Intimate Details

Intimate Details - Part 6 “Complications”

The bath worked wonders for Rarity, almost as much as the passionate night of lovemaking. She and Octavia spent plenty of time soaking and holding one another in the hot water, and left just as their skin began to prune. Octavia was not shy about drying Rarity off, and her hands wandered a fair amount. The delicate touches here and there made Rarity shudder, though not unpleasantly. Octavia then led her down the hall to the kitchen. It wasn’t until she set a pot of water to boil that Rarity realized she was famished. Together, the two of them made a late-night dinner and ate over candlelight and a glass of red wine. As it turned out, Octavia was quite the conversationalist, and not above gossip. She and Rarity shared many juicy details about the Canterlot Elite, though it was mostly Octavia who did the talking. Still, Rarity didn’t miss the chance to get the scoop on some celebrities or important political officials.

The time came, though, when she seriously needed to consider going home. Sweetie Belle would likely be worried, and if the clock on the mantle in Octavia’s living room was accurate, she had to open the store in three short hours.

“Must you really go?” Octavia wrapped her arms around Rarity’s waist, her beautiful expression pleading and oh so beautiful.

“I’m afraid so, darling… I can’t just leave my store. Amethyst would go crazy without knowing where I am…”

“Tell me you’re available this weekend. Please.” Octavia’s playful pout was difficult to resist.

“I should be, darling. Yes.” Rarity returned with a smile, quickly drawing Octavia close for a quick kiss. Octavia lengthened it with a hand on the back of Rarity’s head, inhaling to draw the sensation out longer. Rarity would have given anything for the kiss to stretch on longer, but she couldn’t let it or she’d have ended up staying the entire day. She pulled away breathlessly, smiling like a schoolgirl as she rested her forehead against Octavia’s. “I’ll see you Saturday?”

“Count on it.” Octavia said definitively. Rarity pulled her purse higher onto her shoulder and smiled as she turned to the door. Octavia gave her rear a playful smack, causing her to yelp and blush furiously. Octavia leaned against the doorway as Rarity got on the elevator, and just before the door closed, Rarity saw her blow a kiss with a seductive wink. On the ride down, Rarity had to lean against the wall of the elevator and close her eyes to control her racing heart. Eventually, her breathing returned to normal and she could walk again. The two guards at the desk looked at her with interest, given it was close to five in the morning. She just smiled and waved at them on her way out onto the blustery streets. A passing taxi gave her a ride home, and she pushed through the door to her apartment shortly before five thirty. Sweetie Belle shot up from the couch, where she had been asleep.

“Rarity!” She gasped, springing forward to throw her arms around Rarity’s shoulders in a hug. “I was so worried about you! What happened?! You didn’t come home last night!”

“I know, Belle, I know.” Rarity laughed and hugged Sweetie Belle back, smiling as she pulled away. “I, uuh… Stayed with some company last night.” She admitted with a slight blush. Sweetie Belle arched an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

“Company?”

“A client.” Rarity bubbled as she pulled her coat off. Sweetie Belle took her purse and laid it on the breakfast bar before she went to go brew coffee, though she still looked expectantly at Rarity, as if she was going to give her more details. Rarity didn’t say anything more, but instead brushed past the kitchen on the way to her room. She’d take a little while longer to get ready, but she could at least change out of her day-old clothes. Sporting a tank top and shorts, she re-entered the kitchen to the smell of coffee brewing and bacon sizzling in a pan.

“You know I’m going to want more details.” Sweetie Belle brandished a spatula at her, frowning in a surprisingly motherly sort of way. Rarity grinned deviously and filled her mug with coffee before sitting at the breakfast bar.

“I don’t know if I should tell you, to be honest…”

“Oh come on. It’s not like I’m going to go blab to every other student at the academy about my sister’s love life. You can tell me.”

“Well.” Rarity tapped her chin in thought. “You did tell me about you and Scootaloo… I guess I owe it to you.” She sighed and sipped at her coffee before looking up at her little sister. “It was Octavia.”

“No way!” Sweetie Belle wheeled about, her eyes wide. “The cellist? The one you made the dress for?!”

“Mmhmm… Now, you REALLY can’t go telling anybody about this…” Rarity’s tone turned serious. “She’s a very important social figure, and if anybody finds out we did anything, it’d ruin her.”

“Hey, mum’s the word, sis. But… Wow, seriously? With Octavia?” Sweetie Belle appeared to struggle with her wording for a few moments before finally deciding. “I gotta ask, her hips are they-“

“Every bit as beautiful.” Rarity waved her off, blushing a little.

“Was she shaved?”

“Sweetie Belle!”

“What? I wanna know!” She dodged the playful swat from Rarity, giggling slightly. “Scoots was. There, now you know. You gotta tell me.”

“Eeh. I didn’t need to know.” Rarity groaned, hiding her blush behind her hands.

“Come on! You gotta!” Sweetie Belle clutched her wrists, prying her hands away from her face. “Come on, you have to tell me now!”

“Okay, okay, fine! She… She was.” Rarity’s blush intensified and she looked away, clutching her coffee.

“Hah! I knew it! She owes me five bucks!”

“Owes you?” Rarity narrowed her eyes again. “Who owes you for what?” Sweetie Belle stopped her dance, her face suddenly taking on the look of being caught in something embarrassing.

“Eer… Scoots… Owes me.” She admitted.

“Why.” It wasn’t a question, more of a demand for information. Sweetie Belle sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“Well, we’ve both been listening to the symphony for a while now, and when we heard their cellist did some solo projects, we looked into her. We both had a thing for her. I mean, she’s friggin’ beautiful. But anyways. One discussion led to another, and Scoots said she wasn’t shaved. I said she was. We made a bet.” Sweetie Belle grinned deviously. “A bet I just won, apparently.” Rarity frowned at her then, raising a finger.

“Tread carefully, Sweetie Belle. I don’t want to ruin this. Not like I did with… She-who-must-not-be-named.”

“Well, that was no fault of my own.” Sweetie Belle shook the spatula at Rarity, who frowned down at her coffee mug.

“Yeah, thank you for reminding me…”

Rarity had hardly stepped one foot into the boutique before Amethyst bombarded her with questions, one after the other. “How did it go? What did you do? What was she like? Did she say anything about the dress? What happened?” Rarity laid her hands on the bouncing magi’s shoulders, frowning at her seriously.

“Amy, relax. Nothing happened. She just wanted to thank me for the dress.” As much as she didn’t like sharing details about the night with Sweetie Belle, sharing them with Amethyst was just out of the question. Amethyst wilted a little but soon regained her vigor, asking different questions entirely.

“What was she like? She looks so beautiful in those pictures…”

“She’s lovely.” Rarity smiled, remembering back to the way she looked, dressed casually in slacks and a blouse as she bid Rarity farewell. “Very fair-skinned. Her skin tone matched the dress flawlessly.” Rarity sighed and finally removed her coat and bag, sitting behind the front counter. “I dare say she’ll request another dress from us. Hopefully sometime soon.”

“Oh my goodness…” Amethyst laid a hand on her breast. “I’d give anything to work on a project for her… Those hips, I’d be willing to bet anything she’s challenging to fit…”

“You haven’t the slightest.” Rarity teased, smiling as she pulled the small stack of folders out of the inbox. “Her bust is a typical size six, but my goodness… Her hips are like a size eight.”

“You’re kidding.” Amethyst grinned. “That’s incredible.”

“I’d design again for her in a heartbeat.” Rarity said with a wistful sigh. “And yes, before you ask, I’d be glad to have your help on the next one. If there is a next one.” She sighed again, this time from exasperation. “I doubt I’d be able to handle another weekend working like that.”

“I’ll help any way that I can. Aah, this one’s for me.” She said, snatching the top folder out of Rarity’s grasp. “Miss De Lis wanted another dress by next week.”

“A return customer? That’s rare.”

“What can I say?” Amethyst waved the folder with a grin. “I’m just that charming.”

“That you are, my dear.” Rarity waved her off, smiling as Amethyst bounced off towards the work room. “That you are…” Rarity flipped through the remaining folders with a smile. In the aftermath of working with Octavia, she felt like she could do anything. Pulling the first schematic for the requested dress out, she looked it over eagerly. Never mind the fact that, subconsciously, she was fitting the measurements to Octavia’s wide, womanly hips…

Saturday came around sooner, rather than later, it seemed. Rarity worked through the next few days with ease, and dashed home early Friday evening so she could prepare. Her first adjusted paycheck came through at long last, and she had a decent bonus leftover from the dress commission. She and Sweetie Belle drove to the store together, and both of them signed up for a plan to use the fancy new cellular phones everyone seemed to have. Amethyst boasted one, so Rarity was glad to finally be in regular contact with her one friend and co-worker. That, and getting ahold of Sweetie Belle was no longer an issue. Additionally, she could start using this phone for work-related things, as well. She’d have to update her business card.

When she woke Saturday morning, Rarity couldn’t help but let her smile stretch across her lips. She spent most of the morning preparing, getting nice and prettied-up for her date with Octavia. After noon, she called a cab and enjoyed the brisk ride across the city to Octavia’s apartment building. Sweetie Belle had class until late that evening, but had promised Rarity she could handle herself for the night. Rarity had no obligations. Nothing to worry about. When the taxi dropped her off, she walked with a bounce in her step and a happy smile on her face. The two guards at the desk were the same from a few nights ago, but they frowned as she approached.

“Top floor…?” Rarity said inquisitively, slowing her walk.

“Miss Octavia already has a guest, ma’am… I’m sorry, but I need to call ahead…” The guard said, holding a hand up. She stopped entirely, frowning more intensely. She already had company? What was happening? One of the guards dialed a number on the phone at his desk, glancing up at her now and then.

“Yes, I’m sorry to bother you, Miss Octavia, but there’s a guest here to see you. Miss…?”

“Rarity.”

“Rarity. Mmhmm. Oh, okay. Yes, I’ll send her up. Sorry for the inconvenience. Of course. No, I understand. Thank you, ma’am. Goodbye.” He hung up the phone and smiled at Rarity, who returned it hesitantly. “Good luck up there, ma’am. Things sounded pretty bad.” Rarity’s curiosity caused her to walk perhaps a little too fast towards the elevators, and she tapped a foot impatiently on the ride up. Arriving at the top floor, she entered the white landing, and the door opened presently. Octavia poked her head out, looking worse than Rarity had seen her yet.

“I’m so sorry, Rarity,” Octavia said, slipping onto the elevator landing with an apologetic expression. The door closed behind her, though Rarity couldn’t miss the thrumming sound of heavy bass music.

“Is everything okay?” Rarity asked, suddenly more worried for Octavia than her evening. The cellist looked haggard. There were bags under her eyes, and her long raven hair had been pulled back into a sloppy bun, with strands poking out wildly. Her shirt was ruffled and her shoulders slumped. She looked defeated. “Darling, you look terrible… What’s happening?” The music swelled and intensified, making the entire landing seem to vibrate. Rarity frowned at the intrusive noise. “Who do you have over?”

“Look, things are really… Really complicated right now. I promise you, I will explain… But, please, Rarity… You have to go right now.” Octavia’s pleading tone and expression threw her off the most. She didn’t know whether she should be offended or concerned. The music swelled even more, and Octavia slumped a little bit. “Please.”

“Okay…” Rarity said hesitantly. “I… Here.” She pulled a slip of paper and a pen from her purse, quickly scrawling her new phone number onto it. “Call me when you feel like explaining.” Octavia took the paper from Rarity, who stormed into the elevator and jammed the ground floor button. As the door closed, she watched Octavia slip back into her apartment. Over the oppressive music, she could hear a quick snippet of conversation.

“Fuck was that?”

“No one, V-“ The elevator doors closed, dulling out everything else. As the elevator descended towards the lobby, Rarity teetered on the edge of tears and rage. Whatever her body wanted to do, it wasn’t laugh. But she was shaking as she walked towards the doors.

“Miss!” The guard stopped her just as she was about to leave. “It’s cold out there. Would you like us to call you a cab?” She perked up a little, turning to look at the guard over her shoulder.

“That’d be swell. Thank you.” She said in a very clipped manner. Pulling her phone out, she decided it was time to break it in. After a few moments messing with the controls, she opened her address book and dialed Sweetie Belle’s number.

“Hello?”

“Sweetie.” Rarity said, her voice cracking a little. “I’ll be home this evening.”

“Uh oh. What happened?” Rarity glanced at the guards, but they appeared to be ignoring her. She turned away and sighed.

“I don’t even know. But my night’s ruined. What do you want for dinner?”

“I think class will let out early tonight. Whatever you feel like making, really... I’ll be there as soon as I can. You okay?”

“I’ll survive.” Rarity sighed, trying hard not to let her tears get loose.

“I’ll try to cut out a little bit early if I can…”

“You don’t need to do that, darling. I’ll be fine. Some sappy love songs and a half a bottle of wine ought to set me straight.”

“Haha. Well, I’ll still see about coming home early. I gotta go.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.” Rarity punched the red button on her phone and sighed, tucking it back away. The novelty of talking to her sister from miles and miles away was lost on her.

“Ma’am?” The guard drew her attention. “The cab is on the way, and will be here shortly. You’re welcome to take a seat, if you’d like.” He gestured to the nearby lounge with a few comfortable-looking chairs, which Rarity thankfully took. She surveyed her face in her compact, fixing imperfect eyelashes, teasing her hair, trying to do anything to keep herself from crying. Ultimately, she won, but just barely. The cab pulled up out front, and she jogged the short distance to the back seat. Giving her home address, she stared out of the window at the bleak grey sky all the way home, clutching the hem of her skirt as hard as she could.

Upon arrival, she made it to her apartment before finally breaking down. She didn’t even know why she was crying, but she did. Blubbering, snotty, mascara-streaking tears poured from her eyes and dotted her blouse, undoubtedly staining the flawless white fabric. She wept for a good ten minutes before she even managed to shed her heels and take off her coat. She undressed and took a long, hot shower, sniffling and crying all the while. She still wasn’t sure why she was crying, either… Maybe it was being brushed off so easily, or perhaps she was saddened for Octavia’s poor state. Whatever it was, she didn’t enjoy crying as she was, and most certainly didn’t want to dwell on it. After changing into pajamas after the shower, she turned the small stereo in her living room on to some slow music station and poured a healthy glass of wine before starting dinner.

True to her word, Sweetie Belle came home at a reasonable hour. Rarity had just started setting a plate for herself, but a quick adjustment and she had two plates ready. “Talk to me,” Sweetie Belle dropped her bag on the floor and slipped into the kitchen to hug Rarity warmly. “What happened?” Despite not wanting to, Rarity ended up sharing everything that had happened with Sweetie Belle, from the way Octavia looked to the gruff-sounding guest in her apartment.

“That’s terrible. I feel so bad for her… Whoever they were, they weren’t very nice.” Sweetie Belle poked at her chicken half-thoughtfully, sighing as she sat up a little. “But hey. She has your number now, right? She’ll probably call if she needs you.”

“I hope so…” Rarity muttered quietly, resting her chin in her hand. The wine was taking effect on her already. She looked at her phone, sitting on the counter. “Do you really think she’ll call?”

“If she has half a brain, she will. You’re always there for me if I need you, so I’d hope she’d see the same is true for her.” Sweetie Belle’s words struck a chord in Rarity, and she mulled them over for a while. How far would she go for Octavia? She certainly had feelings for the sultry cellist, but what sort of feelings were they? Did she really care for her?

“Oh!” As if on command, her phone buzzed. Before the first vibration had died, she snatched it up, pressed the green button, and plastered it to her ear. “Hello?” Nothing. “Hello?” Not even static. She listened intently, but heard nothing. She pulled it away from her head to peer at the screen. “Oh. It wasn’t even a call. What’s a… ‘Text message?’”

“Ooh, I heard my classmates talking about that. Here, let me see.” Sweetie Belle opened her hand, and Rarity passed the phone off. Sweetie Belle punched a few buttons, frowning slightly at the screen.

“Just asks if this is your phone. The number isn’t saved… Four-four-“

“Tell them yes!” Rarity cut her off, leaning over to look at the phone. Sweetie Belle frowned as she punched a few more buttons, typing out a quick response. She pressed the green button to send it, and shortly after, her phone buzzed again. “Another one? So soon?”

“Yeah, it’s a quick way to send messages from phone to phone. Apparently it’s new stuff. Oh, it’s Octavia! She wants to talk…”

“Why didn’t she just call?”

“Hang on, I’ll ask her.”

“Oh, don’t type it out! Give me that!” Rarity snatched her phone away and pressed a few buttons. “How do I call this number?” She asked, frowning at the screen.

“Can’t you add them to your phonebook?”

“Ugh. Forget it. Pen and paper. Now.”

“Here.” Sweetie Belle hovered a pencil and a notebook from her bag, which Rarity used to copy down the number on her screen, then she dialed it in from her copy. As it started ringing, she held the phone to her ear. Sweetie Belle leaned in to listen, but Rarity waved her off and padded down the hall towards her bedroom.

“Hello?” She recognized the accent and the tone immediately, but she still had to ask.

“Octavia? This is Rarity.”

“Hey Rarity.” Octavia said tiredly. She sounded exhausted.

“Are you okay, dear?” Rarity asked, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

“It’s a long story, Rarity… I know it’s late, and I’m sorry to ask, but can we meet up somewhere?” Her question made Rarity’s heart pound in her chest. She wasn’t dressed or prepared at all. Not to mention she was half-drunk.

“I’m… In my pajamas…”

“Please?” Octavia was begging now. Rarity’s heart leapt at the pleading tone. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed.

“Fine. Did you have someplace in mind?”

“There’s a café off of fourteenth and main. It’s open all night. Meet me there?”

“Fourteenth and main… I can be there in an hour.”

“You don’t have to dress up or anything… I just need someone to talk to right now…” Octavia muttered. Rarity grimaced at the implied meaning. Octavia didn’t care for looks or presentation. She just needed a friend, it sounded like. Rarity sighed again.

“Half an hour.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.” The call ended, and Rarity leaned back against her door. Why was she doing this, again?

Oh yeah.

Because she was smitten.

“Thank you so much for coming.” Octavia said, clutching the mug filled to the brim with coffee. Her fingers were white with the pressure. Rarity slid into the booth opposite her, frowning slightly.

“You still look terrible… What’s happening, Octavia?” She asked, gingerly reaching out to lay her hand on Octavia’s wrist. The cellist wrapped their hands together, squeezing tight. She was shaking.

“You’re going to think I’m a terrible person,” She muttered.

“That’s not a very good way to start an explanation, dearie…”

“Heh. Well, there’s no sense in being coy. I cheated on you.” Rarity blinked. “Well, not on you… But with you. On someone else.” Now she felt offended. She pulled her hand away from Octavia’s, the act of doing so seemed to actually hurt her. The cellist winced and went back to clutching her coffee, staring at it intently. “I shouldn’t be surprised… I feel so terrible…” She muttered quietly, talking almost to herself. Rarity felt her breathing quicken, felt the anger well up within her.

“I hope you have a good explanation.”

“That’s the thing, I don’t… Please, Rarity. I’ve already been through hell today, I really don’t need it from you too… I hoped you could understand, or at least hear me out, Rarity, I’m just… Ugh, I feel like I’m falling apart.” Octavia looked up at her with red eyes, brimming with tears. “Please…” Rarity sat opposite her for a long time, torn between retreating home and staying to hear her out. She opted to stay, but only for a while. She didn’t know if she would be able to hold back her tears any longer.

“That night at the club, I was there with my girlf-… My ex. It’s not really my type of thing, but I had to humor her… I kind of owed it to her. Then you showed up, and I remembered reading an article about you in the inquirer, about an upstart dress designer from Ponyville. Well, I had been going through some problems with my tailor at the time, so meeting you seemed like divine intervention… Then came the call, and the fitting, and… Oh, Rarity, it was all so perfect… But at the same time, I started going through some issues with… My ex… It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for a week now, but I swear, Rarity… When I saw your dress, I just…” She shuddered visibly, pulling her coffee closer.

“I saw beauty in the world again… I was inspired by it. The piece I performed that evening was unrehearsed, unprecedented, and completely unintentional… But it was natural. It was inspired. I just… Played. I haven’t ever done that before.” She looked up at Rarity with a smile on her face. The first Rarity had seen in a long, long time. “I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t just the performance, either, it was the dress… It fit me so well. It’s almost like… Like…” She let her sentence trail off into nothing for a while, before shaking her head and shuddering visibly.

“It’s like you knew my body better than I did.”

“Darling…” Rarity said softly, leaning forward a little.

“I had to see for myself. And I had to thank you. The only way I knew how.” Octavia said, smiling again. “I had to let you see me in that dress. See me for yourself, with nobody else there. Just you and me. I swear, Rarity, I never meant for things to go as far as they did!” Her hand reached out, clutching Rarity’s wrist. “I just couldn’t help myself! You were so beautiful, and the dress fit so well, and you kissed me, and I… I just… I…”

“Shh.” Rarity laid a finger over Octavia’s lips, silencing her. “Don’t. Don’t say anything more.” Rarity leaned over the table gently, cupping Octavia’s cheek. “I’m… Not terribly pleased that you cheated on your ex with me, but… I don’t think I’m ready to let someone like you go…”

“That easy, huh?” Both Rarity and Octavia’s heads snapped up. She hadn’t even realized it, but Rarity had been snuck up on. Standing next to the table, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, was a cocky-looking woman, no older than thirty. She tapped her foot, glaring down her nose at the two of them. She wore baggy black pants and a loose-fitting hoodie, though it didn’t do anything to diminish the size of her breasts. She was really well-endowed. More striking than that, though, was her hair. It was colored a vibrant mix of deep and light blue, and in the lighting of the café, it looked almost like neon. The spiky, wild style was not unlike what Rarity pictured a DJ for a nightclub like the one Amethyst had dragged her to would look like.

“Vinyl, I-“

“Shut up.” She said gruffly. Rarity suddenly made the connection between her and the voice from Octavia’s apartment earlier that day. Octavia opened and closed her mouth a few more times, but didn’t say anything. “So this is the bitch, huh?” Rarity felt her defenses raise as she slowly got to her feet. The woman didn’t back off at all, and by the time Rarity faced her, their faces were inches apart. “She’s cute, Tavi. I’d have fucked her too.”

“Vinyl, it isn’t like that!” Octavia blurted, but one glare from Vinyl silenced her.

“You ripped my heart out, Tavi. And for what? Some fancy-pants dressmaker who finally let out the hips enough on your fuckin’ dress?” She was rude, abrasive, and incredibly cocky. Rarity did not like this person one bit. Something about her was incredibly familiar, though… She couldn’t put her finger on it. And it was more than the connection between the woman who was standing before her now and the DJ the night she had gone to the club with Amethyst. It made sense she would be the one performing. No, this was something almost hauntingly familiar… It reminded her almost of…

“Oh. Am I interrupting?”

Rarity’s heart could have stopped. She didn’t even have to turn around to give a name to the voice of the person behind her.

“Who’s… That?” Octavia whispered quietly.

“My ex.”

“My cousin.” Rarity and Vinyl Scratch answered simultaneously. Slowly, fearfully, Rarity looked over her shoulder.

“Twilight.”

Rarity saw black.