Changing Night

TITLE: Changing Night

AUTHOR: WotanAnubis

FANDOM: Suikoden IV

DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters and am not making a profit.

RATING: NC-17

PAIRING: Paula/Jewel

NOTE: A hastily-written fic about a game I've barely played in response to a request I have no intention of fulfilling to the letter. This isn't going to end well, is it?

* * * * *

Paula watched Jewel down yet another drink and felt herself growing faintly concerned. True, this graduation feast was for them, but in the morning they would have begin their duties as Knights. It would not be proper for Jewel to begin hers with an enormous hangover. It wouldn't be proper for anyone, Paula realised, but somehow she found herself more worried for Jewel than anyone else.

Of course the reason for this was obvious. Jewel was her... friend. More importantly she usually knew when to back off for a while and just let her be. Paula couldn't help but appreciate the thoughtfulness. Most humans, in her experience, either left her alone all the time or tried to drag her along constantly. It was... nice... to find one who could be considerate from time to time.

So, in the spirit of returning the favour somehow, Paula walked over to Jewel and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps it is time for us to retire for the night, don't you agree?"

Jewel looked up at her and smiled. "Hey! Paula! Have a drink. On me."

"No, thank you," Paula said, tactfully ignoring the fact that the food and drink was free. "I have had enough. And, I think, so have you."

Jewel gave her tankard a sad look. "You're probably right," she sighed. "OK, let's go. See you later guys," she added, giving Tal and Kenneth a vague wave of her hand.

"See you tomorrow," said Keneth replied.

Paula nodded a goodbye and left, taking Jewel with her. The way back to the Knight Hall lasted longer than she expected. Or appeared, in any case. Mostly because Jewel hung on her shoulder, seemed incapable of walking in a straight line and, at one point, burst out into (a mercifully brief) song. She therefore felt quite relieved when the door to Jewel's bedroom finally shut behind them.

"At long last," Jewel proclaimed, abruptly letting go of Paula and walking further into the room without any of the clumsiness she'd shown mere moments before. "Just the two of us."

"I will leave you be now," Paula said, reaching for the doorhandle.

"No, stay a while," Jewel said.

Paula's initial reply was lost in the noise of Jewel's cuirass falling onto the stone floor. Her second attempt at a reply was lost before it even left her lips at the sight of Jewel casually stripping off the blue shirt she wore underneath her cuirass. Paula's green eyes widened slightly when she saw very clearly that Jewel hadn't been wearing anything underneath her shirt.

The brown girl brought her hands up to her exposed breasts and cupped them almost as though she was offering them. "Like what you see?"

Paula looked away. "This is not appropriate. You're drunk."

"I'm dead so