Say yes again.

For Ralli's sake... Bella said yes again, vowing that she would pump the brakes if things went too far. "This isn't too far, is it? This is just two friendly teachers, washing each other's backs in a friendly way... As friends. Say something normal, harmless, and flirty like you ordinarily would. Pass it off as no big deal."

"Yes, please," the suddenly thirsty instructor gasped in response.

"Gladly." Keeping with her offer, Ralli turned around with a washcloth in hand. Bella never used one, herself, but she was glad Ralli did in this case: she thought it would keep the woman's hand from making contact with her bare flesh, which might have pushed her to a dangerous place.

Once the sergeant started, Bella relaxed. It had been so long since she had felt a deathspeaker's powerful arms massaging her after a day of work... This wasn't quite that, but it was the next best thing. She let out a contented sigh as she let it happen, deciding she had been worried over nothing and happy to accept a gift from her friend. "Ooh... You've got that spot right between the shoulder blades just right, dearie! I can never get it myself, ho ho!"

"Is that so? I am pleased..."

"Yes, now scrub just a bit lower, right in the small there... Ah! Perfection. I attest I have been itching there for what feels like a year. I owe you one, Ralli."

"... Is that so? Very well... I will take you up on that offer now."

"Eh?! Y-you want me to wash your back?" Bella asked, not daring to turn around. "Y-you might not think it, but my soft hands aren't as well suited for that sort of thing as you might think. You ordinarily want someone with a bit more power. She's a little scrawny, but what about that mousy young thing who is always joining you?"

"... I do not want Harley Dustaine to wash my back. I do not want my back washed at all. I do not care if that spot itches forever."

"You don't...?" Bella asked, suddenly becoming aware of a change in pressure... More importantly, of the way Ralli's hands had snaked around her body, now holding the cloth at her stomach. She could tell the other woman must be a hair's breadth away from pressing against her back, and felt her breath upon her neck.

"No. In return, I want you to remind me... why we cannot be together. I have a faultless memory, but I cannot remember you ever clearly stating why. Why can we not... love each other? Why can I not wash your back like this every day? Why can I not... satisfy other itches of yours, right here and right now?"

The braineater hesitated, keeping her face away and feeling her pulse quickened. "We're... both instructors here at the barracks. It would make things... weird, don't you think? Complicated?"

"I feel much, much stranger apart than I would together. I can say this confidently. If anyone does not approve, I will use my strength to make them approve. You will not have to lift a finger."

"... Ralli..."