Girls' Night Out

by SubspaceWarrior

When Cross learned that she and the other eight girls she's worked with have a day off, she decides to take advantage and form a girls' night out with them. Will Cross, Elma, Lin, Irina, Hope, Murderess, Celica, Mia, and Alexa all have fun for the night? (Takes place after Chapter 11 and "Mia is Missing!", but before Chapter 12)

Girls' Night Out:

My name is Cross, a high-ranking Reclaimer, and member of Team Elma, who is often considered as BLADE's #1 Team. I also have somewhat of a reputation known as "The Blue Reclaimer", due to my unusual blue skin, and my dedication to serving the Reclaimers. Soon, the final battle to recover the Lifehold Core will be amongst us. If not tomorrow, then the day after. But it certainly won't be today.

Why do you ask? Well, I was about to ask Eleonora what my task is, only for me to learn that Team Elma has the day off. My teammates consist of the following: Elma, my team leader, who also happens to be a Reclaimer; Lin Lee Koo, a 13-year old mechanic who invented the Skell Flight Module not too long ago, and is associated with the Outfitters... and is also obsessed with Skells; and Mia, a rookie BLADE who I rescued from the Ganglion a few days ago, and she chose to be a Curator. Mia looks up to me so highly ever since we first met, to the point where she calls me "Chief". Though I think it's also because she wasn't exactly good with names at the time.

But what took me by surprise was that there were names I recognized on the list of those who are off duty today. And they all had one thing in common. They were all girls, just like me! The names I recognized were: Alexa, an Outfitter who, like Lin, is obsessed with Skells, if not moreso; Celica, a Qlurian girl who is a pacifist, but chose to join BLADE as a Prospector so her gigantic friend, a Gaur named Rock, won't have to; Hope, a Mediator who is a genuinely kind soul, in spite of past trauma; Irina, an Interceptor who I see as a tough girl, and gets along really well with Elma, to the point of calling her "Colonel", even when Elma insisted it's no longer necessary; and Murderess, a shady Curator who is a former acquaintence of Irina, who betrayed me and Irina on our first mission together, but was willing to work with me again as long as I pay her some of the reward money.

I don't know why me and these eight girls I've worked with all have a day off, but for some reason... I decided to take advantage of it, and host a girls' night out. Basically, a time for us girls to just relax and spend some quality time together. So I asked them to BLADE Barracks for a meeting.

"You gathered all of us just so we could have a girls' night out?" Elma asked.

"Yeah. It just... came to my head when I heard we all have a day off from BLADE work." I stated.

"Huh. To think girls' night outs were popular with humans. They were popular with my homeworld." Celica stated.

"Wow. We had no idea your people did girls' night outs, too." Mia said in surprise.

"Well, you learn something new everyday." Murderess said.

"And you're saying all of us are invited?" Irina asked.

"Yeah. I figured this would be a good time to just have some fun." I replied.

"Well, that sounds like a pretty good idea, Cross." Hope said.

"Thanks, Hope. If we're all in, we're going to plan this together. Is anybody in?" I asked.

"I don't see why not. Regardless of whatever we come to talk about... Skells, whatever... I'm in it." Alexa said.

"Hold it... What about Tatsu? Tatsu's the only guy in Team Elma." Mia asked.

"I've got an idea. Why don't I send him to the Dodonga Caravan to spend some time with family?" Lin asked.

"That sounds like a good idea. Considering this is to be a girls' night out, we need no guys involved, no matter how respectful they are." Irina agreed.

"So, let's stick out our hand, if we're in. We'll do a team handshake together." I asked.

"Team handshake?" Celica asked.

"Watch and learn, Celica. You'll get the idea." Mia replied.

I stuck my hand out above the table. "You all in?" I asked. The first to place their hand on mine is, unsurprisingly, Mia. Then Lin, then Elma, then Hope, Alexa, Irina, Murderess, and then, Celica, having understood how a team handshake works, decides to stick her hand out.

"Like this?" Celica asked.

"Yeah! You got the idea!" Mia replied eagerly.

"Good. All nine of us are in. Now, let's raise our hands above our heads." I said, before we all did just that. This was going to be a fun night.

"Where is Linly taking Tatsu?" Tatsu asked.

"To the Dodonga Caravan. I'll be attending a girls-only event, so I need to make sure you're in good hands, Tatsu." Lin replied.

"Okay. Tatsu will come along for ride, then. Linly must promise to bring Tatsu back to NLA next morning, right?" Tatsu requested.

"Of course. This is just for tonight." Lin complied.

"I'll be right back. I need to make sure Lin reaches her destination safely." Elma suggested.

"Of course." I said. Elma summoned her Skell, Red Leader, shortly after Lin summoned her Skell, Color Girl.

I named Elma's Skell "Red Leader" because I associate Elma with the color red, a contrast to me being associated with blue, and I wanted to show my appreciation to her as my team leader. As for Lin? I had difficulty trying to come up with a name for her Skell. "Color Girl" was the best I could think of. Luckily, considering Lin's tastes in Skells, she was open to name and style.

"I'll be right back, as well. I need to inform Rock of the girls' night out I'll be attending." Celica requested.

"Of course." I complied. Celica summoned her Skell, AngelQueen, shortly afterwards. I thought up of the name, believing angels desire peace. When I told Celica the meaning of the name to the best of my knowledge, she hoped the Skell would help build a peaceful future, especially for her and Rock.

"Once I inform Rock, I'll need to know where the party will take place." Celica requested.

"Don't worry. I got the perfect idea of where to go." Murderess replied.

"You?" Irina questioned with a look of skepticism on her face.

"Thanks, Murderess. I'll be right back once I'm informed." Celica said before she boarded her Skell.

"Follow me, I know the perfect place." Murderess led the way.

"Hopefully, this isn't some sort of trap." Irina muttered.

"What was that?" Murderess calmly asked.

"Nothing. Nothing." Irina reacted with a bit of fluster.

"I trust her, Irina. So we'll leave this to her judgement." Hope assured.

"Well, alright, then. If Colonel isn't by to keep me assured, you can." Irina stated.

"Lead the way, Murderess!" Mia eagerly stated.

"Of course. Let's hop in our Skells and fly." Murderess agreed.

We all summoned our Skells and hopped in before taking flight. My Skell is called "Blue Cross". And yes, I named it after myself. But I want it to serve as a symbol of hope in the depths of despair.

I named Irina's Skell "Tough Gal", based on how I view Irina. Of course, when I learned she prefers two-wheel Skells over four-wheel Skells, I apologized, but she forgave me.

Hope's Skell is named "Pure Hope". I named it after how the peoples of NLA view Hope. It was a name she accepted rather modestly. Modesty is a good trait, and I have a strong sense of modesty.

As for Murderess's Skell? I came up with a name for it on the spot, called "Dark Death". Because Murderess seems like the type to intimidate her enemies just from her nickname being mentioned, I gave Dark Death an intimidating name, and an appropriate color scheme: Black with purple accents. She took a liking to it, needless to say.

Mia's Skell is called "Adventurer". After I rescued Mia from the Ganglion, I had to get Mia a Skell, and "Adventurer" was the first idea of a name on my mind.

Lastly, Alexa, the Skell Nut. I named her Skell as "Mechaphile", but that was before I learned the actual meaning of the word. Although I squicked once I learned the true meaning of that word, Alexa forgave me anyway as long as she got the Skell itself. I'd... rather not describe the meaning of that word.

Anyways, we all flew to Ishmael Hills. Afterwards, we made our Skells disappear from the field, because they'd get in the way of civilians enjoying themselves. "Here. See this fancy house? I'm planning on finalizing my purchase soon. So why not party here?" Murderess asked.

"Sure. It looks nice enough." I replied.

"So what say we pinpoint this location to Celica, Lin, and Elma?" Alexa asked.

"Sure. Let me just get my comm device and start pinpointing." Murderess said as he grabbed her comm device. She pinpointed the location on FrontierNav to Celica, Lin, and Elma, in case they get back.

After a bit, Celica came back. "Is this the place?" Celica asked.

"Yes. This fancy house is the place." Mia said.

"It looks like a lovely place." Celica complimented.

"Why, thank you. I'll be purchasing this house, soon. We might as well spend our girls' night out here." Murderess thanked Celica for the compliment.

"Now we just need to wait for Elma and Lin to return." I said.

"So, how'd the meeting go with Rock?" Mia asked.

"It went well. Rock hoped we would have fun enjoying this party. " Celica replied with a smile.

"As long as we all work together, it should be fun." Alexa said.

After a bit, Elma and Lin arrived, Skells and all. "So, this is the spot?" Elma asked.

"Yes, Colonel. Murderess chose the location herself." Irina replied.

"So, Lin? How did the situation go with Tatsu?" I asked.

"It went well. Koko was more than fine with Tatsu spending the day and the night at the Dodonga Caravan." Lin replied.

"Now that that's settled, let's start the planning." Hope said.

"Is it okay if we all come in?" Alexa asked.

"But of course. Follow me. Let's change into some casual clothes first." Murderess suggested.

We all had varying choices of casual clothes. I wore a red tank top, and some denim shorts; Elma had a red jacket, and a matching pair of red trousers; Lin had a white hoodie, and some white shorts that come with boots; Irina had a black hoodie with blue and purple accents, complete with a matching pair of shorts; Hope wore her usual jacket, though now with jeans; Murderess had a black camo tank top, with light workpants; Celica had a grey and white t-shirt, and some jeans with rose patterns on one leg; Mia had a red and blue turtleneck, and some white jeans; and Alexa had a red t-shirt with some beige trekpants that come with white boots.

"Are we all set?" I asked. The rest nodded in unanimous agreement. "Okay, so, we need to plan tonight's party through. What shall we do?" I asked.

"Maybe we can split into groups, and give different specialties?" Elma offered.

"Ooh! I like the sounds of that. Okay, whoever wants to help with planning, raise your hands." I said. Two hands were raised, one of Celica, the other of Murderess. "We'll let you think of ideas." I said. Celica and Murderess got up, then headed upstairs for ideas.

After a bit, they came back down. "Okay, do either of you have any ideas on who should work together as teams?" I asked.

"Yes. While Celica and I work together with other plans, we've decided to have you girls split into three teams. Each with a different specialty." Murderess said.

"Okay, then. Who's working with who?" Mia asked.

"For teams, here are the combinations. Team One: Cross and Mia." Celica replied.

"How about that?! We get to work together on our task, Chief!" Mia said very energetically.

"Heh. Good ol' Mia, always willing to work with me. And that's a good thing." I replied.

"Team Two: Lin and Alexa." Celica said.

"This should be fun, fellow Outfitters, fellow Skell fanatics, working as a team." Alexa said rather boisterously.

"Yeah! Whatever needs our effort, we can do together." Lin agreed.

"Team Three: Elma, Irina, and Hope." Celica said.

"Heh. Not a bad combination. You okay with this, Irina?" Elma asked.

"Of course, Colonel. We can work together just like the good old days when we were at basic." Irina replied happily.

"Heh. Sounds like you two are quite the team players. In any case, I'll help you two out any way I can." Hope said.

"Thanks, Hope." Elma and Irina said at the same time.

"Now that that's out of the way, here's the assignments I have planned. Cross and Mia? You two are tasked with ordering pizzas. Just enough for the nine of us." Murderess requested.

"Of course. I know just where to order from. And it's not Army Pizza." I said.

"Oh? Then where else? Smile Pizza Kitchen?" Mia asked.

"That was exactly what I had in mind, Mia." I replied with a smile.

"Wow! Then wherever you're going, I'll help you out, Chief." Mia responded in return with a smile.

"Lin and Alexa? You two are tasked with bringing out and operating the barbecue." Murderess requested.

"A barbecue? Will Lin be tasked with cooking from it?" Alexa asked.

"Of course. Lin is an expert chef, right?" Murderess replied.

"You know it!" Lin stated.

"I'll help you set up the barbecue, Lin. Even if I have to get my hands dirty. I'll just wash it afterwards." Alexa said.

"Sounds good to me." Lin said.

"Which brings me to my last assignment. Elma, Irina, Hope? You three are to go grocery shopping. We need food for the barbecue, drinks, desserts, condiments, and utensils." Murderess requested.

"Heh. For once, a good idea coming from her." Irina muttered before clearing her throat, in order to avoid Murderess glaring at her. "I mean, you interested in shopping with me and Hope, Colonel?" Irina asked.

"Of course. Co-op NLA's got some sales that should make this event fun." Elma replied.

"We'll have to be reasonable. We can't afford to have to many leftovers." Hope advised.

"Don't worry. I have a plan regarding leftovers. But I'll mention it later." Celica replied.

"Now you got me curious..." Murderess thought. "Anyways, don't worry about me and Celica. We'll take care of the remaining plannings. So why not go ahead and get started? We expect you to be back by evening." she said. As though our meeting had been adjourned, we decided to get up from the tables and get our tasks done.

"Are you ready to come along, Mia?" I asked.

"Of course, Chief! We can be the best pizza delivery girls in all of BLADE!" Mia replied so energetically.

I giggled before saying "Then let's get to it, Mia." Mia and I started racing towards the commercial district.

"Well, those two really get along well." Elma remarked.

"I know, right? In a way, Cross and Mia are sort of like you and me, Colonel." Irina replied.

"That's actually pretty true, Irina. After all, you address Elma as "Colonel", while Mia addresses Cross as "Chief"." Hope giggled.

"Not that that's a bad thing. Anyways, got our grocery bags?" Elma asked.

"Yep. I even grabbed a temperature bag." Irina replied.

"I'll grab another one... just to be safe." Hope stated.

And just like that, the three girl team departed for the Commercial District as well. "Okay, Lin. We need to figure out where the barbecue is, and where we're going to place it." Alexa said.

"Right. Why don't I wash my hands first before I start?" Lin asked. "Sure. I'll wash my hands afterwards." Alexa replied.

"Looks like the teams are starting the assignments we gave them." Celica said.

"Good to know. We'll continue our plannings." Murderess replied.

"So... do you have any ideas?" Celica asked.

"Before I offer any ideas, why don't you tell me what you have planned in regards to leftover foods?" Murderess asked.

"Hmm... Why don't we discuss it outside?" Celica suggested.

"Sure, thing. You actually got me curious." Murderess said.

Along the way, Elma, Irina, and Hope were greeted by a familiar face. "Hey there, Hope!" said the voice.

"Oh, hi, Ada!" Hope greeted.

"I heard you have a day off, Hope." Ada said.

"Yes, I do. As do Elma and Irina, here." Hope replied.

"So where's your blue friend?" Ada asked.

"As in Cross? She has the day off, too. We're actually attending a girls' night out, which was Cross's idea, by the way." Elma answered.

"Yep. She's actually off to get some pizza, alongside Mia." Irina said.

"I see. Hopefully, the lineup at Army Pizza won't be too-" Ada was about to say before Hope interrupted.

"Excuse me for interrupting, Ada, but Cross isn't going to order from Army Pizza. She's actually heading to Smile Pizza Kitchen." Hope insisted.

"Smile Pizza Kitchen? Oh, as in that pizzeria in the same building as that Italian Ristorante, known as L'Eroe?" Ada asked.

"Yep. That place." Irina answered.

"That's the only place Cross ever gets her pizza from." Elma replied.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot such a place existed." Ada said. "So... where are you three headed?"

"To Co-op NLA for grocery shopping for tonight's party." Hope replied.

"Is it okay if I come along?" Ada asked.

"You wish to help?" Irina asked.

"Of course. I'm open for now." Ada replied.

"Thank you. Shall we resume?" Hope asked.

"Of course. Follow me." Elma replied.

After a bit, Mia and I finally arrived at our destination, the Italian Ristorante, L'eroe, and the pizzeria, Smile Pizza Kitchen. "Here we are, Mia. Smile Pizza Kitchen." I said.

"Okay, Chief. So... how are we going to handle the pizza orders?" Mia asked.

I was left in such a thinking pose, as I was so focused on getting here, that I didn't think about how the orders should be handled. "Hmm... I think we should order 3 party pizzas, each half of each pizza covering a different flavor?" I suggested.

"Sure! That could work, Chief. Cheese, pepperoni, deluxe, meaty, veggie, and Hawaiian." Mia replied with approval.

"Let's go order, then. I got my debit card ready." I said as I pulled my wallet out. We proceeded to enter L'eroe, with the intention of accessing the pizzeria that L'eroe shares the same building with.

Here's what Mia and I have planned: The first pizza would be half-cheese, half-pepperoni; the second pizza would be half-deluxe, half-Hawaiian; the last one would be half-meaty, half-veggie. In case garlic fingers were an option, I would cover that as well. I decided to not bother with drinks, considering that's what Elma's group would get.

Back at the backyard of Murderess's soon-to-be house, Lin and Alexa are gathering around. They were planning on placing the barbecue on the pavement and away from the grass, trees, and hedges. After a bit, Lin made her decision to put it in the middle of the pavement. Which she, then, pointed out to Alexa. "Is this where the barbecue should go?" Alexa asked.

"Yep. It's hiding in the garage right now. We can get it set up in no time." Lin replied.

"Yep. Compared to weapon and Skell maintenence, this is nothing." Alexa agreed.

"Uh-huh. Hopefully, Elma's group can get the food." Lin said.

"Yeah. Once they're set up, we'll leave the cooking to you." Alexa said.

"Right. Hopefully, Tatsu's enjoying his time at the Dodonga Caravan." Lin said.

The two girls proceeded to open the garage door, and as Lin had expected, the barbecue was there. They proceeded to pull it out. Lin had almost no effort pulling the barbecue to where it needs to go. I think it's likely because she wields the heaviest of ground weaponry, a gatling gun for ranged attacks, and a shield for melee attacks. Then they proceeded to wait for Elma's group to return.

Meanwhile, Elma's group had finally arrived at the Co-op NLA. They began to figure out how they should handle grocery shopping there, when Ada had an idea.

"Let's say we split up and work together for tonight's event." Ada suggested.

"Sure. You and I will gather utensils, desserts, and drinks." Hope agreed.

"Meanwhile, Irina and I will gather food for the barbecue. Is that okay, Irina?" Elma suggested and asked.

"Of course, Colonel. Tell me what we'll get, and I'll gladly help." Irina replied.

Hope then attempted to offer Ada to join our girls' night out, but Ada respectfully declined. "I'd love to join your party, but I've got Interceptor work tonight." Ada explained.

"That's fine. Thank you." Hope replied.

True to Ada's idea, the group of four split into two groups of two. Elma and Irina went to gather food for the barbecue, while Hope and Ada went to gather everything else. They proceeded to take advantage of whatever sales they could get there. Even though I was at Smile Pizza Kitchen during that time, I'm guessing they had fun while shopping.

Meanwhile, at Murderess's choice of location, we now focus on Celica and Murderess. They were actually discussing Celica's plans regarding any leftover food. "So you're saying that any leftovers that none of us would eat will be fed to your gargantuan friend?" Murderess asked.

"As in Rock? If so, then yes. His appetite matches his size." Celica replied.

"Sounds good. At least leftovers won't be wasted. How about we throw a game to play?" Murderess suggested.

"Oh? What kind of game?" Celica asked.

"Since you're new, I'll teach you fair and square." Murderess offered.

"Really? Oh, thank you!" Celica accepted.

The kind of game that Murderess was referring to was a video game. However, she said that I should wait until a certain point in this story to reveal what it was. But whatever it was, Murderess stayed true to her word and taught Celica how to play, fair and square. All the while Alexa and Lin continue to plan how to work on the barbecue.

Some time later, at the Commercial District, Elma's group had finished with the grocery shopping.

"Thanks for helping us, Ada." Hope thanked Ada.

"You're welcome, Hope. I wish I can join your girls' night out." Ada replied.

"Maybe when the opportunity comes, you can come that time." Irina suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea, Irina." Elma agreed.

"Thanks, Colonel." Irina thanked Elma.

"Sure. I'll come when the next opportunity arises. I hope you have fun, Hope." Ada said.

"Thanks, Ada." Hope said.

And just like that, Ada went to prepare for her Interceptor work tonight. "Well, then. Shall we head back?" Elma asked.

"Yep. We got everything we need." Irina accepted. "

Even if we have just a tad bit more than what we needed?" Hope asked.

"If that's the case, hopefully Celica or Murderess would have an idea regarding leftovers." Elma stated.

"Why don't we tell some stories while we get back?" Irina suggested.

"Sure. It'll help make the road back more interesting." Hope agreed.

"Well, I've got a good one. At it's in regards to Gwin." Elma said.

"Hopefully, it's a good one." Irina said.

Meanwhile, at Smile Pizza Kitchen. "Your pizzas and garlic fingers are ready." the customer service said.

"Thank you." Mia said.

I was wondering how we were going to bring the pizzas without them getting cold. But then I had an idea. "Um, excuse me, but could we borrow those pizza delivery bags? I promise we'll return them tomorrow." I requested.

"As long as you fulfill your promise, sure. Go right ahead, ma'am." the customer service said.

"Thank you!" Mia said.

"Cheers." I said.

Once we were given the pizza delivery bags, Mia and I placed the pizza boxes in them. My bag had two of the pizzas, whereas Mia had the third pizza box, and the box of garlic fingers. "Okay. Now it's time to head back. Shall we get going, Mia?" I asked.

"Yes, Chief. Lead the way, and I'll follow!" Mia replied.

"Very well, follow me." I giggled.

"Yes, Chief!" Mia replied. We left the Italian Ristorante, L'eroe, which, again, shares the exact same building as Smile Pizza Kitchen. "So, Chief? Got any interesting stories while we're on our way back?" she asked on our way back.

"Well, I've got plenty of stories. Some, worth telling more than others." I replied. As we were passing by, I noticed a pair of Curators examining a familiar object. "Oh, boy. The Rod of Brutality +10. My least favorite collectible." I grumbled.

"Rod of Brutality +10? Who came up with that name?" Mia asked.

"Murderess. She discovered it while I was on a Reclaimer mission in Cauldros. But... well, what she did to me with it was so darn embarrassing." I said.

"What happened that day?" Mia asked.

As my cheeks turned purple out of embarrassment, I offered to whisper what happened that day to Mia, considering I'm too embarrassed to say it out loud; not to mention, I never know who might be listening.

"Sure. You can always trust good ol' little ol' Mia to keep secrets." Mia accepted the offer.

"Okay, then. What happened that day was..." I said before I started whispering to Mia's ear.

Evidently, as Mia was listening, she appeared shocked. "No way... She actually did THAT to you, Chief?" she asked.

"Yep. Had to spend an entire week off because of that... incident." I said in an embarrassed tone.

"Wow. Take this from someone who also happens to be a Curator, Chief, but that was rather uncalled for." Mia said.

"Agreed. She even bribed me into not telling Eleonora or any of the higher ups." I said.

"Well, don't worry, Chief. If you recover your memories and discover what your birthday is, I promise you I won't get you one of those things for your birthday." Mia offered.

"Really? Thanks, Mia. Now, then. Let's resume." I thanked Mia.

"Right, Chief!" Mia agreed.

Meanwhile, not too far behind us, was Elma's group. Irina was just laughing hysterically. "To think... To think Gwin ended up with TWO drill sergeants?! Oh, how I would've loved to see that!" Irina said as she laughed.

"Yep. Cross had a pretty good point, though. Gwin needed to surpass his role model, not just admire said role model." Elma said.

"I still think it would've been interesting to see Cross as a drill sergeant. The next time you and Cross are in charge of boot camp, Colonel, invite me to watch, okay?" Irina asked.

"Sure. I'll have to tell Cross to be as natural as possible." Elma replied.

"Sounds like quite the adventure." Hope said.

"Hear, hear." Irina agreed.

"It was. And I see that Cross and Mia are on their way back, as well." Elma said just as she spotted me and Mia.

"It looks like they're borrowing pizza delivery bags." Hope assumed.

"Hopefully, they'll actually return them." Irina said.

"Oh, they probably will. Neither Cross nor Mia seem like the type to borrow something like that without returning it. After all, they're both my team's rookies." Elma said.

"Yep. Mia's been pretty much associated with your team ever since Cross rescued her from the Ganglion." Irina said.

Meanwhile, with me and Mia. "Would you look at that, Chief? Elma's group is not too far behind us." Mia noticed.

I turned around, and discovered Elma's group. "You're right, Mia. Let them take their time to arrive. After all, we're almost at the Residential District. Our destination is that house on Ishmael Hills." I said.

"Right!" Mia agreed.

Meanwhile, at the house on Ishmael Hills. "Almost there?" Alexa asked.

"Yep. Just need to continue following my instructions." Lin said. Alexa and Lin almost got the barbecue set up.

Meanwhile, in the house, itself. "Wow. That's how the gameplay works?" Celica asked.

"Yep. It can handle up to 8 players at a time." Murderess replied.

"But there's nine of us." Celica stated.

"Yes, of course. That's why we all take turns with this." Murderess said.

"Taking turns? I suppose that could work." Celica said.

After a bit... "Here we are, Mia. Just need to enter the front side." I said.

"Yep. Shall we give them some greetings?" Mia asked.

"Of course. Might as well." I replied.

Shortly after I said that, Lin and Alexa had just finished setting up the barbecue.

"And voila! It's all set up!" Lin said.

"Yep. That took a bit longer than I'd have hoped, but we managed it." Alexa said.

"That's right. ...Say, do you smell that?" Lin asked.

"Huh. Now that you mentioned it, I do smell something." Alexa replied.

"It smells like..." Lin said.

"Pizza. It smells like pizza." Alexa finished Lin's sentence.

"That can only mean one thing." Lin said.

"We're back!" Mia and I yelled.

"Cross! Mia! Welcome back! How'd the pizza order go?" Lin asked.

"Before we do that, why don't we announce Cross and Mia's return to Celica and Murderess?" Alexa asked.

"Sure. Celica! Murderess! Cross and Mia are back!" Lin replied.

"We heard. We'll be right down." Murderess said.

"So, we need to wait for Elma's group." Lin said.

"Which won't be too long. They're not too far behind us." I assured.

As we were discussing how things went with the barbecue, Celica and Murderess came out. "Looks like one group of errand girls came back." Murderess teased.

"Try not to tease them. Anyways, where could the remaining three be?" Celica asked.

"Don't worry. We're here." said a familiar voice. We turned and discovered that it was Elma's voice.

"Elma! Irina! Hope! Welcome back!" I said.

"We got all the groceries needed for our girls' night out." Irina said.

"Good thing, too. Especially since evening will be starting in a few minutes." Murderess agreed.

"Elma, could you show the food for the barbecue?" Hope asked.

"Of course." Elma agreed.

The foods for the barbecue were hamburgers and hot dogs. "Hamburgers and hot dogs. Classic foods." Murderess said.

"We also brought condiments. I also made sure to get vegetables." Irina stated.

"True. Vegetables are good for you." Mia agreed.

"I also got the drinks. I made sure none of them were alcoholic." Hope said.

"Which is a good move. Celica, Lin, and Mia are all underage. Their ages are 18, 13, and 19, respectively. And Cross... just doesn't like alcohol." Elma said.

"Yep. Cross told me that night the two of us were at the bar with the Christoph brothers, Phog and Frye. The next morning, me and Cross teamed up with you two to meet those... bizarre Prospectors." Irina said.

"I know, right? One of them is near 80, yet is kinda... hot. That's so gross." Lin shuddered.

"Wha-Really? That's on a whole new level of bizarre, Lin." Mia said.

"Anyways, what's for dessert?" Celica asked.

"Here." Hope said as she gathered her last bags, and brought dessert out. "Ice cream, cookies, donuts, and all that." she said.

"Well, that's one way to sweeten this night." Mia said.

"So, Cross? How did you and Mia handle the pizza situation?" Alexa asked.

"Well, Alexa, I'm glad you asked. Mia? Would you help me out?" I asked.

"Of course, Chief!" Mia obliged. We opened our pizza delivery bags, and got the pizza boxes and garlic finger box out.

"We got three party pizzas, each half of each pizza covering each different flavor." I said.

"The first one is half-cheese, half-pepperoni; the second one is half-meaty, half-veggie; the last one is half-deluxe, half-Hawaiian." Mia said.

One of the flavors had Celica look confused. "One of the flavors has pineapples. Is that something you humans thought of? Or was it the Ma-non who suggested that?" Celica asked.

"We humans thought of it, Celica. Shame that such an exquisite flavor doesn't appeal to everyone." Murderess replied.

"The Ma-non would put almost anything on their pizza, so pineapples are probably nothing to them." Lin said.

"Yep. Even things that... don't go well on pizza." Irina said.

"Hmm? What's with the smaller box?" Alexa asked.

"Oh, this?" Mia asked.

"Those are garlic fingers. An appetizer to go with the pizzas, or the barbecue." I replied.

"Okay. Now that that's set, why don't Alexa and I start the barbecue. Is anyone willing to volunteer cutting the vegetables for the hamburgers?" Lin asked.

"Allow me. I've been cooking some foods for Rock. I know how to cut vegetables." Celica said.

"Thanks, Celica." Lin said.

"I'll put the pizzas back in the bags, so they'll stay warm by the time we are ready to eat." I suggested.

"Wait, not even a slice, Chief? None of us had lunch." Mia moaned.

"Trust me, I'm not a fan of having to wait for food either, Mia. But we have to let Lin cook up the barbecue. Once it's all ready, we'll all eat together." I assured Mia.

"Anyone want to help me put dessert away?" Hope asked.

"I'll help. I know good places to keep grubby paws away from the desserts." Murderess offered.

"Thanks, Murderess. Oh, and I'll get the drinks set up afterwards." Hope said.

"Why don't I help you?" Elma asked.

"Sure. Any help is appreciated." Hope accepted.

"Hey, Lin? Shall I help you out with the barbecue? They don't call me the best chef in the Akulov family for nothing." Irina offered to Lin.

"Err... Actually, why don't you help Elma and Hope with the drinks instead? I'll take care of the barbecue." Lin suggested.

"Well... I suppose. But anytime you need my help, feel free to inform me." Irina said.

"Y-Yeah... sure..." Lin nervously said.

As Irina went inside to help Elma and Hope with the drinks after Hope and Murderess put the desserts away, Mia had a question for Lin. "Why turn down Irina's offer, Lin?" Mia asked.

Lin looked at the door as Alexa's starting the barbecue by Lin's instructions. "Well... According to Gwin, Irina's actually a terrible chef." Lin nervously whispered.

"O-Ohh... So that day she burned those cookies wasn't a coincedence?" Mia asked.

"Nope. Hopefully, she won't teach Elma how to cook." Lin nervously stated.

"Okay, barbecue's set and ready. I'll leave the rest to you, Lin." Alexa said.

"Thanks, Alexa. Let's start the barbecue." Lin said.

We all worked together while the sun was starting to actually set. Eventually, Lin made an announcement. "Okay! Barbecue's ready! Nine hamburgers and nine hot dogs available!" Lin yelled.

"Do you know what that means, Mia?" I asked.

"Yes!" Mia replied eagerly.

"In other news, the pizzas and garlic fingers are now available!" I yelled.

"We'll all be right out!" Elma yelled.

"Celica, are the vegetables ready?" Lin asked.

"Of course. Have a look." Celica replied. She cut the vegetables as appropriately as possible.

"Well, this should be fun." Mia said.

"Indeed." I agreed. Mia and I made sure there were enough garlic fingers to serve all nine of us at least.

Because none of us had lunch, we all felt like we were starving, so we ate as much as our stomachs could handle, while saving room for desserts. As we were eating, we were telling stories. My story was the day I went to Oblivia alongside Doug, Lao, and especially HB, the last of which was more of a hindrance than help.

"Yes. It's true that HB is reckless, and had uncivilized priorities. After all, I was there when you lectured him back at Weeping Whitewood." Celica said.

"Interesting. But, yeah. His moves aren't bad. It's his attitude that could use a serious makeover." Murderess said.

"Hear, hear. That guy really needs to take that stick out of his butt." Mia agreed.

"He talks like he's an absolute professional, but the fact that he blindly charged towards indigens that day? He seems more like an immature amateur." Irina said.

...And we all had a giggle. "I can't help but wonder why I find such an uncivilized choice of words to be... funny." Celica giggled.

"Anyways, it was thanks to HB that we had to spend a night under some shade." I said.

"It's true. The planet's weather is dangerous. Oblivia's especially got dangerous weather." Celica agreed.

"Heat waves, electromagnetic storms, sandstorms, and all that." Mia said.

"So what did you do while in the shade?" Hope asked.

"We worked to set up a campfire. Well, except for HB. He never got to help out at all, as punishment for that nonsense he pulled off." I said.

"Hmph. Serves him right." Murderess scoffed at HB's recklessness.

"I've been meaning to ask him why I always see him doing push-ups in front of Commander Vandham." Alexa said.

"Maybe when the two of us and HB work on a mission together, we'll find out why." I suggested.

"Sure. Sounds fine to me." Alexa replied.

"Anyways, what did Doug and Lao do that day?" Lin asked.

"Doug got firewood while evading Thalluses, while Lao went searching for some stones to start the flames with." I said.

"What kind of stone did Lao find?" Celica asked.

"It was some flint. Once the flame was started, I pulled out a bag of food from my pocket. But when Lao asked how I pulled a big bag of food from my pocket, I replied that a girl's got to have her secrets." I giggled as I spoke. This caused the others to giggle as well.

"Ah, the classic line. But it's true. We all have our secrets. Right, Celica?" Mia asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose so." Celica replied.

Once the sun had set, we finished our main courses. "What shall we do about leftovers? We only have room in our stomachs for dessert." Hope asked.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Whatever leftovers none of us can eat, we'll just feed to Rock." Celica suggested.

"Ahh, yes. Rock. Never thought about him." Hope giggled nervously.

"It's alright, Hope. Rock needs more food than the rest of NLA's citizens do. We all did our tasks correctly." Celica said.

"At least the pizzas won't go to waste. Right, Chief?" Mia asked, to which I replied by nodding.

"I'm going to save a hamburger and a hot dog for Tatsu. He'll probably want a taste of my barbecue skills." Lin said.

"Sure. Might as well use that to ensure that Tatsu knows how fun our party was." Elma agreed.

"Now, how are we going to handle the entertainment? Storytelling can only get us so far throughout the night." Irina asked.

"Don't worry, I know the perfect solution. Come with me, please." Murderess offered.

"It's... wholesome, I assure you." Celica told Irina.

"I hope so." Irina said. "Especially since Cross told me the truth about her "injury" after that Reclaimer mission in Cauldros." Irina muttered at a low volume.

"What was that?" Murderess asked.

"Nothing." Irina replied.

"Well, if you're sure..." Murderess said before entering the house, and turning on the lights along the way.

"Here. We'll be playing a game tonight." Murderess said.

"Ooh! What kind of game?! Board game?! Card game?! Video game?!" Mia asked energetically.

"You'll see in a moment. Celica knows what it is. Right, Celica?" Murderess asked.

"Yes. Yes, of course." Celica replied.

"Raring to have fun, Mia?" I asked.

"Of course! What better way to continue our girls' night out than with a game, Chief?" Mia replied.

"Whatever it is, I can tell our night especially won't be boring." Alexa eagerly said.

"Exactly. We can't have things be boring, now, can we?" Elma asked.

"Girls? What would you think... if we played this game?" Murderess said before showing a game case.

"Is that...?" Lin asked.

"Super Smash Bros. for Wii U?!" I asked.

"Yep. I'm one of the few people here in NLA to own a Wii U console, and I intend on taking full advantage of it here." Murderess replied.

"Heh. I'm not a fan of such nerdy games, but if you insist, I'll play to the best of my ability." Irina said.

"Attagirl, Irina." I said.

"What about Celica? Doesn't she...?" Lin was about to ask before Celica interrupted.

"Don't worry. Murderess taught me how to play. It's a rather unusual game, if I do say so myself." Celica said.

"Then it's settled. Now, wait here, and I'll go get the controllers." Murderess said.

After a bit, she grabbed 8 controllers. A Wii U GamePad, 4 Wii Remotes, a Nunchuk, a Classic Controller, a Classic Controller Pro, a Wii U Pro Controller, a Nintendo 3DS with the Smash Controller app, and a Nintendo Gamecube controller. "Choose whichever controller you want, but remember, we all take turns, got it?" Murderess asked. We all nodded in agreement. "Good. Let's get the game set up. I also made sure the batteries were fully charged." Murderess said.

We've had some very fun battles in the game. I'll mention the third last battle, where Alexa had won. "Is it over? I haven't even finished rolling up my sleeves." I said.

"Seriously?! I was going at, like 120%!" Lin complained.

"Really? Heh, you look a little shaken up." Elma said to me, not Lin.

"Sorry you missed out. Couldn't help wrecking them before you got there." Irina said, as she KO'd me more times than anyone else.

"I know, right? I've got loads more whooping I need to dish out." Murderess said to me.

"Wow, so that was just a warm-up for you?" Hope asked to me, as she had won the last match before, and gave her controller to Irina.

"Wow, what happens when you finish rolling up your sleeves? Are there fireworks?" Mia asked me.

"I do wish you would roll your sleeves up for more... civilized endeavors." Celica said to me.

"I may have won, but you did good, Cross. Let's see what you're really made of next time, okay?" Alexa said as she gave her controller to Hope.

"It's not always easy, but at least there's plenty to discover." I said as I changed characters.

"Um, Lin? I noticed that one of the characters has a sword that resembles your hair pins." Celica pointed out.

"Oh, that? ...Yeah, once we recover the Lifehold Core, I'll explain." Lin said.

I had won the next match, and then Celica won the last match. "Wow. To think I won the final game?" Celica asked.

"I guess we all win at least one match." Hope smiled.

"Heh. That was fun. Now... who's up for some dessert?" Murderess asked. We were all eager to join, especially since we gave our stomachs a bit of time to digest our dinner, we decided it was time for dessert.

As we were eating our desserts, we continued our lively conversations. "Hey, Lin? Do you recall that day you and Cross were flying around the city?" Alexa asked.

"The day you waved hi to us?" Lin asked.

"Yeah. That day." Alexa replied.

"Yes. Of course. Cross and I had a surrogate sisterly bond. She even forgave me for making an honest mistake." Lin said.

"It's good that you two get along very well." Alexa said.

"It sure is. Although, there was that time where we first met the Dodonga Caravan. Cross was making an innocent suggestion that I... somehow misinterpreted as a mean suggestion." Lin said.

"Your arguements left me concerned. But I'm glad you two reconciled in the end, Lin." Elma said.

"Yes. We even had ice cream, as we're having right now." Lin said before she swallowed a spoonful. "By the way. What do you use on your hair, Mia? It's always so shiny and stuff." Lin asked after swallowing said spoonful of ice cream.

"Ma-non Oil Shampoo! All the girls in the city are hooked!" Mia replied.

"Yes. Mia even recommended it to me while we were meeting in Sylvalum. I even used it that morning." I said. "By the way, Lin? I'll try not to sound rude, but... Why do you always place your bath towel on top of mine?" I tried to ask politely.

"Sorry! It's just this habit that... just won't go away. But I assure you, I don't mean any harm." Lin said.

"Oh, I just remembered! Lin, did you order a ticket for the Skell Exhibition?" Alexa asked.

"They went on sale? Oh, man, I gotta get on that once we're home!" Lin replied.

"We are in our home city, Lin." Irina said.

"I know. But... Well... Okay, that wasn't the right choice of words. I'll get on that once the party's over. Better?" Lin said.

"By the way, I had heard that Elma had gotten a cold that day. How bad was it?" Hope asked.

"It wasn't fun. I tried not to let it get to me, but Cross says the symptoms were noticably interferring with my fighting abilities." Elma said.

"It's very rare for a Mimeosome to suffer a cold. I'm just glad you were given time off, Colonel." Irina said with relief.

"Yes. Mechanical body, or flesh-and-blood body, suffering a cold is no fun." Celica said before taking a bite of her doughnut.

"Celica, did you hear Donut Planet's doing a two-day all-you-can-eat?" Lin asked.

"Seriously? Oh, my! We have to go! May I bring Rock along?" Celica replied and asked.

"The all-you-can-eat thing hasn't started yet, Celica. At least not until the day after tomorrow." Mia insisted.

"Oh. Forgive me for leaping the gun." Celica said.

"Did L teach you that phrase? Because I'm sure it goes "jumping the gun"." I asked.

"You get what I mean, though." Celica smiled.

"Elma, thank you for that nice cup of tea the other day." Hope said as she drank her cup of iced tea.

"Anytime. I'm experimenting with a new blend if you want to try it." Elma offered.

"Speaking of which? Thanks for the care package the other day, Hope. It was delicious." Irina smiled.

"Even when you're not hungry, you have to remember to eat, you know?" Hope advised.

"Well said. Very well said." Murderess smiled.

After a while, it was bedtime. "So what do you say, was tonight's girl's night out fun?" I asked.

"Yep. Under normal conditions, it'd be past my bedtime, but it was worth staying up for a bit." Lin replied.

"Here. I got sleeping bags for everyone." Murderess offered.

"Let me guess... The bed is yours?" Irina asked.

"Of course. This house will belong to me, soon." Murderess answered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Irina asked in such a deadpan tone.

"Good night..." Mia said as she quickly crawled in her sleeping bag, with Celica yawning while doing the same thing.

I yawned before saying "I'm starting to fall asleep..."

"Guess it's bedtime for everyone. Good night..." Elma said.

The next morning, we all woke up to such bright sunshine. "Rise and shine, girls." Murderess said after she shut down an alarm clock.

"Cross, did you have any nightmares about Filiavents this time?" Hope asked out of concern.

"No. If I did, I probably would've woke up in the middle of the night. My dream was about the day that me, along with three others who I actually met, working in a battle against an entire army of Tainted." I said.

"The Tainted?!" Lin asked.

"Yep. I used to dread them, but now I see them as easy targets." I replied.

"So, who were the three?" Elma asked.

"Hmm... A Pathfinder known as Roo, a Harrier named Asch, and a Prospector named Ira." I said.

"I see. I heard that Roo is quite the goofball, especially for an older guy." Lin said.

"We've met Asch a few times after I was rescued from the Ganglion." Mia said.

"He's likely still new to BLADE work. Was he alright in the dream?" Elma asked.

"Yes. But one thing about Ira weirded me out in the dream. She sounded exactly like me now." I said.

"British accent and everything?" Irina asked.

"Yes. Exactly that." I replied.

"Now, now. Now's not the time to talk about dreams. We had a fun time last night, but now we should take turns with the shower. I'll go first." Murderess said before she entered the bathroom.

"Ugh! Divas..." Irina grumbled.

Once we had our showers and breakfasts, Celica began to gather the leftovers, save for the leftover hamburger and hot dog that Lin's saving for Tatsu. "Could someone help me bring all of these leftovers so I can feed Rock?" Celica asked.

"Sure. Poor guy must be starving right now." Alexa said.

"Mia? Shall we grab the pizza bags so we can deliver them back to Smile Pizza Kitchen?" I asked.

"Of course, Chief. Let's do this." Mia replied.

"Oh yeah! That reminds me! I need to go and pick up Tatsu." Lin said.

"Allow me to accompany you, Lin." Elma said.

"Thanks, Elma." Lin said.

As Elma and Lin summoned Red Leader and Color Girl, respectively, they hopped in and departed for Noctilum. "Want to come along, Murderess?" I asked.

"I'd love to, but I need to finalize my purchasing of this house. You'll see." Murderess said.

"Okay, then. Is the barbecue taken care of?" I asked.

"Don't worry. Lin and I put it away while it was your turn to shower." Alexa replied.

"Oh, good. Let's go, girls." I said.

Along the way, we had to split up. Alexa and Celica were carrying last night's leftovers, with Irina and Hope accompanying them to make sure everything goes well. Meanwhile, Mia and I are to head to the Italian Ristorante, L'eroe, in order to return the borrowed pizza delivery bags to Smile Pizza Kitchen. The morning workers thanked us for staying true to our promise of bringing them back after last night.

Meanwhile, at the Industrial District. "Good morning, Rock." Celica said as she approached Rock.

"Hey, good morning, Celica!" Rock happily greeted.

"Poor Rock is starving right now. He hadn't had a bite to eat." a male citizen said.

"In that case, I've got lots of leftovers from last night's party." Celica said.

"Oh, good. At this rate, I'll gladly eat anything that humans and other races consider food." Rock said as he got up. Alexa and Celica put the big bowl of leftovers on the ground for Rock to start eating.

"Heh. You were right, Celica. His appetite does match his size." Irina giggled.

"Yes. I usually cook lots of food for Rock. Especially since he'll eat almost anything that any other race in NLA would consider food." Celica smiled.

"Heh. Looks like Gwin might have some competition soon. It'll be interesting to see who gets to be NLA's biggest eater. I'll probably submit Gwin as the human entry." Irina smiled.

"Hey! First of all, I heard that, Lieutenant. And second, there are humans who eat more than I do!" a voice yelled. Irina and Hope turned around and discovered Gwin, who looked unimpressed.

"I, uh... think he heard you, Irina." Hope said.

"Did Lin cook the hamburgers and hot dogs?" Rock asked.

"Yep. That, she did." Irina replied once she turned back to Rock.

"Could any of you tell her she did an impressive job with that?" Rock asked.

"Don't worry. I'll tell her when she gets back." said another voice besides Celica's with a British accent. In other words, it was my voice. "Lin also saved a hamburger and a hot dog for Tatsu." I said.

"Heh. Well, I hope Tatsu enjoys it. By the way, where was the pizza from? I would've taken either option." Rock asked me.

"Smile Pizza Kitchen. The one and only." I smiled.

"Heh. Great job ordering them." Rock complimented.

I responded to Rock's compliment by giving him a thumbs up, just like back in Sylvalum. Rock then gave a thumbs up in return, with a giggle and a smile.

"Well, we all had fun in the end." Celica said.

"So, what were you doing while I had the day off, Gwin?" Irina asked.

"Err... I'll explain in a little while." Gwin replied.

"Hey! Gwin, will you buy me some cake if I outdo you in the next fight?" Mia asked.

"What?! Sure, but I... know you're gonna win." Gwin replied. Irina and I had giggled.

As I wait for Elma and Lin to return with Tatsu, we can all agree that last night's event was fun. Once we recover the Lifehold Core, we can possibly have more nights like this. Until then, this is where my story... or rather, OUR story... will end.