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Tweak says, "You're simply the best"

Michiru Kaioh (seawinds) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-09-24 20:18:00

Entry tags:

complete, day 16, haruka tenoh, michiru kaioh, sailor neptune, sailor uranus

Who: Haruka & Michiru
Where: Wine making area
When: Early Afternoon
What: Making some wine
Rating: PG-13ish?
Status: Complete

Michiru had spent a good portion of yesterday wandering the resort, and trying to figure out why the Planet had been so rude as to make her ocean disappear with no warning. You couldn't _do_ that. Oceans weren't supposed to just appear and disappear overnight. Yet that was what had happened. However, the Planet had seen fit to provide a very nice winery, and Michiru had spent the afternoon tasting some very fine wines. Which did not make up for the missing ocean, but was very thoughtful.

Now, with a rather self satisfied smile she pulled Haruka up the path behind her. There had been a sign at the tastings that mentioned that 'guests' could help make the wine. This seemed like it would be great fun. She didn't know much about wine making, except that you had to stomp on the grapes at some point. Haruka would probably like that part, since it seemed messy. Michiru was more interested in figuring out the whole fermentation process and how you packed the juice just right to get the different flavors.

She hadn't told Haruka where they were headed, preferring it to be a surprise. She hoped they could have a fun, relaxing time, and maybe distract her from the nagging sense of worry.

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kaze_ni_naru
2008-09-26 05:09 pm UTC (link)

Haruka raised an eyebrow at Michiru's completely unhelpful description. "What did you see yesterday, Michiru?" she asked. It was clear her koibito had some idea in her head, and that never boded well for Haruka. She ended up being dragged to things that really weren't her scene, if she was honest with herself. But, for Michiru, she'd do anything.

Her question was answered a moment later by rows upon rows of vines, each bearing ripe grapes of just about every color. A winery? She breathed an internal sigh of relief. A winery wasn't so bad. The creatures on the planet didn't have problems serving under-aged people, so it might actually be fun. She'd seen wineries before, sped past them on her motorcycle, but never stopped at one.

"Help?" Haruka asked. "As in, help make the wine?" She looked over the building and the creatures that approached them. "Interesting." How did one make wine? If they'd ever covered that in school, Haruka had either dozed through it, or just not paid attention, for whatever reason. Still, it couldn't be too hard, if the had to do it without verbal instructions. It could be fun. The golem beckoned, it's gnarled hand waving them forward. Haruka glanced at Michiru, waiting for her partner to take the lead. It was, after all, her idea.

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seawinds
2008-09-26 06:58 pm UTC (link)

Michiru followed the beckoning golem into the open-sided building and out to the large vat. There were wooden stairs going up the side, and it smelled of wood and grapes and fermentation. The golem indicated that they were expected to go up the stairs. With a reflexive bow of thanks, Michiru did just that.

At the top of the stairs there was a large sign instructing them to remove their socks and shoes and get into the vat. Apparently they would be squishing grapes. With a sightly resigned smile, Michiru pulled off her socks and shoes, thankful she had indeed chosen an older pair of pants and shirt for today. She was pretty sure this was going to get messy, which would at least make Haruka happy.

The sign also explained a bit about how stomping the grapes helped release the juices which were collected underneath. She read it over carefully before climbing over the low wall, slipping a little as her bare feet impacted the still whole grapes. She caught herself on the edge and got her balance.

"See?" she asked Haruka, a happy smile on her face "It's not that bad"

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kaze_ni_naru
2008-09-28 07:12 am UTC (link)

Haruka trailed along, scanning the area curiously. Wineries seemed to be oddly built. Then again, it was probably normal for a winery. She just wasn't used to it. She looked up at the large vat, and the stairs leading to it, wondering what in the world they were going to have to do. Maybe wash some grapes? She nodded very slightly at the golems as she followed Michiru up the stairs. She couldn't quite figure out if they were alive, or just constructs, so the level of politeness was difficult to gauge.

Upon reaching the platform at the top of the stairs, Haruka was glad she'd decided to wear more wide-legged trousers today. "We're going to step on grapes?" Why in the world did people...oh. Haruka was glad she'd finished reading the sign before she asked that particular question. Michiru didn't like it when she asked questions that made her seem unobservant.

Shrugging, Haruka bent down and pulled off her sneakers and socks, and rolled each leg of her pants up to just above the knee. Then, she followed Michiru into the vat. It was a lot more slippery to walk on grapes than she'd guessed it would be, and she held the edge tightly. When she noticed Michiru slide off-balance, she reached out to steady her lover, placing a hand on her waist. She took a step closer to Michiru and leant down, bringing her lips close to the other woman's ear. "No, it's not bad at all," she said quietly.

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seawinds
2008-09-28 09:21 am UTC (link)

"I thought about dragging you to the spa, but I thought this would be more to your enjoyment" Michiru said with a small smile as she felt Haruka's arm slide around her waist. She gave her lover a quick kiss on the neck and spun out of her grip. She slid a little again, but was able to catch herself without the rim this time. She took a few careful steps forward, feeling the grapes crush and squish under her feet. It was an interesting feeling, though not unpleasant.

She reached a hand out to Haruka to pull the other woman away from the wall. "How often have we gotten to just have fun?" she asked, her tone serious. It was true. They were both only seventeen, but with everything they had been through it was easy to feel much older.

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kaze_ni_naru
2008-09-28 05:55 pm UTC (link)

The spa? Haruka's eyes widened a little at the thought. She could imagine Michiru at the spa easily. Michiru would enjoy that sort of thing very much. But Haruka? She'd probably end up liking some of the treatments, in the end, but she'd grumble all the way, and be thoroughly embarrassed about the experience. This was definitely better.

She pouted as Michiru stepped away from her, out toward the middle of the vat. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked, a hint of teasing in her voice. She followed her lover out into the middle of the grapes, holding her arms ever so slightly out for balance. Walking on a surface that broke beneath your feet was not something she was used to. Just as she was sure she had her footing, it would squish underneath her, causing her to sink a fraction of an inch. The grapes felt rather slimy between her toes. She took Michiru's hand, letting herself be pulled along to the center.

"Not enough," Haruka agreed. It had been a very long time since they'd done something just for fun, and not with any ulterior motive behind it. Even racing, in the end, had ended up as a way to watch out for people with pure hearts, or star seeds. The last two years had been spent scrutinizing everyone they met, waiting for attacks that usually came, and protecting the princess, whether or not she realized it. The idea of doing something just for fun was refreshing. She grinned. "Could you see Usagi trying to squish grapes like this?" she asked as she stepped firmly down, feeling more grapes give way beneath her.

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seawinds
2008-09-29 06:21 am UTC (link)

Michiru had to laugh at the image of Usagi squishing grapes. "She'd probably be slipping all over the place. But she'd have great time" It was true, Usagi was always such a happy girl, and something like this would be right up her alley. That had always been one of Usagi's most endearing qualities - her unrepentant cheerfulness, even when everything else was dark.

"She'd probably crush more grapes by falling on them than stepping though" she commented, crushing some more of the fruit herself. Once she got the hang of balancing on the fruit it wasn't that hard, and in fact rather fun. She did a little skipping dance, just for fun, feeling the juice squish under her feet. The bottoms of her feet were rapidly being stained purple-red from the grapes, which seemed to add to the fun of it all.

"It is nice to just have fun" she said "And maybe just a little silly"

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kaze_ni_naru
2008-09-30 04:56 pm UTC (link)

Haruka laughed. The sound echoed through the area. It had been a while since she'd been able to genuinely laugh at something. The image of Usagi trying to stand on the grapes, flailing all over the place, and probably skidding across them and crashing to the "ground" was impossible not to laugh at. "She'd laugh as hard as we were," Haruka said. And she would. Usagi was the type to take it all in stride, and find enjoyment in just about anything.

Haruka stomped out to the edges of the vat again, bringing her feet down hard with each step. It was all well and good to crush the grapes at the center of the vat, but the ones on the edges needed attention as well. She grinned at Michiru. "It is nice to let loose a little," she agreed.

She headed back for the center once she'd completed her circuit, and offered Michiru a hand, grinning. "Would you like to dance?" she asked.

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seawinds
2008-10-01 06:17 am UTC (link)

"She'd be entirely purple by the time she was done" Michiru said, with a laugh of her own. She had a great mental image of Usagi turned bright purple from the grape juice, with bits of fruit stuck in her hair.

She was trying to keep a pattern to her stomping, working back and forth across the vat to crush the grapes, but she stopped as Haruka approached and offered a dance.

"You know I can not refuse you" she said with a coy look up through her lashes that spoke of far more than just the dance offer. Somewhere in the winery music started playing, which made Michiru laugh. "Apparently the Planet wants us to dance as well"

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kaze_ni_naru
2008-10-02 04:32 pm UTC (link)

Haruka knew that very well. She also knew the look Michiru gave her. She smiled as she took Michiru's hand. The smile turned into a laugh as she heard the music. "Apparently," she agreed. She stood still for a moment, listening to the music and trying to figure out its rhythm before she began the dance.

"Waltz," she said softly, nodding very slightly with the beat. She put her other hand on Michiru's waist, then began to lead. Dancing wasn't as easy on grapes as it was on a hardwood floor, but with Michiru as a partner, Haruka was able to keep the elegance of the dance. She stumbled a little as they stepped across the slimy fruit, but not so much that it took away from the moment, so she hoped. Haruka actually liked to dance, as long as she was allowed to lead. She'd ended up partnered with a few men during her time who'd tried to insist on leading, and that hadn't gone well at all.

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seawinds
2008-10-03 05:49 am UTC (link)

Michiru let Haruka swing her into the elegance of the dance, part of her wishing she'd worn a skirt if they were going to be dancing. Trousers just didn't feel right. But she realized that a skirt would have been impractical while crushing grapes, so she tried to ignore it.

It was a little slippery, but with her bare feet she found she was able to grip the surface a bit better now that she'd gotten the hang of it. She slipped a few times, but nothing major, and she had to admit, that almost made it more fun.

"Would it ruin your 'image' too much if people knew how much you enjoyed dancing?" Michiru teased gently. "You are my best partner after all"

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