Private Of Flowers & Thorns

[Oleander]

//: Riven //:

Oleander nodded, understanding Riven's predicament when it came to people. While she tended to withdraw and drive herself inward around others, Riven was simply a nervous mess. As much as she wanted to make a note of that, she didn't. It felt more personal, and it didn't belong in her clinical records.

The note she did make was that Riven's bill would be forwarded to her benefactor. That meant nothing was coming out of pocket for the small elf. Oleander preferred instant payment, but she understood why credits flowed through benefactors instead.

"Um… thank you."

Compliments weren't something Oleander often received. When one came from the assassin, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and a faint blush dusted across her nose — revealing the light trace of freckles usually hidden by her pale complexion and the dim lighting of her office. Riven, it seemed, was one of the few to catch them.

Now embarrassed, Oleander patted her knees and stood stiffly from the stool.

"Right then," she said, adding a bit of emphasis to her words.

"With the physical done, I'll send the notes to your benefactor. But now for your favorite part…" Oleander wiggled the bottle from earlier between her fingers.

"The eye drops." She stepped closer and gave a gentle nudge to Riven's uninjured shoulder. "Lay back so I can put them in for you," she mused, sounding almost cheerful.

"Unfortunately for you, you have to stare at me so I can make sure they're working."

Once Riven laid back, Oleander leaned over her, giving the bottle a few shakes. In the closeness, her carefully chosen fragrance lingered — bitter-sweet citrus, the clean scent of rain, and finishing with the delicate floral touch of her namesake, oleander.

"Keep your eyes wide as I apply," she instructed, carefully tipping the bottle. She did her best not to breathe too closely against Riven's skin, not wanting to startle her more than necessary.

 

[Riven]

Tags - Oleander

Riven would've noted the light blush if she was looking at her, but alas, she was still flustered herself as she was waiting for the color to drain from her pale cheeks. But the sound of the wiggling bottle that she dreaded was brought to her attention. Eyes turned to glance back at the doctor finally, the color almost entirely having faded from her visage as she regarded the eye-drops with a pout of concern.

The nudge prompted her to lay herself back once again, eyes turning up to the ceiling for a brief moment before the doctor leaned over and came back into her view. This position when eye-drops were concerned always brought her a great level of discomfort, she didn't like anything getting near her eyes, even if it was for her own good.

"Unfortunately for you, you have to stare at me so I can make sure they're working."

Reddened dry eyes turned to Oleander, trying to focus on her but knowing what was coming she seemed to have more difficulty in doing so. Her eyes passed over every aspect of the doctor's face, trying to concentrate on one, but then the thought of the drops returned to her and that crimson gaze flicked away once again.

She picked up the scent of Oleander's perfume from the closeness, the freshness of it was pleasant, like a bright spring morning after a night of rain. Unfortunately for Oleander the only scent on Riven was that of tobacco, but the doctor didn't seem to mind it at least. As the elf was instructed to keep her eyes opened wide she attempted to do so, but the looming threat of the eye-drops was constantly making her flinch and quickly would Oleander realize this was going to be no easy task.

If drops fell she'd blink and they'd miss her eye, or she'd plainly turn her eyes away from it entirely as her head flinched just enough to have it splash down upon her pale cheek instead. "... S- Sorry..." was all Riven answered with, she knew she was bad at taking these after all. With the closeness of the doctor's face to her own though, there was barely anywhere she could look to avoid her gaze completely.

 

[Oleander]

//: Riven //:

The first drop showed promise. It missed.

The second drop went wide. Missed again.

The third looked hopeful — Oleander felt briefly accomplished — until it rolled off Riven's cheek.

Each wasted drop slid down the elf's face, and Oleander could only watch credits go with them. By the time she was halfway through the bottle, she was trying to predict Riven's next flinch, hoping to aim just right and land one in her eye.

After several failed attempts, Oleander huffed and shifted tactics. The hand prying Riven's eyelid open slid down to her chin, steadying it as gently as she could.

"I really, really need you to stay still for me." Oleander's tone carried more plea than command, their faces close enough to stress the importance.

"If I run out, you'll have to stay here for a few hours — or come back later. I don't think you want that, do you?"

While she wouldn't mind the company, Oleander figured Riven's benefactor expected the assassin working, not stalling in her office.

She let go of Riven's chin and braced her hand against the elf's forehead, tugging the eyelid up again. Leaning closer, she lifted one knee onto the edge of the chair to get better leverage, blocking any chance for Riven to dodge.

"Okay. Going to try again. Stay still."

Her weight pressed lightly as she stretched forward, doing her best to hold Riven steady while angling the dropper. Awkward and difficult — but Oleander was determined.

 

[Riven]

Tags - Oleander

Riven was a handful to get steady and still for eye-drops, but she knew herself that she was being quite difficult. She truly was doing her best to stay still but those instinctual flinches and turns just kept happening. "S- Sorry..." she voiced again in her gentle whispering tone, "I-... I'm trying...". Her chin was held as Oleander moved in even closer, and at this range there really wasn't any looking away for the elf now as she stared back into her gaze.

"If I run out, you'll have to stay here for a few hours — or come back later. I don't think you want that, do you?"

"... It'd be... problematic, yeah..." she confessed, though she didn't dislike the attention she was getting from the doctor at this point. When Oleander shifted she felt her knee press onto the chair as her gaze flicked down for a moment, and then the hand pressed down on her forehead to keep the pale elf steady. Her eye was held open, staring straight up into the eye of the dropper that was poised to deliver it's devastating solution to her poor eye and-...

Success. A light and brief whimper was heard from Riven as her eye struggled to stay open after the drop had finally hit its mark and Oleander was able to continue her work. The poor elf's body practically squirmed in response, though not so much that she wasn't trying to stay where she was at least. From here the doctor would be able to get to her other eye too, so long as she kept holding the girl down now that she was squirming more. Frankly she was like a child when it came to eye-drops, but that might've been clear from the very start.

 

[Oleander]

//: Riven //:

"Stop apologizing," Oleander murmured back in response to the Elf. She knew Riven was sorry — it was as involuntary as breathing. The girl couldn't help it, and it was something Oleander would just have to deal with… every… time… she came in.

Oleander considered that thought and decided it was fine. Riven was a good patient overall.

Finally, the impossible was done. Despite Riven squirming beneath her, Oleander managed to land drops in one eye — thankfully, the worst one. She climbed off to give them both a chance to breathe, her own mind still wrestling with every thought stirred by the movement beneath her.

"Okay, we did it." She held up a finger to silence Riven before another apology could slip out.

"No more sorries." A small smile tugged at her lips as she gave the bottle a shake. There was still enough left for the second eye. Next time, she'd have a spare on hand. Oleander grew quiet, her eyes drifting over the assassin as she worked out a better way to keep her steady.

Leaning over had been simple, but she could still feel Riven shifting beneath her. One wrong move and they'd have been back at square one.
After a few moments, the solution came to her. She stepped back in front of Riven.

"You did well — you tried, so don't worry about it." Oleander shrugged.

"Next time, I'll schedule your appointment for longer. I have a feeling this is going to be quite the adventure every time." She chuckled softly, shaking her head as she brushed stray hair behind her ear.

Then she moved. First one knee, then the other, leveraging her weight carefully until she was straddling Riven's lap. Leaning forward, she tilted the Elf's head back and gently pulled up the eyelid of the untreated eye.

"Okay. Do your best to just keep looking at me, alright?" she whispered, her voice low as she steadied the dropper over Riven's gaze.

 

[Riven]

Tags - Oleander

"Stop apologizing,"

"S-..." Riven stopped herself from apologizing about the apology.

The eye-drop she had received wasn't so bad after the fact, in fact that eye was starting to feel better already. Would that mean her other eye would be a lot easier to treat? Absolutely not, and it seemed Oleander anticipated as much. The praise given by the doctor seemed to have some noticeable effect on Riven's state of mind, for a moment she seemed less nervous and awkward, just for a moment. Praise seemed to work well for the troublesome elf.

"Next time, I'll schedule your appointment for longer. I have a feeling this is going to be quite the adventure every time."

Riven paused in consideration, "... Will it cost more...?" she asked in return. She was certain her benefactor wouldn't care at all, but she sure didn't like to be much of a bother to her if she could help it. Her eyes tracked Oleander as she moved while remaining laid back on the chair, and then she felt the pressure against the chair itself as one knee was brought up onto it, and then the other. It didn't take long for the doctor to come into view again as she noted she was simply atop her now.

The crimson gaze of the elf shifted down to see that she was now being straddled by Oleander who leaned forward to once more draw her face close as she took a hold of her patient. A faint pink tint appeared upon Riven's pale cheeks, noticeable this time as she felt she couldn't shift or squirm at all now with her hips locked down by the doctor's.

Her head was tilted back gently, eyelid held open as that reddened crimson eye stared right back up at Oleander, doing its best to stay focused. Riven's hands gripped the seat itself firmly as she breathed in a gentle but shuddering breath as she listened to whispered words, and then...

Success once more. With another light whimper of discomfort the second eye-drop had been delivered. Oleander felt the elf try to squirm beneath her as a result but this time her hold on her was much more firm, there was barely any movement at all. Riven's distaste for eye-drops wasn't going anywhere, but at least it seemed she had found a doctor that could administer them relatively easily now.

"... Th- Thank you..." came the elf's gentle voice in response as after Oleander had ample time to make sure the drop had actually hit her eye she had turned that red gaze away like she so often did. Flustered, awkward, and potentially just embarrassed at this point.

 

[Oleander]

//: Riven //:

Oleander was focused on the eyedrops. Having found success, she smiled. "You did well — and you didn't apologize," she smirked, still perched where she was. Her fingers kept the eye open as she watched the redness and dryness fade. A little curve tugged at her lips as she noted how potent the eyedrops were.

"Ahh, it's nice to see when calculations are fruitful," she murmured, slipping into half-coherent ramblings as her mind spun on details of her work. A hum of approval followed as she shifted to the second eye.

"Everything looks good," she said at last, leaning up but still hovering over the assassin's lap.

"Cost?" she echoed, replaying Riven's question about longer sessions. A hand patted her chin as she thought carefully. She could charge more, but the simplicity of the procedure didn't justify it. With a shrug, she shook her head.

"Nope. Same price — the procedure doesn't change."

Reaching forward, her slender fingers brushed a stray lock of ashen hair out of place from all the rough handling of Riven's head.

"Sorry about that," she admitted with a small smile. "Guess it's my turn to apologize."

Without fanfare, Oleander slid off Riven and shed her lab coat, tossing it across the mess of the counter.

"Looks like that's everything — eyes done, physical, bruise massaged." She ticked each off on her fingers before settling on the stool, hunching over her datapad to scribble notes with her stylus.

The assassin's gratitude made her look up. For a moment, her confusion showed plainly on her face, then softened into a genuine smile — a rare change from her practiced clinical expression.

"Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll use the cloth instead of your hand to wipe your eye." She tapped her cheek thoughtfully with the stylus. "And try not to rub them so much — I feel like you've got a nasty habit of it."

Her tone was stern, but the playful edge never left.

"You can get dressed. Do you want me to leave the room?"

 

[Riven]

Tags - Oleander

As Riven's eye was held open she continued to try and squirm beneath Oleander, even bumping her hips up against hers once before she finally settled with a soft sound of discomfort just seconds before her eyes was allowed to close. She almost immediately brought the handkerchief to her eyes as she rubbed at them with it. "... Mm-... It's done...?" asked the elf cautiously as she peered up at the doctor. "... Wait... Calculations...? Did you make it yourself...?".

She was also relieved to hear that the cost for longer appointments wouldn't increase, even if it would have been just a drop in the bucket for her benefactor. Then as Oleander's hand came down to brush a stray length of silver hair from the elf's face she blushed softly in response, "It-... It's okay..." she managed in response as she stared up at her now, yes actually staring. Perhaps she was briefly captured by her beauty, maybe she was just stunned at the intimacy of the position they were in, or how close her face had been to her own.

With those thoughts she did take note of just how long Oleander was remaining atop of her before she finally slid off. Riven let out a soft shuddering breath afterwards and she stayed laying down for a moment longer to mentally recover before she sat herself up. Her eyes felt a lot better now, no longer reddened and dry but as they should be, shiny and vibrant as the hue of her crimson gaze seemed brighter.

"Don't worry about it. Just promise me you'll use the cloth instead of your hand to wipe your eye." She tapped her cheek thoughtfully with the stylus. "And try not to rub them so much — I feel like you've got a nasty habit of it."

Riven gave Oleander a gentle nod of understanding, "... I'll do my best..." she offered, and she would have pocketed the handkerchief if she had pockets, but she was still in the paper gown. She glanced down and with very little warning just turned to start undressing as she pulled it off and started to dress herself in her usual clothes once more. She seemed to hold no shame in that regard at least.

It didn't take her long to be fully dressed once more as she reached into her pocket to pull out a cigarette. She slipped it between her lips but didn't light it just yet, she'd do that after she left. She turned back to Oleander as she regarded her, "... Same time next week...?" she asked plainly as she lightly chewed on the cigarette in her mouth.

 

[Oleander]

//: Riven //:

The answer to Riven's question about whether she made the drops herself was simple. Oleander nodded with a little "mhm." She knew that if she entertained the question further, Riven would never leave the office, to the point where she might as well change her home address. The redhead could talk about her work for hours, whether the listener wanted her to or not.

So she let Riven escape, just for today.

It didn't even occur to her how long she had been sitting atop the assassin; her mind was caught up in the success of the drops and whether they were working. If they hadn't, the ordeal would have continued, and more notes would have piled up. Luckily for Riven, everything had been the right amount, and she was finally free from Oleander's grasp.

Without hesitation, Oleander watched as Riven hopped off the chair and slipped out of the paper gown in one motion. Her red eyes fluttered, knowing she should look away — but she froze instead.

Her mind betrayed her, replaying the way Riven had squirmed beneath her, their hips brushing together.

Oleander's face flushed a shade that nearly rivaled her hair.

By the time Riven turned, the doctor had already ducked down, scribbling frantically at her notes, cheeks burning, one hand pressing hard into the back of her neck until her knuckles whitened. No one had ever flustered her like this. And it wasn't as though she hadn't seen a woman nude before — she was a doctor. But this little assassin made her think of things she usually worked very hard not to think about.

Riven spoke, and Oleander stayed silent for a beat too long, staring at her datapad as though it held her composure together.

Finally, she sat up, straightening her shoulders, and forced herself to meet the elf's eyes. Curious one — shy and avoidant, yet shameless enough to shed her clothes without a thought.

Clearing her throat, Oleander nodded.

"Yes. Same time — next week. I'll set you up for three hours…" She broke off, gaze skittering away before she could stop herself.

"Please… don't be late."