Cross-posted from my AO3.
This was supposed to be a drabble, a test run see if I could do a shippy thing before moving onto a more serious project that'll hopefully be coming soon after this. But as you can see, it rapidly got out of hand. Yunica stories just seem to keep doing that.
The blame for this monstrosity lies purely with Sybil, the little devil on my shoulder whispering to make it gayer.
Thanks, and apologies, go to StumblingCamelid for editing.
- Yunica's Ballroom Bewitchment -
Security detail sucked, Yunica knew. It was bad enough at the best of times, but formal parties seemed to make it more horrible, more obnoxious than anyone could imagine. Instead of her flight suit and lance, she had to wear an uncomfortable black suit, and waste a whole night standing around. Doing nothing.
But orders were orders. So there she was, posted just inside the entrance to the grand ballroom at the base of the Central Clocktower. From her position she could see out across the throngs of guests: Hekseville's rich, famous, and powerful. The odds of anything actually important requiring her intervention were almost nil, especially with Permet covering the outside, so the most she had to look forward to was when an actor or politician got too drunk and mouthy.
"Endless fun," she grumbled sarcastically to herself, adjusting the glove covering her robotic arm to settle in for several hours of boredom. Yet just when she thought her night could not get any worse, trouble appeared.
"Hey, Yunica!" Kat's voice came from the entranceway, the clip of heels on the stone floor signalling her approach.
"What are you doing here, Sea Ca-" Yunica paused mid-complaint when she finally saw the gravity shifter.
The red dress she was wearing was not as ornate as her regular clothes, outside of the gold bands helping form the side ponytail. Yet something about it was almost breathtaking in the way it made Kat shine in a way none of the other women in the party had, showing off a flashy, physical side to the shifter that Yunica was very unfamiliar with. She couldn't help but trace her gaze all the way from Kat's deep red eyes, past the curves no longer hidden under lumpy gold bands, to all the way down to her red heels.
"Whaddya think?" Kat asked, pulling Yunica's attention back up as she did a little twirl for good measure. "Do I look the part?"
"It's acceptable, I guess," Yunica folded her arms and looked away, trying to hide the blush she could feel forming on her cheeks. What was going on? She had never had that reaction to Kat before.
"Yes!" Kat kept talking as though she hadn't noticed anything weird. "I was hoping this was going to be good enough when Lisa invited us. Didn't have time to find a new dress after getting one for Raven."
That caught Yunica's attention.
"Raven's here too?" she asked, not sure she had heard correctly. Raven hardly seemed to be the formal party type.
"Yup. Can't invite just one of us, after all! Probably still talking to Permet outside."
"That'd explain why Permet didn't warn me you were coming…" Although Yunica was not sure what she would have done if she had been warned. Been better braced for the sight of them, maybe.
But that thought got blown out of the sky the moment Raven stepped through the door. Much like with Kat, it took a moment for Yunica to process what she was seeing. Unlike Kat's bright red dress, Raven was in all black, and somehow even more striking.
The straps and v-neck collar framed the moon symbol on her chest. The fabric hung a little looser than it did on Kat's dress, but it still did little to hide Raven's figure with a slit running up her left leg, all the way to her hip. The skirt itself was a thin lace, with designs of feathers preventing it from being completely see-through. Her hair seemed to flow down her back in waves, the red almost shining against the black dress.
It was not until Raven started looking embarrassed that Yunica realised she was staring. She managed to tear her gaze away, feeling her cheeks starting to burn again as she looked out over the ballroom to hide them.
Kat's obliviousness came to her rescue as she pulled Raven down from the entranceway, chattering at a mile a minute about how long they had spent looking for the perfect dress for her. Yunica let her prattle, thankful for the reprieve as she tried to keep her breathing steady while her heart was pounding against her chest.
"What the hell is happening?" This—whatever this was—had never happened to her before. The gravity shifters had always annoyed her, driven her to the point of rage on countless occasions. But this—this felt different. It was taking all of her willpower not to be swept up by it.
"-Yunica?" Kat prodded her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes?" Yunica felt her cheeks already reddening as she was drawn into Kat's eyes again. What the hell was going on?
"You okay? You were spacing out."
"It's fine. Thought I saw some trouble over there, but it was nothing," she lied, unsure why she felt the need to do so.
Why deceive them? Why did she care what they thought? Literally every time she had ran into one of the gravity shifters, over all the years she had known them, trouble was hot on their heels. They were nothing but an annoyance to her, and deserved to be treated as such-
"So what were you saying?" she found herself asking, before she could stop herself.
"I just wanted your opinion. Doesn't Raven look good?"
Again Yunica found her eyes moving over to Raven, who still seemed unusually shy at the attention. This time Yunica managed to stop herself getting trapped by the sight of her. Whatever spell they had over her appeared to be weakening. All she needed was a swift, non-committal answer. Her own annoyance at their presence would soon become clear, and they would be on their way, allowing her to get back to her duty.
"You look amazing."
Wait. That was not what she had meant to say.
It was difficult to tell if it was her or Raven that was blushing harder at this point. Still, while Yunica would like nothing more than to have the ground beneath her feet swallow her up, Raven did seem at least a little pleased by the response.
Kat was definitely happy, almost beaming that their hard work paid off. Compared to how Yunica usually saw her in those tense moments when they were fighting—either an enemy or each other—the sight of her this genuinely happy was-
"No." Yunica shook the thought away before it could sink its claws in, too.
She had to get rid of them. And fast. Then whatever was happening to her would stop, and she could go back to normal. She was a soldier, the second in command of the SDF; she would not be beaten that easily. So she fought down the strange feelings, ignoring the way her heart was pounding as she looked between the two gravity shifters.
"I really should be doing my job," she managed to force the words out. "I'm security, I can't spend all night talking with you two."
"Aww," Kat seemed disappointed, "and here I thought you'd want to keep an eye on us to keep us out of trouble."
"Don't tempt-" Nope! She was not saying that. "Do I look like a babysitter to you?"
"Someone's not getting asked for a dance later," Kat grumbled under her breath.
The mental image that brought up almost caused Yunica to stumble, her knees weakening when she noticed Raven looking at her curiously. She could feel another blush forming, the pressure inside her threatening to burst. Time was running out.
"Y-you two are here thanks to Lisa, correct?" she asked, trying to hide the nervousness unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life. "She's already here."
"Figured. Lisa's not exactly the type to be fashionably late," Raven said, the first words she'd spoken since arriving.
"Gods… her voice-" At that thought, Yunica slipped her right arm behind her back, using a rough pinch to snap herself out of it before her defences could melt any further.
She took an unsteady step forward, pointing out across the ballroom.
"I believe that's her over there by the buffet table. With your detective friend, too."
"Ooh a buffet," Kat was practically drooling at that, until she paused as the rest of Yunica's sentence registered. "Wait, Syd's here too?"
"I would have to check with Permet, but I'm fairly certain he was Lisa's plus-one."
Perfect. Both of the gravity shifters looked confused at that, glancing between each other. Kat got up on tiptoes, forming binoculars with her hands as she tried to spot Syd amongst the mass of people. Raven could only shake her head at the sight, clearly exasperated at her partner's foolishness.
Yunica had to fight down her wry smile, going stone faced again as Raven glanced across at her, giving a shrug at the gravity shifter's silent question.
"Patience. Almost free," she told herself, repeating it over and over as a mantra. She had fed Kat's curiosity. There was no way they would hang around to bother her with that mystery waiting to be solved.
Thankfully, she did not have to wait long. Kat finally spotted her targets: the white haired duo of Hekseville's unofficial mayor and its wine-addicted detective.
"Okay, Raven," she declared, spinning back to the pair watching her. "We need to go find out what this is all about."
"I'm sure it's not-" Any further input from Raven was cut off as Kat started physically dragging her down into the ballroom, determined to get to the bottom of this.
"Wait!" Yunica called after them, almost surprising herself. For a second she was tempted to ask them to stay a little longer, but that thought was clearly absurd, so she fought it down to ask the question she wanted to ask: "I'm not going to have to worry about your bird and cat trying to sneak in and causing trouble, am I?"
"No, Cecie's looking after them tonight," Raven answered, pulling herself free of Kat's grasp.
"Can we go now?" Kat added. "Need to talk to Syd."
"Try not to destroy the buffet table while you're at it," Yunica said in a slight taunt.
Kat huffed at that. It was adorable, the way she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Thankfully the two turned to leave again, walking away before they could see Yunica blushing as she realised just what she had been thinking.
"Have fun," she found herself calling after them. "And stay out of trouble!"
"That's the plan!"
As the two weaved a path through the other guests, finally leaving Yunica alone, the facade came crumbling down, leave her an uncharacteristic wreck. She held her head in her hands, cheeks almost glowing red as she tried to process just what had happened to her. But with her view blocked and attention elsewhere, she failed to notice Raven was looking back.
"Was Yunica acting weird to you?" Raven asked Kat as she followed her through the crowd, trying to avoid touching anyone as they passed.
"Yunica's always weird."
"This was a different kind of weird."
"She did seem less angry than usual. Maybe she just finally learned how to relax a little!"
"Maybe." Raven wasn't convinced. Nothing about the way Yunica had been acting seemed relaxed at all. The soldier was definitely acting different than usual. But why?
Lisa and Syd were by the table serving alcohol, talking animatedly with each other. Lisa had dug out her old dress, with a dust coloured blazer thrown over the top to make it seem a bit more formal looking. It still looked out of place compared to all the ball gowns and dresses around her, but she valued being comfortable over stupid formalities.
Syd, meanwhile, was in his familiar grey striped suit. Although the red tie was definitely new, along with a pair of fresh shoes, so he had at least made some effort to dress up.
"Yo, Kat, Raven!" he said, waving as they approached. "You two made it!"
Kat wasted little time, immediately launching into her question: "Syd, what are you doing here?"
"I was invited?" He glanced at Lisa for assistance.
"If I'm going to be stuck here all night, might as well be with someone I can stand. Cecie's too young, and I wouldn't bring her to this even if she wasn't."
"You know I'm never going to turn down free wine!"
"So you're mooching?" Kat sighed. She should have known.
Syd feigned being insulted for a second, until a knowing smirk crossed Lisa's face.
"You want to talk about people who shouldn't be here?" she asked. "Vogo's around here somewhere."
"Vogo?" Kat blinked. Now that was surprising.
"No idea how he got on the guest list. It took the idiots at city hall four meetings to put it together, and I'm positive he wasn't on it then," Lisa mused. No matter how long it had been, she still could not get used to what Vogo could accomplish.
"Well, we have a big room full of influential people; of course Vogo was going to find a way to get in here." Syd added. "And Fi's his plus-one, so he shouldn't get into too much trouble."
Everyone paused at that. Vogo and not getting into trouble were two phrases that did not go together.
"I give it an hour," Lisa stated confidently, "before he gets into a fight and Fi has to help him."
"I'll say an hour and a half." Syd decided to engage her wager.
"... Ten minutes," Raven interjected.
The other three stopped and stared at her, almost amazed at her lack of faith in the Sun Shipping proprietor.
"Raven!" Kat said.
"What?" She shrugged in reply. "He can piss me off in less than that."
"You know what, just for that, all night!" Kat threw down the gauntlet. "He won't get into any trouble all night."
Lisa and Syd shared a glance, the Jirga leader silently questioning Kat's grip on reality.
"Kat, you are a little young to be gambling," Syd pointed out, taking a sip of his wine.
"It's not gambling if no one's bet anything," Kat fired back. "And you're just afraid I'd win!"
Raven let the talking drift into background noise as she couldn't help but glance back up towards the entrance of the ballroom, making out the figure of Yunica almost blending into the shadows near the door.
She had said Raven looked amazing in her dress, and had certainly seemed to mean it. It was such a far cry from the gruff soldier that Raven was more familiar with, the one that always seemed seconds away from starting a fight with them.
All the while Yunica had been so shy, seemingly afraid to keep eye contact instead of death-glaring at them the whole time like usual. It was strange, and Raven couldn't help but wonder what it meant. There was a possibility that came to mind, but it couldn't be that.
She was clearly imagining things. Kat hadn't noticed anything strange with Yunica... although Kat was, admittedly, about as observant as a brick sometimes. Especially when it came to matters of the heart. So maybe there was something to it after all.
Thinking about it was getting Raven nowhere. All she was going to get for her worrying was a headache. So she sighed and looked over to her three companions, who were still embroiled in whether or not they were gambling if it were just pride was on the line.
"Hey, I'm going to go get a drink of punch," she informed the three of them.
"Have fun," Kat called, not really paying attention as she immediately went back to arguing with Syd.
Raven moved away from the group, trying to weave her way through the surrounding people without getting to close. She hated the crowds, the feeling of being surrounded—it reminded her too much of the cramped school bus of a lifetime ago, a lifetime that no longer existed outside of her memories.
Raven shook that thought away as she found her way to the buffet table. The punch bowls were at the other end of it, a few dozen nibbles were lost to her stomach as she worked her way down. As she picked up a glass from the tray, reaching for the pitcher to pour, she couldn't help but glance towards the entranceway once more.
It was still bugging her. If she was right, she had to know. She picked up a second glass. She had an idea.
While the pair of shifters were making their way to their friends, Yunica had managed to get herself back under control, breath steady and blush faded as she forced herself back into her impartial poker face. It came just in time so that she wouldn't look unprofessional for the last few guests filtering through the entrance.
"That's everyone on the guest list," Permet's voice came through the radio earpiece she was wearing. "Now we just stop any uninvited pests getting in."
"If you knew the shifters were on the guest list, you could have warned me," Yunica grumbled back.
"I'm not the one with the list. Besides, it's a party, they won't cause trouble here."
"You'd be surprised..." Permet had no idea just how much they were already causing.
Yunica drifted into silence. Even looking out across what felt like hundreds of people, her gaze kept being drawn to two. It seems they had found their friends, Yunica could see Kat laughing at something Lisa was saying. And Raven seemed much more relaxed now, joining in the merriment that seemed to be at Syd's expense.
Yunica couldn't help but smile to herself. Just seeing the two gravity shifters so happy, even from far away, seemed to give her a strange feeling of satisfaction.
"Looks like all the press are finally clearing out too," Permet continued, not knowing that Yunica's attention was elsewhere. "It's kinda funny, actually-"
"Funny?"
"When Kat and Raven showed up, they got more of a reaction than all three of the mayoral candidates and Lisa put together."
"I can see why," Yunica thought to herself, adding out loud: "Really?"
"With the amount of camera flashes that went off, I wouldn't be surprised if their pictures are on the cover of every newspaper and magazine in Hekseville by tomorrow."
Permet paused, expecting an insult at the shifter's expense, or at least to be told to focus on the job at hand. Instead there was just an uneasy silence coming through the radio.
"Sea Wasp? Everything okay in there?"
"I… I don't know."
Admitting it was difficult: Yunica had always hated to admit weakness. But she could not deny that something was definitely happening to her. While her robotic right hand, pressed against the radio transmitter in her ear, was as steady as ever; her left was quivering. Every time her gaze was pulled over to the two gravity shifters by whatever mysterious power they had, her breaths drew short and her heart started racing. It was getting harder and harder to pull herself free.
Yunica sighed. She had thought that them leaving her alone would have improved things, but these unwelcome feelings were only getting stronger by the minute. She was supposed to be keeping a lookout on a room of nearly a hundred of Hekseville's most important people, and yet she only had eyes for two. This was bad, and could not be allowed to continue.
"Permet, maybe it's best if we switched places for a little," she almost whispered into the radio.
"Yunica?"
"I'm finding it… difficult to focus." That was the understatement of the century. And she hated herself for it.
"What's going on?" Permet's voice was getting increasingly concerned.
Yunica paused again, trying to gather her thoughts. She could not abandon the conversation there, even if part of her wanted to. So she steeled herself and admitted, out loud, to Permet what was happening to her. How the gravity shifters' appearance had caused all of these strange reactions; how their mere presence seemed to be making it almost impossible for her to focus on her duty.
"Hmm." Permet appeared to be thinking it over as Yunica finished explaining. "Well, unfortunately, us switching positions would pose a problem if an incident did happen. I can't exactly start shooting in a ballroom, can I?"
"But-"
"Sea Wasp," Permet shut the protest down before it could start, "the Commander placed me in charge of this operation. You, as the close range fighter, are to stay with the VIPs. That's an order."
Yunica had no counter to that. Permet was, for the moment, the officer in command. And her logic was sound. Yunica's annoyance at the situation managed to dwarf the stranglehold the shifters seemed to have on her, at least for the moment. She found herself glaring across the ballroom, burning a hole through the back of their heads with their damn perfect hair-
"What the hell is happening to me?!" she growled. At this point she wanted the answer to that more than she wanted the feelings to stop. Not knowing was torture.
"You ever read those novels I lent you?" Permet's voice piped up, sounding almost amused.
"What? Those trashy romance novels? What do they have to do with anyth-" oh. Oooh goddammit.
Fortunately, Yunica's position by the entrance was far enough away from the party goers that no one noticed the muffled screaming and angry muttering that resulted from that particular revelation.
"Nope. No way. Not happening," she kept telling herself, trying to will it to be true.
It couldn't be true. Even if her feelings matched up to the descriptions she'd read in those books—which they didn't—it was only a coincidence. She was a soldier, not one of those lovestruck saps in Permet's romance books. There was no chance that she could be falling for anyone, least of all those two.
They were frustrating beyond all belief. They brought nothing but trouble whenever they appeared. They were loud, brash and refused to listen to orders or reason. Kat, especially, was an idiot that had gotten caught up in Dr Brahman's web…
But she had figured it out when it mattered. And when they stopped Yunica and Permet from taking out the angels, believing they could still save one, they'd been right. They had fought with everything they had to save both the people they cared about and the city. And it had worked. It always worked.
Yunica leaned back against the wall behind her, looking up at the ceiling as she remembered that day, that insanity. How angry she had been with them for their reckless stupidity. But their earnest desire to protect everyone paid off.
She sighed, almost wistfully. They were strong, they had given her enough bruises that there was no denying that. They were kind, kind enough to have forgiven Yunica for all the mistakes she had made. And maybe, just maybe, they were smarter than she thought too.
So was it really that absurd for her to have developed these feelings? That even she would not be able to resist being caught by their charm?
Yunica stayed like that, looking up at nothing, trying to think it over. She didn't notice the speeches from the mayoral candidates. She didn't register the polite applause as they finished, with the band taking to the stage, beginning the party properly. She didn't care for the mayoral race that would begin the next day. It didn't matter, not compared to the thoughts about the two gravity shifters that seemed to be overwhelming everything else.
It felt like an eternity passed as she tried to understand these unbidden feelings, but she was no closer to an answer when a sound finally caught her attention. The quiet tapping of heels on the stone floor, getting closer and closer.
Yunica pulled herself together, lowering her gaze from the ballroom's ceiling to glance at the person approaching. She felt her cheeks redden again as she saw who it was, the way her black dress swayed and her hair bounced with each and every movement, the way her blue eyes shone even against the bright lights.
Raven stopped just in front of her, seeming unsure of what to say for a moment. Then she slowly held out one of the two glasses she was carrying, offering it.
"Here," she spoke, unaware of just what power her voice had over Yunica. "I brought some punch, if you want it?"
"T-thanks," Yunica said as she took it, wincing at the stammer.
"It's gotta be rough, standing here without a drink all night," Raven smiled. Yunica barely contained a blush as the gravity shifter stepped up to lean against the wall beside her and sipped on her own drink.
"Wouldn't be much of a soldier if I couldn't handle that much," Yunica said, switching her glass to her robot arm as that wasn't shaking as much.
Yunica took a gulp of the punch, hoping the chilled drink would help with the warmth in her cheeks. She kept her gaze locked forwards, looking out over the ballroom. She dare not try to look at Raven, not again. If she did, then there would be no way she could keep her feelings hidden. She wouldn't let them see her weakness, that they had power over her.
Luckily it did not appear that Raven had noticed anything, the two of them silently consuming their drinks and looking out over the ballroom. As the minutes passed quietly, Yunica began to notice something strange. Rather than being tense or anxious around Raven like she had expected, the gravity shifter's presence was actually calming. Instead of being overwhelmed, dragged under by the weight of her feelings; they just felt nice.
"Maybe this isn't so bad, after all," she thought to herself, watching the red liquid in her glass swirl around before taking another sip. Plucking up the courage, Yunica glanced across at Raven. She was standing with her familiar poise, her free hand raising to brush her hair out of her eyes.
One of Raven's feet was quietly tapping along to the music drifting across the ballroom, the movement drawing Yunica's attention as it caused the material of the black lace dress to shift and revealing flashes of the toned legs underneath.
Yunica felt another blush coming on at the sight of them, so she tore her attention away, looking back up, only to find that she locked eyes with a smirking Raven.
"Ah!" If Yunica wasn't blushing before, she was now. "Sorry!"
"It's fine. I look a little weird in this, I know-"
"No, no you don't!" Yunica blurted out before she could stop herself. "I wasn't joking earlier when I said you looked amazing."
Raven paused at that little outburst, initially unsure how to react for a moment. Then she smiled, warm and radiant, and quite unlike any expression Yunica had seen from her before.
"Thank you."
"Y-you're welcome." Yunica looked away as the embarrassment of what she had just done caught up to her.
"Although," Raven's voice adopted a humorous tone, "my legs aren't that distracting, are they?"
Yunica downed the last of her punch in one gulp. She felt about ready to explode from the heat on her cheeks and the pressure inside her. She had shown weakness and, as expected, the gravity shifter had used the opportunity to be evil.
"Hey, Yunica," Raven's hand gently touched her shoulder, snapping her free of it. "Sorry, got a little carried away with the joke."
"No, no," Yunica said, "it's my fault for staring."
She couldn't quite bring herself to look up yet, knowing that she would just be gazing back into those piercing blue eyes. She kept her eyes forward as she continued.
"Just never saw your legs before. You always got them covered with those weird leggings. Almost started to wonder if-" She reached down with her right arm, rapping her knuckles against one of her legs and letting the sound of metal on metal finish her statement.
Now, finally mustering the courage, she looked up to see Raven's reaction. She was looking at Yunica's legs, lost on how to respond
"Now who's staring," Yunica adopted the same teasing tone Raven had tried on her, turning the tables back on the gravity shifter.
The two stared at each other, faces inches apart, before Raven cracked into that heart-melting smile again. They both broke out laughing. Seeing that reaction out of Raven, seeing her genuinely happy, gave Yunica a sense of satisfaction that seemed to melt the tension away as the two drifted back into a now comforting silence.
Raven smiled, leaning up against the wall beside Yunica once more. Only this time, she wasn't looking out across the ballroom, her attention was squarely on Yunica. But now Yunica could take it, smiling back.
"You know, while that suit does look good on you," Raven stated, "now I have to wonder what you'd look like in a dress like this."
"You'll never find out. Don't even own a dress." And there was no way Yunica would look nearly as good as Raven did, but she was not crazy enough to say that part.
"Neither did I until this morning. Kat dragged me across all of Pleajeune to find this."
Speaking of Kat, she was very noticeably absent. Yunica started scanning the ballroom, trying to pick out her red dress amongst the crowd.
"Why'd you come over here on your own anyway?" Yunica asked, genuinely curious. "You two aren't often apart."
"Well, I'm not exactly good with crowds," Raven admitted, a flash of that earlier shyness coming back. "She's more a natural at this party stuff than me."
"So instead of that, you decide to come poke fun at me. You do remember how often we end up fighting, right?"
"Sorry, but I don't have any powers without Xii. You might actually win this one."
The cocky smirk on Raven's face said otherwise. Yunica might be strong but she wasn't stupid; she wasn't going to underestimate a gravity shifter even with their animal companions out of the picture. Especially not when Raven had proven capable of shutting down her brain with no effort.
Still, this didn't mean she would let Raven get the last word in. But the moment she came up with a good counter, any amusement vanished. Her smile dropped into a snarl, her entire body tensed up, tightening her grip on the empty drink glass, splintering it with cracks.
"Yunica?" Raven asked, confused and a little worried at the sudden change in Yunica.
"Over there."
Raven followed where Yunica was glaring, soon picking out Kat's red dress even from a distance. She appeared to be caught in a conversation with three suited men, looking nervous and clearly trying to back away, to no avail.
Now Raven was the one growling under her breath. She went to charge forward, to deal with the people involved the only way she knew how, only for a metal arm to block her path.
"Yunica, don't get-"
"Wait." Yunica cut her off. "It's my job to deal with trouble, remember? I'll handle this."
Raven looked into Yunica's eyes for a moment, before giving a reluctant nod and stepping back.
"I'm joining in if things go wrong," she said, uncertainty clear in her voice.
"It won't be necessary, trust me." Yunica turned away, starting to walk down the stairs into the ballroom proper. "Not if they know what's good for them."
She pushed her way through the crowds, not caring that these were some of the most powerful people in Hekseville she shoved aside. As far as she was concerned, they were mere obstacles that distracted from her true duty before her.
Kat had only been alone for a few minutes as Lisa had just left to go assist Fi in keeping Vogo out of trouble and Syd had gotten pulled onto the dance floor by an actress that Kat almost mistook for Poterie Doll. Just as she was trying to figure out how that made sense, three men in vivid green suits appeared. The one in charge, with greasy black hair and a face that made Vogo and Aujean look respectable, was apparently one of the people running for mayor, and seemed disturbingly interested to talk to her.
"-I'm just saying, you have saved the city on numerous occasions and have a personal friendship with the interim mayor Lisa," he spoke, his friendly, pleading tone betraying more than a hint of insincerity. "If I could get an endorsement from you, it would really help my campaign."
"T-that's nice," Kat said as politely as she could, almost slipping back into the same voice she'd used when she was Queen Alua. "But I really don't want to get involved in politics."
"I don't think you quite understa-" a gloved hand grabbed his shoulder from behind, gripping tight.
"Mind if I cut in," Yunica growled. It was not a question.
The other two suits had spun around, startled at her sudden appearance. For a moment it looked like they were going to charge and try to rescue their boss from Yunica's grip, but they clearly thought twice about it as Yunica glared them both into submission.
"Who the hell are you?" the man asked as he tried in vain to squirm free. "Release me! Do you have any idea who I am-"
Yunica cut him off again, voice as cold as ice. "Of course I do. Leon Bayrou, mayoral candidate."
"Then you'll release me if you know what's-"
"No. I think you'll calm down before I break your arm."
He immediately stopped resisting. A small smirk crossed Yunica's face as she pulled him down to her height.
"Better. Understand that my orders tonight were to stop people from causing trouble and ruining this evening, whomever that troublemaker may be. I don't care if you're a king, you upset another guest of honor, Hekseville's own Gravity Queen. Now, you have to answer to me."
Leon started to struggle again at her threat. With his arm trapped, he resorted to his legs, trying to stamp on her feet or kick her ankles to get her to let go. Yunica didn't flinch, not reacting at all as the sole of his shoes clanged against her metal legs. He stopped squirming, going deathly pale as he realised his mistake.
"Okay then," she stated, her calm tone hiding the burning rage in her eyes. "My turn."
Yunica pivoted on her heels, pulling back as hard as she could with her robot arm and hurling the wannabe-politician backwards, sending him crashing to the floor onto his rear. The other two goons rushed to his side as the guests around them finally started to take notice, stopping to stare and whisper amongst themselves.
While the politician seemed uncomfortable in the sudden, unflattering limelight, Yunica was revelling in it. She took a step to the side, placing herself between him and Kat, who was still mystified at this sudden turn of events. Yunica then stepped forwards, smirking at the way Leon pushed himself backwards away from her.
"Now, here's what's going to happen," she said, "you are going to turn around and leave, and I'll pretend this never happened."
"You think there won't be repercussions for this? For assaulting the future mayor?!"
"Oh now you're trying to threaten me? Fine. Even if you do win and get elected, go ahead and try. I am Yunica, the Sea Wasp and the second in command of the Jellyfish Special Defence Force! And you are not the first mayor who made an enemy of me."
She paused, letting the silence hang. The three green-suits realised she was referring to the late Mayor Brahman, his fate quite vivid in their memories. Yunica smiled at the flash of recognition in their faces, locking eyes with Leon and just crossing her arms and waiting.
He climbed to his feet, pushing aside the offered help from his lackeys, before turning tail. He walked away into the crowd, muttering under his breath with his entourage in tow. Yunica stayed put, watching the humiliated politician flee until he vanished into the sea of guests.
Eventually the surrounding people started to lose interest too, letting her finally relax. She gave a deep sigh of relief that that mess was over with. She was fortunate that he had not tried to call her bluff, Commander Yuri would not have been pleased if she had put a mayoral candidate in the hospital. Even if he did deserve it.
But that was not important. What—who—was still stood behind her, Kat looking at her with a mixture of shock and awe. Yunica wasn't entirely sure what to do anymore, as she had not thought that far ahead, so she attempted a reassuring smile as she walked up to the shifter in the red dress.
"Are you unharmed?"
"Y-yeah," Kat nodded, smiling back. "I'm fine. Where did that come from?"
"I… don't care for people like him," Yunica said, which was certainly true.
But she didn't feel quite ready to admit the main reason just yet: the mere idea of someone trying to use Kat for their own gain, again, made her blood boil. She couldn't reveal that. One gravity shifter had already started teasing her for her weakness—she did not need Kat joining in, too.
"Oh," that thought snapped Yunica back to reality. "Right, Raven."
"Raven? Where'd she go?" Kat was looking around, trying to spot Raven's black dress amongst the surrounding people. "She wandered off a while ago."
"She was with me. Come on, I'll take you to her."
Without thinking, Yunica held out her ungloved left hand for Kat. There was a second of silence, as Yunica realised what she was doing. But before she could reclaim her hand and brush it off, Kat reached forward and took it in her own. There was a big grin on the gravity shifter's face, Yunica meeting it with a small one of her own as her cheeks flushed red and she felt Kat's palm press against hers, her skin smooth and warm.
"Lead on!"
Yunica nearly stumbled on her first step, the sight of Kat's radiant smile almost proving her undoing. Still she managed to pull through it, weaving her way through the crowd with much less force than before. It was difficult to focus on navigating through the horde of people, avoiding stepping on any toes, when it felt like most of her concentration was on the feeling of Kat's fingers entwined in her own.
"You know-" if Kat noticed anything amiss she didn't show it, happily keeping pace beside Yunica as she spoke whatever came to mind. "-the way you handled that guy, almost makes me wish I'd had someone like you around before."
"Before what?"
"Oh, it doesn't matter, that was a lifetime ago," Kat said, shaking her head.
Yunica wasn't convinced, something in Kat's eyes told her that it very much did matter. She slowed her pace, running so many words through her head, before she finally decided to wing it. "Kat… I know you're one of the last people to need protection, and it may sound… ridiculous with how often we've fought but-"
She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. They were racing almost as much as her heart was, but she'd come too far to fall silent now. "But if you ever need my help again, know that I'll protect you."
Yunica was about to keep talking, knowing that if she stopped again the embarrassment would get to her, when Kat suddenly let go of her hand. Yunica stopped in her tracks, wondering if she had gone too far, only for Kat to giggle as she stepped in close, hugging her tightly.
Yunica felt herself tense at the sudden contact, not expecting it at all. She relaxed as much as she could as Kat set her chin against the crook of Yunica's neck. With little else to do, Yunica leaned into the hug, and lightly wrapped her left arm around Kat. She didn't pull the gravity shifter in closer, but wanted to return the gesture all the same.
Even though the embrace lasted a only few seconds, to Yunica it felt like hours. But eventually Kat pulled away, taking a moment to get her dress straightened out before she looked Yunica in the eye. A slight blush—almost as red as her dress—was hinted on her cheeks and ears.
"Sorry if I made you feel… awkward. I just wanted to thank you for saying that," she said, wearing her characteristically goofy grin as she fidgeted with one of her heels.
"It's no problem. I've... already been off my game tonight," Yunica said, finally letting some of the cracks shine through.
"Really? You?" Kat asked, what little embarrassment there was turning to confusion.
Rather than answer that, Yunica stood silent, not ready to explain those particular details. She took a moment to glance around. A few bystanders were watching her and Kat curiously, but they went back to what they were doing as she met their gaze. More importantly, the crowd meant they were out of sight of the ballroom's entrance, hiding her from what would be a much more keen and judgmental Raven. Yunica knew she would not be able to handle any of that.
"Probably shouldn't stand around much longer, Raven'll be getting impatient," she stated, eager to not push her luck any further.
"Surprised she hasn't come looking already," Kat added, although with a look that said she hadn't forgotten the question Yunica had tried to dodge.
As if the the hug had not been punishment enough, she stepped closer and took Yunica's hand in her own again, sending the soldier's brain into a meltdown. This time Kat led the way, almost dragging Yunica behind her. It wasn't far to the edge of the ballroom as the sea of people ended, with the stone steps that led up to the entranceway coming into view.
At the top of them waited Raven. She beamed the moment she saw Kat, almost running down the steps as they approached. Yunica quietly slipped her hand free and stepped away from the shifters as they started talking, Raven asking if she was okay and about what had happened. It all fell into background noise as Yunica kept staring up towards the entrance, towards where she had been standing earlier.
Where Permet stood watching.
She did not look impressed. Wearing a black suit much like Yunica's, her eyebrow raised behind the brim of her glasses as Yunica made the slow approach, already dreading the conversation to follow.
"Sea Wasp," Permet acknowledged as Yunica took up position beside her.
"Look, I didn't abandon my post- there was trouble and-"
"I know." Now a wry, all knowing smirk crossed Permet's face. "I heard."
"From Raven?"
Permet shook her head. Raven was the only other person that had been with Yunica when they had spotted the trouble. No one else could have possibly told her. Permet noticed Yunica's puzzled look and reached up to tap her radio. The realisation hit.
Yunica slowly reached up to her ear, tapping her earpiece. There was an audible click, signalling that it was no longer transmitting sound. She had not stopped after their last conversation, so Permet had overheard everything that had happened since Raven had-
Just what Permet had overheard sunk in. Yunica's cheeks practically glowed crimson, barely escaping the notice from the two shifters as she muffled her frustrated shriek with her hands. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to stop herself from yelling curses at the top of her lungs.
Luckily for Yunica's pride, she was saved by a sudden distraction in the back of the ballroom. The band had abruptly stopped playing as a man clambered onto the stage. The entire room came to a halt, fixated on the stranger in a yellow suit jacket with no shirt as he produced a microphone, eyes traveling over Hekseville's mover and shakers with confident, unfocused eyes.
"Is that-" Kat asked, groaning as she recognized the proprietor of Sun Shipping. She recognized his long black hair and ostentatious necklace anywhere.
"Ladies and gentlemans," Vogo announced, his voice slurred from one too many drinks. "My name is Bogo Shun-"
"Bozo's more like it," Raven rolled her eyes.
"An' ah'm here to present a wond'aful opportunity to each 'n every beeyootiful guest 'ere tonight. For da few who may not 'ave heard'a my company, Shun Shipping is a name renounced in Jirga Para Lhao-"
As captivated as the audience seemed to be by his sales' pitch, it was not the unanimous hit he hoped it would be as Lisa rushed the stage, with Fi sprinting just behind her.
"Vogo!" Lisa hissed, trying to yank the microphone from him. "Stop this!"
"Lisa, I have tha stage! Don't ya dare try 'n steal my customers!" Vogo yelled, the mic fading in and out as it captured their struggle. Fi soon joined her, wrenching the mic from his grasp as they escorted him down from his drunken podium.
"What's this, o'brother of mine!?" Vogo howled as he walked down the steps. "Why 'ave you betrayed yer family!?"
Lisa picked up the microphone, nodding to the band and onlookers as she spoke, "I apologise, everyone. Vogo is very… passionate about his business. Please go on."
After one moment of silence later, punctuated by Vogo's protests, the band and chatter resumed as people discussed the intoxicated display.
"Well, our interim mayor seems to have that situation under control," Permet mused. She dropped her hand from her radio, having it at the ready to call in security for Vogo's drunken tirade.
"I would not call anything about that under control," Yunica said. But she agreed with Permet's suggestion that it didn't seem to be necessary to intervene.
Soon the room of people went back to what they were doing as though nothing had ever happened, back to their conversations and dancing. Hekseville natives were used to shrugging off even the weirdest of events; Vogo was barely a blip on their radar.
But he had bought time for Yunica to calm herself down. Any embarrassment she still carried was dwarfed by the confusion she felt at the chain of events she had just witnessed, as well as Kat and Raven's non-reaction to it. In fact, Raven seemed to be bizarrely pleased about something.
"I believe this means I win the bet," she informed Kat, who pouted.
"Not a bet, nothing was bet," Kat grumbled.
"Still won."
The blond shifter sighed, dramatically slumping her shoulders. "First the creepy guy and now this, nothing's going my way tonight." She crossed her arms, pouting her lips. "This sucks! The party's ruined."
Yunica was fairly certain Kat was exaggerating with her theatrics, but she couldn't help feel a pang of something at that. Permet glanced at her before she stepped forward to address the two shifters.
"We can't have that for two of our most esteemed guests," she said, "But there's still plenty of time left to enjoy yourselves. And this is a perfect opportunity to explain why I'm here."
She adjusted her glasses, looking between the three younger women in front of her with a sly expression. Yunica knew that smirk. She hadn't seen it often—Permet was usually a stoic professional when on a mission—but whenever it surfaced, it meant trouble was coming. She was already trying to figure out what it could be, what Permet was planning, just so she could brace for it.
"Sea Wasp suggested earlier that we adjust our security plans. I have since gotten in touch with Bulbosa and Chaz who have arranged to send some of their officers to cover the entrance hall, allowing me to take over the post here."
"What happened to not being able to shoot inside the ballroom?" Yunica asked, still suspicious as to where this was going.
"I have other ways of dealing with any trouble. And besides, you will still be close by."
"Where?"
Yunica just made out a small twinkle in Permet's eye as they traveled from her to the two shifters. No. This wasn't- she didn't mean?
"Kat, I understand you were placed in a stressful situation while under our watch. I can only apologise for that and, in the hope to make up for our mistake-" Permet turned to Yunica, "Sea Wasp, for the rest of the night you are to escort Kat and Raven, and do everything you can to ensure they can still have a fun evening."
Yunica was stunned, completely blindsided by what was happening. She had never expected Permet to be so evil, and then there was the thought of spending all night with the two shifters, surrounded by their amazing, flowing hair and dresses and their damn smiles. She looked across at the pair of them, hoping they would refuse. That she would be able to spend the night being a soldier, and not some fawning fan girl.
The grin they both wore dashed any hopes of that. She could barely keep her cheeks from flushing, the sight of them delighted at the idea of being with her too much to take. Any objections she had died on her lips. Permet had won.
"...Understood," she glanced at her partner and the devious smirk she wore. Oh, there would be vengeance for this.
But any plans of revenge would have to wait as Yunica's brain shut down with Kat's hand slipping into her own again. Permet seemed amused at Yunica's continued torture, raising an eyebrow as Kat started pulling her back towards the ballroom floor.
Any hopes of salvation from the other gravity shifter faded as Raven stepped up to her right, slipping her arm around Yunica's. Her right arm being robotic meant she couldn't feel it like she could the warmth of Kat's hand, but simply being this close to Raven was enough to send her mind reeling again.
They were doing this on purpose now. There was no way they weren't. Teaming up to torture her in her own personal hell. Even if they weren't, Kat's obliviousness was surely not helping, and Raven was equally culpable for the light, fluttering feeling in her chest. Permet somehow expected her to survive an entire night of this?
"I'll take a Nevi attack any day." It sure would be easier on her heart.
The trio made their way around the edges of the ballroom. They passed by the buffet table, which left Yunica confused as to where Kat could possibly be leading them, until she realised just what they were approaching: the dance floor.
They came to a halt by the edge of it, looking out at the dozens of couples all moving as one to the soft piano and violin music floating down from the stage nearby. Kat was looking at her expectantly, seemingly unaware of just what she was doing to Yunica just by looking at her with those bright red eyes.
"So I said you weren't gonna get a dance earlier..." she began. "But after that assist earlier, I think I owe you one."
"My legs aren't exactly built for dancing," Yunica tried, desperate to protest and shield herself from further embarrassment. "I might damage the floor."
"It's a slow dance, it'll be fine!"
Raven stayed quiet, silently stepping aside. Kat noticed Yunica's hesitation and dialed back on the bravado, letting go of her hand in the process.
"Hey, look, if you don't wanna dance, we don't have to," she said, the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice spurring Yunica back to action.
"No!" she found herself blurting out, "I… I-" Oh to hell with it. "-I want to."
Yunica reached forward of her own accord and took Kat's hand once more. She realised just how much power the gravity shifter held over her, and it only made their contact that much worse. And so, she took first step onto the dance floor, nervously looking back.
There was the smile she was looking for, Kat zooming forwards and pulling her the rest of the way onto the dance floor with a buoyant, childish glee to her step—how she did it in heels, Yunica could never guess. Kat seemed to know Yunica was a novice, so she placed Yunica's right hand just above her hip. Her right arm came over Yunica's shoulder, unintentionally evoking more than a fair share of cheesy passages from one of Permet's romance novels. If Kat wanted to, she could easily have pulled Yunica's head in for a-
Yunica almost stumbled as she jolted back out of that thought. The only thing that stopped her from melting down from the embarrassment was the comforting grip of Kat's hand as the shifter in the bright red dress started to move, taking the lead.
It was awkward at first, Yunica having to struggle to focus on what her feet were doing. It was difficult to keep track of her legs' movements when Kat's eyes were twinkling at her from so close by. But, with the Gravity Queen patiently guiding her through the motions, after a few initial stumbles the movements became almost second nature. The tension and embarrassment faded away. All that was left was the music, and the dance partner she was sharing it with.
"See, it's not so hard, is it?" Kat said as they moved across the dance floor.
"I guess not. Where'd you learn to do this?" Yunica asked.
"Raven taught me! Seemed kinda shy about it, but she's a really good teacher."
"Huh. You two are full of surprises."
Add that onto the growing list of reasons for Yunica's current predicament. She wasn't sure if these feelings were anything like what the characters in Permet's books went through—there was no deep sense of longing, an unimaginable future without the two, although Yunica was fine without the melodrama. Still, there was something there, even if just a small crush, that had burdened her since she set eyes on the two tonight. There was no way to deny that. Not while sharing a waltz with Kat, taking in the smell of apple blossom radiating from her hair that swayed with each movement, feeling the warmth of her hand, and her breath on her cheek.
She was so caught up in her thoughts, trapped in Kat's orbit, that she hadn't realised Raven's presence beside them until the other gravity shifter spoke up.
"Mind if I cut in?" she asked, looking between the two, a glint of amusement in her eyes.
"Sure thing!" Kat let go of Yunica's hand and stepped away. For a moment the soldier thought she was free, that Raven wanted to dance with Kat. But Kat just turned away and started to walk to the edge of the dance floor, telling the two she wanted some punch, and to have fun as she left. Yunica's mind went blank for a moment.
So they were now alone, Raven standing opposite of her. The small difference in their heights somehow grew as Yunica looked at her. The shifter smiled again before dipping in a small curtsey, then extending her left hand.
"Shall we?"
Yunica had come too far to quit now, and orders were orders. So she stepped in, taking Raven's hand. Her grip was tighter then Kat's had been, but it was just as warm. Yunica wished for a moment that she could feel through her metal hand, as well, as it slid past Raven's hip until it was in the right place.
"Ready?" Raven asked.
"Sure..." Yunica admitted, just concealing the nervousness that slipped back into her voice.
Much like before, it did not take long for Yunica to get the hang of things. Raven was more than capable of leading the two of them, yet still let Yunica go at her own pace. She soon felt comfortable enough that it almost felt as natural as breathing.
"Kat was right, you are a good teacher," Yunica said, feeling a little thrill at the fairest hint of a blush that crossed her dance partner's face at the compliment.
"I went to dance classes when I was small," Raven admitted. "Not for long, but I guess some of it stuck."
Given Raven's history as an orphan growing up, Yunica found the explanation odd, though she didn't want to push her with any questions. Though it did make sense with how graceful the older shifter was, as she could maintain her poise and always be in control of her movements, even while flying through the air.
Thankfully, before Yunica could get too distracted by her imagination, Raven squeezed her hand and pulled her back to reality. Her blue eyes had a determined look to them, quietly demanding Yunica's entire focus.
"It's nice to be with her, isn't it?" she asked in a low voice, making sure no one around them could overhear.
"Who?" Yunica asked, even though she already knew the answer.
"Kat," Raven confirmed.
"Oh.. yeah, sure," Yunica said, still unable to drop her evasive mask as she pushed down a blush. "When she's not chatting your ear off, or making the lives of the special defense force a living hell."
Raven chuckled at the joke, looking off to crowd dancing around them. "That's just who she is. Even with what she's gone through, she's still oblivious to a lot of things…"
Despite the smile on Raven's face, Yunica heard what was buried under Raven's statement. Her movements grew stiff at the realisation, though somehow she wasn't as shocked as she should be. Yet even though Yunica understood what it was, there was something deeper behind it. Those feelings seemed beyond what Yunica was familiar with, and she couldn't help but react to it. There was a slight twinge of jealousy, but there was mostly sadness as she looked at Raven, missing the shifter's raised eyebrow as she dwelt on her words.
"Yunica? You alright?"
"Huh?" Her head shot up, eyes wide as she stared into Raven's blue ones. "Yes. I'm perfectly fine. I just…"
Yunica coughed as Raven helped slow down their pace. She had started to move a bit too fast during her idle thoughts.
"You're right about Sea Cat," Yunica continued, shyly averting her eyes before she went on. "But she always figures things out. Eventually."
Raven stared at the SDF soldier, who still seemed unable to look at her. Suddenly, Yunica felt Raven bring her just a little bit closer, her leading hand squeezing hers. Out of the corner of her eye, Yunica could see traces of a smile light up Raven's face as she said, "Thank you."
Raven then glanced away, and Yunica followed her gaze. They found Kat, watching from the sidelines, positively beaming at the two. She waved to them when she saw them looking at her, beckoning them to keep going.
"It's probably been a strange night for you," Raven said as they returned to their dance, focused on each other once more.
"That's one way to put it," Yunica thought, though she held her tongue as she waited to see where Raven was going with this.
"But whatever you're going through, don't worry about it for now," Raven said. "Just enjoy yourself."
"I-" Yunica paused for a moment before she felt a warm smile cross her features, "I think I can do that."
Maybe spending all evening with the two gravity shifters was not the torture she thought it was going to be when they had walked in. Maybe it was just what she needed after all. And maybe, just maybe, she could enjoy another evening with the pair, and Permet, as well.
But that was something to think about another time. For the moment, what was important was her duty: making the two of them happy. And to do that, she had to finish this waltz.