Tigris leaned her head against Kai's neck, laying next to him so closely that it felt like their bodies were melded. Warm heat was rushing through her in a fury, searing her heart with pleasure. A gasp of surprise billowed out from him, and she chuckled lowly, feeling him shiver as she lazily peppered his strong cheekbone with kisses. She felt him smile against her neck. She wasn't sure how long they'd lain there, but she knew she stay forever.

The door creaked open. Kai startled, but Tigris' laid down a lingering kiss.

"Come back later!" she called.

There was a pause. Then there was water being spritzed at her face.

Tigris could only sputter, swiping droplets off her face as she rolled off Kai. The poor man was so flustered that he nearly fell off the bed. Tigris leapt to her feet, ready to yell at whoever had interrupted them only to find Roche standing over them with a spray bottle and a flat expression.

"You said an hour," the maid said in greeting. She then glanced at Kai, and her face warmed with sympathy. She bent over, helping the man to his feet, "Hot damn, Kai. Looks like you had fun." Roche said, her voice bubbling with laughter.

Kai's cheeks darkened with a blush. Tigris felt a warm thrum of possessive pleasure when she realised his cheeks were stained with lipstick imprints. Roche grinned at him, spritzing a rag before handing it to her friend. Kai wordlessly began to rub at his dark cheeks. Tigris watched a clear drop of water travel down his jaw. Her lips tingled with the memory of pressing her lips against that strong bone-

Another spray of water sprinkled against her burning skin. She spluttered, meeting Roche's flat stare.

"No more of that! You have half an hour before you're expected in the throne room!" Roche snapped, tucking her short hair behind her ears with a roll of her eyes.

Tigris huffed, glancing down at her dress that was speckled with droplets. "Now what am I going to wear?"

Roche barely spared her a glance. "It's barely damp. Now, your love can wait for when your makeup is redone and your hair is in the updo that it was an hour ago! Honestly, next time can you please keep the pins in your hair! I know you love each other, but that hair took ages to do!"

Kai made an adorably squeaky sound while Tigris scoffed. "Oh, don't pretend to know anything about love, Roche!"

The moment the tease slipped out of her lips, Tigris regretted them. She was suddenly cognisant of exactly what day it was, and the exact cause behind Roche's sullenness that she'd been carefully avoiding.

Roche straightened, her face darkening. Her voice was perfectly level as she met Tigris' eyes.

"I suppose I know nothing," she said.

Tigris' cheeks burned. "Roche-"

"No, princess. You know how foolish I can be. Think nothing of it." Roche replied, her voice falsely sweet. She turned away, hiding her face from sight. "Now, let's go do your makeup so you can have fun celebrating today."

Tigris bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Her face was stinging like she'd been slapped. Kai looked confused. He furrowed his brows at Roche's back.

"Is everything alright?" he asked gently.

Roche turned back around. If Tigris hadn't been watching closely, she wouldn't have noticed the strained look in the maid's eyes.

"Everything's peachy, Kai," Roche replied, her voice barely hinting at her former displeasure, "I just want to make sure that our resident brat has all the fun she wants tonight. Even if that fun entails pins, laundering, meals, and plenty of booze. Sounds like a blast."

The response was perfect, exactly what one would expect from a weary maid who needed to look after her lady. But each word felt like a carefully aimed arrow pointed straight at Tigris' heart. When she opened her mouth, Roche's eyes darted back to Kai pointedly. Tigris pressed her lips together. For whatever reason, clearly Roche didn't want Kai knowing about her former lover.

Kai seemed to take the hint. He rose quickly, glancing between Tigris and Roche curiously all the while. "I should probably go," he murmured, "The king is waiting."

The words were a jolt. Tigris stood, her gown tangling around her legs. "How is he today?"

"Better," Kai told her, his eyes warming, "He's talking and moving around. He even asked for dinner."

Warmth flooded Tigris' heart. He was getting better. "Is he well enough for the celebration?"

Kai nodded. "He should be. I think it'll do him some good to speak to some courtiers."

"Right. Could you have him ready, then?" Tigris asked. Kai nodded, retreating to the doorway. He paused next to Roche, taking in her carefully curated expression. He leaned in, whispering something in the maid's ear that made her bite her lip hard enough to draw blood. Kai gave her shoulder a squeeze, shooting her a sympathetic look before exiting.

The door shut with a thud behind him. Silence stretched awkwardly between them. Roche heaved a long, slow breath before turning back to the study, laying out various brushes.

"Have a seat, my lady," Roche said coolly. As always, she'd managed to make the title sound like the gravest insult. Tigris let it slide.

"I didn't forget what happened to you all those years ago."

Roche's eyes were pained and smoldered with anger as she regarded Tigris. "You don't have to explain yourself to me," Roche replied matter-of-factly, "You don't need to keep track of my life. I'm just your maid."

The words stung. Tigris' cheeks flamed as she winced. She'd often told Roche that she was just a maid but she'd never thought that Roche believed the words.

She strode across the space between them, grabbing the younger woman by the shoulders. Roche struggled for a moment, her eyes glittering with ire.

"Unhand me-"

"I thought that the celebrations would help distract you today," Tigris told her bluntly. Roche immediately stilled, her cold mask dropping for bewilderment.

"What?" she asked, gaping.

Tigris nodded. "You've always seemed so distant on this day. And I know why. But I figured it might help to stay busy with... me. And your friends. I never intended to ignore you. Especially not today of all days."

Roche gaped at her for a moment, and Tigris had to add, "Did you really think I'd forget?"

Roche visibly collected herself, looking away and blinking hard. "You are the princess, Tigris. I know you have more responsibilities than looking over your idiot maid."

Roche's voice sounded so small that Tigris felt a flare of anger.

"You are an idiot maid," she muttered, "But you're still my maid. Watching over you is my job."

Roche's face finally softened, a small smile surfacing on her lips. Tigris felt a rush of relief and elatement, like Roche had handed her a gift on a golden platter rather than a simple grin.

"Thanks, princess," Roche said softly, "I appreciate that. More than you know."

The knot of worry in Tigris' chest unclenched, and she finally sat down so Roche could finish her makeup. She closed her eyes as Roche dragged the brush across her eyelids.

"You know, I still think it's a bad idea to hold celebrations on the eve of the griffin attacks. The families of the other victims might not be pleased," Roche pointed out.

"They've all been invited, consulted, and compensated for their time. We're celebrating the lives of the lost today along with Eris' arrival."

The brush stilled for a moment. "That's... thoughtful of you." Roche said after a beat, something akin to pride in her voice, "Did you come up with that idea?"

Tigris snorted. "Did you think it was one of those stuffy old nobles from my father's court that thought of it? Of course it was me! They actually wanted to ban the families from attending, and the commoners! And cut off the compensatory pay to the families of the knights who had been killed in the attacks!"

Roche growled. "Animals, the lot of them. You better have a more empathetic court waiting."

Tigris chuckled. "Believe me. I'm not waiting until I rule to get rid of those monsters. My father and I will be having words when he is well enough."

"Good."

Roche quickly touched up Tigris' makeup, reapplying a thin layer of lipstick. Then she went to work on the gown, hoisting Tigris up to her feet. Tigris was content to watch the quick movements of Roche's deft fingers. Honestly, it was a miracle that the girl could be so clumsy in all other things except her duties.

Roche was hand sewing the last adjustments with quick, neat strokes of her needle, biting off the thread. Her eyes ran over Tigris appreciatively.

"You look amazing," Roche said, quiet amazement in her voice.

Tigris felt her body warm at the awe in the woman's voice. Something about the wonder shining brightly in Roche's eyes made her heart pick up speed. She tried to look as bashful as she felt as she prompted the frozen maid. "And my hair?"

Roche shook herself out of her apparent reverie. "Right." Roche cleared her throat and got to work. Tigris felt every brush of her fingers over her thick locks as they twined various strands with glinting accessory pieces of metal. It wasn't until Roche was done and spinning her towards a mirror did she realise that her pale hair had been adorned with metal hair pins that flared outwards to look like flowers twined in the braid. They glinted brightly, adding russet and amber tones that somehow brought out the red in her hair. Paired with the leaf shaped headpiece that towered behind the braids, Tigris' regality had never been more pronounced.

Jewels hung from her neck and ears, dangling dangerously low to her chest, pointing to her scarlet gown. The fabric was gauzy around the edges but silken around the core and skirts. Carefully embroidered gold thread matched the sharp, autumn toned reds and faint orange hues Roche had worked into her makeup.

Tigris gawked at her reflection. She looked like autumn embodied, somehow open and untouchably royal at the same time.

"What do you think?" Roche asked, quiet pride shining in her voice.

Tigris had to swallow several times before she could speak. "It's amazing. How did you..."

"I found the hairpins in the market the other day. The vendor's given me a good deal on rocks before, so I haggled a bit and got them half off. Your royal coffer should be thanking me." Roche's voice was teasing. Tigris bit back her amazement quickly, rolling her shoulders as she stood. Roche helped her into some heels, fanning the dress out behind her.

"Well, I wasn't in the market hunting for rocks yesterday," Tigris told Roche as she strode towards her closet.

"Typical," Roche muttered, "You should try it. It's fun."

"But," Tigris interrupted, casting her maid a look warning her to shut up, "I found something I thought you might like."

Roche fell silent as Tigris pulled out a gown. It wasn't as fine as Tigris' by any means, but the fabric was just as rich and smooth as she knew Roche liked it. There wasn't any itchy lace or pilling that Roche would have hated touching. The dress was new, thin, breezy layers of buttery yellow fabric cascading in sheets to the ground, like several aged scrolls. The fabric curled up at the end, like an ocean wave crashing against the rocks.

The dresses sleeves were flowy and long, melding into the fitted bodice of the dress. White decals were sewn into the layered skirt, a variety of tiny books and curling script. It was that pattern which had caught Tigris' eye in the first place. Something about it screamed Roche.

Roche placed a hand over her mouth. "Princess... I can't accept this."

"Nonsense," Tigris pressed forward, holding out the gown, "I need you to look good today."

"I can just wear the gown you gave me last-"

"Roche," Tigris lowered her voice, "Just... take the dress. I can't exactly unbuy it. Consider it your pay for your extra duties today."

Roche took the dress, her lips twitching. Tigris jerked her chin towards the bathroom. "Go try it on," she prompted when Roche began to bounce on the balls of her feet with excitement, "There's pockets for your rocks-"

She didn't have a chance to finish before Roche was bolting for the bathroom, the dress clutched tightly to her chest. She heard the rustle of fabric, followed by Roche's delighted squeal.

"Oh my goodness, it look- oh my gods! Tigris, this is-"

"Well, don't just stand there, you idiot, let me see!" Tigris laughed at the bafflement in Roche's voice. The door creaked open, almost hesitantly. Tigris' jaw dropped.

The golden tones of the gown seemed to make Roche's bronze skin glow. She fidgeted shyly with the long, flowing sleeves complimenting her willowy frame. Every sway of her body brought attention to the hug of the dress to her thin hips. Roche took a small step forward, hands splayed. The fabric curled up near her feet, making it look like she was floating.

She held her hand over her exposed chest, her cheeks blooming red as Tigris stared.

"Princess?" Roche asked quietly, "Is it that bad on me?"

Tigris worked her jaw, feeling a stirring within her that she quickly pushed away. "It looks alright."

Roche smiled like it was the best compliment Tigris could have given her. She looked almost relieved.

"Thank the gods. I don't think we have time to waste. You need to get to your throne, and I need to get to the servant's quarter. Hopefully Bruta's finished with the preparations for Cook, but I might need to step in. You had to invite the entire city, didn't you?"

Tigris was grateful for the opportunity to move on. She nudged Roche with her shoulder.

"You always have fun at these events. Admit it."

Roche merely chuckled. "If you consider hauling around your wine fun, then yes."

Tigris smiled, letting Roche tug her out of her chambers. The night was already looking up and Tigris couldn't wait to enjoy it.

A/N: Heh, I really wanted to write some Roche and Tigris fluff. Also, Roche spraying Tigris like a naughty cat was the highlight of my day.

I know this chapter wasn't much, plot wise, but I assure you it was very necessary for some... revelations later on :D Hopefully you all will enjoy what's coming!

As always, happy reading!