"Rosa?" Rydia looked into the Queen's private chambers, hoping to catch her alone. Not that she didn't want to see Cecil while she was here, far from it - but what she wanted to talk about, she thought would be best to talk about alone. Rosa came out of one of the side rooms, and smoothed out her dress.

"Rydia? I didn't know you were here," she said, smiling at the younger caller.

"Well, I only just got here," she replied, blushing slightly. "Had a few things I wanted to ask you about."

"So come on in," Rosa said, smiling as she sat down on a long padded bench, patting the spot next to her for emphasis. Rydia sat down next to Rosa, closing the door behind her, and leaned against the wall. "So, what did you want to ask me about?" Rydia sighed and chuckled.

"You know, this'd be easier to ask if you weren't human?"

"Hrm?" Rosa cocked her head, a curious look on her face. Rydia laughed and shook her head.

"What can I say? It's easier to talk about some things with the monsters. I'm not sure how to talk about this sort of thing without offending somebody up here."

"Uhm, since I don't really know what you're talking about yet, why don't you just figure I won't be offended by anything you ask me, and talk about it?" Rydia shrugged and nodded.

"All right. Sex, with humans." Rosa's face went blank for a moment while she realized that, no, she wasn't imagining things.

"Oookay. Rydia, you're eight."

"Does an eight-year old have these," she asked, taking a deep breath to emphasize her full chest. "I may only be eight by your calendar, but I spent ten years in the Land of the Summons, remember?"

"Right," Rosa sighed in a mix of relief and frustration. "Doesn't much change the fact that I remember you from when you were only five - and that was only a year or two ago."

"That doesn't change the fact that Edge -" Rydia snapped her mouth shut when she realized what she was about to say, and turned away, her cheeks burning brightly. Rosa took her shoulder gently and tried to turn her back to face her.

"Is Edge pressuring you to do anything?"

"No! It's just that, oh, how do I explain this?" Rosa smiled at Rydia softly and tried to put her at ease.

"I am a married woman, Rydia, I know what it's like to be in love with somebody. So he's not pressuring you, but you want to go farther?"

"Yeah," Rydia admitted, smiling. She was starting to feel more comfortable about this whole conversation. "I know the broad strokes, pun not intended, from my time down below - when you're dealing with beings that view clothing in general as a concession to human norms, and repressing those desires unusual, you learn about sex fairly early."

"Uhm, how early?"

"Relax, I was about 15 by the time I started learning about it. Leviathan and Asura waited until I got curious, and then some, before explaining anything, and most of them tried to keep things tame around me until they knew I wasn't going to freak like some other callers had when they visited. According to them, most people don't respond well to being brought down only to see what Shiva and Titan do when they aren't being more helpful up above." Rosa grinned at the reaction she imagined from most of the people she knew - herself included.

"Kind of explains why Titan's always so grumpy when he's summoned, though."

"You have no idea. There's a reason I stick to chocobos for my transportation needs - they get pulled from up here, so I don't annoy so many people 'back home.' Anyway, the problem is that, while I know the mechanics, I don't really know what to do. Especially not with a human. Titan might be close, but there's a world of difference between watching a giant and a snow-goddess go at it, and working with somebody who's more your size, if you catch my drift."

"I'll bet," Rosa said, smiling, feeling a little more at ease herself, reminding herself that while this was Rydia, she was almost as old as she was - and more a friend than a baby sister, now. "So, what did you want to know about?"

"For one thing, what I should do to get him into bed with me."

"Huh? Are we talking about the same Edge?" Rydia smirked at Rosa.

"Yes, we're talking the same Edge. He's quite the gentleman, once you give him the chance. Even if he is a flirt - and that stopped shortly after you and Cecil were married, I might point out."

"Guess I just haven't gotten to know him as well as you."

"And Cecil'd probably be pretty pissed if you tried to get to know him as well as I want to," Rydia winked, getting back to her normal attitude as Rosa laughed.

"You're right, he probably would be. So, you're trying to figure out how to bed him, even if he's being too honorable to suggest it?"

"And too dense to catch subtle. I've tried that already." Rosa raised an eyebrow.

"How subtle and how dense?"

"Dense enough that he didn't have a clue what I meant when I said he should stay at my place in Mist. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to be sleeping in your bed, and have the man you love sleeping at the inn down the road, when he should be with you?"

"Trust me, I've had my share of lonely nights. So, you're looking for something he can't possibly misinterpret?"

"Preferably short of grabbing and stripping him myself."

"Definitely," Rosa said quickly. "Not exactly the best approach around here."

"I know, Rosa," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Wasn't down there either. Though some nights I've been tempted." Rosa thought a few moments before replying, looking a little uneasy.

"Do you want me to describe what I think would work best?" Rydia paused for a moment, remembering some of the fantasies she'd had before she'd met Edge, both during the time she was in the Land of Summons, and after she'd left to find her friends. When she replied, she thought her voice was barely above a whisper, though she knew she hadn't changed how she spoke at all.

"Unless you're interested in showing me."

"I don't think that's the best idea," Rosa answered quickly, blushing slightly. "I don't think Cecil'd want to be interrupted to play while somebody was watching." Rydia smiled at Rosa, and pushed the images out of her mind.

"So just tell me what you've got in mind." Rosa paused for a few moments, thinking of some of the nights she'd coaxed Cecil into a warmer bed than his own.

"Well, first I'd usually say to find something to dress in that should make him start thinking about it on his own, but that shouldn't be a problem for you - just switch back to your old outfit from when we were in the field." Rydia smirked as she remembered the looks she'd gotten from Edge back then, and nodded.

"Beyond dressing so that he might make a move on his own, anything else?"

"Of course - I said first, didn't I? How much kissing do you two do?"

"A fair amount. Though not the heavy sort you and Cecil did." Rosa scowled briefly at Rydia before laughing and nodding.

"Okay, do you know how to kiss him that way?"

"I think so," Rydia said, with a little uncertainty.

"When you do kiss him, take it as 'heavy' as you're both willing to go - you might have to make the first move, and that might startle him, but give him a chance to let you go further, even if he backs away at first. Basically, just don't assume that if he backs away, he doesn't want to go further. But don't push him - if he asks what your doing, and he might, answer him with your usual tact and restraint," Rosa finished dryly. Rydia giggled, and moved a little closer to Rosa.

"Next?"

"I think the two of you can figure that out, Rydia. I doubt he's exactly clueless about it, and you sound like you know enough to let him fill in the details once you're getting into things. Not really anything else I can tell you to help you get him into bed without knowing what he likes better. Just do what he's willing to let you do, and you want to do - don't go too far, too fast. That can make things work out very poorly in the long run, trust me." Rydia nodded.

"So you're saying I should dress to kill, kiss him, and let things go from there? Sounds a little over-simplified." Rosa shrugged.

"I have to admit, I haven't usually needed more than wandering hands during the kissing to get the point across."

"Cecil's usually pretty willing to take the hint?"

"Let's just say that when I'm in the mood, and he can be convinced, it doesn't usually take too much convincing," Rosa said with a wink and a knowing smile. Rydia thought long and hard for a few moments, debating what she should do next. Part of her was saying to thank Rosa and go - another part, the part that had been thinking about the past before, was saying to go for it, that she wouldn't get a better chance than this to find out if she was making the right choice in going for Edge, instead of who she'd been interested in first.

She put an arm around Rosa's shoulders, in a friendly manner, as she kept thinking.

"Do you need me for anything else, Rydia?" Not a sign of uncertainty or distrust - not innocence, but more of a trusting expression in the eyes of her older friend. That Rydia wouldn't mean anything that wasn't totally innocent by the gesture, by moving up to Rosa so closely that they were practically touching - which she'd already done. It was Rydia; she wasn't that old, she didn't think that way.

But she did think that way, had thought that way for years that hadn't happened for anybody else. For everybody else, the war had been a year or two long. For her, it had been over a decade. She just hadn't been fighting for most of it - she'd been learning, training, and thinking about the people who'd shaped her life, for better or for worse. And here she was, with one of those people, trying to decide whether or not she should make the first move, and hope that the response didn't break everything they had.

Dammit, Ryd, she's married!

But she's so beautiful - inside and out. You've wanted her for so long, just forgotten about her with Edge around to take your mind off of her. Doesn't she deserve the chance to turn you down at least? Don't you deserve the chance to be with her once?

Why are you thinking this way? You've never imagined something like this before, even in your dreams, it was never like this - do you want to do things this way? An eternity passed in a matter of seconds as Rydia warred over that question in her mind, the two conflicting drives battling over what they wanted to do, over which one would be in charge. Eventually, the battle ended. Did she want to do things this way?

Yes.

"Rydia?" Rosa's voice snapped Rydia out of her brief reverie.

"What is it, Rosa?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking about what I'm going to do." Such a lie, but it was true, really. Just not the way that Rosa thought it was.

"Okay. So, do you need me for anything else?"

"Yeah, actually, I think I do."

"What?"

"Practice," Rydia said quietly, before she moved to claim a kiss from Rosa, wrapping her arms around the older woman to keep her from moving away, one behind her back the other holding her head. Rosa's eyes grew wide with shock for a moment before she relaxed a bit, telling herself that as soon as the kiss broke she'd explain a few things.

After a moment's hesitation, her lips parted under the pressure of Rydia's tongue, and the green-clad caller took the opportunity to slip her tongue into Rosa's mouth, keeping a hand on the back of her head as Rydia's other hand played down along her side. Rosa moaned into Rydia's mouth, responding to the delicate touch more than she wanted to. The hand slid down her leg, under the edge of the dress she was wearing, rubbing along the smooth flesh on the inside of her hip. Rosa pulled back, fighting the caller's grip, a worried look on her face - almost frightened.

"Rydia, stop - this isn't -" she moaned as Rydia ran a slender finger along her slick, swollen lips, the tip of her finger just barely rubbing Rosa's clit. "This isn't right," she gasped.

"If it's not right," Rydia asked quietly, "then why does it feel that way?" She leaned forward for another kiss, leaning them back so that Rosa was lying under her as her fingers slid lower and deeper, finding Rosa's hot, wet channel, and sliding in, drawing a ragged moan from the mage, whose face twisted almost as though she was in pain as she raked her teeth across her lower lip. "I've wanted you for years," Rydia continued. "I can tell you want this now. What's wrong about that?"

"Cecil," Rosa gasped in reply as Rydia started thrusting her slender fingers deeper into the mage's slick sex.

"Cecil doesn't have to know about this. This is the only time we'll do this, unless you want more." Rosa moaned as Rydia pulled her fingers out of her and licked them clean before continuing. "Tell me you don't want me - tell me you don't want to do this, and mean it, and I'll stop." Rydia looked into Rosa's eyes as she waited for an answer, ignoring the uncertainty she saw there. No answer came.

"I thought so," she said softly. "Now let's get these clothes off." She rolled to the side, and quickly shucked the pullover gown she was wearing, while Rosa slowly worked her dress off, frowning as she did so.

"Rydia," she said as she took her dress off. "You know this is wrong. Even if you don't care what Cecil thinks, what about Edge?"

"If you're so certain this is wrong," Rydia said as she stepped behind Rosa and started caressing her breasts from behind, "then why aren't you fighting me more?"

"Damn it, Rydia," Rosa started, trying to ignore how good the attention felt, "I don't -you're right, I do want this. But that doesn't change the fact that I know it's wrong."

"Stop worrying about right or wrong, Rosa," Rydia murmured as she moved around in front of her lover, and kissed her. "Just let it happen, the way we both want it to." Rosa moaned softly and let go of her reservations, forcefully burying the pang of guilt she felt. After all, it was true; she did want this to happen. At least now she did.

Rydia's hands danced down along Rosa's sides, sliding around her back to tease the firm flesh of her hips and ass. Their tongues danced as Rosa maneuvered them to her bedroom.

"Cecil's and yours," her conscience nagged, before she quieted it again. When they were beside the bed, Rosa turned and fell back into it, bringing Rydia down on top of her, both of them laughing.

Rydia trailed kisses down Rosa's neck and collarbone, before she started to kiss her lover's breasts, sucking on them and gently grazing them with her teeth as she rolled to her side, taking Rosa with her, and catching the mage's lower leg between hers. She started rubbing her thigh against her lover's slick sex. Rosa moaned loudly as her hands played along Rydia's well muscled back, before she pulled the green-haired caller up even with her, gasping as the sudden motion dragged Rydia's leg along her swollen lips, spreading them slightly and pulling the smooth flesh of the caller's thigh over her clit. She played her hands over Rydia's breasts, rolling the caller's nipples between her powerful fingers as she claimed another kiss, remembering the time, before she'd met Kain and Cecil, that she'd been with another girl. Her hand drifted down to rub Rydia's swollen clit, pulling back when Rydia cried out.

"Did I hurt you," she asked, concern in her voice.

"No," Rydia said quickly, "just sensitive. I'll tell you if you hurt me, I promise." She smiled reassuringly, before sighing as Rosa gently resumed her attentions. Rydia started to mirror what was being done to her on Rosa's body, matching the speed and pressure of Rosa's fingers on her clit. She sped up and pressed harder as she felt a familiar pressure building between her legs, and Rosa did the same, just like she'd hoped. Her breathing became heavier as she neared her climax.

"Oh, Rosa," she moaned, moving her arms to pull Rosa close and kiss her hard, using her mouth to muffle cries of ecstasy as she shuddered once and the pressure inside her broke, leaving her helpless as waves of pleasure washed over her from deep inside. When she could control her body again, she let Rosa loose, with another shudder.

"Now it's your turn," she said with a smile and a wink, as she turned around in the large bed so that she was facing Rosa's soaked sex.

"What are you talking -" Rosa's question ended with a gasp as Rydia's tongue slid over her swollen clit, and two fingers pressed into her sex. Rydia started sucking lightly on the hard nub of flesh as she started thrusting with her fingers. Rosa moaned and shuddered as Rydia pulled her slick fingers out, and teased at the tight, nerve-dense pucker of Rosa's ass as she plunged her tongue into her lover's depths. Rosa's breaths started coming in gasps and moans as she neared her own climax. Rydia pressed the tip of her finger past the tight ring of muscle as she raked the flesh of Rosa's sex with her teeth, and the white mage screamed as her entire body started to shudder, the waves of her orgasm catching her and dragging her under while Rydia lapped up her juices hungrily. A few moments later, her body relaxed as she took a few ragged breaths. Rydia turned around again, and the two wrapped their arms around each other and kissed deeply, Rosa tasting her own juices in Rydia's mouth.

"I love you, Rosa," Rydia managed to say, before they both dozed off....

An hour or two later, when Rydia woke up, the first thing she wondered was why she was in somebody's arms. More importantly, she realized, why was that somebody Rosa?

Rosa?

Memory and guilt crashed over Rydia harder than the waves of delight had just hours before. Could it have just been a dream - some other explanation? No, the sticky-feeling on her legs and face proved that the case wasn't that simple. She carefully extracted herself from Rosa's embrace, trying not to wake the sleeping mage. A part of her wanted to stay, be there when she woke up, and maybe continue their games - but that part of her had already one out once. Rydia quietly spoke the words for a minor spell to clean up the room, so it wouldn't be as obvious what had happened.

Maybe, if she was lucky, she wouldn't lose one of her best friends over a disastrous loss of control. With that thought, she warped out of the castle and summoned a Chocobo to take her back to Mist. Maybe she could think on the way....

Title:	Lessons in Life: 01: Lessons in Lust
Rating:	NC-17
Status:	Series-In-Progress
Timing:	Post Show
Fandoms:	Final Fantasy 4
Pairings:	Rosa/Rydia Rosa/Cecil (mentioned) Rydia/Edge (mentioned)
Category:	Adult, FemSlash, PWP, Romance
Codes:	Sex: F/F
Summary:	Rydia goes to ask Rosa about a few things – and takes the chance to act on a few old fantasies.
Notes:
Series.Summary:	Rydia goes to Rosa for some advice - and the fallout is disastrous. Can either of them salvage their relationships with their lovers - or each other - afterwards?
Series.Notes:
Disclaimer:	As everyone should know, none of us claim any rights or ownership of the characters and worlds belonging to others. We're doing this because we love them too much to see them be forgotten, or not have just one more adventure, and just possibly the reward they deserve.