Phase two: The Date
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Okay, so here's the second part of 'Night Out'. I hope that everyone will enjoy. Just for reference, this takes place after 'To My Love' and a little before 'Nothing like Frostval'
Disclaimer – I own Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, and Blaze. Xenolord owns Maria, Natalya, and Serras. Flame owns Shiro, and Armor. Flame and I both own Felix and Faust. All others, we don't own.
By the way everyone, I'm sorry this took so long. I've been rather busy, and I had nearly no time to work on this. But I hope you enjoy it.
"Get ready; they're coming."
"Alright everyone, get into your positions! They're coming!" Rayne shouted.
Thanks to Lizzie's stalling (she actually was helping Natalya, she was just purposely dragging it out), they had had just enough time to organize everyone. As Maria and Rayne saw it, as they were the leaders of the operation, nearly everyone that was helping them were some sort of warrior anyways, so it was to be handled like, and with the seriousness of, a military mission.
As it was night, there were sure to be creatures looking to come into town and catch someone unawares. That was why they had the night patrol. But, there just happened to be a full moon that night. More than likely the creatures would be much more active, and there would be even more than usual trying to get in, and wreak havoc.
So the bulk of their forces had gone into keeping the monsters out. Those who were left over had been separated into different, small groups.
Trip, with some of the acquaintances of the Natalya and Serras,) such as the people who occasionally fought along side them, those who they had trained, the less recognizable people to them, those who they wouldn't recognize in a heartbeat) formed the decoy group. If anything did manage to bother the two, they would deal with it.
Lizzie, and some of the more stealth-trained people, made up the intelligence squad. They would shadow them, and report to Rayne and Maria where they were going, what they were doing, and if there were any signs of danger.
"Is everyone ready?" Maria asked Rayne, as she surveyed the mass of people. Rayne nodded. "Everyone's taken their positions; now, you just have to go join Lizzie and the others." After a coin flip, it had been decided that Rayne would oversee and help out at the edge of town.
"Right then." With that, and a turn, Maria had disappeared amongst the rest of the people.
Natalya and Serras walked down the main street of Battleon.
"Cold tonight, isn't it?" Natalya commented, feeling a bit uneasy. Sure, they might've known each other for years, and spent time with each other, but never in a situation like this.
Serras smiled as cheerfully as she could. "Well...it is November. And Frostval is going to come soon." As she spoke, little clouds of steam rose from their breath. Natalya nodded. "I guess you're right."
They walked for silence for a few moments, before she casually asked "So...where are we going?"
She had been expecting the normal look that Serras got whenever she was asked one of those types of questions the 'Oh damn, I totally forgot!' look. So it came as a total surprise, when instead of that face, received in a mock regal tone,
"Actually, we're going to one of the finest eateries in town, where we shall enjoy a luxurious meal, with only the finest of foods."
"So were heading over to that little restaurant just a little off of Main Street?"
Natalya bit back her laughter, as the smirk on her date's face dropped. "Well...yes. But it sounds so much worse when you say it like that." She mumbled. Natalya smiled. If the tension hadn't broken already, that line had done it.
Natalya smiled. "You know what?"
"What?" Serras mumbled, pouting over the loss of her moment.
Natalya stopped walking, leaned over, and grasped one of Serras' hands in her own. "I think 'The Silver Spoon' is just fine." She said smiling widely, as Serras beamed.
They had yet to let go of each others hands when they reached their destination.
Lizzie watched them from the rooftop of the Inn, the darkness providing the perfect cloak for her. She was staring at the two as they walked down the street, with her wrist up to her mouth, muttering into her portal-com (yes, I now I called it portal matic, but I'm changing the name)
"...no, nothing seems wrong so far, they seem to be making small talk." She smiled; everything seemed to be going well. Her smile morphed into a small frown, as she saw them stop suddenly in the middle of the street. "Oh, no, wait..."
"What's wrong?" Rayne's voice crackled over the portal-com.
"They...they seemed to have stopped walking...should I send one of them to get a bit closer?"
"No...If they don't start walking in 5 minutes, then send someone to see if anything has gone wrong."
"Oh, wait, they started walking again, and-"
"And? And what? Lizzie?"
Had Lizzie been able to see Rayne, she would have seen that the squeal that came through the portal-com was actually enough for Rayne to reel backwards, clap one hand over her ear, and hold the portal-com away from her.
"Aww, they're holding hands Rayney! It's so sweet!"
"Yes...yes, Lizzie, I can understand that it is, but...do you know where they're going?"
"Oh...yes, sorry..." She sweat dropped. Holding up a small, clear, stone, she stared at it, and began to talk. "So, has anybody been able to find out where there going?"
At once, the stone turned opaque, and a voice began to emanate from it. "I've heard that they're going to go to 'The Silver Spoon' for dinner, but Serras is keeping the rest a surprise, I assume."
Lizzie nodded. "Thanks." She said, and the stone became clear again. "Did you get that Rayne?"
'Yup.'There was a pause; Lizzie knew the young commander was thinking of what to do next.
'Lizzie, do you think that you, and the rest of your group could get into there before them? Maybe send a few people to observe them, while you and the people with more...notable cooking experience handle the dinner?
"Right on it love."
As Natalya and Serras entered the restaurant, someone came immediately, and led them to a table. Battleon was more advanced than other towns, you see. Even dining-wise.
"You know, I have a feeling that I've seen that waiter somewhere before...I just can't tell where..." Natalya mumbled to Serras.
Serras shrugged, but smiled, as they both settled into their seats. "I haven't been here too many times, but I really do like it. Especially how the cooks will sometimes take special requests."
Natalya raised an eyebrow. "They take requests?"
Serras nodded. "Yup. Just like they'll do for us tonight."
"But how did you get that done?"
"I saved the owner from being robbed and killed by a bandit." She said. "Do you want a special meal, or order off the menu?"
Natalya picked up the menu in front of her, and scanned it for a moment. After a moment, she pointed to one of the items on the list. "I'd like that one, but could you get them to change it up just a bit?" Serras craned her neck, so she could see what she was talking about, and nodded. "Sure. I'll go tell the chef; be back soon!"
Getting up from her seat, she smiled charmingly at Nat and picked up her menu, before heading off to the kitchen, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching her.
"That lucky little brat..."
"Riles, she's older than you."
"I'm still taller than her, Yuki."
Yuki and Riles sat watching Serras. Instead of turning to the kitchen doors, she paused, and headed towards the washrooms.
"But it's not fair! I love this place, and we never ever get any special orders!" Riles pouted, dark blonde hair falling into her eyes.
Yuki couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. "Well, you know what? Next time, when the owner is in danger of dying, how about you and I go save him, so that we can get free orders too?"
Riles looked up, staring into Yuki's eyes through her glasses."You promise?" She asked, a half smile on her face.
"Cross my heart." Yuki said solemnly, despite the grin beginning to wriggle its way onto her face.
Their moment was suddenly cut off, as Serras reappeared.
"Oh hell..." Riles mumbled, fumbling around for her own stone. Yuki, ever prepared, pulled hers out. "Lizzie, Serras is currently heading your way. She wants a special order for her and Nat." She said, very quickly, as Serras began to make her way to the kitchen door.
Lizzie's eyes widened, as she heard Yuki's message. 'Lizzie; whatever you do, don't let them spot you, or give them enough time to recognize the people you are with.' She could hear Rayne's calm voice in the back of her head, repeating what the raven-haired woman had said earlier.
"Alright everyone" She said; most of the people were either working with her, or were actual cooks, who were in on the plan. "Serras is coming. Whatever you do, do not give the plan away. All those who are part of the group, don't give her a chance to recognize you. Got it?" Everyone nodded, but before anything else could be said, Serras walked in, causing people to hurriedly go back to their task.
Serras scanned her eyes over the chef's, busy at work. She looked carefully for whoever seemed to be the head chef.
Spotting him, she smiled, and walked over, tapping him on the shoulder. He looked away from one of the other chef's dishes, and turned to her. He frowned, about to ask her what she was doing there, but stopped, as she realized who it was. "Ah, yes; Ms. Nerra!" He smiled. "What can I get you, hmm?"
"Well, I was wondering if I could ask for this-" She pointed to an item on the menu. "With some alternatives?"
"Of course." He answered. "Now, let's see, the cook who usually makes that is her." He looked around his kitchen for a moment, before spotting the cook, and pointing at her, without a second thought.
"Thank you." She said politely, then walked to them. He smiled again, pleased with himself, before he remembered who was in charge of that for the night;
Lizzie.
Lizzie stiffened up, as she saw Serras walk in. She relaxed, as she head towards the head chef. He looked around for a moment, before pointing at her, letting Serras come near. She slapped herself on the forehead quickly, and thought 'I'm going to have a long talk with that man after this.'
"So, you're the one who takes care of this order?"
Lizzie gulped as she heard the question. Thankfully, she had tied her orange-red hair into a bun, and put on a hat before, just in case. Keeping her face down, and not letting Serras see her face fully, she spoke.
"Yep. That's me." She said, adopting a drawl that she had heard people down south use when she was sent on a quest, and deepening her voice slightly.
She sighed inwardly when Serras didn't recognize her. "Listen, since you're in the process of preparing more, could you make it with some alternatives, like instead of the meat for this being pork, could you make it beef? And take out the..."
Lizzie listened carefully, as Serras made her every request.
"So can you do the please?"
"No problem."Lizzie drawled, taking out all the ingredients she needed, and placing them on her space.
Serras smiled. "Thanks. It's kind of important, and I want to make sure everything goes well, because it's my first date with someone I really, really like."
"I know." Lizzie answered cheerfully, and froze when she realized what she said. Looking out of the corner of her eye, Serras was looking at her oddly.
"How did you-"
"Uh...I've-I've been through it myself." She said quickly. "Now you go on and go on back to Natalya, y'hear!?"
Before Serras had answered, Lizzie had grabbed her by her shoulders, and pushed her out the kitchen door.
Serras couldn't help but wonder, as she headed back to the table,
"How did she know it was Nat?"
The orange-haired woman sighed in relief, and slumped up against the counter. "That was a close one." she muttered, as she swiped her had over her forehead.
"Now, to get started on their dinner..."
The waiter stepped out of the kitchen, holding aNatalya and Serras' orders. He calmly, yet cautiously walked over to their table.
"One for you." He said, as he walked behind Natalya, and placed her meal in front of her, brushing her collar ever so slightly.
"And one for you." He said again to Serras, as he repeated what he had done earlier.
"Enjoy your meal." He smiled, as he turned around, and walked back to the kitchen, a small smile on his face.
Miss Lizzie would be pleased.
As soon as they had finished their dinner, Lizzie and her partners had hightailed it out of there. Thanks to the 'waiters' making sure to go by their table often, and the little microphones that they had slipped onto their collars, things would run much smoother.
They had taken to the rooftops once again, as Natalya and Serras went back on the move.
"So where are we going now?" Lizzie heard the elder Despair sister say.
"You'll see." Serras replied, a hint of excitement in her tone.
As Natalya, Lizzie, and her troupe followed Serras, it became evident where they were going.
The trees snowed gold, yellow, orange, and red leaves, as they all entered the tiny forest, separated from the main one surrounding the town, within it's boundaries. The full moon that hung in the air shone moonlight down onto the visible parts of the skeleton of the trees, leaving a bluish-black shadow.
As Lizzie realized that the buildings wouldn't give them anymore cover, she motioned to the others to jump onto the sturdier, larger trees, with more leaves than the others.
"Wow Serras..." Natalya breathed, watching the leaves scatter about, before turning, and seeing the small smile on the redhead's face. "I found this in the summer while I was taking a walk around. I come here a lot at night, but I've never been here before during autumn. Do you like it?"
"Definitely." She nodded. They began to walk around, side by side, admiring the colours and the cool night air.
As they walked, Natalya stole small glances at Serras.
If you told her a year before that she would be doing this, Natalya would have laughed in your face, and told you to go ask the Medic to see if you had any head injuries. But there she was.
It was somewhat surreal. No one believed that Serras was what she was today. Hell, eight years ago, she was possessed by an evil being, that nearly destroyed the town, and almost killed everyone. Then again, Natalya did play Drakonnan for a while. She wasn't particularly proud of that, and it put a huge burden on her shoulders. She was positive that Serras had the same feeling.
At that moment, Natalya became proud. Not of who she was before, but proud of Serras. That she had began to redeem herself, by protecting, and saving people, even if it never would be enough. She was proud that she had adapted, and lived in a town, where she knew barely anyone, and her familiars she knew had left a long time ago, but she still continued to forge on. She was brave.
And Natalya realized, that that had to be the trait the she loved most about her.
"What are you thinking about?" Serras' words broke her out of her thought.
"About you." The words slipped out of her mouth without thought, and even in the dim lighting, Nat could see the faint trace of a blush.
The wind blew at that moment, and the scattered leaves rustled around, providing the perfect cover for Lizzie's, and the rest of her troupes 'aww.'
"Serras?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for asking me out."
"You're welcome." Serras walked in front of Natalya, and placed a light, chaste kiss on her lips, where she could feel the smile that Nat had, as she returned it.
As they reached the end of their walk (which had been all around the edge of the mini-forest)Natalya asked, "So...is this the end of our night?"
"Well, I was actually thinking of doing one more thing but..." Serras looked away. "It's only if you're up to it."
"What is it?"
"Well..." Serras leaned up ever so slightly, and began to whisper in her ear.
"They want to do what?" Rayne said in disbelief, staring at the portal-com.
"Don't ask me, that's just what I heard." Lizzie responded, the same disbelief in her voice.
Rayne shook her head. "I always thought that both of them were one lycan short of a pack."
She turned around, and beckoned for Maria.
"What is it?" She asked making sure that the creatures weren't breaking through their ranks.
Rayne leaned up, and muttered something to the older woman.
"They want to WHAT?" She yelled, staring at the young commander.
"That's what I said." Rayne shrugged. "I'm just relaying what Liz said she heard them say.
"Well...alright."
Maria ran back into the fray. A few minutes later, some unidentified monsters broke through the ranks, and headed into town, running down the main street, where they we're met by two figures.
Natalya and Serras stood, with standard Guardian blades at their sides, they're outing clothes replaced for full Guardian armour.
With a laugh and a nod at each other, they raced head first towards the intruding monsters.
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