2.1 | Alice ✔

Lover's Lament

"She's starting to come to," a voice swam into Saber's mind as she slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on a very plush bed in a very pretty room. The lights were dimmed, so the slight throb in her head wasn't irritated further. Her body was on a slow burn, and there were hands patting up the light sheen of sweat on her skin.

When her vision cleared just a bit more, she could see Zaer observing her very closely. "Saber? How are you feeling?"
                   
"What . . . happened to me?" she croaked, her voice hoarse and her throat dry. Zaer sat her up and offered her a cup of water. After she drunk it, she noticed Seifer and Elias lingering near the foot of the bed. She saw their outfits, and everything rushed back to her like a runaway train.

She hissed in pain as her head throbbed a bit harder. "What the hell was that stuff everyone was drinking?"
                   
"Erm . . . it's a special . . . drug that Hatter makes every once in a while," Seifer explained, rubbing his head. "It's like a forcible upper, you know? For when everyone is really down. It isn't meant for anyone who isn't from Wonderland."
                   
"At least not in the dosage you took it in," Elias said, looking on edge. "You two were supposed to be gone. You weren't meant to partake in the festivities here."
                   
"And just what sort of festivities are you all indulging?" she questioned angrily, plucking at the lascivious outfit she was still wearing. "Wearing underwear, taking drugs! That sounds a lot like a-" She halted in the middle of her speech, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks as she looked at them all in disbelief.

Zaer and Seifer gave her guilty smiles; Elias just averted his gaze altogether. She was just about to say something else, when an intense sensation shot down her body, spreading in her loins. She gasped loudly, collapsing onto her back and gripping the sheets hard.
                   
"It's going to be okay, Saber," Zaer assured, reaching to place a hand on her forehead, but then thinking better of it. "We've administered a cure. You seem to be taking it well so far. You should be better in the morning." She turned and started to head for the door with everyone else, but before she could get far, Saber grabbed her wrist.
                   
"No! Please don't leave me alone!" she pleaded, her breathing quickening. "What if something happens, and I don't know what to do?"
                   
"You don't have to do anything, sweetheart," she said gently, touching her hand. "And its better if you wait this out alone. You're subject to do regrettable things when others are around."
                   
"Please . . ." she begged, looking at the other two. Her eyes landed on Elias, and she was just noticing his fancy blue, black and yellow boxer briefs, and his delicious tats on display. Something unfamiliar fluttered in her belly.

"Elias. . . you stay." Both of the others' heads whipped to him, and he looked more than willing to stay, but then he hesitated.
                   
"Well . . . if anything, it really should be you," Zaer reasoned with a gentle smile. "You're the one Saber trusts the most."
                   
"Yeah, take one for the team, bub," Seifer joked, drawing Zaer near to him. Elias looked at the two before rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
                   
"I'd be honored to keep your company, Saber," he smiled, coming over to sit at the foot of the bed. "You two enjoy the rest of your party. We'll be fine here."

The two nodded, quickly rushing out the door and enclosing them inside. Elias sighed, turning around to look at her. "So . . . how are you feeling?"
                   
"I . . . I don't know," she confessed, staring down at him in a daze. "I don't really remember how I felt before . . . but my limbs are so tired, like they've been through an enormous strain. I don't like this . . ."
                   
"I know," he murmured, patting the bed beside her ankle. "I'm sorry this happened to you. But . . . I must confess, I'm really happy to see that you're still here."
                   
"I wish you didn't have to see me like this," she whispered, covering her breasts with her arm, and her privates with her hand. She realized that there was a lot of sensation going on there. It made her even more embarrassed. Elias smiled warmly at her.
                   
"I don't mind. You're an incredibly beautiful woman, Saber," he murmured, his words making the rest of her skin begin to flush. "I'm undeserving of such a sight. You'd make any man insanely jealous of you."