Sunset ^beta

Chapter Text

Lara didn't want to be in the U.S. Not at all. She had somehow ended up at the secret base of an international thief named Carmen Sandiego, in... San Francisco. She had, long ago, begun self-education on the horrors of imperialism, and capitalism. She hated what the U.S. had done across the world. Carmen had agreed with her, but noted that this was where she lived. She wasn't aware that the red woman had a lot of gay vibes. Lara couldn't believe she had told this woman about Sam or about the "interesting relationship" she had with Eva Tong. She didn't even know her! She had been surprised to hear that the thief had a girlfriend: a curator in Canada named Julia Argent.

When she saw the nearby reddish motorbike, it brought back her many memories of riding by herself and with Sam. Lara had been friends with Sam for some time. She clearly had feelings for her, even though she had not confessed how she felt before Sam disappeared. These memories immediately popped into Lara's head. She was still injured from the hand-to-hand combat in a cave over a precious artifact with the red woman all those days before. As such, she needed to get the artifact back so she could save the woman she loved. She didn't care much about the ethics of who got the precious object or not. Carmen helped her get onto the vehicle.

She detested narrow seats. This motorbike, a classic 1976 Kawasaki KZ900, had been purchased by the thief at a police auction. It was flashy and shined brightly. She didn't know if it really was that comfortable or not. Carmen said softly, "You are gonna have to put your arms around me...unless you want me to buckle you in." While the bike had a big back seat, that was where Carmen's gear went. So, she had no choice: squeezing behind Carmen was the only option.

Lara had no idea what this devious thief was thinking, or why she said what she did, but she detested seatbelts with an intense passion. They were no help when she was on a chase. She knew that they saved lives. That much was obvious. However, she felt extremely constrained by them. She felt like they hemmed her in. Not sure what else to say, she blurted out: "I'll...uh...put my arms around you...I always like to hug cute and stylish women."

Carmen didn't know how to interpret that remark. Her face started to get flushed. She started up the bike. It quickly sped down the road. They were en route to a secret location where they'd catch a red-eye and travel to Toronto, then meet Julia there. As Lara squeezed behind Carmen, she felt the Latina's slender frame. She was immediately reminded of the woman she loved so deeply, the one and only Sam. Although Carmen was not Sam, Carmen was alive, lively, and real. She immediately felt warmth from holding her. There was no denying it. It was electrifying. There was no question: this thief was her savior of sorts. What would have happened if someone had kidnapped her... for real…?

Without a doubt, this thief was charming. And to have that girl, a woman to be precise, between her muscled thighs, she felt a sensation burning within her. She could see what Zip meant about her. The thought came into her mind. She could be with this woman romantically if her relationship with Sam didn't work out, if it fell apart into nothing. She shouldn't be having these thoughts about her, right? She should be thinking about the mission and Sam instead. She tried to clear her mind and dismiss her affections. She did not want to make this any more complicated than it already was. Once she got what she needed, she'd part ways with her. That would be it. They'd never see each other again.

At the same time, maybe it couldn't hurt. She was internally conflicted. What should she do? Was it right to have feelings for her? Or was she betraying Sam? Little did she know but Carmen was having a similar internal battle of her own. She had been taken by the large frame of Lara and her buff arms, which wrapped around her. That was all certainly something, but what really made her flushed, more than anything, was her active imagination. What it would be like to dance with this Brit? What would it feel like? She couldn't stop thinking about it. Her thoughts were so filled with what it could be between her and Lara that she almost ran through a red light. Luckily, she stopped herself in time.

As Lara was about to ask if she was okay, Carmen blurted out, "I'm fine. Don't worry...I just got momentarily distracted." The Brit wasn't sure what to say. She knew this was unusual, even for this thief. But what exactly was it? She didn't want to pry. Instead, she tried to reassure her, hoping this would help her concentrate better on the task at hand. "It's okay. It happens from time to time." She couldn't help but see this Latina as cute and a real bella donna. As for Carmen, she kept asking herself why she felt this way. She had her own lovely girlfriend. And she'd be visiting her soon. Why was she thinking of Lara like this? She didn't know herself. It was all so confusing! So, she did her best to brush the feelings aside. She was determined that riding with Lara would only be a friendly gesture. It wouldn't be anything more. Whether it would remain simple friendliness or something else would be up to her... and Lara.