With the Pirates dealt with and a whole day ahead of them, Isabella wondered if perhaps the duo would have the time to make it back to the base. It looked like it was going to rain and Marina was definitely underdressed for such a thing. On top of that Isabella was quite Eager to get out of her coat. It was effective enough, but she felt so heavy with it on. Fortunately the squad of Marines Kosolova had enlisted to clean up after the duo had arrived on horseback. A short talk between her and the Corporal and he'd agreed to let them use his horse for whatever they might need. It was almost frightening how persuasive Marina appeared to the Kuja, who thought her diplomatic supremacy was solely due to her ability to get people to see reason, as opposed to lust induced amicablility.

So, the two ladies had a single horse. A horse that Isabella had no idea how to properly ride.

The blonde eyed the road the squad had come from. It couldn't be such a long walk could it? She shifted her feet nervously in the dirt and gravel beneath her feet, unwilling to admit to her inability to ride.

She had pegged Isabella for the almost robotic, cold blooded assassin type. She was straightforward and down to the point like that, and some subtleties of dialogue seemed utterly lost on her. Some might call Marina one such assassin, but her greatest strength laid in her ability to separate her cold blooded covert agent abilities with her fiery, intense bloodlust. The way she reacted, blushing bashfully when Marina complimented her earned a soft chuckle from the dark haired agent. She was more human than it seemed at first - almost cute even - which in turn made Marina warm up to her a bit more.

As for her intimidation Isabella called it a tool, a weapon she used to take out small fry and save herself the trouble of beating them all up. Seemed like an effective way to save energy, unlike Marina who was stuck having to knock people out with a good old fashioned kick to the head. It was a lot less exhausting than it might sound like for someone with her kind of training, but then again simply staring them unconscious was a lot better. Marina couldn't knock people unconscious, at best she could frighten them with her bloodlust, but even that didn't work on every opponent. One of the Marines didn't seem nice to Isabella at all, perhaps she'd gotten in trouble with that guy before or something? She had a hard time grasping how could a girl that pretty could get anything but positive attention from men. She still looked at the remaining blushing marines rather intently...

Regardless, that ability of hers was by far the most enviable asset she posessed, even compared to the information Marina originally sought her out for. Perhaps she could learn more about it if she spent more time with this girl? Izzy - as the other marines called her - seemed interesting enough to be around, and they still had a lot to talk about, as she explained earlier.

But first off, they had to get back to base.

To train for her undercover work, Marina had acquired as wide an array of skills as she could. She approached everything the same way as any other mission, identify the target, plan out several courses of action, and react to the course of the endeavor. This same mindset together with her love for a good thrill made her more than eager for new experiences and further nurtured her already impressive skillset. Learning how to ride a horse was one of such skills. Borrowing a horse from one of the Marines was as easy as batting an eyelash, and before long she had climbed onto the animal's back, petting its head soothingly:

"Climb on up!", she urged Isabella with an adventurous smile, reaching her hand down and freeing a stirrup so she had a place where to put her foot. The girl looked really uneasy about the prospect of getting on the horse, perhaps she was shy about sharing it with someone else? The saddle was big enough for two girls (thanks to belonging to a rather large marine)

Isabella bit her lip, hiding the gesture with the tall collar of her jacket. She hadn't ever needed to accept anyone's help before. Not in something so... Pedestrian. Still, it was a long walk back the base and it'd be a more trialing endeavor to entertain the other girl for that amount of time than to simply take her hand.

Slowly Izzy approached the horse, extending her hand to take her comrade's and slid her boot into the free stirrup, allowing her to pull herself up onto the borrowed mount, which gave a short winny in response to the new weight. Isabella cooked her head to the side once mounted, trying not to show signs of her evident embarrassment. The saddle was of modest size, capable of barely fitting the two girls together. Isabella struggled to give Marina a fair amount of space, almost riding the back of the saddle to do so."You... You're certain it is safe for us both to be here? There's hardly enough room for the two us, I'm doing my best not to invade your personal space... Not to mention it looks like it's going to rain, and you dont have a jacket..." she'd say with a little concern. Her own jacket was large, perhaps enough for the two of them if they got intimately close, however Isabella was not keen on breaching a fellow soldier's personal space without proper cause.

[color:c138=#66cc00]But then... She might catch a cold... It wouldn't be too forward. It was surely the pragmatic thing to do, right? she'd begin thinking to herself. " So... You are a martial artist and you can ride a horse. Did you they teach you this at Marine Ford or are these talents from before you joined?" the blonde would ask, her curiosity getting the better of her. It wouldn't be a terribly long ride, but getting to know one another was the whole point of returning home. Why not begin now with something topical? It'd be rude to ask about what Marina's interest in Montoya was right away, surely.

Unease or no, Isabella approached the horse and grabbed her hand, slipping one foot onto the stirrup as Marina helped her climb on up. She soothed the animal with a soft touch, petting its mane until it was whinning happily once more. Indeed there was a good chance the two girls were actually lighter than the Gorilla Marine this horse had grown used to, thus it really take him that long to get used to their presence either. Marina was also a capable rider, and for the most part didn't have any trouble getting a mount used to her presence.

However Isabella was a different case, not on the horse's end, but the girl's own.

Of course, Marina couldn't really look back and take a proper look at her face to see for herself just how embarassed she looked, but she could still feel it. Izzy squirmed around in the saddle, commenting how she wasn't comfortable invading her personal space. Marina chuckled, effectively laughing it off and trying her best to put the other girl at ease. This wasn't the first time she had to share a single saddle with another rider, so for the most part she appeared comfortable and at ease with the whole idea, in stark contrast to her blonde ally:

"Don't worry about it, I can handle a bit of rain...", reassured Marina with a cool smile, shifting her butt forward slightly to make more room for Isabella, so she wouldn't feel the need to sit outside the saddle like that. That said, it would be best for her to hold onto the dark haired rider given how this saddle was meant for a single person: Thus she would reach back to grab Izzy's hand and pull it around her waist. As callous as she might sound she really didn't want the other girl to fall off the horse, "Come on, don't be shy! It's safe if you hold on tight; otherwise you might fall off!"

Instead of commanding the horse to move, she would wait for Isabella to wrap her arms around her waist or some other way that wouldn't put her at risk of falling off at the tiniest bump. She was still riding an animal with a will of its own instead of a machine that could be flawlessly controlled. To Marina, it was all about have a mutual understanding between mount and rider. Once Izzy was prepared, she'd command the horse to walk, gradually picking up speed into a trot. It didn't take a genious to figure out her passanger wasn't completely at ease with their mode of transportation, even if that didn't stop her from making small talk in the process:

"I learned it myself a few years back.", she explained, keeping her eyes firmly set on the path ahead and the horse beneath them, smirking confidently and explaining her reason, straight from her mentor's wisdom, "More than just fighting, being a good covert requires learning as many different skills as possible."

A quick glance up into the skies confirmed that it would be raining in a few, urging Marina to pick up a bit more speed. Izzy was clearly not prepared for a galloping ride, so she couldn't go much faster than this speed. Not that the horse minded, it obviously preferred this calmer pace than full sprint...

Isabella had never rode on a horse before. Marina had. Her advice and experience would have to be the kuja's guiding light. Closing her eyes, the blonde scooted herself forward, any sort of inhibitions she might have had toward being this close to her colleague were completely gone, given her invitation to hold onto to.

Isabella wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, pulling herself so close that her own breaststroke pressed against Marina's back. Whatever promise of modesty the coat had offered in the realm of hiding her assets would be shattered as they docked with the spy's back. "I... I trust you then." was all Isabella would say on the matter. Once the two were moving however, Isabella was perhaps a bit more frightened than she let on. Reflexively the girl closed her eyes, and began to try to reach out with her Haki to see. This was by far her weakest Haki power, but it replaced vision fairly well. The world around her lit up with auras, bright shining beacons that wrapped everything is a light of its own. Even Marina.

With her focus on Haki, what Marina was saying had become an after thought. The words reached her ears, but Isabella's response to them lagged as she focused on seeing through her kuja gift.

"Covert? Are you certain you know what that word means? If you are not aware, you should be told that you are... Uhmm... You're very... Hmm how do I..." of course, Izzy wanted you tell her comrade that she was beautiful. It wouldn't have been a very hard task, but in the position the girl was in, it was quite difficult to not give the wrong idea. "You're very eye catching for someone who should not be seen. Doesn't it defeat the purpose of stealth if you intend to stand out?" the Kuja would ask innocently enough, not properly understanding Marina's intention to seduce her targets.

Isabella could see the rain before it actually began to fall. Every droplet within her range of vision was like a small pool in itself. A tear from the heavens that fell from above and began to hit her coat, popping on impact, spreading smaller droplets cascading over her protective covering. Her tall, wide collar proved to be a bit of a design flaw, as water would occasionally make its way into the opening and run its way over her. It wasn't cold, far from it, it was just slightly warmer than lukewarm, if one were so inclined it'd be a passable temperature to bathe in.

(452/1000 Words)

Before long Isabella had taken up her suggestion and wrapped her arms around her waist. And Marina was still perfectly in her comfort zone: She whipped the reins slighly, enough for the mount to understand the message and walk forward. She smiled warmly at the girl's soft words, devoid of any intention to betray her trust. Isabella didn't seem like the type to trust easily after all...

Before long the horse had picked up speed and the two girl were bouncing up and down on their seat slightly, a rather attractive sight for any man that might have happened to be passing by. She felt something really tender pushing against her back, and it didn't take long for her to recognize the blonde's breasts, but then... Why did a girl so strong feel so soft and supple? True, there was undeniable firmness there as expected from a toned fighter, but for the most part Izzy seemed to have a rather comfortable, curvacous feel. Was it really just her body or whatever clothes she was wearing that made her softer? All the information she knew about her mentioned her to be a really strong martial artist after all... Wait...

Marina blushed, snapping back to reality... Why was she thinking about Isabella's body? True she was holding onto her rather tight which made it hard not to, but she wasnt usually one to dwell on such things: It still made her blush when she realized it, and even more so when Izzy's flattering words reached her ears, "B-baka, you can stand out all you want if they don't realize who you really are and drop their guard!", she interjected, defensively pushing aside her earlier thoughts, "Works pretty well... Most of the time...", she whispered at this last part, before returning the compliment in her own way, in a surprisingly soft tone, "You could easily pull it off too, you know...?"

Even at this point, she had yet to place Izzy's confusion as to her seduction tactics as a form of innocence owing to her mono gendered Kuja heritage, and instead believed her to be talking about her head turning dress code. The following downpour promptly distracted Marina away from their slightly embarassing thoughts and conversation, feeling her hair and bodysuit gradually wetter and clinging to her skin... It didn't allow much room to think of anything else, so instead, she focused on her horse, commanding it to slow down as they approached the base. Now, where were the stables...? Marina had only just arrived at this island, and had yet to learn everything about this base, "I don't suppose you know where the stables are?", she asked, the horse now walking slow enough that Marina felt confident with turning her head around to look at Isabella.

If she didn't, they'd still have to ride around in the rain and look for them, the sentries were all up in their towers and asking them would be more trouble than it was worth... They spared a glance at the two women on horseback, their faces weren't hard to forget to they were allowed to enter the base with little more than an acknowledging nod.


Words: 556

Baka?! Where had she heard that work before? It sounded familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it... It didn't sound like a compliment though. The Mari went on to explain that she chose to stand out because as long as her opponents weren't certain with whom they were dealing with, they would be more easily lured into lowering their guard. The tactic still seemed... Flawed. Why would someone let down their guard if something or someone looked out of place? Wouldn't they be more alert? Especially if they were criminals! To Isabella the whole thing honestly seemed to be a crutch. An awkward crutch at that. A crutch that Marina didn't seem to need at all, given her fighting expertise.

The dark haired martial artist went on to suggest that Isabella might be good at the tactic as well. Though it was likely a compliment Isabella's feelings toward the subject caused her to pout and furrowed her brow. She pressed herself more firmly against her colleague, her breaststroke squishing more firmly against the back of the would be spy. "N-no way! Even if I would be, I would never have to do such thing! Do you really think I'm that weak, huh?! I don't need some l... Some weird, nonsensical fadeout to win my fights! I'm probably the best fighter on this island! I'll... I'll show you! Just wait until we get back! We're gonna have it out! she'd say with only the slightest hint of a protesting whine.

Fortunately the two wouldn't have to wait too long. The base was reached shortly after the blonde's outburst. She could definitely feel the location of the stables with her observation hakim, but just faintly. Her enhanced senses let her hear their soft whinys and smell the scent of their hay. "You don't even know where the stable are? M-Maybe if you spent less time looking attractive and more time gaining the lay of the land you'd know they're over that way!" she'd say confidently pointing toward the west, before taking a few more sniffs of the air, getting a better feel for the scent, only to shrink back a little in the saddle and raise her other arm to point toward the east. "I... I meant that way..."

(859/1000)

Still nothing and Marina was just standing out here getting soaked. All Marines without any orders requiring them being outside was obviously tucked indoors, smartly enough. Even though Marina could handle a bit of rain, she didn't enjoy idly standing under it. Her new colleague didn't seem nearly as flattered by Marina's compliment as an average person might have, quite the opposite. It was incredibly hard for Marina to understand her reaction, even if she didn't agree with it - lots of people didn't - Isabella seemed genuinely oblivious to the effect it had on men. Plus her comment sounded almost hypocritical given she also used some sort of wierd technique to knock people out without even throwing a punch. The ever sarcastic Marina had a witty comeback already lined up for the innocent Izzy, but as the girl pressed her chest even further against her back, Marina could only blush as those embarassing thoughts about her body all came back at once. Thus, her sharp wit was replaced with whining awkwardness:

"B-big words from someone who just stares down enemies until they pass out!! Don't make me laugh!", answered an equally flustered Marina, obviously trying too hard to look like the cool headed secret agent she always was. However, when Izzy uttered her challenge, Marina seemed to jump at the chance of putting her abilities to the test. For better or worse, and no matter how frustrating she could be at times, the blonde had impressed her enough for the Marina to be curious (about more than just her fighting skills) even if she'd never actually admit it, "Hmph, fine; I'm not g-gonna lose to you!!"

Of course, finding the stables was a whole other matter. Marina had only arrived at this base recently, and barely had any time to look around it, and for all of her bragging, Isabella obviously hadn't either. Once more the blonde caught her off guard, but this time not with her surprisingly soft body, but rather her words. Her hidden compliment didn't escape her notice, making Marina feel glad Izzy couldn't see her blushing from this angle, "Eh...?", she muttered, before quickly remembering the need to snap back with her usual sarcasm, "G-geez, it's not like i have a mission to carry out or anything...", she answered, her tone getting lower with every word...

Before long they had arrived at the stables and Marina promptly guided the horse into his stall, glad to finally be out of the rain for once. Her clothes were completely drenched to the point she had barely any modesty left. She shivered slightly as the water cooled down, before concentrating it out. This much cold was psychological:

"S-so... Here we are...", she said, waiting for Isabella to dismount before following suit, turning to face her but looking away, struggling to meet her gaze at first, the earlier awkwardness still too fresh in her mind. She folded her arms under her breasts, rubbing her upper arms slighly, "How about you put your money where your mouth is, huh...?!"


Words: 1075

Marina made a snide little jab at Isabella's haki. It didn't bother her in the least, as the two techniques they used that were not combat oriented were entirely different beasts.

Marina's tactic seemed to be to try to lure people into a false sense of security by looking nice and being friendly, as she demonstrated back at the pub with that one pirate.

Isabella slowly balled up her fist, grinding her teeth together softly. It was a submissive tactic relying on a person's desire to be friends. Some people don't want such things. Some people just want to watch things burn.

She then went on to claim that she wouldn't lose. Isabella who was remembering her mother and what she knew of her father at the moment wasn't entirely in the mood to be playful. "You'd better not..." she'd say in a cold, yet melancholy tone as the two arrived at the stables. It was the shivering of Marina that brought Izzy back to reality, turning off her hair now that she was safely at home. The water wasn't very cold to her, but Marina seemed at least a little chilly, and no wonder, her clothes were soaked. The blonde nonchalantly removed her coat, releasing her grip around the other girl's hips. She leisurely draped the hiking thing over the marine's shoulders, oblivious and unaffected by now showing off her impossibly toned body, only covered by a slick green leotard. "We should get you out of those clothes. This should at least stop you from getting wetter... Do you know where the barrack's are? I can show you if you'd like." the kuja would offer innocently as she hoped down from the mount and offered her hand to the human girl, much like she had done for her earlier today when she had helped Izzy up, Isabella would offer her hand to help her down.

Should the girl take the offer, Montoya wouldn't even let her feet touch the muddy ground. Instead she'd scoop up the dark haired girl in a princess carry, ensuring her jacket and her co-worker remained clean and dry.

She grew silent... Had Marina won that argument? Calling it an argument might be a stretch, but it didn't change the fact that Isabella didn't really retort to that last one. She couldn't really feel - let alone see - what was going through her mind at the moment and had absolutely no idea of how close to home her words might have sounded. What little Marina knew of Ishmael Montoya certainly didn't include his family life in any way. But as the horse came to a halt and the raven haired spy felt her passanger scoot away, she let out a soft surprised gasp as she felt something warm being draped around her shoulders: Izzy had given the soaked girl her coat. Now that they were under the stables, didn't really seem to need her coat anymore. Perhaps Marina realized that or perhaps she just failed to stifle a singular, softer moment as she turned around to look at her, "Thank you..."

Marina was surprisingly weak when her own game was unconsciously turned on her in any way or form. But then, Marina herself was hardly aware of this and most likely neither was Isabella. But when the girl jump off the horse and Marina turned her legs the same way to follow suit, she paused for a moment as she finally got a moment to look at her body. Her tight leotard left very little to the imagination, allowing the assassin to confirm her earlier suspicions. Generous curves in all the right places, toned muscle everywhere else. Marina had geared her own training regime to boost her speed and stamina and not so much her strength, and thus albeit her body was still pretty toned, she was didn't reach any close to Isabella's level. She rather enjoyed having increased her explosive power without boosting her bulk - therein laid the secret to her speed - but it didn't make the Blonde's any less impressive.

The Kuja's question about the barracks snapped Marina back from her absent gawking, blushing as she answered, "I know where the barracks are, b-but I don't know the way from here... I only stopped her once to drop off my things", she answered with a slightly excusing tone, adjusting the coat around her before accepting the girl's hand and dropping down from the horse, however, she was completely caught off guard by being suddenly picked up like a damsel her eyes going wide for a brief moment, "H-hey!! I'm just soaked; not paralyzed, you know?!", Marina protested in what sounded more like a pouting whine than a genuine complaint, looking away as her blush reddened.

So strong... After a few steps, Marina couldn't help but ease into Isabella's strong yet surprisingly soft grasp, draping one arm around her shoulders and ensuring the jacket remained in place with the other. She must be worried about her jacket after all, why else would Isabella bother with carrying her like this?

After all, she didn't even understand how her charm worked, let alone be affected by it...


Words: 1608

Isabella could only give a pout to Marina's protest. She may have been soaked but her outfit was still quite classy looking. Even if her mentality seemed to give birth to the strangest concept of stealth that was no reason to let the thing get dirtier by the muddy ground below her boots. There was also her coat think about, though it was indeed a coat and getting dirty, wet, or otherwise damaged was its purpose for the most part she was not keen to the idea of having to clean it. Carrying her was easy enough, she was pretty light, all things considered. Plus, carrying the water-weighted spy like this was good practice, right? She was heavier than she'd normally be, and it allowed Isabella to get a feel for what it was like to have to carry someone who was incapacitated.

A few steps into it and it seemed Mari began to see what Isabella herself had been thinking, as her protesting stopped and she began to nestle herself into the other girl's embrace. Isabella of course was oblivious to the onlookers, watching the wet Kuja carry the adorably bundled up Marina toward the barracks, walking across the yard to do so. Taking a step through the large entrance and into the building proper got the two out of the rain. The base here had once been the home of a "noble" family. Once they'd fallen from grace, the local aristocracy had given many of their holdings over to the world government, including this estate which had been repurposed as a military base. The two barracks had been servants quarters, this particular quarters being assigned to maintain the nearby hot baths and sauna. Isa made to put down her load, however one look at Marina made her reconsider. Despite her previous protests the girl looked quite comfortable, content even. Her head rested softly against Isabella's breas, as if using it as a pillow while one arm kept the kuja's jacket neatly draped over her body like a blanket. "Are you cold? You're holding onto my jacket quite tightly... Maybe you should take off your clothes? Heat up in the sauna? I don't want you in anything less than the best condition... F-for our fight I mean."

Isabella wouldn't admit it, but she was cold. Unlike her partner, she exposed quite a bit of her body to the elements. One look at her however and her body's natural reaction to the drop in temperature would be fairly evident, as her leotard was far from what one would call "modest".

Even the normally sharp and incredibly attentive Marina was mostly oblivious to onlookers. Then again nobody had ever carried her like this, at least not while knowing exactly who she was and what she did for a living. It was a new experience, for some reason Isabella looked really apt at putting her in those, even if she probably didnt' do it on purpose. Marina had to keep reminding herself of this, that was just how easy it was for her to think otherwise. Her cheeks reddened a little further as she laid her head onto the strong girl's chest, actually being able to feel her heartbeat. It was an actually soothing sensation, one that she slowly allowed herself to get used to. Yet when she felt her pillow growing a little stiffer under her cheeks, she finally noticed how Isabella was giving up her own comfort for her sake. That green leotard of hers truly left nothing to the imagination, its flimsiness allowed the attentive Marina to notice how cold the Kuja must be feeling. Of course, she naturally looked away with a flustered look the moment she realized she had been staring rather intently at the blonde's breasts. Izzy quickly noticed the way she held onto her coat and commented on it, assuming Mari to be cold. Though she was right, that wasn't even why she was holding onto it!

"I'm just making sure your coat stays clean, t-that's all!", Marina looked up at the girl's alluring blue eyes, answering the question quickly and defensively. Though this was God's honest truth, the way she spoke and met Izzy's eyes resolute and intently would look like she was just trying to put up a strong front. In a way she was, but not for the reason one might thing. Her gaze drifted away slowly, as did her voice, "You were nice enough to loan it to me, even though you're dressed like that..."

Her arm slithered around Izzy's upper back, bringing herself a bit closer to share some of her own body heat. Fully resting her head onto her breasts again, she bent her knees a bit more too. Even with wet clothes and hair, it should still help a good bit.

"And yeah, new clothes and a sauna sound pleasant...", she answered, soft but positively, her cheeks growing a bit redder at the whole intimacy of it, but the warmth and relaxing potential far outweighted the awkward former. Hopefully she wouldn't get distracted and caught staring at her again...

Marina still took in her surroundings as Isabella carried her through the base, it looked a lot classier and more elegant than her average marine base... No doubt it was one of those cases where they got their base off some broken noble family

It was nice that Marina could be straight forward. The girl quickly clarified that she wasn't cold, she was just ensuring Izzy's jacket remained untarnished! The blonde couldn't help but smile in response to her answer, she cared enough about her jacket to keep it clean, which is of course exactly what she'd been asked to do. However what she followed up with baffled the Kuja and insulted her all at once. "H-hey, an-and just what do you mean by that? huh? There's nothing wrong with having a functional outfit, you know! I-its the easiest thing to move in, an-and it's aerodynamic! It's also weather resistant, so I don't have to worry about" whatever the blonde was going to say was swiftly cut off by a short sneeze, followed by a light blush. The martial artist didn't bother finishimg her sentence, Marina made some adjustments that would improve their comfortability and Isabella made her way towards the hot baths, while Mari took in her surroundings.

The base in general was nice, and as the two approached the bath house it got reasonably better, however both barracks had a rustic look to them. They were well maintained, but mostly only now that the Marines had moved in. It was a fact Isabella admired about the Navy. On a broader scale, that's what they did. The moved in and made things better. The blonde couldn't wait to see the kind of difference they could make without those chaotic pirates stirring up trouble. The rebels would be done for of they didn't have to spend do much time fighting on two fronts.

The duo reached the door that separated the servants quarters from the changing area. It had once been a laundry room for doing, well, laundry and it still was, however it was treated as changing room as well. "Th-the rules are you grab a basket and put your clothes in it... Whoever is on laundry duty will do them while you wash up. S-So I'm gonna have to put you down now, o-ok?" Isabella would stutter occasionally, understanding that this might in fact be the girl's first time using the bathhouse. Her voice carried a hint of authority and a hint of reluctance, and honestly she didn't even know why.

She'd take a deep breath, steel herself, and push through the door, leading with her hips, gently setting Marina down on her feet once they'd entered the room. She took up two baskets, admiring the sterility of the space. There was no sort of privacy here, once couldn't afford it, and Isabella had never been uncomfortable with seeing others naked. She pushed a red basket towards marina with a soft kick as she casually began to slide out of her leotard. "Here. Put them in this and remember the color. I need my jacket back too." she'd say bluntly, before realizing how rude that may have sounded. I mean! I-if y-you don't mind..." she'd say, not at all phased by her now completely nude body in full view of her fellow marine.

Isabella misunderstood her remark but then once Marina thought about it some more awkwardly realized how it might have come across as such, cocking her head down in shame a bit and feeling the need to explain herself a bit better, "Nothing wrong with it, really!! It actully... Looks good... on you...", Marina interjected just as defensively, blushing and looking away, for once not having it in her to poke fun at the girl even if she normally would have. She just changed the subject quickly enough so Izzy wouldn't have time to process the embarassing comment she'd just made, "I-It's just really light for this weather is all!! See...?", the girl sneezing confirmed her point, and Marina felt obliged to huddle herself even further against her carrier to keep her warm and comfortable...

Fortunately they soon got indoors where it was warmer, but even then the long haired secret agent didn't really let go. Even if she couldn't keep herself to keep looking at the girl's chest, noticed how Izzy still felt cold even now, and so she only gradually loosened up when she felt the girl more at ease with the temperature. As they walked around, Marina kept on trying to distract herself from the surprisingly soft, powerful woman carrying her like this, doing so by looking around some more. The only obvious conclusion was how the Marines in Illusia treated themselves incredibly well, more than she'd ever seen anywhere else. She could only hope this didn't come off taxpayer money; she didn't really mind the luxury, but unlike the commonfolk, the military servicemen were trained for hardship. Come on now; although a bit rustic, this base was a lot better than some hotels Marina had stayed in before! She looked back up as the blonde explained how the laundry part worked; put your clothes in a basket and someone will clean them up. Seemed simple enough, so she nodded affirmatively:

"O-okay... And thank you...", she flashed a gentle, genuine smile as the girl finally put her down, allowing her hand to linger on the girl's shoulders. For a hard edged soldier like her to be this she was so sweet and caring to someone she barely knew. At least so long as they were both in this mood and Izzy kept treating her like this, no way she'd get up to her usual antics...

Soon, the girl swung a door open and walked inside, and they found themselves inside a changing room. Unfamiliar with this base as she was, Marina allowed Izzy to take the lead and show her how things worked and where they were, one instruction at a time. She pivoted and turned around on herself, getting a better look at the changing room, and when her eyes settled back onto Isabella, she gasped as the girl before her had already stripped naked!

All of a sudden those curious thoughts about the girl's body all became incredibly vivid, and she couldn't really avoid looking at her, slowly scanning her down, then back up as she confirmed her earlier suspicions: Supple, alluring curves where it mattered, impressive muscle tone everwhere else... The blond asking for her coat back snapped her back to attention, her wandering eyes forcefully fixing themselves on the other girl's, to avoid staring back down accidentally:

"Wow... Uhm... Y-you really work out a lot don't you...?", asked a blushing, almost bumbling Marina who by now had none of the smooth, confident charm Isabella would have seen earlier. She was a lot more toned than Marina who was also a martial artist, impressively so... Fortunately, the girl also seemed a lot less driven and determined than before, so none of them would really be able to call the other out on it, even assuming they noticed.

Starting with the coat and promptly returning it to its owner, Marina got rid of her clothes one by one. She wore a lot more than the Amazon, and all her clothes were drenched, making the whole process a good bit slower. Sweater, shoes, leggings, bra and panties all fell into her basket... Her hair still clung to her body but hardly provided any modesty.

And it felt wierd...

Marina had stripped herself down in front of countless potential lovers, few of them she actually cared about beyond using them to complete her mission (sometimes that mission being killing said lover). But now, the deadly and self assured Black Widow was reduced to a jittery little spider as she slowly bared everything in front of this blonde she barely knew... Her natural instinct was to cover herself like an embarassed maiden... But she couldn't do it, not when Isabella did the same without any reluctance or discomfort. Instead, she looked as natural and at ease as always, even if the profuse blush on her cheeks was a strong enough indicator.

"S-so... Wh-where to n-now..?", she wondered as her eyes wondered around, having a hard time maintaining eye contact with other girl now that both of them were naked.