Checkmate - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Althea's driving was quiet and smooth, unlike the others who Hana rode with. Also unlike herself when she almost got herself killed with Fallon and Liezel last time.
The escape at the Samhain Festival was an easy one. Althea and Hana blended through the crowd and tiptoed away. She knew its courtesy to notify their friends of an explanation before they leave but tonight some sort of glamor embraced them, making the girls act on pure impulse.
With almost an hour of endless winding roads, the house that apparently belonged to Althea Lancaster was a huge one. Hana knew a fly could enter her wide-opened mouth any second; she kept rubbing her eyes as if she would stop seeing this mirage.
"Welcome home, milady." An old maid with a black dress and gray hair tied into a bun greeted them the moment the car's engine died with the rest of the family's servants
"Good evening, Edith," Althea said, with a brazen smile.
"Did you have an excellent day at school?" Edith spoke conversantly before her eyes landed on Hana. "Oh my, we have a guest!"
Althea handed the car keys to a chauffeur, dismissing him. Hana's eyes bulged the entire time, as she looked around the moat that surrounded the castle-like manor.
The pathway leading to the front door was paved with the same tiles and apparently, they had been cleaned recently, for they were wet. She dragged her feet along, forcefully clutching her bag pack and steadily marching towards the impressive entrance door as she followed the heiress.
The maids fumbled about as they looked tried to get a glimpse of Hana and the costume Althea was clad in, murmuring with their soft voices. Althea paid them no mind. Hana was oblivious to the attention the servants gave her.
"Oh milady!" Edith gushed. "You won the Moonlit Witch title, your mother would be so proud."
"I'm proud indeed. Edith, my guest, and I will be at the art studio. I want zero disturbances unless we are called for late dinner."
"Of course, Lady Althea," Edith and the rest of the maids bowed.
"Where are Aunt Cameron and my cousins?" she added.
"Oh, they are out and about, milady."
Althea gave out a deep sigh. "Out partying again, she's done nothing but disgrace the Lancaster name."
Somehow, Hana noticed the foul sound and strained voice when Althea talked about her family. Awkwardly to unwrap herself of the tension, she touched the door's rapper, curiously outlining the 'C' engraved just beneath it, and then with a firm grip, she pressed it to the iron surface, producing a rather peculiar sound.
Edith cleared her throat, in some way stern but a respectful voice. "Young lady, you ought not to touch anything here out of curiosity."
Althea chuckled. "My dear guest here has a condition that makes her vulnerable to curiosity and difficulty in controlling impulsive behaviors, so I myself excuse her behavior, with my guidance she will behave."
"Sorry," Hana gave a lopsided smile.
As soon as they reached Althea's art studio, the smell of paint and lavender wafted to Hana's nose. Glancing around, the room was some sort of an art gallery; paintings were placed all over the walls and some of them were even resting on the floor because there was no room for them to be hanged anymore. They hypnotized her—the paintings themselves, even the colors Althea had used. Hana also noticed that every shelf was clustered with all sorts of brushes. Some big, some small, and colors so bright and eye-catching that it was almost impossible not to stretch a hand and dip her fingers in the muddy-like liquid.
Hana let out a sigh of relief. Stretching, she was happy she's able to act like herself a lot more with this privacy.
"Hana?" Althea asked, "What's wrong?"
"Oh," Hana said. She wasn't aware that it showed on her face that her spirit was deflating.
"It's just that... I still feel bad that I didn't know about your family name. Like I feel I should have and if I did, I wouldn't mistreat you. Your friends are right. Madeline and Heather are both right. I don't know a lot about British monarchy and politics."
"Please don't let what the girls said to get into your head. They are slightly miffed that I treat you the way I treat you."
Hana pouted but still nodded her head. "Okay then, but I got to ask. Do you have paparazzi's around following you?"
"There used to be. I'm free like a bird out of her beautiful cage now." Althea chuckled. "That is why I was ticked when I saw you sneakily taking photos of me and Joshua."
"I didn't know that was your reason when you almost didn't let me keep your photos that time."
"Come on, Hana, we've set aside the misunderstanding days ago. Please don't treat me any different now that you've seen our differences."
"Are you kidding me? When I look at you, I see Althea, not your last name."
"Thanks," Althea said softly, hugging herself as she eased by.
Hana caught a whiff of a sweet scent in the breeze. The blonde girl smelled so good. She had just begun to lose herself in the scent when the sound of Althea's voice pulled her back.
"You need anything before we start?" she asked. "I rather you won't fall asleep and lose your position you know. And it is eight in the evening."
"Bahh, don't worry. I pull all-nighters on exams, I'll be fine. And I, um... I could use something to drink, I guess."
Althea sprung into action. "Come this way," she said before leading Hana past the art space room just off to the side of the airy, small sunlit kitchen. "We have water, juices, and most milk."
Blinking, Hana was surprised that in this art room, all of Althea's needs are already met. It was like a small house inside a huge manor.
"Any soda is cool if you got it."
Althea quickly fished a one from the fridge and handed it to Hana, trying not to enjoy the way Althea's fingers brushed against hers for the briefest of moments in the exchange.
"Thank you," Hana nearly whispered, as if she had lost her voice or something. Her cheeks turned a rosier red.
"So I was thinking—" Althea cleared her throat, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "—since we would spend time in the art room, I have an iPod hooked up for the stereo system or a telly with various programs to keep you from being bored."
"That's—" Hana said. "Um, if that's cool with you," she quickly added, cutting off Althea's words.
"Great, there's a bathroom on the other side of the room, take a shower and come out with a towel whenever you're ready."
"Alright," she responded and then lifted from the bed, climbing over him, and then, as her feet touched the parquetry, she steadily moved towards the bathroom. She can still feel Althea's eyes on her.
She liked having Althea's eyes glued to her. There was definitely an attraction there, one Hana couldn't deny, but wouldn't admit to anyone else. It was a different kind of attraction, one she hadn't felt with anyone else before.
Althea stood astir, watching each of her moves, slightly embarrassed by the fervent manner in which her eyes must have stared at the sway of Hana's hips as she moved forwards towards the bathroom; Althea bit her upper lip. She liked her and found her very much attractive, for that matter.
She wished she made herself move, open the door that now separated them, and have a shower with Hana. But common sense and a deep-rooted feeling that it might be a tad too forward stopped Althea from doing all that her heart required. Instead, Althea started marching towards the entrance door and as she pressed the handler she thought that maybe she should let Hana know that she was leaving for a while.
"Hana," she shouted as she heard the water running.
"Yes?" Hana responded.
"I'm going to change into comfortable clothing... I'll meet you here, okay?" Althea spoke in the same raised pitch.
"Right," she replied and Althea pushed the door open, preparing to leave to her quarters when Hana started speaking again. "Oh! Althea! Is it hot in the painting room?"
Althea pondered for a while thinking that indeed she was very much hot, but not on account of the heater or the natural breeze of heat from the burning sun that has recently been taken over by fall—the third quarter of the seasons.
"I believe it is not, it's exactly room temperature. Don't forget, we have about 10 minutes before we start," she said then proceeded to rethink her life's decisions.
Why did she bring Hana all the way here?
Truthfully, she was feeling a little envious of Hana's greatness with her artistry. She needed to kill that unnecessary emotion before it developed. It wasn't good in the long run. And at the same time, she wanted something to blossom between the two of them. She was tired of waiting.
She then emerged from the art room, much to her head maid—Edith's displeasure that just happened to be passing on the corridor on her way towards the ground floor.
"It is not my pleasure to intrude, my lady, but I hope the only art that is going to happen between the closed doors... is painting. Please be reminded, that the other maids do love to gossip about their masters and your art studio isn't much of a soundproof."
Her cheeks turned red pretty much than her own liking. Althea gulped at the older woman. She really didn't expect Edith to know her inside and out.
"My lady, please. I was beside you as you grew and mature. I know more about you than yourself."
Althea turned on her heels and headed up the stairs to her room with the heat of a blush burning her cheeks and her feelings in tow. The day was seemingly full of surprises.
She had just returned from her room, dressed in her nightgown and hoping Hana wouldn't think she was trying to peep on her while she showered or something. As she waited for her model, Althea prepared the acrylic palette she would need for this session.
"Althea?" a shy voice brought her gaze to the doorway.
Hana stepped into the room. A towel cinched tightly around her midsection. Beads of water clung to her pale legs and the swatch of naked skin visible above the top of her towel.
"Huh?" Althea blinked. She knew her mouth was probably hanging open. She unknowingly bit her lip; there was something far more intimate and vulnerable about seeing Hana fresh out of the shower.
"Umm I'm ready." she clarified. "How do you want me to pose?"
"Oh, just sit on the bed with your back facing me; I want to first focus on a woman's form. And please move your hair out of your back so I can see them properly." Althea shut her eyes and shook her head to clear it of inappropriate imagery; she pretended to fix the canvas. "Hold on."
Hana hopped on the mattress and folded her legs beneath her backside and sat on the bed as she was instructed and let her dark brown hair fall over her shoulders before gathering them all and placed it over her right shoulder.
Althea sucked in an audible breath when Hana loosened the towel around her torso and let it slip to her waist. She was just two steps away from a nude Hana and that information was already testing her resolve.
Dipping the brush into the paint, Althea glanced at Hana's naked form and willed herself to paint the beauty she saw on the canvas.
After a few brush strokes on the canvas, Althea found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the exposed skin of Hana's bareback. It looked so soft and squishy that Althea couldn't help but wonder what Hana's bare front would seem to be.
Scolding herself for that thought, she determined to get closer to her. Althea promised Edith that only painting would occur behind the doors and paint it shall be. But Althea wanted more.
Althea browsed the painting materials she had and took a new palette and poured some special paint. With a new idea in mind and a palette full of warm and fall colors, she slithered slowly towards her, slow and cautious like a snake preying on a rabbit behind her, and sat down at the edge of her bed with Hana in front of her.
The shift in the bed's mass made her presence known to Hana. But before Hana could react, Althea whispered huskily on the shorter girl's ear.
"Change of plans, Hana." It took a great force of will just to stop herself from nibbling the tiny piece of flesh.
Hana let out a pleased whimper. Althea witnessed her shiver from her touch, bringing great delight to her lips. She placed a cautious hand on the small of her back.
"I want to practice painting on your skin."
"W-what?"
"They say to learn your silhouette better; you have to use more than one bodily sense. I want to get to know your form better, Hana. I want to see the side of you no one has seen. What better way for me to capture it on painting than to use my sight and touch?"
"A-are those safe on me?"
"You silly, acrylic and tempera craft paints are not meant for use on skin, nor are watercolor pencils or markers. There is a special water-based cosmetic made for body painting. It's relatively safe."
She wanted Hana's consent, her approval, so Althea could feel how soft her skin is as opposed to looking and just assuming.
"May I? Do you trust me, Hana?"
"I do," Hana whispered, a little breathless. "I trust you, Althea."
Something stirred in Althea's core. Something so wild she wanted to close the distance between their bodies. "You will feel relaxed and content when I'm done with you." Althea witnessed her model's cheeks turn to a beautiful color of rose blush, a smirk forming its way on her lips.
Althea slowly pushed Hana to the sheets so that Hana could lie down comfortably on her stomach. Getting bolder by the second, Althea straddled the shorter girl, earning a sudden gasp from Hana and a flinch; however, Althea was quick to calm her down.
"Relax Hana, the brush and the wet paint may feel ticklish at first but you will get used to it. The feeling of painting on your skin serves as therapeutic." She explained, loving the fact that she could get Hana all riled up from a sentence of double meaning. "I'll take a photo for you to look at after."
"Umm... okay," Hana mustered.
Althea joined her brush and the paint together. She worked quickly and efficiently to coat Hana's shoulders and upper back. She didn't linger to consider the softness of her skin or how good she smelled. She focused on the task at hand.
And her lust for skin contact was satiated—For now.