Approximately three days ago, Yagami Hayate had returned home from her very unplanned vacation. This does, of course, assume one considers a vacation filled with grueling physical exertion, near mental breakdown, horrible food, and a drill sergeant who seemed to be attempting some sort of world record for loudness a vacation. She would not consider it as such.
She would consider Carim's boot camp to be a horrifying sin against humanity. She would also consider her darling Signum to be in a world of trouble were she not absolutely fine with the results of the unforgiving training.
Hayate had never felt so fit and, in her most agreeable words, sexy in her life.
She had told her Knight of the Sword as such over her welcome home dinner.
Of course, being able to stand up to at least ten Caro's worth of power was also a very nice bonus as well, assuming Vita's measurement of physical prowess was of any validity. She considered this the bonus given just how good she felt at the realization of what the training had done for her.
That she was on her way to getting abs nearly put stars in her eyes. Abs!
The fact she had lost bust size, however... it added conflicting feelings. She was unsure whether she would hug Carim for all the benefits of training or blow her up for having been a major instrument in the loss of such precious bosom.
At the moment, though, rather than admire her new physique and lament at just how many of her costumes wouldn't fit anymore, she had a mission. A mission involving certain little details about what had transpired in her absence. Details involving a librarian and her little girl.
Hayate is the sort of woman to ignore the fact her little girl is centuries old, a warrior nearly without peer, and neither technically human or her daughter.
She is also the sort of woman who would tell someone concerned about those details to go do something sexually explicit with themselves.
And if it so happens the one concerned about it ends up being the woman in question, well... She can find ways to drill some sense into her brain. Unless someone takes care of it first.
Signum is family, and that's all Yagami Hayate cares about.
Right now, Hayate's task is to help Signum get ready for her big night with Yuuno, all the while ensuring she gets as many juicy details as possible. Along with whatever little chats and warnings they might need to have. Plus the teasing. The day she cannot bring a full-body blush to at least one of her beloved knights is the day she swears off cosplay and her most favored hobby of groping.
Clad in her ever-comfortable lounging shorts and ribbed sweater combination with a rather special box under one arm, Hayate knocked on Signum's door whilst making her entrance. "Signum, your Mistress has arrived~" Oh how she missed doing the Mistress routine. She'd had no chance to use it at boot camp, a fact which brought much relief to Carim.
What the brunette saw nearly took her breath away, and in a very good way.
Well, one might also consider it dangerous, given how her fingers had begun to undulate disturbingly.
Signum had opted for a shower rather than luxuriate in the family bath and run the risk of being late. Which would explain why there had been no opportunity for Hayate to get in some proper one-on-one skinship with the knight. And she'd been too happy to be home to really corner Signum and get all the dirty bits she'd missed when the ladies of the Yagami household had taken a bath last night.
It took a great amount of effort to not jump Signum where she sat. For with skin flushed from the hot water, hair unbound and still wet, and wearing only a towel, she painted an image that would have made even a saint hot under the collar. Hayate, it so happened, was far more devilish than even the most depraved saint. What nearly broke the brunette's resolve was when her knight turned those crystal blue eyes towards her, eyes filled with a tiny hesitation. A slight vulnerability she could so easily take advantage of to make up for so much lost groping.
Signum smiled and chuckled uneasily. She knew the look in Hayate's eyes. It was a dangerous look. One she could not really entertain at the moment. "While I am glad to see yet more evidence you are still yourself, I will request that you restrain your... urges." She really didn't want to have to take another shower after getting riled up by her Mistress. A part of her was rather curious about the box, nondescript and lavender in color, Hayate had brought with her, but it seemed she would not have the chance to ask as Hayate spoke up before she could do so.
Hayate pouted and crossed her arms after setting the box down on Signum's bed. "Not even a little bit? Please?" A shake of the head shot her down for now. Well, there's always next time. Or a properly timed opening. "Well... drat." She walked over to the small vanity where Signum was sitting and picked up a brush. "We have other things to do besides me getting an update on just how my lovely knight of the sword's body is doing~"
There was a nod as Signum straightened her back, and fanned out her rosette locks to make it easier for Hayate to brush. The slightest tinge of pink not borne of heat from the shower graced her cheeks. "I do thank you for this." She would admit having her Mistress brush her hair was an immensely guilty pleasure. So would Vita, but you didn't need admittance to see just how much the redhead enjoyed it. Or herself, if she were being perfectly honest.
"No thanks needed. I like doing this." Her amicable tone was both mischievous and motherly. Oh, how she wished to simply dive straight into the delectable meat. "Do you have something picked out to wear? That dress Shamal gave you a few years ago, maybe? Though it's been so long... I'm not sure if the bust will be big enough anymore..." Of course, she already knew it wouldn't be. Hence the phone call she had made in secret after finding out about the little date.
"It should fit. It is not the sort of dress you need an exact shape to fit in, fortunately." Shamal had gifted her the garment as a birthday gift not long after the dissolution of Riot Force 6 in the hopes of nudging her along in finding someone to wear it for. It did not have the desired effect. "I doubt she realized it would take this long for me to wear it." She remained silent after those words for while, allowing herself to enjoy the pleasant feeling of having her hair brushed. A part of her wondered if Yuuno would enjoy the feeling as well, or if his skill with a brush was comparable to Hayate's.
Unseen by Signum, Hayate's grin turned into one not dissimilar from a shark's. There was blood in the water, and she was hungry. No, starving. "Speaking of which~" She very nearly giggled dementedly when Signum appeared to flinch. "This date I'm helping you prepare for. Who would have thought those hot and steamy sparring sessions would turn into this~"
Signum swallowed audibly. "I... That is... Neither of us planned for it to happen. But neither are we... complaining about what has come of it. Tonight we plan to see where we really stand and where we want to go." If they didn't... Well, she would rather not imagine what sort of disaster could befall them by stumbling about.
"My little girl is growing up, it seems~" Hayate's voice was filled with approval as she continued her work on lock after lock of pink hued hair.
"Hayate... I..." There was a pause as Signum tried to find the right words. Normally it would be simple to come out and speak with her Mistress about anything. But this topic was... not the normal sort. Nor was the theme one that would not likely provoke a rather perverse reaction. "I was wondering why you did not say anything last night when Vita informed you about what had transpired between Yuuno and I."
Hayate blinked before chuckling. Fortunately for Signum's nerves, it was not one completely devoid of moral fiber. "Why I didn't say anything about Yuuno sheathing his sword? About you two breaking beds? About getting a hot beef injection? About shatteri-"
"Hayate!" Signum's horribly embarrassed and outraged cry cut the brunette short of what was bound to be yet another horribly crude metaphor of what she and Yuuno had done.
"Hahaha! Okay, I'll stop." Though despite her words, a giggle occasionally swept past her lips. "But Vita sure has a mouth on her, doesn't she? As for why I didn't say anything about Yuuno stealing my precious knight's purity," she stopped brushing for a moment and placed her hands on Signum's shoulders, "I trust you, I trust Yuuno, and the only reason I'm not marching over to his place right now to deliver the obligatory speech of 'Make her cry and I'll nuke you from orbit' is because there'd be no point. From what I've been told, Zwei and Nanoha already did that for me~"
Signum released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you... I was worried about what you would say about this." Out of everyone in the family, Hayate's word would always be the most important to her. There was never any doubt of that. She'll have to be sure to let Yuuno know of Hayate's words as well tonight.
"Just so long as you're happy, I am completely fine with whomever you choose to love. Yuuno's a good man, and cute too. He's not a bad choice. And I'd say he's the luckiest guy ever to have the lovely General of Fire fall for him~" She ended her words with a teasing lilt to her voice. A teasing lilt which gave Signum only the barest of warnings. "In more ways than one~"
Hayate's self control had finally reached the breaking point and the hands which once rested upon Signum's shoulders snaked their way down, past the meager defenses of the cotton towel, and firmly grasped Signum's ample chest. The knight could only squeak as she turned completely red at the sudden assault.
"Oh ho~ This size. This firmness! Yuuno is a lucky man indeed to have seen and felt these wonders so intimately! I'm jealous. So very jealous!" And so the teasing commenced in full force.
It would be no fewer than ten minutes before Signum managed to free herself from the depraved and deprived beast her beloved Lady Hayate had become.
"Haa... Haa... I thought I requested you restrain yourself...?" Signum's glare was filled with the sort of resignation found in the eyes of a person who realized she should not have held onto such a foolish hope. Hayate's skinship was not to be denied. Though she wished it could have been put off to a later time.
Hayate merely laughed jovially, a satisfied expression on her face. "Sorry. Sorry." There is much debate on whether or not she actually was sorry for the numerous assaults attributed to her name and wandering hands. "I couldn't help myself any longer." Well, she could have, but then she wouldn't be Hayate.
Signum sighed as she stood, not bothering to retrieve the towel. Then again, she wasn't even sure where the article had been hurled, so it was a moot point. "Truly, my Mistress is a fearsome woman." There was no bite in her words, only an honest and affectionate truth. A truth, despite it's embarrassing results, she had come to love and appreciate as a part of Hayate.
"So, what's on the itinerary for tonight's date if you don't mind my prying~?" She was genuinely curious as to what sort of evening would lay in store for Signum. Assuming Yuuno wasn't planning to surprise her. Surprises were good and all, but she didn't really think the mood surrounding the knight was suitable for one.
"I do not mind." Signum walked over to her dresser with the intention of choosing undergarments as she spoke. "We will be having dinner. Yuuno did not say where, only that the dress code would be semi-formal. We will also be having a... talk." One they should have had a while ago. But given their stubbornness and ignorance about certain things, she was not sure just how such a talk could have happened sooner.
The pause before mentioning a 'talk' sent off warning bells in Hayate's mind. The analytical and motherly portions of her mind kicked into a higher gear as she considered what sort of meanings could lay behind such a pause. "A talk?" It must have showed in her voice, as Signum quickly turned and waved her hands disarmingly with a reassuring expression on her face. The image was made slightly humorous, considering she was holding a pair of panties in one hand.
Slipping on the chosen underwear and turning back to reach for a bra, she clarified. "It is something we should have done a while ago. Both of us jumped into this... very suddenly and without really thinking about the consequences of our actions." She set her crystal gaze upon Hayate's as reassurance became seriousness. "We need to see where we are and where we want to go. If we do not, then there is... no hope at all for us to have anything beyond that one night. And I do not wish for us to have just that." No. She wants more. So much more. It is simply a matter of discerning just what that 'more' consists of and how she can obtain it with Yuuno.
Signum paused as she realized she was trying to hold a serious discussion whilst putting on her undergarments. It was not exactly an image she found amusing, no matter what Hayate might think of it, and the grin on her Mistress' face certainly said she found it to be quite so.
"Hmm~" The expression on Hayate's face became one comparable to a mother gazing upon her daughter as her girl went back to dressing herself. She did allow a mental chuckle as she thought of how that poor bra would see no action tonight. Neither would the panties, for that matter. But still, she could not be more proud of her precious Signum. Her daughter who had just realized some great truth of the universe and was stepping into a larger, far more rewarding world. "It seems my precious Signum grew up a lot when I wasn't looking. I wonder how long it'll be before I have to give you away." The smile upon her face was broad and sunny. There was no melancholy there, for she could not ever be sad about such a development.
"Hayate, you know that whatever the future may hold, I will always be by your side." Despite the fact she was clad only in a simple set of cream-colored, cotton undergarments, the words were potent enough it wouldn't have mattered whether they had been spoken in full armor or completely nude. A blush adored her face as she scratched her cheek. "Just... I hope there will be a certain scholar by my side as well when the time comes."
Hayate chuckled. Her knight certainly knows what she wants, doesn't she. "When it comes to that, you'll have my full blessing. I just hope Yuuno doesn't mind his beloved Signum still having some skinship with her Mistress~"
Signum groaned as she reached up and placed her palm upon her face. "I believe he has already accepted such an inevitability." There was no escaping Yagami Hayate. None whatsoever.
"Then he's a wise, wise man~" Hayate's shark-like grin did not set Signum's heart at ease. Then again, it wasn't really supposed to. She approached Signum with a gaze that had turned into an incredibly calculating one. "Now then... Time for Lady Hayate to intervene on behalf of her beloved knight. I have a question for you: Are you going on a nice, romantic date with your hunk of a boyfriend, or are you meeting at a diner with a guy you might like?"
It took a few moments for Signum to process the fact Hayate had, likely intentionally, referred to Yuuno as a 'hunk'. The mental image provided did not quite mesh with her image of the librarian, but was not unpleasant either. "The former. Why? Is there something wrong?" She glanced down at her undergarments and saw no problems. Hayate had not voiced any complaints about her choice of wearing the gifted dress either, so she could hardly imagine it had to do with her clothes.
Hayate shook her head, fighting the ever-growing urge to smile wickedly as the butterfly began to drift into the spider's web. "No, no. Don't worry too much about it. I'm just wondering why you decided to go with the clothes you did." She had an idea. Well, it was more like she knew Signum better than most anyone alive. Her knight knew she had a dress than looked quite nice and would likely be an excellent choice for what would hopefully be a nice, romantic evening. Therefore, she would use it and try to look her best. And choosing a bra and panties combination that worked with the dress and was also comfortable without looking too casual would also factor into her thought process. In some ways, her knights were far too predictable.
Signum nodded in understanding. "It is a nice dress and one I think would suit the evening well. It is not too flashy, but not casual enough to be unsuited for this." A pointed look from Hayate towards her undergarments brought a slight blush to her cheeks. "In the event the date reaches a more... intimate end, I believe something like this would be appropriate." As she walked over to a hook on the wall where she had hung the dress in question, she continued. "And these are the best undergarments I have for such an event."
A raised eyebrow was the only response from Hayate. She was glad she'd taken the action she had. It was pretty much a given Signum didn't own anything of an intentionally provocative nature, but this was just a little ridiculous. The brunette could have sworn there was at least something she'd bought for the rosette which would fit the bill some time ago. She wouldn't be Hayate if she hadn't. Regardless, Signum seemed to think this was the best choice. It was a pity. There would be much education in the knight's immediate future.
Education which would begin shortly if the look on Signum's face was any indication.
She had donned the dress in all it's splendor. It was actually quite a pretty article and suited her very well. A dark lavender colored cloth which seemed to be made of a dense cotton if Hayate's eyes did not fail her. Likely there was a matching petticoat to go with it, but there was a slight problem Signum seemed to be having. One the Mistress of the Tome of the Night Sky had known about for some time, but only had reason to really take into serious consideration recently.
It would seem the lovely dress would never have a chance to fulfill it's duty. Not without alterations which would take far more time than Signum had available to her at the moment.
Said knight turned to Hayate with what appeared to be a growing panic in her eyes. "Ah... L-Lady Hayate..." She must be truly worried to use the 'Lady' title at the moment.
Shamal's gift had gone far too long without being worn, for since then, Signum had most obviously grown out of it. The hips were too tight. There was no way she would ever get the zipper in the back all the way up. The bottom seemed a little higher up than she thought it would be. Most notably, while not exactly bursting from their confines, it was quite obvious her bust could no longer be bound by such meager holdings. Not without relieving Signum of her ability to breathe in any comfortable manner. All told, it made for a very stiff and uncomfortable dress.
"It seems that you have a small problem." Yes, she would state the obvious before finally ensnaring the lovely knight in her web and biting into her dinner. A part of her mind was cackling quite evilly at the sight before her. Yes! Panic and wail at the fact your nice clothing doesn't fit anymore! I shall have my petty revenge before I swoop in and save your delectable backside from the fire. She carefully hid that part from her hapless knight.
Signum was beginning to succumb to genuine panic as she gave up trying to force the zipper to move. It would only break the poor device at this rate, or end up suffocating her. Such an oversight. How could she have been so foolish as to think her body would not have grown and changed over the years with all her training and work? Seeing Hayate's new, far more fit form should have been a blatantly obvious reminder, but no, she'd never thought to consider it. Now she was paying the price. She began to pace, the ill fitting dress hanging off her in an awkward manner. "...What should I do? I cannot wear this. Not as it is."
"Well, I don't think I need to say your Knight's Armor and casual clothes are out." It was yet more of the obvious to drive Signum into the corner she wanted the woman in. For a date of this magnitude, it was not only inappropriate, but Signum's pride would never allow it. Hayate just had to push a few more buttons as the knight continued pacing with her hand on the back of her neck and a mild expression of panic on her face. "What about something of Shamal's? That might fit." Somewhat. Shamal's measurements were just different enough to make swapping clothes uncomfortable to wear and awkward to see. The fact Shamal, as Signum's primary physician, definitely knew the dress wouldn't fit, but said nothing about it, led Hayate to believe the blonde had her own little plot in mind as well. Too bad she'd acted first~
"I cannot. I already owe her a great deal as it is." Not making a spectacle of things or teasing the living daylights out of her after discovering what had happened on the excavation had racked up a considerable debt for the swordswoman. She could not afford to add any more to it. If she did, she may very well end up being owned by the healer for the rest of her days. It was... not something she was willing to consider.
"Ah, then what will you do? You're running out of time, and it seems those're the only options you've got. Shamal, or a dress that obviously doesn't fit. And you know that Shamal's clothes won't fit you very well either." Just a bit further. Just a bit further and this Lady Hayate will get to have her ever so fun revenge.
Signum ran a hand through her hair as she began looking between her closet, her ill-fitting dress, and her mistress. No matter what possible solution came to her, none were suitable to her. Each involved either a horribly inappropriate attire for the date, a terrible blow to her pride, ever more debt to Shamal, or some combination of all three. "I do not know. I truly am at a loss. None of my options are appealing in any way. But most of all, I do not wish to show up in something so... inappropriate. Not tonight. Most assuredly not tonight."
Oh, her dangerously lovely Signum was truly a treat. A treat she so loved to torment and tease in so many ways. But now, now was the time to strike. "Ahh... I can't take it anymore. It's just no good. Off with it! Your Mistress demands that you strip!" Rather than wait for Signum to do so and go from there, she marched over to the bed and placed her hand upon the box she had brought with her in a dramatic fashion. Perhaps she was enjoying this a little too much?
... Nah.
Signum herself was too gobsmacked to offer up any sort of argument, or even comply with the order, and simply stared at the sudden shift in her Mistress' demeanor. "Hayate, what is--?" She was cut off as Hayate hurled the box's lid off to the side and held up two articles. Two very, very dangerous articles. One was a pair of red lace panties. The other was a dress. A dress of red silk which seemed to be embroidered with some manner of golden-hued pattern. "Th-Those are..."
"Fufufu~ Your Lady Hayate was hoping she wouldn't need to give you this little present so soon. But it seems like I don't have a choice. I don't want my beloved knight to have her evening ruined by something like clothes. So I took the liberty of placing a little order~" She had every intention of stuffing Signum into the articles in her hands since walking through the door, but making the knight wear it of her own accord, even if it involved dubious means, was just so much more fun.
The panic melted from Signum's face as she beheld the now revealed articles from the box of unknown origin. Taking it's place was a an expression somewhere between shock and embarrassment. "You... When did you get those? And you... want me to wear them?" The tone she used was perfectly flat, as if unable to entertain the notion of wearing such undergarments. Her crimson cheeks and wide, doe-like eyes, however, were quite indicative of the thoughts which lay just below the surface.
Where had she even gotten those? Wait, is the where even important at this point? Hayate obviously acquired them through some means. No nevermind the where, how about the what? Could such a piece of cloth even be considered clothing? For underwear it was outrageous. Some parts even looked as though she could see through them. Forget being borderline indecent, it practically flew over the line into outright shameless!
Sure, she'd worn some rather scandalous attire before, all at the hands of her perverse Mistress. She could quite vividly recall some outfits that would have gotten her arrested in very short order if she had even taken a single step outside. Yet the idea of wearing undergarments such as these for such an important event... It was embarrassing. So very embarrassing!
And that's just the panties.
...Panties she now notices have no matching bra.
"It's your battle gear! Going to such an important date with such casual underwear is simply begging for defeat. A woman must always wear the proper gear for a date. And for an evening like this, you have to go with the sexy. The sexier, the better!" Let it not be said that Hayate does not learn a great deal through her misadventures in molestation and spying on her subordinates. "How can you possibly have a romantic evening full of a true love-love atmosphere if you don't have the right support?"
The look on Signum's face told Hayate she was at least comprehending those words.
It was a start.
"And the dress!" Signum would not be given a choice it seems. Granted, she never had one to begin with. Such was the illusion of choice granted by her Mistress. Hayate wasted no time in unfolding the dress for Signum to see. It was... astounding. Yes, her overwhelmed mind could definitely accept astounding as an explanation for the garment she would be forced to wear tonight. "And the best part is that it has plenty of support, so you don't need to bother with a bra. No matter how sexy a matching bra to these panties might be~"
"N-No bra?" Signum's mouth seemed to have regained the ability to function, however higher mental functions still appeared to be impaired. Her face flushed a bright red at the notion. It almost matched the color of the dress. "B-B-But-!"
Hayate would not be dissuaded and shook her head violently. "No! Absolutely not. For this dress you can't wear a bra. It'll completely ruin the look! And for that matter!" She thrust her finger out to the stunned and embarrassed knight. "After all you two have done together, how can you be embarrassed by something like this? If you can't go without a bra for a sexy, important date like this, then I have not raised you properly! I will not have my beloved Signum lose the man of her dreams because she can't work up the courage to wear something daring and dangerous!"
Signum felt herself backing up as her Mistress began advancing on her with a very dangerous gleam in her eyes, panties and dress in hand. "H-Hayate?" She could not really deny Hayate's words. The sensible ones, at least. Not in any sensible manner which did not spit upon her feelings regarding what she and Yuuno were. But it did not make Hayate any less a frightening existence at the moment. "Please calm down and be reasonable. Hayate?"
There was a dangerous gleam in Hayate's eyes as she cornered the rosette, her mind given in to the madness which was part of the core of her existence. "Yes, this is definitely the only path. Fiery and sexy, just the thing for the General of Fire. And it goes so well with your hair. Ahh... You're going to be an absolute killer tonight~"
Unfortunately for Signum, the remainder of the intervention and impromptu education would employ very few of her own opinions.
Or free will.
"Hayate, please! Wait, I can--! Ah!"