Prologue: What Lotus Knows
Lotus smiled and gave Rainbow Dash a small bow. "Welcome, Miss Dash. Your regular appointment with Aloe is in just a few minutes. Though I'm sure you know that."
Rainbow Dash nodded, glancing about the empty room and sitting down. "Yeah... Not too busy right now, eh?"
Lotus didn't smile any wider, but her eyes crinkled slightly, indicating her smile turned from polite greeting, to genuine. "Just as you like it, Miss Dash. Miss 'I don't do spa stuff.' Are you going to tell her today?"
Rainbow Dash tilted her head to the side before chuckling. "Oh, I'm not telling Rarity I come here until my deathbed."
Lotus' smile turned mischievous. "No, Miss Dash. I didn't mean that. I meant about how you have a crush on Aloe."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, but she managed to keep her cool, except her eyes, obviously. Putting her hand on her hip she made a throwing away gesture with her hand, getting her eyes back under control. "Nah, I just like her style more, Lotus. She has stronger hands than you."
Lotus nodded, glancing down at her tablet. "Mhmm, that's why you reserved a manicure today, instead of your usual massage?" Rainbow Dash silently cursed that Lotus had noticed that. "It's going to get ruined after a single game, Miss Dash. I think you just wanted to tell her while looking at her. Not staring at the floor, naked."
Rainbow Dash let out a small harumph as she deflated. Crossing her arms and wrinkling her nose. "Fine, ya caught me. You haven't told her, have you?"
Lotus shook her head and grinned. "No, though I think she might have an inkling. She turned down a very pretty young lady named Sugarcoat a few nights ago. You better move quick there, Miss Dash. She's very pretty. And with you being gone with your team so much..."
Rainbow Dash groaned at the reminder of her career screwing up her social life. But she grinned right afterward, she'd get at Lotus back for this teasing... "Oh, you find her pretty, Lotus? You might want to see a psychologist about that. I mean, she's your sister."
Lotus simply grinned. "I can tell when someone's pretty no matter their familial relationship to me or not. Like you might not have noticed since you're into girls, but your father's a real hottie."
Rainbow Dash made a short choking sound and clamped her hands over her ears. "Ugh! I don't need to hear that Lotus!"
Lotus smiled and tapped something on her tablet. "Aloe is free now, waiting for you in the room you usually use."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Thanks." Giving Lotus a small wave she walked past her. Rainbow Dash jumped slightly, letting out a loud yelp. Frowning she looked back to Lotus, who was raising her tablet back to its original position, in front of her. Back to its proper use, unlike what it had just been used for. To smack Rainbow Dash's backside.
"Go get her, tiger."
Rainbow Dash pushed the door open and smiled as she saw the beautiful masseuse, and object if her affection, Aloe, sitting behind a small table. "Hello, Aloe. What's all that?" Rainbow Dash motioned to the various objects on the table.
Aloe raised an eyebrow at her client. "They're the items for your manicure, Rainbow Dash. You didn't think this was just like, me painting your nails did you?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously and shook her head. "Uh... No of course not!" Rainbow Dash smiled, nervously scratching the back of her head. "Nah, I know like, everything for manicures. And pedicures. And... All that stuff."
Aloe smiled and motioned across the table. Normally she wouldn't have moved everything in here, but Rainbow Dash was a good customer and really liked this specific room, for some reason. "Want me to walk you through the process, Miss Dash?"
Rainbow Dash walked over and sat down with a small harumph. "Well, to be honest, not really." Aloe nodded and reached across the table for one of Rainbow Dash's hands. Though Rainbow Dash growled gently, she allowed her hand to be taken. The growl didn't go unnoticed by Aloe.
"Is something the matter, Miss Dash?"
Rainbow Dash pulled her hand back and sighed gently. "Nope, nothing." She let her hand be taken again, but couldn't stop her annoyed hiss.
Aloe frowned and let go of Rainbow Dash's hands. "What is the matter, Miss Dash?"
Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sorry I just... Got a thing about people touching my hands. Normally I just deal with it but..." She motioned to the array of items on the table. "This really makes it feel like a bit much."
Aloe smiled gently and nodded. "Oh, so that's why you wanted a manicure? To help you deal with your hand thing? That makes more sense."
Rainbow Dash frowned, that wasn't why at all, but it was a good conclusion. But... "It makes more sense than what, Aloe?"
Aloe blushed brightly and Rainbow Dash suppresses a groan. She should have known the pretty masseuse was the quiet, shy kind. Rainbow Dash seemed to attract those... "I thought you had a crush on me." ... Or not... Rainbow Dash just stared for a few long moments and Aloe continued. "I guess you just like my massages better."
Rainbow Dash took a few more moments to decide on her next course of action... "Uh... You're taking this well..." Rainbow Dash wasn't usually so circumspect, but with Aloe's reaction, she was guessing the crush was one-sided. So there was no need to embarrass herself by admitting to the crush.
Aloe smiled faintly. "I was pretty sure I was mistaken. Don't worry, Miss Dash. This won't affect our working relationship. I was a little disappointed but you needn't wo..." She paused, some of the mostly dissipated blush returning to her cheeks as Rainbow Dash grabbed her hand, gently.
"You really weren't mistaken." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Though I thought I'd been more subtle than that!"
Aloe paused for a long moment before smiling a little wider. Her free hand slowly inching forward and stopping between the two women, palm up. Raising her eyebrow, Aloe waited. It took a bit less time than Aloe had been expecting for Rainbow Dash to raise her own free hand and placed it gently in Aloe's. "I have some bad news, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as she realized she'd just confessed to a girl who had no interest in her. Then they narrowed as she remembered that Aloe had actually technically started the crush talk. Rainbow Dash started to pull her hands back as she frowned, but stopped as Aloe gave her just the slightest head shake. Though the frown remained. "What's that?"
Aloe took a deep breath, pausing for a long moment. Acting like she had something bad to say. Then she grinned mischievously. "You're going to need to start getting your massages from Lotus."
Rainbow Dash stared for a long moment before she let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, that was mean, Aloe! But, why's that?"
Aloe smiled softened slightly as she squeezed Rainbow Dash's hands, and was happy to get a squeeze back. "Well you know, laws against..." Aloe grinned wickedly at Rainbow Dash. "Happy endings."
The second time in as many minutes Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, and she even blushed lightly. "Aloe!"
Aloe giggled a little and shook her head. Gently pulling her hands out of Rainbow Dash's grasp, she was gratified to feel the slight resistance of Rainbow Dash to let her go. "I don't mean now. But in a more general sense, for the future." Aloe started to gather up the manicure items before glancing up at Rainbow Dash. "I assume you actually don't want a manicure?"
Rainbow Dash laughed, shaking her head. "Oh, I definitely do not!" She stood up and smiled, tilting her head to the side. "So, you wanna go out Friday?"
Aloe nodded but grinned. "I don't know... With you leaving again in a couple weeks, that's a long delay..."
Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise that Aloe knew her schedule. "Fine, tonight then! But how'd you know I was leaving again so soon?"
"You told Pinkie Pie." Aloe grinned at the groan. Pinkie didn't keep any secrets, except surprise parties. "Though it's too bad you'll be so in and out. We'll have to see if the long-distance thing can actually work."
Rainbow Dash grinned and raised an eyebrow. "You could come with. The team pays for my accommodations, I can front for yours. Unless you wanted to share."
Aloe grinned a little, from many that would be a subtle way to control the relationship. From Rainbow Dash, that was doubtful. She probably just hadn't thought through the implications. "How about we see how the next few weeks go first?" Aloe made a gesture towards the door. "Now shoo. I need to go get a new dress for tonight."
Rainbow Dash could only grin as she left.
