Machines rang and whirred, fans and internal systems alight. Every man and woman's dream. A place to win big. For some reason, it was a place Alpha visited often. She found herself coming back here, just to keep herself occupied... though she hated it. The woman of the house herself. The rigger of the game. She wasn't even sure why she came back here. Each sum of money only meant more, yet the piles of money stacking over time felt like nothing. Just more to line her pockets. What more did she have to use this for, really? She had won hundreds of millions over the years, and even then... a thought lingered in the heterochromatic woman's head.
What was the point behind that?
She’s risking the entirety of the Arctic Route Union’s finances just for a little bit of… what, self indulgence? Pleasure? Fame? Glory? A reputation? It's not like she needed that. Babylonia Corporate wasn't exactly fond of her, after all. It's all just her little game, at this point. She knew a certain marigold eyed woman wouldn't approve, but why would she care? It isn't like casinos were her thing, anyway. But today... today was different. Alpha felt a looming presence, and she knew it well. The same woman who cared about her, but always denied it, waiting outside… as per usual. Rosetta wasn’t a fan of casinos, nor the gambling that Alpha let herself get into every now and then. What’s worse? The damn deals Alpha keeps making.
As Alpha’s eyes dared to turn the window, she got up and sighed, making her way to the door. “What are you doing here ? Don't you have anything better to do?” Rosetta made her concerns known immediately , practically spitting the ground in disgust at Alpha’s so called “hobbies”. Those “habits” she let herself get into. Marigold eyes trailed Alpha’s form, staring at the not-so-modest suit she’s wearing. It’s ripped and torn, but Alpha doesn’t even seem to care. “It’s not as if your goddamn methods are any better, is it? You’re the one getting piss wasted at the bar. For a supposed manager, you do a terrible job at your so-called work.” Rosetta gave Alpha a GLARE after hearing the words that came from her mouth, taken aback–she was THIS close to snapping already, but she knew she had to keep herself calm when it came to Alpha, even if she could just as easily kill her if she wanted.
This little shit had the audacity to doubt her, even though she makes risky ass deals for the company?
“You fucking listen to me, Alpha. I didn’t bring you into my damn company just for you to try gambling our money away. Babylonia Corporate are not going to beat us in this race. Ever. So get your shit together and start helping around the ARU. Am I understood?” Rosetta’s eyes gazed back into Alpha’s, searching for any sign of defiance–and, oh, there was. There was absolutely a sign of defiance. Alpha wasn’t going to do shit, even if that meant she’d possibly be fired. Though, she knew Rosetta wasn’t going to fire her. At this point, it’s just a constant stalemate of who has more power over the other. They could just as easily kill one another, but alas, that would lead to complications in the company. “What if I don't listen to you?” Alpha spat back, a smirk lining her face.
She wouldn’t normally be this cocky around Rosetta, around her boss–but, oh, the way she reacted to her. The way Rosetta got utterly frustrated at her remarks made her smirk even more. Was this anger? Rage? Madness? Or… was it more than that? “If you don’t listen, I’ll have you dethroned as my best working employee, before–” Rosetta couldn’t even finish before Alpha interrupts, still smirking. “Before what? You fire me?” She chuckled slightly before continuing, clearly not caring if she interrupted the eyeing marigold. “You can’t fire me, princess. You won’t, either. I know for a fact you don’t have the guts to. You run the business, I make it money. That’s how it works between us. You’re the instigator of the deals, I’m the one who accepts and ends them. Firing me wouldn’t do you any good.” Rosetta hated how cocky Alpha was; how much she was risking. But in a way, she also… liked this daring side of her.
The fact that Alpha was willing to go out of her way to risk the very lifestyle she has herself holding upon a gold pedestal, just waiting to come crashing down, was admirable in some way.
Though, Rosetta was fighting the urge to just slam Alpha against the wall, in hopes of at least breaking her back. Of course, that meant legal trouble that she wasn’t willing to deal with. “I hate you.” Marigold eyes retorted, scowling. “Nah, you love me.” Heterochromatic gaze responds, keeping that smirk on her face. “I do not love you.” Yet another collection of her pitiful lies. Something the heterochromatic Ascendant saw through with absolutely zero difficulty. “Quit fooling around. You know I can easily see through your lies. Admit it, Rosetta. You’re like an open book: I can read your every move.”
Rosetta just stared, taken aback–this woman had the gall to oppose her.
This single woman, who she hired, was opposing her. “Like an open book? Oh, please. Isn’t that ironic, coming from the one who constantly makes risky deals for this company, only to then try gambling that money away? You’re fucking insufferable.” She retorts, her own marigold gaze staring directly at Alpha. Her tone remained stern and hard, clearly giving–no, stealing careful glances… Rosetta hated it. Alpha was right. She does love Alpha, she just doesn’t want to admit it. “If anything, I’d expect you to love me , given how you keep calling me princess. Is that your obsession or something, you open-lipped dipshit? It’s not being kept up forever. You’re just apathetic.”
Ordinarily, in a situation like it, Alpha would completely piss Rosetta off. But not yet… She had to stay calm. It was far too soon to go apeshit at her. Just one more tick. One more taunt. One more comment--only then would Rosetta be pushed to her absolute limit. “Apathetic, am I? Oh, how wonderful. I’m flattered.” Oh, Alpha was pushing her. She was just making Rosetta a ticking time bomb at this point, just waiting to explode. Waiting to blow. She didn’t even have an answer anymore, just waiting for Alpha’s next move–but surprisingly, all the heterochromatic woman did was hop onto her motorbike and rev the engine. She then crooned a finger, slowly curling it as she looked at Rosetta. Was she… gesturing to her to get on? What, was this going to be a joyride? Rather stunned by this… “request”, Rosetta remains where she stood, silent for a brief moment. However, it wasn’t like she had a choice in the matter, as in the next second, she was dragged along by the restless gambler.
“Kh–! You fucking–” Rosetta’s breath hitched slightly as she was pulled forward, before swinging a leg over Alpha’s bike. Alpha, however, had turned back and smiled as she looked at the sight. “My, my. What a nice view.” She was then, promptly, slapped across her face. Alpha just chuckled at this, smirking. “That’s enough from you.” Marigold eyes responded, though… her slap wasn’t harsh. Neither was her tone. She found herself being softer… as if she hadn’t just made a terrible decision. Alas, she hopped onto Alpha’s motorcycle anyway, despite her guts telling her not to… but, surely, it wouldn’t be so bad? Yeah. It wouldn’t be that bad. She’d try to convince herself that. Moonlight surrounds them both as they stall outside the casino, with Rosetta lighting a cigarette–only for Alpha to throw it straight out of her hand, as if she didn’t just burn herself.
“Disgusting. You do that?” She sighs as the cigarette falls to the floor, stamping it out and focusing on herself and Rosetta. “You might want to hold on,” Alpha looks back; speaks up and genuinely smiles, before continuing. “Don’t want you falling off here, now, do we? Plus, I don’t want you to end up a bloody stain on the side of the road, princess. You… mean more to me than you think, you know.” Oh, she was being bold with her words now. Not just flirting, but basically confessing? “Yeah, yeah…” Rosetta responds shortly, holding her arms in front of Alpha’s waist as she tightens her grip. A careful grip revs the engine shortly after, letting it growl and roar with utmost prowess as she prepares to blast into the night. Alpha chuckles, before she finally revs the engine louder.
As quickly as the engine starts, it blasts off. A few seconds for Alpha to push the motor to a cruise is all she needs, bolting through the city as all of the neon lights become nothing more than little stars, all different colours as they blur and contort in heterochromatic and marigold views. It only takes a minute or two before she and Rosetta are on the outskirts, racing towards a small mountain, more akin to a large hill. The road leads straight up, carefully weaving around the mound of land. From what Alpha had to guess, it was probably a well-known camping spot… but that didn’t matter to her. What mattered was her and Rosetta, here in the moment. Their freedom. The one thing they had both been seeking this whole time. True, unadulterated freedom.
What was only mere minutes had felt like a journey through time, before the two came to a stop at the peak of the large dirt mound.
Above the two women lay a sea of stars, blanketing the Earth in its beauty. Alpha carefully whisks herself off her motorcycle, rutting the metallic bar of the holster to keep it locked down to the ground until further use. She curls a finger in a gesture for Rosetta to follow as she walks to the near edge of the mountain, sitting down and overlooking the city. The blur of neon lights is all that’s visible, along with the slight beaming of the high towers. “Well? You see why I took you out?” Alpha asks, as if she wasn’t the one gambling mere hours ago–before chuckling to herself. “Well?” She was expecting an answer from Rosetta as the marigold eyed woman sat beside her… and sighed, somewhat content. She wasn’t mad. She wasn’t angry. If anything, she was thankful to be out of the city. She hated all of the attraction it gave to people, newcomers and older citizens alike. All that came out of her mouth as she leaned on Alpha’s shoulder was a happier smile, much calmer than before. Stars twinkled and dwindled, illuminating the sky in a beautiful light show.
A minute later, Rosetta finally spoke up.
“You’re insufferable , you know that?”
“Love you too, princess.”