Author Notes: I see the irony of this update. The first chapter was released at the beginning of Summer 2017 now the second chapter is released six months later at the beginning of Winter 2017-2018. To be honest, I never expected there to be a significant gap between updates. However, as I mentioned in one of the other stories I updated, I more or less took an on-and-off hiatus from writing for a while after certain things changed for me. I did keep up my writing, but it wasn't as committed due to how things were going.
After I started getting back into writing, I didn't get back into writing this story specifically right away. I was focused on a few other stories instead. However, I did promise myself, I'd update this story again before 2017 was over, and I'm satisfied I was able to accomplish that. I also intend to see this through.
As you can surmise, I will be continuing this chapter directly where the previous chapter left off. I plan on providing some detail on the vacation for Magilou's Menagerie. It has been a lot of fun writing this story so far, and I look forward to producing more chapters for this story as well. While it might end up being about six chapters or so, I'll find out as I continue the planning and writing for it.
At this point, I couldn't tell you how many chapters it will end up being, but I guess that is part of the fun of creating a story. You really shouldn't try setting it for a finite number of installments unless you are certain it will be reaching its end soon. Originally, I was planning on this story being a one or two chapter story, but I decided that wasn't fun enough. As a result, I made this a full out mini-series. With the scenes and dialogue I wish to incorporate into this story, I feel like that would be for the best. Unless I made the one or two chapters extraordinarily long, it would have just been far too rushed, and I prefer not to do that.
I would greatly appreciate reviews/comments for this chapter. Feedback on my work means a lot since I do my best to produce these chapter. Hopefully, the effort I put into the chapter will result in your enjoyment. I hope you will enjoy reading this chapter, and I hope to read your reactions to it.
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Spoken and Unspoken Words
Chapter Two: Unspoken Trust
/
We know things have changed
I know that you have my back
You know I have yours
/
As soon as Van Eltia reached its destination, the ship pulled up to the island's makeshift dock that the Aifread Pirates had constructed. The excitement of everyone onboard was through the roof, especially with Laphicet. As soon as the ship was docking, Laphicet's giddiness was plain as day. When the ramp was put down, Laphicet was the first to rush off the ship with Rokurou close in tow. They were both still wearing their normal outfits when they rushed off.
Laphicet took off his shoes as soon as he reached the beach. He could feel the sand between his toes. While he had seen beaches before, he was never able to enjoy them at his leisure before today. Likewise, Rokurou couldn't help but grin at the sight of this display.
"Hey Laphicet." Rokurou remarked, "You sure seem happy."
"Of course I am." The sound of Laphicet's voice matched his enthusiastic behavior as he said, "This'll be my first island vacation." He jumped up and down as he happily said, "I'm so excited!"
"Hey!" Rokurou played along with the excitement as he suggested, "Let's make a stag beetle fight a hermit crab and see which is stronger!"
Laphicet jumped at the suggestion, "Yeah! I want to see sea anemone fight too!"
Velvet stepped in and reminded the young Malak, "Remember that we're doing this to relax. Don't get all excited and hurt yourself." Velvet then sternly told Laphicet, "And make sure you stretch before you go swimming, all right?"
Laphicet nodded, "Yeah. All right."
Without any warning, Magilou appeared next to Velvet wearing a purple bikini that left little to the imagination. As soon as Velvet saw her, she couldn't help but look away. Magilou could be seen eagerly waving her finger proclaiming to Laphicet, "No, no my dear boy! This is a vacation! You should be cutting loose, and enjoy a summer of freedom!" Magilou put her right hand on her chest and held her left arm in the air as if she was accepting praise from an unseen audience for a performance as she theatrically told the young Malak, "When you grow up, your experiences will turn into sad memories."
"Huh?" Laphicet tilted his head. His earlier enthusiasm was completely absent from his voice as he asked, "Why would they be sad?"
"…" Velvet bit her lip as she remained silent. She decided to let Magilou continue with her theatrics.
With a strange sense of sincerity, Magilou playfully told Laphicet, "I know it sounds strange, but trust me. I know."
Laphicet didn't seem convinced as he replied, "If you say so …"
"…" Velvet remained silent as she crossed her arms. She wasn't sure if she should use this moment to prevent any more of this back and forth, but thankfully someone else decided to.
Rokurou had his hands on his hips as his voice attempted to bring back the earlier enthusiasm, "Hey, it's a vacation! Time to eat, drink, fish, and be merry!" He closed his eyes as he 'merrily' stated, "We can do what we want without worry!"
Velvet couldn't help but feel slightly irritated as she spoke up, "And that isn't what you always do?"
"Oh!" Rokurou had his hand on his chin as he casually and proudly remarked, "Now that you put it that way, I guess I'm always on vacation."
Velvet couldn't help but shake her head and sigh at the spectacle that was Rokurou. She could only hope Laphicet wouldn't pick up any of those habits.
"Oh my Magilou!" Velvet looked over her shoulder to see Eleanor blushing at the sight of Magilou's 'barely there bikini' as she questioned, "Do you really intend to wear that in public?"
Velvet couldn't help but think, "What public?"
Magilou flaunted her practically nonexistent figure as she proudly and theatrically replied without shame, "Indeed I do! A summer flower wilts all too soon. I must ensure I enjoy my time while I have it!"
Velvet rolled her eyes and looked away from Magilou as she told the scantily clad witch, "I won't stop you, but you should at least be careful of sunburns."
"Oh!" Eleanor put her hand in a bag she was carrying, "I have sunblock if you'd like." She held up the container and offered it to Magilou.
Magilou walked towards Eleanor and accepted the offering as she happily replied, "Ahh. You're too kind."
The first thing that came to Velvet to say was, "I see you came prepared honor student. Looks like you're ready to enjoy yourself, too, huh?"
Suddenly Eleanor became defensive as she replied, "I- I have sensitive skin." Eleanor averted her eyes from Velvet as she put her hands behind her back and she replied in a bashful tone, "And I haven't had time off in years … and … um …" Eleanor began to trail off.
"I'm not judging." Velvet smiled as she offered, "I'll do your back later if you want."
"Oh …" Eleanor's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but her expression quickly softened as she said, "Thank you very much."
Magilou grinned as she moved towards Velvet and said, "Velvet dear, could you do mine too?"
Velvet replied with a less than enthusiastic tone, "Yeah, yeah. You're such a pain."
Eizen came passing by already dressed in his swimsuit along with a lot of 'penyon floaties' attached to his hip. He proclaimed, "I'll try to set a new record for distance swimming."
"Are you seriously going through with that Eizen?" Velvet asked, "Why punish yourself like that?"
"Don't try and stop me. An athlete always seeks new frontiers." Eizen put his hands on his hips and looked to the sky as he gladly proclaimed, "With my penygon floaties, I'm a champion level swimmer." He seemed fully convinced of that.
"Yeah …" Velvet shrugged off as she replied in a deadpan tone, "You do your thing."
"I intended to." Eizen then took off on his own and jumped in the water.
"Better put on my suit too." Rokorou offhandedly remarked as he headed back to the ship. Velvet could see the remainder of the crew was busy getting ready to have some fun in the sun as well.
"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she put her right hand on her forehead. "All this is even more tiring than normal. Some simple noodles for lunch will do fine." Eleanor looked rather amused as Velvet said that.
Laphicet decided to chime in, "You should get take time to relax, too, Velvet."
"Yes." Eleanor wholeheartedly agreed as she said, "You seem like a mother during summer vacation."
"Ah …" Velvet had her hand on her forehead again as she attempted to say, "That's totally …" Velvet then eased up as admitted, "… the case isn't it?"
"Mmm. Hmph." Eleanor grinned as she happily replied, "It certainly is. You really should take it easy."
"Fine. In that case, I'm going to get my swimsuit on." Velvet began to walk back towards the ship as she told the two, "I suggest you two do the same?"
"Hold on!" Eleanor asked in surprise, "You actually have a swimsuit?"
"Yeah." Velvet asked, "Did you think I was going to go dressed like this?"
"Well um …" Eleanor put her hands behind her back and looked to the side as she said, "It's just the way you dress already you um …"
"Yeah, yeah." Velvet waved her hand. "I get it. Just get your swimsuit on. I'll be right back."
"Sorry Velvet." Eleanor attempted to apologize, "I didn't mean that-"
"It's fine." Velvet stated, "I'd probably ask the same thing if I was you. Anyway, I'm going to get changed. You should too." Velvet then looked at Laphicet, "And Phi."
"Yes Velvet." Laphicet replied.
"Make sure to wear that swimsuit we bought the other day." Velvet sternly told the young Malak, "I know you're excited to be here, but don't ruin your regular clothes and don't let that swimsuit of yours go to waste."
Laphicet assured Velvet in a tired tone, "Don't worry I won't."
"Good." Velvet walked back to the ship and said, "I'll see you out here in a few minutes."
Eleanor looked at Laphicet and said, "We should probably go back too."
"Yeah." Laphicet nodded in response.
Magilou watched the three of them head back to the ship. She couldn't help but sigh at the sight of them as she decided to set up her little stomping grounds with a blanket, chair, and umbrella. She decided to sit and stretch out on her little beach chair until they returned.
/
It didn't take long for Velvet to change. After Velvet was finished, she walked on the beach wearing her swimsuit. She was wearing a black bikini that matched her hair, but she wore other clothes over it. She wore blue, torn short shorts and a multi-colored open shirt that had a mixture of purplish and reddish colors that she had tied in the middle.
When Velvet walked on the hot sand, the feeling of it didn't bother her like it would most people. Oddly, it gave her a sensation that she was not used to experiencing. Feeling the sand between her toes gave her a pleasant feeling. She wasn't quite sure how to describe the sensation, but she was enjoying it. The feeling was interrupted when Laphicet returned.
Laphicet was a white sports cap backwards, so his trademark hair antenna would be able to stand up. He also was wearing a navy-blue swimsuit with a green and white jacket that oddly enough had red and blue pockets. The first thing he asked was, "How do I look Velvet?"
"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she answered, "It looks great on you."
A light blush began to form on Laphicet's face as he bashfully replied, "T- Thanks. You look good too."
"Thank you." Velvet replied.
"Where's Eleanor?" Laphicet looked around, but the former Exorcist was nowhere to be seen.
"She's probably still getting ready." Velvet told the young Malak, "You can go down to the water if you want. I'll wait here for her, and I can keep an eye on you from here."
"Are you sure?" Laphicet tilted his head.
"Yeah. Go have fun." Velvet smiled as she told him.
Laphicet hesitantly said, "Okay then …"
Luckily for Velvet and Laphicet, Rokurou picked the appropriate time to interject as he patted Laphicet on the back which nearly caused Laphicet to fall over, "No need to worry little guy. We can do plenty of stuff together."
Rokurou came walking over wearing an outfit that was styled similar to his normal clothing, but it appeared to be a black and orange yukata with flower designs on the orange half. Additionally, rather than carrying around his prized 'sword' on his back, he was carrying a fishing pole instead.
As if he could read Velvet's mind, Rokurou grinned as he said to her, "You don't have to worry about this little guy." Rokurou put his hand on Laphicet's hat and ruffled his head. "Your favorite Daemon Rokurou will keep an eye on him."
"…" Velvet couldn't help but stare and roll her eyes at the display before reluctantly agreeing, "Fine, but don't wander off anywhere."
Rokurou snapped his fingers as he enthusiastically complied, "Will do." He turned to Laphicet and asked, "So what do you want to do first? Wanna to do the stag beetle fighting thing?"
"Hmm …" Laphicet had his arms crossed before deciding, "Actually, I'd like to go swimming first."
Rokurou grinned, "Excellent choice."
Before the two walked away, Velvet asked, "You both did put sunscreen on right?"
"I did." Laphicet replied.
Strangely, Velvet looked to Rokurou who playfully said with a grin, "Oh you care about me too? That's so sweet."
"…" Velvet remained silent as she stared in Rokurou's direction.
"Fine. I did." Rokurou motioned to Magilou who was sitting under her umbrella, "Magilou gave me some already."
"You mean she gave you Eleanor's sunscreen" Velvet thought. She then let out a sigh and told the two, "Fine. Go on and swim."
It was an order Rokurou was more than happy to obey. "Yes ma'am." He looked to Laphicet and gestured him to follow. "Come on little guy. The water isn't going to splash itself."
"Okay!" Laphicet eagerly said as he followed behind the samurai.
"…" Velvet remained standing on the beach as she watched the two run towards the sand.
"Well that was something." Velvet's ears perked up as she heard Eleanor walking towards her. "You really can act like the 'Mom' of this group to more than just Laphicet."
Eleanor was not wearing her trademark ponytail. Her red hair was worn down straight with a white headband that appeared to have two white and green feathers attached to it. She was wearing a black bikini as well, but Eleanor was wearing a blue dress with white frills and white pokadots over it.
"Um …" Velvet hesitantly asked, "… Is that what you're going to wear?"
Eleanor looked down on her body and asked, "Is there a problem?" She looked behind her to see if there were any tares. "I've never actually worn this before. I bought it at one of the shops we passed by in town, so I only wore it to see if it fit." Eleanor moved her body as she asked, "Does it look weird?"
"No." Velvet shook her head. "It- It looks good on you." Velvet immediately added, "And you look different without your ponytails. I can hardly recognize you without them."
"Hmm …" Eleanor put her hand in her hair as she remarked, "I guess it would seem a little strange to you without them …"
Velvet averted her gaze and had her hands on her hips as she remarked, "There's nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying I'm not used to seeing that. That's all."
"I see …" Eleanor replied as she looked Velvet up and down. She then said, "You look pretty good yourself."
"Th- I appreciate that." Velvet replied as her eyes remained averted from Eleanor's.
Without thinking, Eleanor blurted, "You know. I think your swimsuit is actually less revealing that your normal attire …" Eleanor's eyes widened as she put her right hand over her mouth. "Um … I mean …"
"Meh …" Velvet shrugged it off as she looked in Eleanor's direction. "You're not the only one who thinks that, but I wouldn't feel like fighting in this."
"Heh …" Eleanor uneasily chuckled, "That's ironic."
"Anyway," Velvet looked to the side as she awkwardly stated, "I do think you're … outfit looks good. It's very fitting for you. I really mean it." A light blush formed on Velvet's face. "Those feathers look nice."
"Ah!" Eleanor touched her headband with white and green feathers attached. A light blush began to form on Eleanor's face as she replied, "Um … Thank you very much …"
"Ohhhh!" Velvet and Eleanor's ears perked at the sound of the mischievous witch chiming in. Velvet looked to see Magilou was still stretched out on her beach chair under her umbrella who had a Cheshire cat grin as she remarked, "Sounds like someone's disappointed."
"Wha-" A light blush formed on Velvet's cheeks as she asked, "What're you talking about?"
"Oh nothing." Magilou casual said with a grin before reminding Velvet, "Don't forget Velvet dear. You promised to put some sunscreen on my back." Magilou held up the bottle of sunscreen for Velvet to take. "Remember?"
"… Fine." Velvet walked over to Magilou's blanket and grabbed it from her possession. Velvet looked back and told Eleanor, "I'll do your back after I'm done our little witch here."
"Okay." Eleanor nodded, "I'll be right back."
Velvet sighed as she put some of the sunscreen on her hands. "Let's get this over with."
"That's the wrong attitude to have Velvet dear." Magilou laid on her blanket eagerly awaiting Velvet's service.
"Just don't be a pain for once." Velvet lamented. "I'm doing you the favor. Remember?"
"Fine, fine." Magilou kicking her legs up and down as if she was swimming while she laid on the blanket.
"Ugh …" Velvet groaned as she reluctantly put the sunscreen on Magilou's back.
"Ahhh!" Magilou let out a relieved sigh as the cold sunscreen spread across her back by Velvet's fingers. "That's the spot Velvet. Keep doing it like that."
"Wow." Velvet replied in a deadpan tone, "You really know how to make things awkward."
"Heh, heh." Magilou chuckled. "That's just how I do things."
"…" Velvet decided not to reply that time.
"Oh!" Magilou expressed in a teasingly exaggerated tone, "A maiden's heart! Such a fragile but beautiful thing! Pure yet so vulnerable!"
Velvet was done putting sunscreen on Magilou's back as she asked in an irritated voice, "Who are you calling a 'maiden'?"
"Oh." Magilou teasingly said as she looked over her shoulder. She rested her chin on her right hand with her elbow on the blanket acting as support. She had a devious grin on her face as she said, "No one in particular. I'm just pointing out a problem that happens to us all."
Velvet had her arms crossed as she asked, "Meaning?"
"Hmph." The grin on Magilou's face wouldn't disappear as she replied, "Wouldn't you like to know." Without warning, Magilou got up from the blanket and bolted away, "Well, I'm off! Thanks a lot Velvet!"
"Hey wait!" Velvet stood up but didn't give Magilou chase as she demanded, "Get back here!" Seeing that Magilou had no intention of complying, Velvet put her hand on her forehead as she groaned, "Ugh … I swear she's a real pain in the ass."
"What was that about?" Eleanor asked as she approached Velvet.
"Um …" Velvet cleared her throat before answering, "Nothing much. Just Magilou being Magilou."
"Figures." Eleanor replied with her arms crossed, "That can be a lot to deal with."
Velvet sighed as she scratched her head. "You're telling me. I've had to put up with that ever since I escaped from Titaintia." Velvet rubbed her forehead and pushed her hair back as she let out another groan, "Ugh …"
Eleanor uncrossed her arms as she took a step closer and asked out of concern, "Velvet. Did she say something that really upset you this time?"
"No …" Velvet felt herself tense up as she defensively asked, "Why do you ask?"
"Well … how to do I put it? Hmm …" Eleanor crossed her arms as she took a moment before coming up with her response, "… Usually whenever Magilou annoys you, you're able to shrug it off and get over it pretty fast. Eleanor put her hand over her mouth as she chuckled, "Heh. Heh. You know. I still remember that time you stuffed some saleh'toma down her throat to get even. That was actually pretty funny."
Velvet asked, "You're point being?"
Eleanor crossed her arms again as she replied, "Well something seems a little different. Did she get under your skin or-?"
"It's nothing." Velvet cut Eleanor off.
"Oh …" Eleanor seemed a little disheartened by Velvet's response. "Okay."
Velvet took a breath before stating, "Anyway, my offer to put sunscreen on your back still stands." Velvet smiled again as she reiterated her offer, "Would you like to take me up on that?"
Eleanor eased up as well and accepted, "Sure. Thank you."
Velvet replied, "No problem."
Eleanor pulled the blue dress she was wearing off of her. Velvet could see Eleanor wearing a black bikini that showed her figure, but she could also see the scar on Eleanor's chest. A scar she had heard about before.
Velvet's eyes lowered as she thought to herself, "That's right …"
As if Eleanor could read Velvet's mind, Eleanor had her hands behind her back as she remarked, "It's ugly isn't it …?"
Velvet's ears perked at Eleanor's response as she replied, "That's not what I was going for. I'm sorry. I just … I kinda forgot about that. I was caught off guard a little. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Eleanor shook her head. "A Daemon may've done that to me, but it wasn't you. You're not like that Daemon. You're not a monster."
Velvet could barely bring herself to reply, "Eleanor …"
"Let's not get into this." Eleanor walked towards the blanket and kneeled down. "I'd like to enjoy this day in the sun while we can." Eleanor laid her body on the blanket with her back to Velvet. "If you don't mind Velvet?"
"Of course not." Velvet put sunscreen on her hands while Eleanor rested on the blanket. "Sorry if the bandages feel weird."
"It's fine." Eleanor replied as she waited for Velvet to. "AH!" Eleanor tensed up briefly from feeling the cool sunscreen touch her skin before managing to calm down at the feeling of Velvet's touch. "Ahhh …" Eleanor felt her head sink into the blanket.
Eleanor could feel the cool sunscreen on her back contrasting to the heat in the air, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The feeling of both the cool sunscreen spreading across her back along with being massaged by Velvet's hands caused Eleanor to feel relaxed. She felt at peace. A feeling she never would have imagined a Daemon causing her to feel.
While Velvet continued to apply sunscreen, Eleanor's eyes were closed as her head laid on the blanket. She could hear the sounds of the waves hitting the beach and the birds chirping. She could also heard the distant sounds of Laphicet and Rokurou playing. This felt like a true moment of bliss. She felt as if she could fall asleep at any moment until she heard Velvet speak.
Velvet mused, "Who would've thought an Exorcist would be willing to accept the services of 'the Lord of Calamity'." Velvet couldn't help but chuckle at the irony.
"Well I am …" Eleanor replied with one eye open before closing it again. "They don't know what they're missing out on."
"…" Velvet remained quiet as she finished applying the sunscreen. "Okay. I'm finished."
"Hmm …" Eleanor almost seemed disappointed as she sat up and replied, "Thanks for the help Velvet." She then eagerly asked, "Would you like me to do the same?"
"I don't think you need to." Velvet replied while remaining in the kneeling position. "I'm a Therion remember?" Velvet's left hand touched her bandaged right arm. "I don't really get cold, and I'm sure I won't get sunburn either. So I don't-"
"Unacceptable!" Eleanor interrupted Velvet.
"!" Velvet's eyes widened at Eleanor's sudden interruption.
"I don't care if you are a Daemon or a human!" Eleanor stated, "You're not going out there without the proper sun protection applied to your skin! You got that!"
"…" Velvet's widened eyes returned to normal as she reluctantly relented, "… Fine."
"Okay. Then let's switch." Eleanor got out of the way so Velvet could take her spot in lying on the blanket. Eleanor then said, "You should take off your jacket please."
"…" Velvet laid there for a moment before kneeling up and undoing the knot in her jacket and removing it leaving her with just her bikini which caused Eleanor to lightly blush which Velvet did not see as she laid on the blanket again.
Afterwards, Eleanor began applying sunscreen on Velvet. When most humans would react to the cold sunscreen touching their skin, Velvet had no reaction. Instead, Velvet reacted to the feeling of Eleanor's smooth hands massaging her lower back. "Ahh …" Velvet instinctively let out a relaxed sigh as it was her turn to enjoy the same bliss Eleanor had.
/
While Velvet and Eleanor were going through their sunscreen application session, Magilou watched from the distance with her binoculars. She wished she had some popcorn to enjoy the show. Alongside her was her 'Normin' partner, Bienfu, who was watching the show as well. Bienfu looked the same as he always did with his purple skin, white belly spot, red wings, and a top hat that covered the top half of his face like a mask that even had eyeholes. Anyone who saw him would think he was a stuffed toy given his size.
Bienfu's enthusiasm or rather lack of it was evident from how he sat down on the sand and asked with a bored tone of his voice, "How much longer are we going to watch this Miss. Magilou?"
"As long as we have to." Magilou shrugged her shoulders as she said in a distressed tone, "Honestly. Those two can be so fun, but so frustrating to watch. It's like 'funstrating'."
Bienfu asked, "Funstrating'?"
"A combination of 'fun' and 'frustrating'." Magilou grinned as she was pleased with herself. "I'm sure even you can admire the genius of such a word."
Bienfu shook his head. "I don't think Eizen would agree."
"Whatever." Magilou shrugged as she dismissively remarked, "Not like he knows any better."
"Actually," Bienfu quickly corrected Magilou, "Eizen and Madam Eleanor know a lot about a lot of stuff."
Before Bienfu had a chance to react, Magilou began poking his left cheek really hard, "AHH!"
"Not what I was getting at Bienfu." Magilou remarked in an irritated tone, "I'm concentrating on this 'funstrating' show unfolding in front of me." Magilou withdrew her finger and then went back to watching Eleanor and Velvet.
"So you're just going to keep watching them?" Bienfu pointed out, "That's kinda creepy."
"Like you're one to talk." Magilou countered. "Besides, didn't I make myself clear?" She joyously and theatrically stated, "I'm just seeing how things play out between our little 'Love birds' there. That's all."
"Love birds?" Bienfu exclaimed with bugged out eyes. "Are you serious?"
Magilou grinned. "That's right."
Bienfu asked in disbelief, "What the heck could possibly make you think they could be 'Love Birds' Miss Magilou."
"Oh." Magilou put her right pointer finger on her chin as she slyly replied, "Just careful observation and a teeny tiny bit of speculation."
That failed to ward off Bienfu's feelings of disbelief as he asked in a deadpan tone, "What exactly have you observed this Miss Magilou? Because I haven't seen anything that would make me think they'd get together."
"Oh my dear, dear Bienfu. You weren't always the best at picking up on the subtleties." Magilou playfully asked, "Haven't you noticed how much closer those two have gotten recently?"
"Um …" Bienfu attempted to mind storm an answer and he did his best to come up with one before his head hurt. "Well …Velvet doesn't seem to pick on or be as mean to Madam Eleanor like she used to."
"Come on." Magilou remarked, "That's only scratching the surface. Think harder."
"Um …" Bienfu was coming up with a blank.
"Fine then." Magilou conceded, "What you said before was a step in the right direction, but you seriously you need to work on that."
"Then … um …" Bienfu hesitated to asked, "What have you seen Miss Magilou?"
"Much more than that." Magilou answered as she continued to observe Velvet and Eleanor from the distance, "However, for a lack of a better word, I've noticed our little Velvet has become far more 'comfortable' with Eleanor than anyone else in our little ragtag group as of late besides out little Laphicet."
"Well I guess …" A thought finally came across Bienfu's mind as he mentioned, "She did let Madam Eleanor carry Laphicet for some reason."
Magilou snapped her fingers and pointed her finger to the sky as she exclaimed "Precisely! Before all that business with Innominant happened, she wouldn't want Eleanor to be near Laphicet if she didn't have to or couldn't stop Laphicet from doing so. However, Eleanor was the first person Velvet turned to after that 'fateful' day. And things have only continued to build up since then."
Bienfu then hesitantly pointed out, "Still though … that doesn't mean they could become 'Love Birds'."
"Oh." Magilou confidentially stated, "On the contrary, it might be the stepping stones they need."
Bienfu remarked, "I'm kinda surprised you're this interested in this Miss Magilou. You didn't strike me as the romantic type."
"Oh Bienfu. Bienfu." Bienfu could feel himself becoming stiff and tense as Magilou spoke while shaking her head. A shiver crawled down his spine as Magilou asked, "Have you forgotten who your Mistress is?"
"N … NO! Of course not Miss Magilou. Heh …" Bienfu nervously chuckled. "It's you of course."
Magilou grinned as she stated, "Good, but I'll remind you anyway, so you won't forget. I'm a witch who loves to keep herself entertained. Watching some drama unfold is way more exciting. Let's see where it goes." Magilou then decided to move from her position.
"Bien …" Bienfu sighed in relief.
"Are you coming?" Magilou called out to him.
"Oh um … Right behind you!" Bienfu quickly followed behind.
/
As Eleanor was finishing putting sunscreen on Velvet's shoulders, Eleanor couldn't help but muse, "Who would've thought we'd ever do something like this huh? I never would've thought I'd be putting sunscreen on a Deamon."
That comment caused Velvet's eyes to open while she remained lying on the blanket. As Eleanor rubbed Velvet's shoulders, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "Hmm?"
"What is it?" Velvet asked while lying on the ground.
"Nothing really, but …" Eleanor continued to rub Velvet's shoulders as she commented, "You really do seem tense Velvet."
"…" Velvet didn't reply right away. "Aren't I always?"
"Kinda," Eleanor tilted her head as she continued massaging Velvet, "but you have eased up a bit recently."
"Hmph." Velvet didn't have much to say in response.
"…" Eleanor bit her lip before continuing, "Anyway, we should try enjoying ourselves."
"Heh." Velvet chuckled as she sarcastically commented, "No matter how much I think about it, it's still strange to me. Who would've thought an exorcist of all people would be trying to convince the 'Lord of Calamity' to take it easy?"
"Yeah." Eleanor nodded her head as she continued to massage the 'Lord of Calamity', "We live in a strange world. Wouldn't you say?"
"Hmph." Velvet smirked and closed her eyes. "Can't argue with that."
"For now, let's try to forget about you being the 'Lord of Calamity' for a few days." Eleanor reminded Velvet, "This is supposed to be a vacation. Even the 'Lord of Calamity' needs a vacation right?"
Velvet shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."
"Come on Velvet." Eleanor said in annoyance as she moved her hands away from Velvet's back. She commented, "You're just getting tenser. You really need to ease up."
"…" Velvet kept looking away from Eleanor as she laid on the ground as she bit her lip.
"If you want me to, I could give you one of my favorite massages." Eleanor offered.
Velvet sat up as she remarked in a deadpan tone, "You mean like the same one you gave Bienfu the other day? No thanks."
"Seriously?" Eleanor rubbed her forehead as she exasperatedly stated, "I only did that to punish him for his behavior. I'm not going to massage you with the butt of my spear."
"I'd hope not." Velvet stated as she looked away from Eleanor.
"…" Eleanor wasn't sure what to say next as she asked, "Are you okay Velvet?"
"I'm fine." Velvet looked at Eleanor as she asked, "Why do you ask?"
"It's just …" Eleanor hesitated to asked, "Am I causing you any trouble?"
"!" Velvet was taken aback by the unexpected question as she answered, "Of course not. You're not causing me any trouble."
"Really?" Eleanor skeptically asked.
"Look. I've done a lot of bad things, but I've been pretty honest." Velvet bluntly stated, "If I had a problem with you, I'd tell you like I did before."
"That's true. Heh. Heh." Eleanor had her eyes closed as she chuckled and absentmindedly remarked, "I still remember how blunt you were after Aball."
"…" Velvet averted her eyes after hearing that. She could feel herself getting tense once again, and her fingers involuntarily shook.
"?" Eleanor noticed something was off with Velvet as she asked, "Are you sure everything is okay Velvet?"
"There is …" Velvet looked away, "There's something I need to talk to you about."
"What is it?" Eleanor asked.
Velvet sat across from Eleanor as she tried to speak, "Eleanor … I … I …" Velvet could feel the words being caught in her throat.
Eleanor tilted her head and softly asked, "What is it Velvet?"
"I just wanted to say …" Velvet bit her lip as she trailed off.
"Come on Velvet. This isn't like it. Just come out and say it." Eleanor tried to encourage Velvet, "What is it?"
"…" Velvet stopped biting lip as she said, "Thank you …"
"Huh?" Eleanor's eyes widened as much as they could at what she thought she heard. "Um …" Eleanor took a moment to process what she thought she heard before she asked, "Did you just …?"
"Thank you?" Velvet bluntly stated, "Yes I did. Is it that unusual or do you think I'm that ungrateful?" Her previous hesitation was completely absent.
"No! Of course not!" Eleanor shook her head. "You've thanked Laphicet, and I guess you did sort of say that to me before. I'm just surprised you just said that to me …" Eleanor suddenly realized her wording.
"…" Velvet bit her lip as Eleanor scrambled to find better wording.
"I mean I …" Eleanor decided to clear her throat before making another attempt. "Um … I mean I'm happy you said that, but I feel like it kinda came out of nowhere."
"It didn't." Velvet stated. "It was long overdue. Besides, there is something else I'd like to talk to you about."
Eleanor titled her head as she asked, "What is it?"
"Hey!" Before Velvet could say a word, they could hear the young boy Malakim happily shout at them from the beach, "Velvet! Eleanor! Come on!"
Velvet smiled as she looked at Laphicet playing in the water. Laphicet was up to his waist in the water with Rokurou waving towards the two women. Velvet raised up her hand and shouted back, "Be right there!" Velvet then looked towards Eleanor, and she told her, "Not right now. Let's talk about it later." Velvet specifically clarified, "This is just between us. No one else. Just us. For now, let's just enjoy the time we have."
"Okay." Eleanor nodded, "Sounds good to me."
Velvet put her jacket back on and retied the knot as she called out, "I'm coming Phi!"
As Velvet ran towards the water, Eleanor couldn't help but smile at the sight of Velvet looking so happy. Eleanor placed her hand on her chest. She could feel it beating a little faster than usual. She thought, "What was Velvet thanking me for specifically? What else did she want to talk to me about?"
"Hey Eleanor!" Eleanor snapped out to see Velvet was up to her waist in the water as she waved to her. "Are you coming?"
"Be right there!" Eleanor grabbed her blue and white dress and put it back on as she ran towards the water. "I guess I'll just have to find out later."
/
After playing in the water for over an hour, they decided to finally get out. Even though Rokurou was a Daemon, he decided to test out whether or not he could work on his tan. Meanwhile, Velvet, Eleanor, and Laphicet stood towards the forest area near the beach when Velvet decided to ask, "Is there anything else you'd like to do Phi?"
Laphicet eagerly replied, "I want to explore the island some more."
Eleanor happily said, "Sounds like fun. I always loved to go exploring."
Velvet was a little hesitant as she remarked, "Okay … I guess we can do that."
Elenaor reminded Velvet, "You remember what Benwik and Eizen said right? We shouldn't have any problems with the Abbey or other Daemons here."
Velvet defensively replied, "I said it was okay. This is a new place after all …" Velvet glanced to the side as she remarked, "Exploring the island sounds like it could be … fun …"
"…" Eleanor was silent for a moment before happily clapping her hands and stating, "Okay then. Let's have some fun"
"All right!" Laphicet ran ahead of the two girls and left them behind as he said, "I can't wait to check out this place!"
"Hmph." Velvet smiled as she looked at Laphicet's retreating figure. She put her hand on her waist, shook her head, and remarked, "Kids really love exploring don't they?"
"I'm sure you did when you were his age right?" Eleanor rhetorically asked.
"… Yeah. I did." Velvet briefly averted her eyes before looking in Eleanor's direction as she hesitantly answered, "I used to drag Laphi out of the house all the time to check out the cliff. We really liked checking those ruins too and guessing how deep that pit was."
"Oh …" Eleanor's slightly widened upon hearing that. She glanced down and put a hand on her chest as she softly spoke, "I … I see …"
"What about y …" Velvet stopped in her tracks and corrected herself, "Oh right. You just said you liked exploring when you were younger. You also traveled to different places before we met." Velvet grinned as she speculated, "I bet your love of exploring was a big reason you took that job from the Abbey."
"That would be …" Eleanor put her hands behind her back as she sheepishly admitted, "… a bet you'd win."
"Hmph." Velvet smirked. "Thought so." Velvet looked to see Laphicet was getting deeper into the forest then she looked back at Eleanor and said, "Let's go. We shouldn't let Phi get too far ahead. I don't care if Rokurou and I are the only Daemons here."
Eleanor nodded, "You're right." Velvet took the lead with Eleanor in tow.
Laphicet rounded a corner before excitedly calling out to them, "Velvet! Eleanor! Look at this!"
Both Velvet and Eleanor ran to see what Laphicet was excited about. When they turned the corner, they could see there was a clearing, and it was filled with flowers. Flowers that were bright red in the middle and white along the edges. They could see Laphicet kneeling down checking them out.
"So pretty …" Eleanor marveled at the sight before her.
"…" Velvet bit her lip slightly before shrugging, "This island is supposed to be some kind of paradise, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprise to see something like this."
"Must you …" Eleanor began to say before trailing off and shaking her head. "Never mind." Eleanor walked over to and kneeled next to Laphicet before asking, "So Laphicet you must really think these flowers are beautiful right?"
Laphicet happily replied, "Yeah. They really are beautiful. They're so … I'm not sure what else to say."
Eleanor nodded, "Yes. I get what you mean."
Laphicet looked across the clearing and said, "I think Velvet likes them too."
"Hmm?" Eleanor looked over her shoulder to see Velvet bending down and holding one of the flowers by the stem. She lifted her hand slightly, and it looked if she was about to pick it. Before she did, her fingers let go of the stem, and the flower returned to position. Velvet looked at the flowers for a few more moments before standing up and walking away from them. Laphicet and Eleanor could see Velvet with a peaceful smile on her face.
Upon observing this, Eleanor said to Laphicet, "I guess you're right. Times like these … it really shows she is a girl."
"You know what I think?" Laphicet answered before Eleanor could reply, "I think that flower goes well with Velvet."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"
"Yes." Laphicet motioned to the flower in front of him and told Eleanor, "You see how red it is but white on the edges?"
When Eleanor took a closer look, something spoke to her. She wasn't quite sure how to put it, but something about this flower seemed right to Eleanor. It was a beautiful red and white flower that made her keep thinking of Velvet the more she looked at it. It was almost hypnotic.
"Hmm, Hmph." Eleanor nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"I think it fits Velvet perfectly." Laphicet replied.
"Why do you think that?" Eleanor inquired.
Laphicet happily replied, "Because doesn't red make you think of fire?"
"I …" Eleanor hesitantly replied, "I guess so."
Laphicet stated, "Well I think it suits Velvet perfectly. Fire is pretty and strong just like her."
"Hmm …" Eleanor nodded, "I guess I can't argue with that. Fire for power. For passion. For hope." Eleanor's voice sounded more dreamy as she continued to speak until she finished the list with, "For beauty."
"Beauty?" Laphicet asked in a confused tone.
"Um …" Eleanor nervously attempted to backpedal as she explained, "I mean. Fire can be destructive and powerful, but it can be really beautiful too. I mean take a look at Velvet. She's remained strong and kept pressing forward. There's a 'beauty' in that don't you think?"
"I guess you're right about that." Laphicet stated.
"But hmm …" Eleanor continued to observe the flower as she asked, "… what about the white part?"
"Because well … umm …" Laphicet took a moment to think, "There's more to her than fire … Maybe? What do you think?"
"…" Eleanor looked over her shoulder to observe Velvet who appeared to still be admiring the flowers. Eleanor smiled as she remarked, "I don't think I can argue with that either." Eleanor took a closer look at the flower. "Hmm?" Eleanor thought out loud, "Maybe … calm, peace, or light … Maybe all three?"
"You think that's what the white part would mean?" Laphicet inquired.
"I don't know." Eleanor remarked, "Colors can mean a lot of things. I guess it really depends on how you look at it."
"That's true. Things sometimes can have a lot of meanings." Laphicet stated, "I've learned that for myself thanks to Velvet, you, and everyone else."
"Hmm." Eleanor smiled as she nodded. "I think Velvet might like to have a flower like this."
"Maybe you should give this to her." Laphicet suggested.
"Me?" Eleanor asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Laphicet nodded. "I think you're right. It would look great on her. Plus it'd go really well with her jacket don't you think?"
"Hmm …" Eleanor thought for a few moments as a blush started to form on her face before she shrugged and remarked, "I guess it's worth a shot." She carefully plucked the flower before asking, "You sure you don't want to give it to her?"
"I'm sure." Laphicet smiled. "I think she'd be happy if you gave it to her."
"…" Eleanor smiled as she stated, "Okay then." Eleanor walked over to Velvet with the flower in hand as she called out to her, "Hey Velvet."
Velvet looked up to Eleanor from her kneeling position as she answered, "Yes?"
"I …" Eleanor held up the flower as she tried to think of the right words to use. "Laphicet and I found this flower that we think would be great for you. What do you think?"
"Um …" Velvet remained kneeling blinked for a moment before answering, "You picked a flower for me?"
"Eh …" Eleanor lowered her hand she acknowledged, "Yeah … I guess getting a flower from another girl is a little weird. Heh … Heh …" Eleanor uneasily chuckled, "Sorry I didn't think this through." Eleanor turned to move away before her arm was grabbed.
"No!" Velvet grabbed Eleanor's wrist on reflex.
"Huh?" Eleanor was completely caught off guard by this.
"Um …" A light blush formed on Velvet's face as she let go of Eleanor's wrist and stood up. "I … I didn't mean it like that. Thank you. It's a nice flower."
"Another thank you?" Eleanor smiled as she replied, "I'm glad you like it." An idea suddenly came to Eleanor, "You know. I think I know the right place for it. Mind holding still?"
"… Okay." Velvet softly said as she stood still.
"This will be quick." Eleanor stood to Velvet's right side. She placed the flower in Velvet's hair as she used the stem to help keep it attached. After releasing the flower, she could see the flower was in place. "Hmm …" Eleanor looked at her handiwork before saying, "I think it'd look better if there was another one. Give me a second." Eleanor quickly kneeled down to carefully pluck another flower.
"…" Velvet remained silent and didn't move as she watched Eleanor gently pluck another flower. She let Eleanor place another flower in her hair. The Daemon let the Exorcist do what she wanted.
"There we go." Eleanor stepped back as she proudly said, "I think it looks great."
"You think so?" Velvet couldn't see Eleanor's handiwork, but something told her it looked good.
"I think it looks great on you too." Laphicet happily said with a smile.
"If you say so." Velvet replied as she put her left hand on her hip.
"I know so." Laphicet proudly replied. "Anyway, let's get back to exploring. I want to see if there's anywhere good to fish."
Eleanor happily agreed. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."
As the two walked away from the flower field, Velvet brought her right to the side of her head and touched the flowers. She could feel how soft they were. Eleanor did a fine job placing them there. She would leave it alone.
Velvet smiled as she said out loud to herself, "Thank you. Both of you. For everything." Velvet moved to catch up to them. They had more of this island to explore. There was more to do and more to talk about before their vacation could come to an end.
/
Omake:
Velvet: "Well this chapter certainly was a long time coming wasn't it?"
Eleanor: "It can't be helped. There were factors, such as the author wanting to take a 'partial' break, play Persona 5, dealing with other stories, and having to deal with the real world. It adds up."
Velvet: "Maybe the author shouldn't try splitting focus on so many stories at once."
Eleanor: "Well that might be a good point, but if the author has a lot of imagination that goes in a lot of different directions who are we to judge right?"
Velvet: "That … is also a good point."
Eleanor: "Anyway, I do like how things proceeded with this chapter. I feel like we're getting on a good track. A good amount of stuff was used but not too much."
Velvet: "I know. There was a lot of other stuff in this chapter that would've felt like the author was going to put in way too much stuff too soon. Would've been a bloated disaster."
Eleanor: "I wouldn't go that far, but yes it would've been too much too soon. Better to spread things out to make it more natural or as natural as it can be."
Velvet: "So how long do you think the time between this chapter and the next chapter will be spread out? Another six months?"
Eleanor: "I hope not. Hopefully, the author will try getting the next chapter ready for January 2018?"
Velvet: "Why that?"
Eleanor: "It'll be the anniversary for the Western release of our game of course."
Velvet: "Oh yeah … That's right. Has it really been almost a year since our game was release in the West?"
Eleanor: "It has. Hard to believe, but it has. Feels like only yesterday the author finished playing the game."
Velvet: "Yeah it does."
Eleanor: "Anyway, readers please provide a review and feedback for this chapter. The author appreciates your comments. Please support this story." (Looks to Velvet) "Velvet say it with me."
Velvet: (sighes) "Fine."
Eleanor & Velvet: "Have a Merry Christmas 2017 and have a Happy New Year 2018. See you next time!"
Eleanor: "See it wasn't that hard was it?"
Velvet: (lightly blushing) "No … I guess it wasn't …"
Eleanor: (chuckles) "This will be great."
/
Author Notes: I am pleased that I was able to publish another chapter of this story before 2017 came to a close. I felt like I was racing the clock to complete this chapter, and I'm happy I was able to succeed. Completing chapters is always a rewarding experience for me.
As the omake indicates, I will do my best to keep the gap between Chapters Two and Three to only a month or so. Hopefully, we will see the next chapter be released to celebrate the one year anniversary of Tales of Berseria's Western release on the PS4 and Steam. I also hope the audience for this game will continue to expand thanks to possible sales Bandai Namco might have along with more word of mouth.
Needless to say, I feel that Tales of Berseria was an awesome game. Easily one of the best I played in recent memory, especially since I kept going back and playing it for several hours straight every day until I finished the main story and the post-game dungeon. As much as I love playing video games, not every game made me feel like that. Here's hoping an anime adaptation for this game is produced one day like there has been for others.
During an early scene of this chapter, I did primarily utilize the dialogue from the original skit while adding some dialogue changes and narration to expand on it. I like that I was then able to continue where that skit ended. It feels like there should have been a follow-up scene to that among other things. As I mentioned before, I'm disappointed they didn't have a beach scenario in the game to go along with the DLC Beach skit. Creating this story feels like I'm filling up one of the missing pieces to this already great game.
When I was in the planning stages of this chapter and writing a number of potential scenes for the chapter, I realized a few of them might be better off left for a later chapters. Developing the relationship between Velvet and Eleanor throughout this story would be optimal. I look forward to expanding on their relationship in this story.
For those of you disappointed that Laphicet merely had a cameo appearance in the previous chapter, I'm sure you'll be happy he was front and center at certain points of this chapter. You can expect him to appear in the subsequent chapters. That was always my intention for this story since the relationships between Velvet, Laphicet, and Eleanor were among the best parts of the game due to the development they all received. While this mostly takes place after a majority of that development transpired, I look forward to adding more of my own.
As usual, I would greatly appreciate it if you would provide feedback for this chapter. I wish you a Merry Christmas 2017, Happy Hanukkah 2017, and Happy New Year 2018. See you next time. Hopefully, it won't be six months.
