Dessa & Bella

As autumn came on strong and sunset crept earlier and earlier in the day, the breeze was starting to take on a distinct chill. In some ways, it was a sorry time of year, as the festivals and celebrations of the spring and summer months all but disappeared, and the wonderful bodies of Tokyo's women were covered up by increasingly thick and numerous layers of clothing. Odessa, however, could find plenty of reasons to appreciate the turn towards colder weather. The colors of the changing leaves painted the shining chrome streets of Tokyo's business and shopping districts in a whole new light, and hot tea and hot chocolate in a hundred different varieties proliferated on the menus of every café and corner store.

And even though the most wonderful body in all of Tokyo—in all the world—was not as visible as it might have been in the middle of July, Odessa hardly minded. Because her beloved girlfriend Isabella seemed to come alive when the weather got colder. When the jackets came on and the wind started stinging more sensitive faces, there always seemed to be an extra twinkle in the Northern Queen's eye.

The two of them were on a long stroll down one of Tokyo's central shopping avenues, window shopping, occasionally ducking into a store when something caught their eye. The sun was setting over distant towers, with the whole street lit up in gold, with long, dark blue shadows stretching behind trees and buildings out to the east. Odessa and Isabella were not as bundled up as many of the women around them, but Odessa still wore a grey wool jacket over a white blouse, a pair of black trousers and boots, and a black-and-white-checkered scarf pulled snugly around her neck.

She kept her arm hooked around Isabella's, keeping them close, almost cheek to cheek. Her hand bent upward to play with strands of white hair, hers and Isabella's, twining them together so that no one could tell what particular strand belonged to whose head.

She was just starting to feel a twinge of hunger in her tummy, and at the rate they were walking they would soon enter a slightly older part of the shopping district, where little hole-in-the-wall coffee shops and patisseries abounded. Odessa could almost smell the delicious sweet buns and cream-filled pastries already. But they had some time yet before hunger completely overcame them, and another display caught her eye.

"Mm, look at these, Bella," Odessa said, turning to face a big bay window that contained several mannequins wearing a series of sweaters, in pastels, then in black and white, some with patterns or characters adorning them. "We could use a new pair of matching sweaters this winter, don't you think? For our holiday cards." It made Odessa feel warm and fuzzy every time she got to call Isabella by her nickname, Bella. It was a relatively new development in their long-term relationship, something Isabella hadn't liked at first but had come to expect and appreciate when it was Odessa using the pet term. Odessa leaned her head closer to Isabella's, gently bonking together temple to temple, their hair intertwining even more.

Spring could be annoying as even someone with light allergies like she did found themselves annoyed with the outside world. Summer was rather pleasant if just a bit too hot for her tastes, though swimsuit season would always be a welcome time of year for her. Winter had its own charms, though she imagined she wouldn't enjoy it as much if she had to worry about being snowed in like she had back in the states. Autumn however, was just right if she thought about it in fairy tail terms, not too hot nor too cold, just right and all that. Isabella had always loved this time of year for while others bundled up and shivered in the increasingly colder weather, Isabella could walk around as if nothing had changed from the summer, it was part of why she adopted the last name of snow and not because of books she had never read despite what so many people guessed.

Her girlfriend of more years than she often realized walked arm in arm beside her as they strolled down one of Tokyo's shopping districts, another lover of the season though she suspected that had more to do with Isabella's own fondness for it than anything else. It still felt odd some days to think of her relationship with Odessa, even a nickname she used to detest in Bella felt somehow right when it came from Odessa's lips, and the idea of matching sweaters or holiday cards didn't make her sick either. Though they still weren't her favorite ideas, she didn't feel the urge to run at the mention of them and that was something.

"Do we really need more sweaters? I barely wear one as it is Dessa ." Isabella reminded her, using a nickname of her own even if it was just a single letter different. She was dressed in a dark purple shirt with a band name scribbled on the front in english, one whose color was rather faded after countless washes. She had picked it up at a hole in the wall club when she was fifteen, after sneaking in, she remembered the band being good but not enough for her to remember more than that. Of course it was rather tight fitting on her now but she didn't mind. Today she had paired it with a black vest that wouldn't look out of place at a punk rock concert, a pair of tight blue jeans, and a simple pair of black shoes. Her white mane of hair, which had grown rather long the last couple of years, was pulled back behind her shoulders but was otherwise free.

The two of them had been together for quite a long time now—many years, even if the beginning of their relationship was nebulous enough that an exact date when they officially became a couple could not be established. It had taken Odessa a long time to win Isabella over, to show her that Odessa thought of her as more than just another pretty face and fuckable body. It was fair of Isabella to be skeptical, considering how they had started: fighting in a bar, that fighting turning to a rough makeout session, and that becoming...

...well, becoming one of the most exciting nights of Odessa's life. It was hard to beat that kind of aggressive encounter between two alpha females like them, especially once one was in a committed relationship. But though Isabella had softened quite a bit—and Odessa had changed in many ways herself—the two of them didn't lose that spark. They were still competitors, after all, as well as lovers.

"Even you get cold in the middle of winter!" Odessa replied, gently chiding Isabella for wearing so little as the weather started to turn. Last year, the American woman had come down with the sniffles just before the holiday season, causing Odessa's concern for her health during the winter months to spike sharply. "And besides, you look wonderful in a sweater. Especially something darker, to contrast with your complexion." Odessa was going to hold firm in her belief that Isabella could use a new sweater, but...she wasn't going to belabor the point. "If you'd rather," she continued, "we can circle back around again this weekend, see if they have any sales going on."

"Where shall we go next?" Window shopping such as they were doing now might have been more Odessa's idea of fun than Isabella's. Knowing that, Odessa would be more than happy to go along wherever Isabella led now, whether it was to dinner or through the park or back home.

Isabella glanced between Odessa and the mannequins on the other side of the store window a few times before she closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. "Fiiiine, I suppose it won't hurt to buy something for later on in the year. Especially if they're on sale..." She opened her eyes, arms crossed just beneath the curve of her bust as she leaned over to peer more closely at the collection of sweaters, looking over them until she noticed the price tags with the lovely word "sale" scribbled on them. "This place here is fine for now, we're here so might as well go inside and see what they have to offer. Though I draw the line at cutesy couple one's." She had already started pulling on the door when Isabella added that last part, nodding her head once as if that was the final word on the subject, even though they both knew it rarely ever was.

As they stepped into the decently sized boutique Isabella realized they weren't the only one's who had been drawn in by the displays out front, a few other women and even one other couple had come inside to browse, and to get out of the cold judging from how many layers they all were wearing. "This place is popular." She remarked while looking about the place, once again reminded of how much taller she was than the average woman in Japan...or nearly anywhere really, as she was at least a head taller than any of the racks. "Ah there they are." She said, pointing at the eastern wall of the room where the sweaters from the window as well as many others waited for them, Isabella ignoring the glances they were getting from the other potential customers as she made her way over.

"So something dark for me and perhaps something more vibrant for you?" Isabella was not the fashionable one between them, growing up she hadn't had the luxury of turning down clothes that had been donated to the children's home, the band shirt she wore now one of the few things she had picked out herself back then. "Huh, so this is a sweater and a dress?" She reached out and ran her hand along a dark sweater that looked like it could reach even her knees or close to it, the color so dark she only noticed it was blue when she held it up to the light.

Odessa giggled, brushing her head across Isabella's, rubbing her forehead against that of her girlfriend in a casual affectionate gesture. "No cutesy couples ones? Darling, it's like you've never even taken a photo for a holiday card before!" she teased. Odessa had been hoping that the two of them could get matching sweaters. But, perhaps, Isabella's reticence was directed more towards the kitschy, "ugly" couples sweaters—one with the front and one with the back end of a reindeer, for example—and not so much towards thematically connected sweaters.

Inside, Isabella weaved her way deftly through the clusters of bodies, using her much-greater height compared to most of the native Japanese women to navigate. Odessa, being of the same height as Isabella, was able to do much the same, and, in fact, never even unhooked her arm from around her girlfriend's, the two of them taking turns finding space for them to slip through to make their way to the sweater display without running over any of the other customers. "Mm, popular indeed. The sale must be quite the success for them."

The two of them, both visibly foreign and visibly a couple, drew plenty of stares from the people surrounding them. It was rare to see a woman so tall, and an almost unheard of thing to see a woman with white hair—let alone two of them, arm in arm.

Isabella suggested a more vibrant sweater for Odessa after Odessa suggested a darker color for her, which made sense, though Odessa hoped that Isabella didn't think that Odessa's suggestion of a darker color for her meant she thought Isabella was a dark and gloomy person. The sweater which caught Isabella's eye, though, definitely captivated Odessa, as well. "A sweater and a dress...you'll look wonderful no matter how you wear it," Odessa said. She glanced down the rack at some of the many sweater designs available. Another one, the same color and cut as the one Isabella held, but with a series of white snowflakes across the chest, caught her eye. "Oooh, you'd like this one, wouldn't you, Bella?" she said gleefully, tugging Isabella over to the navy blue-and-snowflakes sweater.

And nearby was another sweater with the same design, but the colors reversed...white sweater, blue snowflakes. Odessa picked that one up, holding it up to her own body, glancing from it to Isabella to see what she thought. If they were too matchy, of course, there were so many more options...

Isabella shot a sideways glance at Odessa as they waded through the growing crowd of shoppers within the store, giving her a rather accusing look. "Until I met you I hadn't, well..." She paused for a second, looking up as she poured through a number of hazy, not so good memories. "Unless you count the photos they took of us at the orphanage for fundraising purposes, and I don't count those." Odessa would recall a time when Isabella would only ever talk about her childhood with her friend who had grown up with her, Rosaria, but without even realizing it she had added Odessa to that very small circle. Now her girlfriend knew all about the various children's homes she had passed between until she was 18, having grown up in the system her entire life with only the one friend, and even Rosaria had only been around for her years in her second of three homes.

But that was all the past and Isabella was not intent on speaking any further on it right then. She was far more interested in the sweaters in front of her, or rather she was interested in what Odessa thought of them since she was only buying one because of her. Her first couple winters here Isabella had barely ever worn so much as a jacket but Odessa had convinced her otherwise since then, partly for fashion and partly for her health since that one dumb cold. She still insisted she got it from a close brush with Cecilia but Odessa always rolled her eyes at that, probably because Isabella liked blaming the blonde for anything she could.

"Huh?" Isabella was snapped out of her thoughts by a question from Odessa, turning away from the sweater dress she had been inspecting to look over at what had caught her lover's eye. It was another longer sweater that would double as a short dress, reaching a couple inches past their thighs judging by how it looked when held against her. "Well its on brand, thats for sure." Her attention was then drawn back to Odessa who had found the inverse of the one she held, a playful smile appearing on her lips as she drank in the sight in front of her. "Well as far as matching sweaters goes, they aren't THAT bad. Plus if you wear that one you're technically wearing my name on your chest and I can get behind that." Isabella chuckled and stepped closer, draping her sweater over her shoulder to free up her hands, reaching out to grab the sides of Odessa's sweater to hold it tighter over the woman's bust.

Over the years, Odessa had, bit by bit, learned about Isabella's rough upbringing, and, while it saddened her to hear, it gave her that much more complete a picture of the woman she loved, and what made Isabella who she was today. Odessa was conscious of the differences between her life and Isabella's and, while it had been a challenge to ensure that she never inadvertently condescended to Isabella, the two of them were that much closer as a couple for having shared their experiences.

Odessa would never tease Isabella over her childhood, though she did sometimes, gently and lovingly, tease her about things nearer to the present, such as that cold given to her, ostensibly, by one Cecilia Northman. Isabella insisted Ceci had given her that little virus, but of course Odessa had had a close brush with their mutual rival during the same timeframe and remained healthy. Odessa speculated that it must have been from all the kisses Isabella was giving the blonde during their encounter! That never failed to get a rise out of the adorable Northern Queen.

And Isabella was able to tease her back, which she did as Odessa showed her this new pair of matching sweaters, and Isabella found something she quite liked about the one Odessa had an eye on for herself. Odessa smiled at her girlfriend as the woman pressed the sweater-dress tighter against her chest, arching her back to push her bust tighter against the material, putting her hands on her hips and wiggling them, as if modeling. "Mm, it's really not fair, love. My name can only be expressed in simple, boring letters!" She stuck out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout.

She let her lips curl up again into a smile after a few moments. "So what do you think? I want to let you make the final decision, Bella. I know that such heavy material isn't your style...but with it only reaching mid-thigh, I doubt it will keep you too warm if you wear it as a dress. "

Isabella closed her eyes and just chuckled from the sight of Odessa pushing her chest out against the sweater dress, as if the woman needed to make her boobs appear any bigger than they already are. Curves was not an area either one of them needed any help in, that was for sure. The next comment from her girlfriend got Isabella to open her eyes and just shake her head at her with a playful smirk upon the woman's lips. "Then you need a better name, love. Here hold this up against yourself for me." She left the sweater in the hands of Odessa so she could take a step back and get a better look, crossing her left arm across her chest while her right hand tapped against her cheek.

"Its not just about sweaters not being my thing Odessa. The idea of matching anything for a holiday card of all things..." She covered her face with her right hand and just sighed. "Lets just say they don't exactly match my mental image of myself." Isabella slid her hand down her face and then draped the sweater dress she had over her shoulder, stepping back up to Odessa to push a single finger into one of the woman's breasts. "But for you I can put on a sweater, especially if its this one..." There was then a brief pause while she patted the sweater on her shoulder. "And take a photo for a card. I'm sure Rosaria will get a real kick out of it anyways." Another short bout of laughter from the white haired american before she raised her finger up and poked Odessa in the forehead. "So there~"

Curves certainly weren't in short supply between the two of them, and the incredible intersections between Odessa's curves and Isabella's—whether it was in combat or in the act of love—was never far from the forefront of Odessa's mind. Nonetheless, she had learned to temper herself somewhat over the past few years, as experience showed her that pushing Isabella too hard would cause her to withdraw. When Odessa was willing to take a breath, to stay her tongue, to take a step back, Isabella was never long in coming to her.

And sometimes that brief delay made things that much more special. Isabella was obviously reluctant to take a matching-sweaters holiday card picture, and if Odessa had insisted, had demanded, then she likely would have gotten a flat-out no. But Odessa knew better. She put the decision in Isabella's hands, let Isabella decide what her comfort level was.

And Isabella, in turn, rewarded her. Both by agreeing to the sweaters and the picture, and by a poke of Odessa's breast which, even through the sweater material she held tight against her bosom, sent a shiver up the white-haired Briton's spine.

"Mmm," she purred, smiling and blushing, and giving Isabella a sultry look even as that finger came up to poke her forehead. "We'll have fun with it, darling. I know we will. We'll find the perfect pose to express our personalities—and our dynamic as a couple." And after the picture was taken, the sweaters might just have them in the mood for more, as much as they would show off their legs. But that thought was for another time!

Odessa stood up on her tiptoes to give Isabella's poking finger a kiss, then let her face close the gap and kiss Isabella on the cheek. "Thank you, Bella," she said.

Relationships were a give and take, as far as she was concerned so long as she could get a couple concessions then there was no harm in indulging her on this. Especially when it wasn't like she had many friends for Odessa to send them to, sure Rosaria wouldn't let her live it down for a while and there was Karina, but that was about it. Plus Odessa would look rather good in the sweater dress and there was nothing stopping them from taking some more...personal photos afterward when they were alone. That thought put a smirk on her lips, Isabella rolling her eyes as Odessa called her by that nickname she had grown so fond of but otherwise just letting it go without comment.

"Your welcome...Dessa." She answered, putting heavy emphasis on her own nickname, such as it was. "Well since we've decided on these I'd like to take a look at some dresses while we're out, not sure if this place will have anything in my style though. Check out and try another shop?" She said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder towards the register by the front.