((Note - Alaris is still in Taria's body. If Alaris is being mentioned then it is from Belladonna's perspective because she knows. If Taria is being mentioned, it is still Alaris but most likely from another person's perspective, because they don't know.))
"Just move your body anyhow I tell you to. You seem pretty flexible," she answered casually.
"You'd like that won't you," Alaris said with a grunt, then he cast her a glance. "I don't know about my flexibility but you seem pretty flexible to me."
Smack.
Her hand swept right through the air.
"Ouch," he rubbed his arm, exaggerating the pain.
"Sorry, Taria."
"Apologize accepted."
Belladonna rolled her eyes, "I wasn't apologizing to you."
"For now, I'm her, unfortunately."
With an exhausted sigh, she said, "Please, shut up."
Sometimes, she felt like sewing his lips with her sewing machine.
"Or what, you'll fall deeper into the crazy attraction you have for me---" his words cut short as her hands went around him.
It was a change that didn't go unnoticed.
"Or maybe you are the one with the crazy attraction for me. May I remind you that all that I will give you is cold and hard rejection. I have someone that I love and I'm not attracted to invisibility."
Alaris huffed, rolling his eyes.
"One more mention of your "oh so precious King" and I might puke."
Belladonna chuckled. She enjoyed getting on his nerves, she couldn't explain why.
It was just so satisfying.
"Don't get so full of yourself. Mortal females like you aren't my type." There was an urgent shift in his tone, as he observed that she still hadn't let him go yet. "What are you still doing? Your proximity is very disturbing, Female."
"Fixing your breast bags," she pulled back. "And I'm done."
Alaris let out a sigh of relief, only to feel her hands around his ankle, causing him to flinch.
"What is it now?"
"You need to wear your panties."
Alaris gritted his teeth.
"Sit down on the edge of this bed and raise your legs."
"I feel assaulted," he muttered as he obeyed, clearly embarrassed by all this and knowing that he had no other choice.
Belladonna wasn't helping at all, her cheeks were puffed up with laughter that she wanted desperately to hide away but just couldn't.
"Buck your hips," the words rolled off her tongue with an unrestrained chuckle.
It had been a long time since she laughed so much.
She seemed to always do this with him. The situations he was always caught up in were always so hilarious that for a while she would actually forget that she was someone with problems plus a death threat hanging over her head and just give in to the humour.
It reminded her of the time he had found out he was indeed invincible and couldn't show himself to anyone even if he wanted to.
It had been wonderful making fun of him that time. It must be because of his pride and absolute arrogance, he had them in abundance and it always felt good to bring it down a few notches.
"Done laughing?" Alaris asked with a frown, brushing his hand over the gown, annoyed by how complex it was to get it on.
"Ju---st a mo--ment," her words were spaced out with laughter as she leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
"Nice scarf." He said, referring to the silk blue scarf she had wrapped around her hair.
The implication of his words and the reference to her believing what he had said about them tampering with her memory in the Castle didn't miss her. Yet all she could do was struggle against a chuckle while she rubbed her hand over her scarf and mutter the word "thanks".
"It isn't even that funny," Alaris scoffed, walking out of the room and leaving her to juggle after him while she struggled with her laughter.
_______
_______
Motu, the guard Taria's mother had been referring to, was at the door and Alaris had quickly tossed in a risk and asked him if he knew where the underground cave was.
"It is out of bounds, for even you, My Lady," Motu had replied.
Belladonna almost squealed.
Fantastic.
He knew where it was. That just made her mission ten times easier.
"I might die tonight. What does it matter?" Alaris said, his voice shaky with the few tear he could manage to shed.
"Don't say things like that, my Lady." Motu quickly tried to console her.
Well, it sounded like he cared.
This just kept getting better.
Maybe he would be easily sway---
"I will take you there," Motu's voice snapped Belladonna's chain of thoughts.
Now, this was just beyond fantastic.
By Ignas, this was great!
Did she just walk right into luck tonight?
"I'm not supposed to know where it is, so this is our secret."
Taria nodded.
"And the maid girl."
"I trust her."
Motu gave Belladonna an observant gaze, it seemed he wanted to raise a question about her before he shut his mouth, nodded, and looked away.
He lead and they followed.
Motu seemed to have a good relationship with Taria and it wasn't until they got to the door of the underground cave, that Belladonna had figured out what type of relationship they had.
He had pressed her against the wall and sealed his lips against hers.
The horror.
"I will miss you, Taria. I will never be the same without you. Meet me at the top when you are ready."
Then he had left, tears in his eyes.
Alaris turned to Belladonna, his eyes not hiding how horrific he found that as he wiped his lips vigorously, with a force that certainly hurt.
"I have been tormented, Nightshade. I will never recover from this."
Belladonna chuckled, patting Taria's back gently. "You'll survive."
Alaris grumbled about how he was suffering tonight while Belladonna tried to open the door. She shifted some things around according to the instructions on the wall, then a keyhole appeared.
She slid the key in and turned it.
A click.
It worked.
The door pushed open and they stepped.
Time to get to work.
The door shut firmly behind them and at that moment, the floor they were standing on slid open, swallowing them and Belladonna screams.