Believe it or not Blanc and Vert are the reason I began writing in the first place. Well, I started drawing in order to contribute to my old haunt and that didn't end well. It was pretty bad and I'm sure with practice...lots of practice at that I could've been able to produce something decent but writing is something that's much easier on the eyes and morale but ANYWAY, this short series will obviously focus on the Goddesses of Lowee and Leanbox. Hopefully you enjoy and as usual things take a slow start before snowballing into something grand. Oh yeah, while Green and White as better ring to it, Blanc comes first because like Black and Purple, things are being seen from her perspective.
"I don't...hah...think...I'm going to make it..." Mina had finally caught up with me but was out of breath from losing our pursuers. We've had the misfortune of drawing bad straws and have been left with just the clothes on our backs, with no way to defend ourselves, as we tried to return to home. "Lady Blanc...can we please surrender? At this rate I'll faint from exhaustion..."
"Shh!" I clasped my hand over her mouth and took a quick peak around the corner. No sign of our foes but I can't run the risk of her complaining alert them. "That's not the kind of talk I want spewing out of my oracle's mouth." I whispered as I dragged her from the building we were hiding behind to another, and then down the following alley into a small shopping plaza. "You handle a pair of obnoxious twins. MY obnoxious twins at that, so if you can't handle a little game of cat and mouse you can start packing." I don't really mean that, but sometimes when Mina or anyone gets wimpy a little pep-talk is all they need to recover. Well, that or few swift kicks to their-
"F-forgive me! I was having a moment of weakness, it won't happen again!"
"Shut up!" This time I slapped a hand over both our mouths and checked the plaza for any sudden movements. A few seconds of absolute silence and we both relaxed and started thinking of our next move. I really wish people would grow a pair when things like this happen, it would make moving around much easier. Not that it matters since we're fairly close to the basilicom now. Just a few more blocks and we're home...provided Mina doesn't collapse on the way. She shook my shoulder and gasped, pulling me out of harm's way as a medium sized snowball landed where I stood with a sickening plop.
We both looked up and to our horror we were greeted by one of the little monsters waving at us from the rooftop. I could barely make out what she was saying but it was obvious that our downtime had been cut short and we needed to move. "You have to learn to speak up Rom!" ...and it was cut even shorter by Mina's encouraging words. I couldn't help but to groan and look at her as she bashfully turned towards me while waving her hands and shaking her head. "I-I was only trying to-" I put my hand up to silence her and looked up to see Rom had vanished already, probably to give our location away to Ram.
"If you were anyone else I would've ditched you by now. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with us so there are no more surprises." We're so close to victory, we just need pull out all the stops. "Come on, if we run the rest of the way without stopping we'll make it." Well, I'm sure I'll make it but I'm not sure how much longer Mina will last. With an outfit like hers I would've expected her to not even bother but she's done a good job of keeping so far...if only she had stamina...
We took a few steps into the plaza and was greeted by a white blur that whizzed passed us. "Heeeeeeeee!" Its screeching continued until it flew into the alley we had just left and stopped shortly after a wet splat. From the other side of the area Ram came out of hiding with a mischievous grin on her face. "Finally decided to give up?" As she said that small pillars of snow started rising around our perimeter...which would be nice if they were tall enough to stop us from escaping. I give her credit for trying but she doesn't think things through, unlike her sister...then again Rom wouldn't actually go through something as sneaky as a trap so I guess on their own they aren't much of a threat.
"We're giving you brats one last chance to stop us and then we're gone." I think this special training session has gone on long enough. They didn't put a lot of effort into stopping us before so this must've been the big plan they were relying on. I glanced at Mina and saw she was doing her best to look composed but I could see her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath still. "Actually...no. We'll call it here so the two of you win for now." Ram's smile faded a little as I declared them the winners for this little match and didn't try to hide the fact that she was looking up at Rom. "You can drop it Rom, we surrender!"
After a loud splat and a little snowball debris flew passed us I could hear Rom grunt as she landed in the final surprise they had in store for us. "Aww...we were so close too..." I patted her on the head and beckoned for Ram to come towards us for a group hug. "How did we do?"
Ugh, time for grades. I can't give them a crappy grade or else they'll feel as they didn't do anything worth a damn and if I give them too high of a grade it will get to their heads and they'll get full of themselves. This is probably my least favorite part of our sessions but it has to be done. "Overall for Rom I'd say...B-. You were much more covert in tracking us than your sister and provided support for her siege magic. Your traveling from roof to roof was a...surprise to say the least." Although I'll have to knock some sense into Nisa for even putting this idea into her head. "As for Ram...C."
"Lame!" She tried to pull away from my hug but I kept her in check and brought her close and tightened my grip on her. "Why? I did good didn't I?"
"Yes, up until you got a little help from your monster demon friend or whatever. If you're going to cheat at least make your helpers shut the hell up. I recognize that 'hee-ho' from anywhere." She buried her face into me and I could hear her sniffle a little. Ah crap, this is why I hate giving them bad grades. "...other than that you did a decent job at fencing us in here..." Telling her the pillars were on the short side probably would've crushed her spirits but as long as they learn from this I guess it won't matter too much in the long run. "Oh Mina, feel free to head back to the basilicom if you want. I'm sure the girls will want to have a snack after all this running around they've done."
She dropped the act and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! Thank you Lady Blanc. Would you like the usual when you return?" I nodded silently while letting go of the girls and sent Mina on her way. I'm actually impressed with how well she kept up in that outfit of hers, but that's a mystery for another day.
"What kinda snack do you want to get Rom?" Ram quickly got over her less than stellar grade and was already trying to decide on what they should get. She grabbed her sister by the hands and started dancing excitedly as she came up with an idea. "We should get smoothies!"
"Hmm...how about hot cocoa instead? We can put all kinds of marshmallows in that and get two snacks at once."
Ram was quick to change her mind and dragged her sister off to the nearest coffee shop. I'm surprised at how much influence Rom has over her...thankfully she isn't as wild as her younger sibling or else I would've lost my mind by now. They're already out of sight so I should probably start heading there myself, I wouldn't mind a cookie or two to go with what Mina's brewing.
As I slowly made my way to the Star Bean Cafe I realized that today was unusually peaceful despite playing with the twins. It was barely afternoon and the sun was almost completely hidden by a thick blanket of clouds with only a few beams of light sneaking through the cracks in the sky. As I turned the corner a cool breeze seemed to push me forward, blowing my hat off and carried it further down the street towards the twins and...someone that they had come across just outside of the cafe. I ran to get my hat back as soon as possible and realized who they were talking to...and my heart skipped a beat.
"I dunno why but Vert brought us all lunch!" The twins were getting two small bags of food and took a seat on the other side of the cafe entrance. They pulled out little sandwiches and looked like they were having fun eating food straight from Leanbox, but I don't see the big de-
"Blanc." I turned my attention back to Vert and the first thing I noticed was her face was completely flushed and she was fidgeting a little. She motioned for me to sit down as well and I did so without thinking while putting my hat back on. She's either sick or up to something, she doesn't normally get that red in face unless she's talking about her weird novel games. "How are things?"
"Things are fine." She still has another small bag of food with her and she's giving me weird looks. I'm getting that funny feeling in my chest again and it's starting to be a pain in the ass just sitting across from her. "What's with the extra bag Thunder Tits?" I grabbed it, assuming it was mine, because there's no way this tiny amount of food would be enough for her...although I'm a little flattered and offended that she got this with me in mind.
"Oh, I nearly forgot about that. I didn't want you to feel left out so I got you a kids' meal as well." I stopped dead in my tracks the second 'kid' left her lips. I can't stand being called flat in the first place and lately people have been calling me and Neptune children, and for Vert to come here and give me food designed for kids when she knows damn well that I hate that is just... "I wasn't sure what your opinion on Leanbox fastfood was so I got you something light to give you taste." ...oh. Damn...now I kind of bad for assuming the worst.
"Really? This isn't some subtle jab at my childish appearance or something like that?" I pulled out a small, hot sandwich and a small pack of potato wedges while waiting for an answer. I haven't had much today besides my little morning tangerine so I might as well dig in.
"Of course not. Why would I want to make fun of you and your adorable little body?" Vert responded with such a genuine smile that I nearly choked on my wedges...or fries if I remember correctly. But...adorable? "What's the matter? Do you not like it?"
"Ack! No no, that's not it, the food is fine. These fry things are little salty but it's good for the most part." Once again my chest started hurting when my thoughts when I focused more and more on Vert, but I ignored it and went on with what I had say. "Just what the hell is wrong with you? You usually sling an insult my way or puff out that massive chest of yours my way or-"
"Vert! Vert! Wanna chuck snowballs with us for a little bit? We ate all our food so you can't say no!" This is probably one of the few times I'm glad Ram and Rom have interrupted a conversation of mine. I'll be able to sort my thoughts better when I'm not staring into those droopy blue eyes of hers. I should probably call up Compa, I think I'm coming down with something and I can't risk Mina or the girls catching whatever this is.
"If you insist but please, go easy on me." She got up and they all walked towards a nearby field of snow and started playing while I went back to eating. Maybe Vert is the one that's sick and she's out of her mind. Why else would she come all the way to Lowee to give us lunch? "Yah! R-Ram please, don't throw snowballs at my chest!"
"You should keep your giant knockers out of sight then! Get her again for me!" I finished my fries as she yelped and I couldn't help but smile. There's something different about watching the twins have their way with Vert this time. Normally I'd be laughing and joining them in harassing her but now...it's like I'm...like I'm watching my family grow or something. I'm sure the girls would welcome the idea of me and Vert getting together and-"What the HELL am I thinking? Vert, your weird Leanbox cuisine is making me go nuts...?"
The twins were scrambling over to Vert as she fell to the ground for some reason. Ram immediately burst into tears and Rom was frantically waving for me to come over to them. "B-Blanc! Vert collapsed and she's breathing funny!" I sprinted as fast as I could over to them and dropped to my knees to tell Vert everything would be ok, but before I could speak she weakly reached for my face while smiling.
"S-sorry...Chika said I shouldn't be out, but I just wanted to ask...you..." Her arm fell to her chest as she passed out before finishing her sentence.
"Vert? Vert!" Shit, I have to get her back home...to HER home before she gets worse. "Rom, take care of Ram and get both your asses back to the basilicom. Tell Mina I'll be back whenever, something came up." As long as they're together I don't have anything to worry about...provided they listen! "Get going already!" As the girls ran off to the basilicom I prepped myself for the long haul...I'm going to have to give Vert a piggyback ride all the way back to Leanbox. "You dumbass...this is what phones are for."