Celes' muscles twitched beneath Setzer's gloved hands. It took every shred of willpower she had not to fight against him, lest she give herself away. She and the others needed Setzer's cooperation more than she needed her dignity, and until her allies made it onto the airship, she had to play her role as convincingly as possible.
Thankfully, Setzer hadn't yet noticed anything was amiss.
With an arm around her shoulders, he guided her into the depths of his airship, watching her descend ladders ahead of him, licking his lips and keeping one boot poised over the top rung, should she decide to risk an escape. Finally, he pushed her through the doorway of a small room outfitted with a plush purple couch and matching chairs, and flopped onto the couch with a triumphant smirk.
"Why the shocked face, my sweet?" he asked. "I told you that I could pull it off. A gambler never takes a bet he has no chance of winning!"
Celes closed her mouth and lifted her chin, trying to analyze the situation. So, Setzer and Maria knew each other? This kidnapping plot was just a game to them? She forced her expression to remain impassive as Setzer continued watching her through violet eyes, absently stroking one of the scars along his chin. Celes swallowed hard.
"Well then," she said, as coolly as she could, "I suppose congratulations are in order."
"Indeed, they are. As well as the little matter of my winnings." He swept his coat aside and began fumbling with the buttons on his trousers. Celes stiffened. "Come, now, don't be shy. Have I not always paid you out with enthusiasm?"
Celes arched an eyebrow, her mind racing. Where were the others? How hard was it to board a stationary airship? Especially with Locke and his… treasure-hunting skills? She couldn't stall for much longer; Setzer had his trousers undone, his hand reaching inside—she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes, putting on what she hoped was a seductive grin.
"If that's what you call it," she said. "Seemed to verge on desperation last time."
"I don't remember you complaining."
"Well… it settled your account."
Setzer's grin widened. "Since you're such an expert on proper payouts, why don't you give me a lesson, my dear?" There it was: Setzer's cock, half-hard in his own hand. Celes felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and forced herself to not look away. It was not the first she'd seen of a man; with her frigid reputation among the Imperial Army, soldiers took no pains to hide themselves from her. But she had never seen one aroused… tempting… inviting.
"Why so demure, so sudden?" he went on, giving himself a few quick tugs. "You are far from a wide-eyed ingenue these days. Or is it… Ah, I see, you are a sore loser, ma chérie! Fear not, for I am a gracious winner." He slid one foot forward, his boot glistening in the lamplight. "I have a little something for you, too. Now, come and love me, darling."
She couldn't stall any longer. Wherever the others were, she could not depend on them to save her. She weighed her options: Setzer was incredibly vulnerable at the moment, and she could easily overpower him; but would he cooperate under threat of violence, and if not, how was she to fly the airship on her own? On the other hand, sating his desire might make him more obliging to her request, but she feared her inexperience would instantly give her away. And what exactly did Setzer's offering his boot to her mean?
"You are different today, Maria," Setzer mumbled, still working on himself. "I noticed it during the opera. Your voice was flat. Timid. Are you all right?"
Celes cursed to herself. There was no way out of this. She looked from Setzer's eyes to his cock—stiff and veined, its head smooth and deep pink, strangely inviting—and back again, then wordlessly sank to her knees between his legs and opened her mouth wide.
He wasted no time filling her, groaning as he slipped past her lips, pressing her head down onto him. She gagged.
"No, my dear," he breathed, "you are far too tense. Relax, open up, like when you let that gorgeous voice of yours forth."
Celes did as he said, and he slid in deeper, more smoothly. It was not as unpleasant as she feared it would be. It was not unpleasant at all. Rather awkward, but the warmth, the texture, Setzer's pulse against her tongue made a heady combination. She moved her head slowly up and down, adjusting to the fullness in her mouth, tasting his skin with each pass. He hummed and stroked her hair, evidently content to let her explore him for the moment.
She dragged her tongue along the underside of his shaft and felt him shiver. She closed her lips around him and pulled, and heard him stutter out a curse. She varied her speed and depth and accidentally scraped her teeth across his head, and he shoved both hands into her hair and clenched his fingers.
Celes marveled at his reactions. What was this control, this power she wielded over him? She'd known nothing but violence since her youth, nothing but intimidation to get her way. This… this was far more effective, and far more pleasant for her, too. With each wanton sound that spilled from Setzer's lips, the pressure between her own legs increased, until her flesh throbbed, slick and aching, and she wriggled desperately to find relief.
Setzer tapped his foot, and the boot finally made sense to Celes. Pulling off of him for only a moment, she gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands and settled herself atop Setzer's boot. She began to slide along his foot in time with her ministrations on him, sending sparks dancing along her nerves from her most sensitive areas straight to her brain. It was good, but not enough; she fumbled with her underclothes and pulled them aside, and when her flesh met the leather, when her moisture slicked and warmed it beneath her, she let out a lascivious moan.
"That's it," Setzer said, "sing for me, Maria! Let me hear your beautiful voice!"
Celes needed no further encouragement, lost as she was to the tides of pleasure, both giving and taking. She ground herself against his boot, moved her hips in long swaths and rapid little circles, all the while lavishing Setzer's cock with her lips and tongue. His groans and pleas fueled her desire, and with a muffled scream, she bore down against him, rocking her clit against a crease in the leather, clenching her thighs around his foot.
Her body spasmed with the force of her orgasm, and she had little time to collect herself before Setzer joined her in ecstasy. He thrust into her mouth, roughly, quickly, tangling his fingers in her hair and holding her head in place. For an awful instant, fear flickered to life inside Celes' chest as she struggled for air, and then he came. Thick, hot spurts coated her mouth and tickled her throat as Setzer twitched inside her, panting loudly above her. With her head held in place, she had no choice but to swallow what she could, though she could feel the overflow trickling from the corners of her mouth, thinned by her own saliva.
"That's my girl," Setzer murmured. "Take it. Take all that you can." His twitching slowed, his hands relaxed, and, for the first time in what felt like another lifetime, Celes pulled back and looked at him. He smiled at her, then wiped the stray driblets from her chin with this thumb and pressed it against her mouth. Dutifully, Celes took his thumb in her mouth and sucked it clean, watching him the whole while.
"Ah, ma chére, you are as stunning as ever. Perhaps more stunning than I recall." He raised an eyebrow. "Who are you, really?"
Celes tensed, then laughed. "I'm Maria, you fool."
"No, my little fool, you're not."
"What makes you say—"
"I knew from the moment we boarded the airship. Yes, you look quite like her. Uncanny, really. But there's something about your eyes. A hardness; my Maria is all softness."
"If you knew, then… How dare you!" Anger flared up in Celes and she tried to rise, but Setzer, surprisingly strong for his slender build, held her shoulders and kept her down.
Or, perhaps, she allowed herself to be kept down.
"And how dare you pay out what Maria owes me? Though you did it quite admirably, I must admit."
"Did I have a choice?"
"Yes." Setzer became serious. "Yes, you did. At any point, you could have told me the truth. You could have told me that you were not Maria, and I would have let you go."
"Let me go? Just like that?"
"Well, perhaps with an admonition to not impersonate famous singers." He sighed. "You see, certain things become far less fun when one party is unwilling, and I simply don't enjoy that."
"Unwilling? You kidnapped me. I wasn't even willing to be here!"
"You must have been, to some extent, to act as a decoy. Besides," he pulled his foot out from under Celes, brushing against her still-sensitive clit and sending another explosion of sparks throughout her body, "this looks plenty willing to me. I'd say you're a fine shoeshine maid."
Celes glanced at his boot and quickly looked away. Evidence of her arousal remained on the leather, a drying white streak along the shiny black surface.
"Although now they're mismatched," Setzer continued. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind helping me with the other one?"
"Enough. You asked who I am, and I'll answer." She rose on shaky legs, and tried to collect the scraps of her dignity. "I am Celes Chere, former Imperial general, and I am commandeering this airship in the name of the Returners."
"Returners, eh? I'm afraid not. You've commandeered enough for today, young lady, and I do not wish to become embroiled in political spats."
"This is no mere 'spat.' And I am not your 'young lady,' I am a former general of the Imperial Army, the Terror of Maranda, and I am prepared to use force to secure your cooperation."
"Oh? But you simply thought you'd try seduction first?" Setzer grinned. "If you had left it at that, I might be more obliging."
Celes set her jaw and clenched her fists, her shame burning through her resolve. She'd made the wrong choice, and thrown away her authority in the process. This was not how the plan was supposed to go; if the others had been there…
As if summoned by her thoughts, a furious clanking came from the compartment below, followed by hushed voices and cursing. Eventually, Locke poked his head over the railing.
"Celes! You're safe! Sorry it took so long." His smile faded as he was shoved over the railing from below, and Edgar and Sabin joined him in the room. Setzer looked from each man to the other, then turned to Celes.
"Your allies?" he asked.
"They were meant to be here sooner," Celes replied, glaring at them.
"So I've deduced." He turned back to the men and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, gentlemen, welcome aboard the Blackjack. Celes has informed me of your intent to commandeer my ship for your own political purposes. I must say, she's been quite persuasive so far… but I am not easily swayed. Would any of you like to try?"
How would they? Celes wondered, and then an incredibly silly image crossed her mind. Imagine asking Edgar or Locke to "persuade" Setzer in the same manner she had. Imagine Sabin! In spite of herself, in spite of the seriousness of the situation, a laugh sprang to her throat. She quickly turned away and tried to play it off as a cough.
When her allies filed through the door into another room to begin the negotiations proper, Celes hung back.
"To be clear, I am not in the habit of exchanging sexual favors for negotiations," she told Setzer, looking him in the eyes. "I very well could have taken this airship by force the moment I arrived."
"I have no doubt of that. But where would we be now? Do you know how to pilot an airship?"
"No."
"So, you were out of options. It's understandable." His lips twitched. "But it was a much more enjoyable choice, no?"
Celes' nostrils flared as she felt the fierce blush return. Before she could say anything, Setzer put a hand on her shoulder.
"There is no shame in pleasure, Celes. No matter what you've been told. And you were magnificent. To think, to meet the Terror of Maranda herself, and find her capable of love—"
"Not love. Necessity."
"Whatever you wish to call it. To meet the Terror of Maranda and meet with pleasure instead of death!" Setzer bowed to her, then took her hand and kissed it. "Ma chére, it is an honor. It is an honor, indeed. Now, let us negotiate; though it may cost me my life, I'm eager to see the fighting side of Celes Chere!"