'Ello, 'ello! Didn't quite expect to see something like this pop up out of my posts, now did you?

I've decided to, on the off-times that I'm not working on NepNowa or reworking my full-length stories, to start branching into other clusters of short stories and drivel. First on the list... is sisterly moments between the two tsuns! Why? Because I can! (see more at the bottom)

Regardless; this is short and simple, mostly just getting myself set into a mindset to write s'more since I've been binging the crap out of Cyberdimension lately and I've been listless otherwise.

Onward!

Raising my hands over my head, I let out a soft yawn in mild fatigue. Blinking away the tears that form as a result, I roll my shoulders, peering about my quarters for no particular reason; mainly to ascertain the time of day without having to look at a clock, though this seems a tad impossible. My curtains have been drawn for the last couple of days, so I wouldn't really have too many clues to go off of.

Sighing, I forego that idea and instead pull open a drawer, pulling out another manila folder with various documents detailing a partnership deal between Lastation and Planeptune. I don't really bother to check who signed off on it – I know work isn't her specialty, so this was likely from Nepgear or Histoire.

Gently nudging my current papers to the side as they are already filled out and are only awaiting collection and reunification from Uni, I click my pen and take one of the forms, reading it over… or rather, I would if it were bright enough in the room. It must be sometime in the night, then; daytime allows me just enough light to work without a moment's concern to lighting.

Well, I suppose a short break before I turn on the lights and get back to it won't hurt. It's not like I have anything important coming up right now, anyway.

Rising from my chair, I stretch after knitting my fingers together, thrusting them above my head. My muscles groan in mild relief mixed with discomfort as a result, and I decide to temporarily neglect my hair needing some grooming, instead opting to just simply depart from the room.

Though, where am I going? That hasn't quite yet come to me; Lastation has been a silent and uneventful bastion for the last few weeks, and the other three have been involved with… something, though they haven't bothered to stay in contact with me when I've made attempts. It wouldn't hurt to keep me posted, in case something important happened, now would it?

Actually… I don't recall Uni doing all that much recently, either. I narrow my eyes and cross my arms as I pace aimlessly through my Basilicom, the mostly-neutral colors being rather pleasing on my eyes currently. Has she been out with the other Candidates, or anyone else for that matter? I don't think so… I frown, suddenly finding myself concerned.

Well, I probably should have noticed sooner, but I suppose that these things happen. I ought to pay her a visit and see how she's doing.

Already having my bearings from a brief gloss-over of my surroundings, I nod to myself and set forth for the kitchen and food-preparation quarter. Some light snacks and something to bring back some of our alertness should be good. Or should I brew something relaxing so that Uni could sleep? It's hard to say.

I might not always be the best older sister to her, but I think I do an alright job; I keep an eye on her, help her where she states she needs help, and know an adequate amount about her. I left her with some independence and some privacy since I felt it would be best for her to grow without needing to be dependent on me in case something ever happens, and I try to allot some space so that she can spend more time with her friends rather than feel obligated to assist me in the constant day-to-day maintenance of Lastation, though… I've never particularly confirmed whether this was the better choice of action, or if I should be more doting like Blanc, or mother-hen her like Nepgear does for Neptune… which is a strange statement in of itself.

…Maybe I might ask her about it directly. I wouldn't trade her for the world, and I wouldn't give her up – I'll stand by those words to the bitter end.

Arriving in the food-based quarter of the Basilicom, I peer about; a brief examination yields that no one is here as per currently, thus… I can set to work without worrying! Smiling softly, I check one more time for anyone else… and then skip to it, humming a gentle theme from somewhere. Which one is it…? I'm not too sure, but it's nice and upbeat.

Sifting through our pans and utensils, I draw out some pans and some bowls before spinning on a heel to throw open the refrigerator. Acquiring some eggs, milk, and some other items, I quickly shut it, setting each carefully on the counter and then proceed to the pantry branching off from the room, gathering up the rest of the items I can first think of; cocoa powder for some hot cocoa, some dough, some fillings, the whole nine yards – it should be an ample platter for snacking and getting one's spring back in their step, or at least enough to keep us going.

Pastries, hot cocoa, cookies, some fluffy crescents, and for me – and possibly Uni – a pot of coffee. I might've opted for tea, but I just didn't find the idea appealing this time; that's mainly Vert's thing, anyway. Regardless, time to set to work!

Mix, mix, mix.

Stir, stir, stir.

Mix, mix, mix.

Brew, brew.

Beeep. The oven's gone off. Time to roll these out and set them in to bake…

Ah, right, the hot cocoa – time to get some chocolate melting so I can set to work on that. Have to time it right, though, so it stays warm…

Rubbing my brow with the back of my arm, I yawn again, shaking my head to will away the fatigue. This is mild, Noire; to submit to it would be a pathetic defeat, especially after going through all of the trouble to make all of this up.

…Yeah, I'm good now. Nodding my head, I narrow my eyes and set back to finishing…

"…Uh… Sister?" a soft and unsure voice calls out to me, and I blink in surprise, jerking my head sideways to find… "Ah… so this is where you were."

Uni.

Smiling awkwardly at her, I nod in greeting and confirmation. "Hey, Uni; yeah, I decided it wouldn't be bad to start brewing something small for us while I'd be taking a short break. Should I not have?"

She raises her hands, waving with slight frantic concern. "N-no, that wasn't what I meant. U-um, I just had the same idea, is all." I pause, raising an eyebrow, waiting anyway for the chocolate to finish melting. "I-I, didn't know whether you had eaten yet or not, s-so I…"

A grin spreads across my lips, and I shrug. Maybe I've taken the right stance with her after all. "You're welcome to join me as I finish up – I was just waiting for the pastries to finish baking and to brew up the hot cocoa."

I can't really see her expression in the lighting currently going on – I didn't really bother with the lights since I could craft snacks in my sleep, honestly – but she comes to my side, inspecting the line-up thus far with raised eyebrows. "How long have you been…?"

Raising a finger to rub my chin, I contemplate for a moment, and then, "…I don't really know. At least thirty minutes or so based on oven calculations, so…"

"Approximate for… fifteen minutes or so of altogether preparation time as well as gathering all of the ingredients, so a little upwards of forty-five minutes, then," she finishes for me, and I nod with pride. "What's with that look?"

I chuckle, shaking my head. "Nothing to be worried about, Uni. Good deduction and estimation, I'd have estimated about the same."

"A-ah, I see," she states, tilting her head away in embarrassment while I beam at her.

Ah, right. "Uni, before I forget; have you been in contact with the other Candidates, or anyone else recently?" I inquire, and watch as her posture stiffens considerably.

"Eh? Oh, uh, n… no, I haven't been; I've been too busy to really keep in touch with them," she answers with a slightly uncomfortable, sheepish tone, as if I pointed out something she had been hoping to hide. Why, though? Does she not want me to worry?

Grimacing, I remain in my thoughts for a few moments as I take the newly-melted chocolate off of the stovetop, concocting two mugs of warm cocoa for each of us. Setting the pan aside in the sink, I glance and confirm a few minutes more on the pastries as Uni pulls two chairs to the countertop, allowing for both of us to sit down. "Do you... want to take some time off to spend with them? I can handle…"

"N-no! I'm perfectly fine, don't do that!" she shouts before I can finish, though she immediately reels and bows her head in apology. "…S-sorry. I didn't really mean for it to be that loud. But," she lifts her head, staring at me with concerned eyes of her own... for me? "Until you're done, I'll keep working, too. It wouldn't be fair to play while you're still working alone."

For some reason, at the mention of the word 'alone', I feel myself laugh bitterly before I drink from my mug. Uni blinks in confusion, and I wave a hand to reassure her, "Ah, pardon that. But, no, don't worry – I'm... more than accustomed to it. Even if I had the free time, I'd spend it on a hobby or something; the others have been silent, so it's just a busy time, I suppose. Work keeps me focused until the next problem comes up or the next game releases, so I don't really… mind anymore."

"…Then, even more-so… I'm not going to go out right now," Uni mutters in response, and I tilt my head, about to ask, but, "…But, when we're done, I'd… I'd like to do something, t-t…"

"…Together?"

She nods her head weakly, her hair doing an adequate job of covering up her reddening face. So, this is what has had her in isolation; a concern for me, then. Eyeing her, and then moving my eyes about the room, I begin to contemplate… maybe that's one thing I do want to change, really; the space between us. It isn't really a necessary precaution anymore, if I'm going to be honest - she is already a dependable girl who has far exceeded those timid fledgling years when our time together had only just begun. Yes... that's right, and, after all... who tends to be your best friend if not your sister? More than anyone, the person always here, always looking out for me as I look out for her... Sipping from the mug again, I smile softly, subtly, and sigh as I rise to my feet in sync with the oven sounding.

"Uni, I might just have to accept that offer. I wouldn't mind going out to look at some things, especially since I've been contemplating the upcoming Christmas season, as well. Would you mind?" I ask, grabbing an oven mitt to retrieve the pastries. "Ah, and you ought to drink that hot cocoa before it gets cold. Though…," I pause for a moment, contemplative. "After we eat, I recall there's something in particular that released today that might be worth looking at – as well as the approval for a new gun parts store that opened nearby. Want to… look at all of it with me? It might be a little late since I haven't seen a clock, but… I just can't really get back to work right now."

I can audibly hear her raise her head, and can sense the bewildered, stunned expression she might be barely biting back; I offered to shirk work to instead go enjoy some free-time together? It might be a little unlike me, but honestly… some company and some time spent with my sister wouldn't be too... no, it would be nice.

I toss a glance her way while setting the pastries out onto a small built-in cooling rack, taking note of the wide smile and warm aura emanating from her. "Well?" I inquire in one word.

"…Yes!"

As I said; short and sweet, for the most part, to start off. This isn't really going to be a 'wincest' sort of thing as much as sisterly fluff, simply because anything that isn't NepNowa - while UniNowa's pretty adorable and doable in of itself, really - is heresy. Or at least, that's how I feel currently; Noire's practically Nepsexual, and I can't really see it any other way. Sorry if you're expecting anything beyond slight 'overly affectionate' vibes out of these; I'm not dabbling in that right now!

But, yeah. That's about it, really; I wanted to write something, but I haven't felt motivated to complete the next couple of NepNowa projects, and the main stuff's on hold until I get the gumption and feel confident in writing from multiple characters' standpoints to continue 'em. Other story post that might pop up sooner rather than later is a Blanc/Vert thing, because while I ship IffyVert harder than anything... White 'n Green chemistry is too comical and too absurd not to play with at some point. Still, stuff'll be posted for various pairings - the ones I dabble with less being in a mixed story post with appropriate identification.

Also, while this might not be the appropriate place... why the hell is Cyberdimension really slamming Noire on the no-friends-loner-so-lonely kick over and over? It's grown way beyond old (or more-so, just over-played), even for some of HDN's long-running jokes. That's all I'll really say on the matter, though; the constant ragging has spawned me wanting to write tsunsister fluff since Uni's been pretty awesome thus far, so more stuff might pop up here on a consistent basis when I'm not tackling other areas.

Anyway. Think that's enough rambling for a bit. Expect quality improvement and better flow as more of these get thrown on after this first post, as that's kind of how I work - snowball effect as I begin to explore better ways to set up characters, their speech style, etc. Feel free to toss up some advice, critical analysis, or whatever you deem necessary; feedback is always helpful.

With that said, Tainted out!~