held them out in his fist. "Here, 40 Novas."

Elime held out her hand in open palm, and June let the coins fall out of his hand into hers. "Perfect, thank you kindly Mr. Stetz." She then pocketed the coins and went to pack away her cleaning tools. As Elime stooped down over her bag, she asked "So why exactly did you need the house cleaned so soon? There's the festival and parade going on and all, and I figured you'd be the type to attend."

June giggled a little and answered, "Me and my wife are going out for the festivities, yes. The thing is that we're actually hosting a party for my wife's military friends and their significant others after the parade, and I want to make sure the estate is as orderly as possible for the night."

Elime had a glimmer in her eye, surprised with the answer. "Oooh, fancy meeting of the armed forces? Discussing all sorts of secret operations?"

June giggled again, and waved his hand in a politely dismissive manner. "Oh no, Mahaud said that it's usually just a bunch of old pals talking about the good old days over drinks and hors d'oeuvres. I would hope they wouldn't just be disclosing secrets in the open like that."

Hoisting up her bag, Elime extended her hand out to June and said, "Well either way, I wish you all the best with the party!"

June shook her hand and smiled cordially, "Thank you Elime, hope you enjoy the festival!"

Opening the door with her free hand, she began to step out, "I will, thank you again for the work, Mr. Stetz! Goodbye!"

As she stepped out and began on her way, June held the door open himself and waved farewell, "Yes, yes, have a nice day Elime! Buh-bye!" As their waving ended and Elime turned to depart out of the small courtyard and onto the road, June closed the door and retired back onto the armchair. Spying the grandfather clock across the room and getting a read of the time, June contemplated to himself. "Hmm... I should have an hour or two to myself before I need to start freshening up. Just a quick power nap..." The young lad cozied himself into his chair, and closed his eyes.

A lone, horse-drawn vehicle was travelling down a road within the capital, the gravel it tread replacing the usual cobble in the inner city. It was something between a carriage and a stagecoach; it was pulled by two horses, held three upholstered benches, one being for the driver up front, and had a roof with a compartment for luggage. The driver was comfortable in her seat, reclined with the reins in both of her hands. She was dressed in a white button up dress shirt, a sharp black vest with blue tie, along with black dress pants and boots.

Mahaud was the woman's name, and she was a well built woman, 36 years of age. She had a caramel skin tone, with black hair and green eyes. She would be rather imposing if not for her relaxed mannerisms; she stood 6'5" tall, and weighed a little over 220 pounds. A lot of that weight was from muscle, with a little being pudge from her role in the military transitioning from field work to desk work, as well as her share of recreational drinking. Her black hair was a small mop upon her head; while curly and out of line, her bangs and such scarcely hid her forehead and ears. On her ring finger, she wore a silver ring with a sapphire set into it.

As her horses trotted down the road, her estate came into view. For the term "estate", it was a modest establishment, but was still rather impressive compared to other homesteads. The path leading up to it from the road was a similar cobble one would have within the city, and it was walled all the way around, the property being about one hectare in area. Through the wide gates of the wall, the cobble path led up to a circular courtyard that laid in front of the house and had a fountain in its middle, big enough to provide a horse a bath. Surrounding the courtyard was a nicely composed garden, which June enjoyed tending to during his spare time. There was also a collection of outside furniture along with tables, as well as a stable built for sheltering horses and carriages alike. The couple were rather avid party hosters.

Opening up the carriage, Mahaud picked up two crates up off the floor of the cabin, one stacked on top of the other. There were plenty of other of the crates to carry in, but Mahaud wanted to be careful with the cargo. They were cases of various alcohols, from rums to fine wines. She had gone into town to stock up for the party, and she wasn't about to drop one and waste her money and time.

As she budged open the door with her elbow, she called into the house, "Honeeey, i'm back!" She walked all the way into the kitchen, and deposited the two crates into the pantry. She paced back to the front door, which had the staircase for the second floor right next to it. "Honey, I got the-- ohh, wow."

June was gliding down the stairs, dressed in one of his more sophisticated, impressive dresses. It was a grey, knee length slip dress, hugging his chest and waist but more loosely surrounding his knees. He also was adorned with a maroon silk scarf, limply wreathed around his neck, and had dark red court shoes that clicked on the staircase as he waltzed down. His face was modestly fashioned with makeup; bright red lipstick, some soft, pink blush, with some eyeliner and mascara complementing the green of his eyes.

"You look gorgeous, baby." After June reached the bottom of the staircase, Mahaud wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You really are just..." she gently brushed a lock of June's hair off to the side of his face, to drink in more of the refreshing sight before her. "Stunning."

June giggled a bit as Mahaud released him from her hold, and replied, "Thank you, dear! You dress pretty sharply yourself." June straightened her collar and tie, as well as smooth out the wrinkles in her shirt sleeves.

"Well, what can I say, I--"

Before she could finish, June stood up on his toes and started fingering her hair, with his other hand placed on his hip. "But you really should do something with this gnarled mess on your head."

Mahaud pointed her eyes upward, scanning the scant few bangs she could see without a mirror. "What do you mean, my hair looks uhh... " Looking over at a mirror nearby, she evaluated her hair and shrugged. "Looks pretty alright. Besides, I still got some beverages to carry in so if you'd excuse me!" She ducked away outside, preferring to avoid her husband's grousing over appearances.

June then had both hands on his hips, and called out after her, "Alright, you do that, but when you're done I will have a comb and bottle of hair gel with your name on it!" He then turned to the kitchen and started preparing the hors d'oeuvres for the party. As the two went about their task, June laying out foodstuffs on platters, and Mahaud hauling in the drinks, they went through a back and forth with each other, discussing their day and poking fun at each other. Their subjects varied from gossip, recent feelings, to some playfully raunchy interactions. For instance, Mahaud pinched June's bottom, making a comment on it's round softness. June then pinched Mahaud's paunch, saying it was one of the softer features between the two. Indeed, it was a soft spot for Mahaud both physically and a little emotionally, but June assured her that he rather liked it.

Mahaud stepped through the door with the last two crates, completing the pile of refreshing alcohols. Mahaud adjusted her neck and shoulders, and turned to walk out of the pantry. When she stepped out, she looked down to see June looking back up at her with a bottle of hair gel, a paddle comb, and very sweet and innocent intent in his eyes. She breathed a sigh, "Alright, I can't say no to those eyes." June hopped up and down, and started pushing Mahaud over to the mirror she looked into before. She stopped and looked straight into it briefly, then June's grabbing of a small step block distracted her. Placing it down and standing on it to get a vantage point on Mahaud's hair, he began working out the kinks in her hairdo. Mahaud winced here and there as the knots were undone, asking for him to be more gentle.

"I'm trying, honey." After her hair was satisfactorily set straight, June put the comb away and began rubbing the hair gel onto his fingers. With only about half a minute of some plucking and stroking of Mahaud's hair, her look was not only presentable, but rather august. "There! Now you look simply ravishing!"

June stepped off the block, while Mahaud appreciated the new look she got. "I always forget, you really are the best when it comes to good looks." Mahaud grabbed June's waist with one arm and gave him a peck on the cheek.

June flaunted his own hair, "What can I say, you need to be your best when you're married to the best."

Mahaud smiled, and began gently pulling him along to the door. "Alright, shall we get a move on?"

June grabbed his handbag off from a nearby table, and answered, "Yes, let's."

The two stepped out, Mahaud still holding snugly onto June's waist with her right arm. As they reached the carriage, Mahaud moved her arm from June's side to make a rather extravagant gesture towards the vehicle. "Would you prefer the cabin, or the front seat?"

June smiled, and placed his hand daintily into her's outstretched. "The front seat, with my lovely escort." Mahaud tenderly helped him up the high steps, and then sat herself behind the reins. With a flick, they set out from their property, looking forward to the night ahead of them.

With the sun a fair bit past it's zenith, it gave a warm and lively glow to the town in it's celebration. It was a day that the whole city, even some people from surrounding ones, would get a day off to really enjoy themselves. It wasn't a set law that businesses couldn't open that day, but doing so could be enough to be seen as a scrooge. Some businesses, on the other hand, would only open on this day; craftsmen who spent the whole year creating their stock, or food vendors capitalizing on the huge crowds.

June was walking about with one of both products in hand; a skewer full of strawberries dipped in chocolate, and a paper bag carrying an intricate, ornamental mask. Mahaud was also enjoying her own treat, a tiny bag of various dried fruits. Finishing her bag, she spied a glance over at Mahaud with his fruit skewer.

"Hey honey, could I maybe have a few of those?" She reached her hand up in a prepared grasping manner, having eyed them for a while.

"Sure! Here," June bit one more strawberry off the skewer and gave a delighted nom noise, "You can have the last few." He held it up to her, but only slightly before Mahaud snatched it up, eagerly biting in to the chewy treat.

"MMMh, sho sho goodh!" Mahaud proclaimed with her mouth full of strawberry and chocolate. She gave a swallow, "Real sweet and soft, like someone I know." She grabbed June's hips and pulled him in, taking another bite off the skewer.

June made a rather pleased noise, and wiggled a bit in her grasp. While he didn't try to remove himself from her, June looked about and murmured up to her, "Dear, we're in a bit of a public space for this, aren't we?"

Chewing on another strawberry, Mahaud gave a shrug. Gulping again, she replied, "It's a festival, i'm sure there are plenty of other young lads and lasses holding their own lad or lass."

"Sure, but that's because they're young, they're bold about such things. We're a bit more... mature than that, I suppose?"

Mahaud gave a brash smirk, puffing out her chest a bit. "Maybe, but i'll always carry my boldness with me."

June chuckled, "That's so corny I love it!"

While Mahaud's confidence deflated a bit, she still took it in stride. "But it's true, you know. Ever since I got you, showing you off has been one of my great joys, if not the greatest. As well as showing off to you..."

June brushed his head against her chest, and looked up to her with cattish curiosity, "Oh? And how are you going to do that today, Major?" He began to appear more comfortable in her grip, enjoying where the conversation was going.

She scanned her surroundings while eating the final strawberry, and it was then she realized that she was surrounded by perfect opportunities. Their aimless wandering led them to the street games, lined up with various tests of strength and skill. To the layman they posed serious challenges in gaining their various rewards, but to a military hero, especially one operating on such high stakes, they were very much child's play.

"Here, how 'bout I win you a prize or two?" Finished with the skewer, she tried to toss it into a trashcan a good few meters away. To her chagrin she put too much power in and the stick bounced off and away from the far edge of the receptacle, which led June to a barely restrained laughter. For Mahaud the stakes were even higher now.

The first victim- or, challenge- in Mahaud's venture was a sharpshooting stall. It was rather unique, for the challenge was held together by some magical and fantastic display; a streamer would be shot a good fifty feet into the air, and the contestant had three shots to hit it and light it aflame. The gun was particularly weak, and the streamer was very vulnerable to flame and friction, so there was essentially no danger present. On the back wall of the stall, there was an array of various decorations made of metal; wind chimes, sun-shaped plates, wind spinners, all kinds of fine pieces.

As Mahaud approached the woman running the stall, she placed down the entry price on the counter. "I'd like to give this a shot or three, please!"

The woman, an older gentlewoman with a rather refined look, pocketed the coins into a change apron she wore, and picked up the pistol from it's display. "Are we aware of the rules of the game, here?"

Mahaud was handed the pistol, got a feel for its weight, and answered "I think I get the gist; three shots, one streamer."

The woman nodded, but added, "If you're particularly skilled, and or lucky, you can hit three different streamers, so long as you use only three shots total."

Mahaud also nodded, and asked with a finger raised, "Mind if I try quick drawing for each shot?"

The woman gave a shrug, casually flabbergasted by the proposition. "Be my guest, but i'll say upfront that the only reward you'll get for that is self satisfaction."

Mahaud holstered the pistol in her pants' pocket, and gave a thumbs up. "All I need. I'm ready." She was also intentionally facing away from where the launched streamers would end up.

The woman primed the launching contraption, and before pulling down on the firing mechanism, said "Good luck!" With a strong pull, a streamer bolted out of the machine, and was already nearing the height of it's arc within a second. Within that same second, Mahaud had pulled out the pistol and was already in the process of levelling on the target. For just a couple more seconds she aimed at the streamer, which was gently waving in the air from it's lofty position, before it met a sudden and fiery demise to a lone shot.

June, as well as a few coincidental onlookers, gave some cheery claps at the show of skill, while the woman behind the stall gave an entertained whistle. "Well well, we got a fine sharpshooter here! You ready for the next target?"

Mahaud holstered again, and gave another thumbs up.

"Coming right up!" Yanking on the firing mechanism again, another streamer came howling out on a similar path. With the same razor sharp motion, Mahaud had her pistol drawn and aimed at the skies, although she took a few seconds longer to fire then previously. Sure enough though, the streamer was shot right in the equivalent of it's gut, flashing into fire and dissipating. "Beautiful!" said the woman, rather enthused by this stranger's show of proficiency.

The same small crowd that witnessed the previous shot were also getting excited, and were most certainly paying attention to how well the third shot went. June was deeply entertained as well, but was torn on whether to focus on his love's impressive moves, or the dazzle of the streamer bursting into flame. It would make more sense to keep his eyes on the results of her effort, but he really couldn't help gazing at her in all her dashing nature; Her posture was well poised and strong, and whenever she drew the pistol he could see the strapping muscles in her arms at work, even underneath her sleeves. The display lit up the magic of her handsome appearance, reigniting a smoldering passion.

The clunk of the machine snapped June out of the trance, his eyes choosing to follow the streamer. They hardly followed for very long, however, as it only got a few dozen feet into the air before the shot stopped it dead in its flight. The whole crowd had a moment of shock, before reverting back to even greater heights of praise. June's eyes fell back down onto Mahaud, desire burning even brighter inside him now. Even if it was just a victory over a festival game, she looked every bit the noble hero; a noble, handsome, strong and... sexy hero. June wasn't the type to give a pining gaze to just anyone, but he was feeling particularly romantic for whatever reason. To him in that moment, her body was both familiar and exciting. With her wide, strong stance, her presence was something he craved to give himself to, just to feel her strength and weight press comfortably around him. Seeing the outline of her powerful frame, he wanted to re experience just what she would do to him if she was given the chance.

He regained composure of himself, gently reprimanding himself in his head for suddenly devolving to such thoughts. He skipped lightly to her side, stood on his toes and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Mahaud received the gift gladly, and gripped him on his waist like before and turned him back to the stand.