If there was one thing Noire could truly appreciate from the new environment she was in, it was the atmosphere. The sky was blanketed by an orange evening glow, making way for the eventual nighttime and its gifting cooling effects. Dark colored clouds dotted around the sky, partially covering a setting sun in the horizon. It was a very breath-taking sight, one that Noire could stare at for as long as it lasted. It helped calm her mind, making her feelp at ease despite their troubling situation.
"What are you thinking about?" Vert asked from the side, in a low voice since Blanc had fallen back to sleep on, where else, Vert's lap during the journey to the so-called 'Royal Palace'. Noire could only shrug at her friend, who was petting the sleeping Blanc's head for some reason.
"Nothing, really. Mostly I'm trying to take my mind off of this whole mess." She sighed, crossing her arms. "All of it has just been so nonsensical and bizarre, I'm doing my best just to keep my sanity here."
"It is wise to keep a cool head in these types of scenarios, yes," The blonde woman nodded. "But, what do you assume they have planned for us?"
"Well, they said they were going to take us to these 'Pharaohs', who I can only assume are their leaders. Whether or not they'd be able to actually help us is another story." Noire admitted sheepishly. "Unless they somehow have a magical tome just lying around to wait and bring us home, I think our chances are pretty slim."
Vert frowned. "We could be in another land all together, or perhaps more extreme, another dimension." She suggested, causing Noire to give her a bewildered look. "Think about it, none of these women are aware of the existence of CPUs, nor have they even heard of our Gamindustri. Lands different from ours are at least aware of us back home, even those with the more primitive technology as these women possess, or lack thereof, I should say."
"..." Noire looked to her side, and noticed that the buildings were made of... sand? No, it couldn't be sand... but it matched the color of the ground, which was clearly sand! No lights either, at least not the ones Noire was used to, the guards carried torches since their were no lamp posts in sight. Actual roads didn't seem to exist either, everything was just covered in sand. 'I'm starting to see a recurring theme here...' Not to mention, the people in the houses and the few walking the streets wore things that Noire would have seen in cosplay or fashion magazines, not everyday wear. Some held clay pots over their heads, filled with water or grains, while others were seen in pairs, hugging each other while they stared at them, making Noire feel all the more awkward in the foreign world she was in. Like everyone else they had met up to this point, they shared the recurring trait of dark skin and black hair of varying lengths and cuts. Such a factor of similarity, it only made the CPUs stand out even more. She didn't want to believe that Vert was right, mostly because such a revelation would undoubtedly give her a heart attack, but if Neptune could do it twice, anything was possible at that point.
"We're approaching the Royal Palace!" announced Woserit suddenly, shaking up Noire and Vert, who woke up Blanc as a result.
"Ah, what the fuck?!" POW! Clearly not happy, she socked Vert right in her jaw, nearly lopping off her head as a groggy Blanc sat up. "Tch, dammit, I was having a good nap too..." She rubbed her eyes, yawned, then looked at the woman she injured. "Oh... uh, sorry Vert."
"A-Agh..." Leanbox's CPU held her lower jaw in searing pain, unable to speak at that moment. Noire sighed at their antics, looking off into the distance to see what the Captain was referring to. It was large, clear as day, it almost took Noire's breath away just by looking at its grandiose design. "W-Whoa..."
The palace was very tall, standing a few stories high and made from stone. It was supported by a large foundation of brick, making up the square building. One of the floors was decorated from the outside with the imagery of sphinxes and people running along the sides, while the topmost floors were held by several stone columns that allowed only the most vague glimpse inside when seen from a distance. Behind the massive palace, Noire spotted a sparkling river. She could see outlines of people bathing in it or some sort, they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Turning her attention back to the palace, it's size left a mark on her. Her own Basilicom was dwarfed by its sheer height, making the Tsundere wonder just what was kept hidden inside, beside their leaders.
"I will only warn you once, Moswens, any sign of the slightest disrespect or disgrace will be met with severe punishments. Ill or not, they are our divine leaders and will be treated as such." The Captain was talking directly to the CPUs, despite looking at all five of the occupants with her head turned.
"'Moswen'? The hell kind of name is that?" Blanc asked brashly, earning the ire of Woserit.
"It means 'light skin', you brainless half-wit. It suits the three of you rather well." She answered them with a grin, to which Blanc responded with a hard shake of her fist. "I am serious, though. You are to give our leaders the respect they deserve. We live in an age of prosperity and peace solely because of their hard work and dedication. We owe them much and, if for some goddess forsaken reason, you do not listen to me, then it's your heads!" To enunciate her point, the Captain unsheathed her sickle sword and pointed it at the CPUs with a death glare in her eyes. "And trust me, it will be very easy to lop off your heads with this weapon, so I highly suggest you listen to reason!"
"U-Uh, suuuuuuuure..." Wide-eyed, Noire answered her with the most unsure 'sure' she had ever sure'd in her life. Vert and Blanc just nodded silently, the former still holding her jaw with care, wearing similarly shocked expressions.
"Good." With a simple nod, Woserit put away her weapon and continued her walk as if nothing had happened. In a moment of silence, Noire observed the rapidly approaching temple with awe. "Hmmm..."
"The Captain is right, you know." Nanna spoke up, who had turned to look at them with a serious expression. "Don't go in there and start babbling nonsense, it'll either confuse or offend them, depending on how much you might say."
"Y-Yeah, just keep quiet in front of them, alright?" Agatha chimed in, to which the CPUs responded with silent nods. "T-Thank you..." She shifted back to her companions backside, leaving them to chat among themselves once again.
"... What do you think these Pharaohs are like?" Vert asked her black-haired comrade, finally able to speak though her lower jaw had a bruise. "I, for one, like to hope that they are more pleasant individuals than these folks."
"I heard that!" shouted the irate Captain.
"H-Hey..." "Huh..?" Agatha and Nanna looked rather offended, to which Vert panicked.
"N-No! You two are very fine ladies, it's just... everyone else." Poke. "Ow!" Vert felt her side being sharply poked by one of the guards' halberds. Frowning, she rubbed the sore spot and mumbled. "I-I deserved that..."
Blanc was busy holding in her laughter, while Noire answered her earlier question. "Well, if they're anything like their palace here... well, I actually don't want to say much. I'll reserve my judgement for when we actually see them." Noire sat back, being careful not to bump into Blanc's broken leg. "Although, if the Captain's claims are true, then they must be benevolent beings, right? Everyone here acts like they're a big deal, so they must have some merit to them."
"Maybe..." Thud "Oof!"
"No monsters, domesticated or not, inside the palace. We walk from here." The Captain stopped their animal just in front of the massive palace, where even more guards awaited them. Taking the hint, Noire scooped her Loween friend into her arms and lept off the side of the giant, hairy beast. Vert and the two denizens followed right behind her, led by the Captain and two other guards, while the rest kept behind and watched the CPUs closely. They approached a stone-fixed stairway, encroached with polished flooring made of sandstone. Noire could only imagine how long it must've taken to make the floors so impressively clean; She could practically make out the beads of sweat on her body as they walked.
"I'm assuming you let our leaders know of this situation beforehand. If not, it's your heads..." Silently, fearfully, two guards Woserit approached nodded quickly. "And what were their response?"
"A-Ah..." Shaking, the guard on the left answered with a quake in her tone, having to speak directly to the Captain herself. "L-Lady Nubia t-took an interest, s-she wanted to see the seriousness of these strangers supposed illness. L-Lady Nefertiti and Lady Nephthys wanted to see for themselves, as well."
'So that's the names of these so-called 'Pharaohs', huh?' thought Noire, feeling the pull of eagerness take her quite easily. 'Well, let's see if they're as benevolent as everyone says.'
"Very well then, you two! Follow me." With that command, the guards she had been speaking to joined up by both her sides. "Moswens! Behind me." Noire and Vert did as instructed, earning a low growl from Blanc due to that nickname. "Lazuli! You escort the scavengers back to their home. The rest of you, follow behind the strangers and ensure they stay in line." With those commands, Nanna and Agatha were taken away by the soldier 'Lazuli', while the dozen or so who remained formed into a straight, unbreakable line behind the CPUs. They stared back once, and gulped. "Now then, we go." So they went inside the palace, their very fates awaiting them on the inside.
Speaking of which, the interior was decorated in a similar vein to the outside. There were many pillars supporting the building's structure. Otherwise, there wasn't much of note inside the halls, aside from a few plants here and there, along with various wall decorations like weapons and the like. It was quite dark, torches in place of the more traditional light bulbs, making Noire wonder just how far behind the inhabitants were in terms of technology.
"From here, I must stress: Show the utmost respect, do not speak unless you are spoken to and always remember to kneel, and that last one goes for all of you." She glared at the guards, who shared an audible gulp. "Be grateful, Moswens, for I have decided to speak on your behalf. So that means, keep quiet and let me do the talking, got it?!"
Noire and Vert raised their hands up in defense. "Yes yes, we get it! No disrespect, no talking back and, apparently, kneel at all times."
"Well then, it appears you can still listen properly under whatever illness you may have." Satisfied, Woserit turned back around and moved forward. "Come, we shouldn't be much farther now." With a quiet nod, they resumed their walk.
The hallways were very dark for what they were, to what Noire could only assume was due to the lack of any sort of proper lighting. Their footsteps echoed throughout the large halls, giving the atmosphere a much more dark and mysterious weight than it had any right to be.
"We're here!"
They had finally arrived. The throne room was a rather extravagant one. There were many images carved and painted into the walls and pots of flowers near the entryway. There was a series of pillars creating a path to the very back of the room, as well as a red and golden carpet leading to the thrones of the pharaohs. Each seat was practically made of gold - fit for rulers of a nation - where the three pharaohs sat.
The three CPUs kneeled before them, as instructed. Though, Noire found it rather ironic that a trio of Goddesses were being made to bow before others of similar stature, but she ignored the thought and inspected the trio of pharaohs curiously.
"So you've brought them, have you?" the woman seated in the middle began. Her voice was deep, reverberating through the room, as befitting a leader of a nation. She sat with her arms on the rests and her legs crossed, staring at the foreigners in her company with a twinkle of amusement from her crimson red eyes. She, like her people - and by extension, her fellow pharaohs - had dark black hair and brown skin. Unlike her people, her hair was more messy and wavy and her figure was also more pronounced, with large breasts and thighs. She simply wore a golden robe, slung over one shoulder, along with a simple pair of brown sandals and a golden choker with a blue jewel embedded onto the front of it. She also wore a simple, red jewel on her head, shaped like a water droplet. "I thank you for bringing them here, Woserit. I must say, I've never seen such unusual guests. And wearing blankets, no less."
"Y-Yes, Lady Nefertiti..." the guard captain began, "They were brought here by two of our scavengers with no clothes. This was all we could provide at the time being."
"Is that so?" the pharaoh to the left started, in a much more subdued voice. She looked similar to her fellow in the middle, but instead, her eyes were green. She was also a bit shorter, with a slightly more petite figure and more moderate breasts. Her hair was also more neat and straightened, with her bangs ending just above her eyeline. She had on a white robe with a blue-gold belt wrapped around her waist and matching collar with a blue jewel in the center of it. She also wore the same droplet-shaped jewel around her forehead as the other, though green in color. "I was told they were sick as well?" she asked, placing her hands on her lap.
"They don't look very sick to me," The third finally chimed in from the right. She was the tallest of the 3, but not by much, with a similar figure to the middle one. She had long, free-flowing hair, not too messy, but not fully groomed. She had golden eyes, complimented by a purple robe covering her body, though a bit thinner in places than the other two's clothes. Finally, just like her fellows, she wore the same jewel on her forehead, but gold in color. She crossed her arms and squinted her eyes towards the 3 guests. "Are you sure they're not just tired from their little journey?"
"That's what we've been trying to-"
"I'll go take a look," Noire was cut off by the pharaoh on the left. She sat up from her seat and walked up to the group of kneeling women. To everyone's surprise, the guard captain shot a hand forward towards the green-eyed woman.
"Ah! There is no need to concern yourself with such matter, Lady Nubia! I'm sure-"
"Silence!" the one now known as Nubia ordered, causing Woserit to shuffle back in surprise. "I appreciate your concern, but this will be a simple matter." To this, Woserit could say nothing more. She bowed her head as she let the pharaoh carry on. "Now then, let me take a closer look at you." She raised Noire's face to meet her eyes, the CPU unable to do or say anything in response. She gulped, a bit nervous for some reason. Her fellows were off to the side, watching curiously as the pharaoh moved a hand forward to Noire's face. All of a sudden, a warm glow began to emit from her palm, to Noire's surprise.
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but after a few seconds, Nubia pulled her hand away. She moved around behind Noire and, in one swift motion- "...Huh...?" she threw the blanket she'd been wearing off of her body, revealing the previous scars she'd gotten on her back. "... Wha?! Wha?! What are you- Uwah?!" All of a sudden, Noire's body started to spazz out on her as Nubia pressed a hand against her back. The raven-haired woman almost had to bite her tongue to hold back a scream.
"There. That should do it," Nubia said as she finally pulled away from Noire. Needless to say, but the ravenette quickly stood up from her spot and faced Nubia with an annoyed expression... That is, until she realized that she was now standing naked in front of a bunch of strangers and moved her arms to cover herself.
"Now, listen here, you!" the ravenette began. Woserit was just about ready to stand up, looking like she wanted to strangle Noire, but a glare from Nubia stopped her in her tracks. "What the heck was that all about?!"
"I am sorry. I was merely trying to take care of the scar on your back," Nubia explained in between Noire's flustered rambling.
"I come here to speak with the ones in charge, but now you just strip me in front of- ...I'm sorry, what was that?" Noire asked.
"The wound on your back. I took care of it," Nubia repeated. "Now, as for the other two..." She then proceeded to ignore the baffled Noire as she walked over the blonde CPU and gave her the same treatment. After taking a second to collect her bearing, Noire looked back to Nubia... still rather annoyed. That is, until she saw Vert gaping at her with wide eyes.
"Noire... The scar on your back... It's gone," Vert noted. Even Blanc seemed to be staring in shock. So, finally, Noire craned her neck to get a look at her back and...
"What...?" Just like Vert had said, the scar she'd gotten from before was no longer there. "What the? How?"
"Nubia is a very gifted magician, you see," a voice from behind began. It had been that of the middle pharaoh, Nefertiti, a sole finger raised, as if giving a lecture of sorts. By this point, Nubia was done with Vert and moving onto Blanc. "She is known for being very skilled in healing magic, she has even been known for restoring lost limbs. The main downside to this is that-"
"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!" BAM! BOOM! CRASH!
"-it's... very painful for the one being healed," Nefertiti finished, directing her gaze to the brunette CPU, who was violently pounding her fist on the floor from the aforementioned pain. "Your friend is, um... very strong for her size." Even Woserit was shocked by the petite brunette's display of raw brute strength, while Noire and Vert only sweatdropped. "The floors were even made of the strongest stone we could find, too." Before they knew it, a swarm of guards came rushing in, all stunned into shock by the sight they witnessed.
"Goodness me, whatever happened to your leg...?" Nubia mumbled as she worked on the brunette. Unlike the others, she did a much better job maintaining her cool, though if one looked closely enough, they could see beads of nervous sweat rolling down her forehead. "Just bear with it. I will be done any moment now... Aaaaaaand... Done!"
"GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" With one final scream from Blanc, Nubia quickly undid her magic and jumped away from the in pain brunette girl, running to her throne in an instant like a terrified rabbit. The petite brunette finally stopped punching the floor, but Woserit was already on one knee, looking ready to jump it at any moment in case Blanc did anything hasty. All the while, Blanc settled into a fit of panting, trying to reclaim her own breath.
"Does... Does your leg feel better now?" Nubia asked in an almost shaky voice.
Blanc didn't respond at first, still trying to catch her breath. It took many long seconds before she was finally able to mutter out a "Y-Yeah... Thanks..."
"My pleasure..." Nubia added with a slight, if a bit forced, smile.
"Well, good to see she's all right now," Nefertiti chimed in. "So then, how do they check out, Nubi?"
"Well, it's just as Neph thought," Nubia answered. "No form of illness to be found. If anything, they all seem to be in very healthy condition, aside from a bit of soreness I detected, but that should be remedied by a good night's rest."
"B-But how can that be possible?!" Woserit cut in suddenly. "They are all so-"
"Different?" Nefertiti cut in. Woserit did not answer. "I agree, but if Nubia says they're not sick, we have no reason not to believe her. She's never failed us before, after all." The red-eyed woman placed her elbows on her lap and rested her chin on her hands, observing the three guests very closely. "Although, that does beg the question... Oh! How rude of me!" Snapping back up into her seat, Nefertiti combed back her hair with one hand and gave her guests a smile before clearing her throat. "I must apologize for my rude behavior. My name is Nefertiti. This is Nubia," she held a hand to her left. Nubia waved. "And this is Nephthys," she waved a hand to her right. Nephthys waved "My sisters and I are the rulers of this land. Tell me, what are your names, strangers?"
"Oh, Uh... My name is Noi-" Noire stopped halfway into her own sentence, having remembered she was still naked. She darted her eyes around in a panic, until she found her blanket and dove to wrap it around her body. With it back in place, she cleared her throat and started over. "My name is Noire."
"My name is Vert," the blonde greeted.
"Blanc," the brunette said simply, still reeling from the pain in her leg. Though, she did take the moment to stretch out her leg now that her ankle was back in proper order. Satisfied, she took to a seiza style seated position. "I might as well just ask, but where is this?"
"This is the nation of Femi," Nefertiti answered quaintly. To her surprise, Blanc's expression formed into a frown. Her fellow CPUs shared this same expression. "Uh... I'm sorry. I feel like I'm missing something. Did I say something wrong?" Nef inquired.
"No, no! Of course not," Vert responded. "Your answer was of much help. We're just... surprised is all."
"... I see."
"Well, now that we've answered your question, I have a few of my own," Nephthys began, finally joining the conversation. "Who are all of you? And where did you come from? I've never seen anyone in our land quite like the three of you."
"W-Well..." Noire scratched her cheek awkwardly. Her eyes wandered about. "That's... Well..." She looked to her fellow CPUs for help, but all they could offer was a simple shrug from Blanc and an awkward smile from Vert.
"Is something the matter?" asked Nephthys.
"N-No! It's just that..."
"It's just...?"
"Just..." Noire sweatdropped. The woman, Nephthys, gave her a very stern and inquisitive look. Nubia and Nefertiti leaned forward ever closer, anticipating her response. Even Woserit was waiting for an answer, albeit much more impatiently. "Argh! Alright... We are Goddesses from the land known as Gamindustri."
Everything seemed to go silent. All pairs of eyes were looking directly at Noire, much to her dismay.
Nefertiti blinked.
Nubia blinked.
Nephthys blinked.
Noire wanted to die.
"Gamindustri?" Nubia repeated aloud. "I have never heard of such a place."
"Could they be from another land?" Nubia contemplated aloud. "We've never gone too far beyond our own walls. Perhaps they come from somewhere far away from our own land?"
"But then how did they get here?" Nephthys wondered. "If they did come from somewhere else, how did they make it all the way here? As we have seen, Ms. Blanc, is very strong, but to have crossed an entire desert filled with dangerous monsters under the blazing heat? I cannot believe such a thing to be possible."
"Y-Yes, well-"
"Nephy's got a point, Nubi. Not even our best women could pull of such a miracle," Nefertiti added. "Then again, we don't know the full story as of now."
"Y-Yes, like I was trying to-"
"Exactly! We can't rule out that possibility. After all, we have discovered a number of safe havens from beast in the past," Nubia added. "It may sound a bit far-fetched, but if they were to travel efficiently enough from these safe points, it could still be possible."
"L-Like I was trying to say-"
"I suppose, but that would also require an unbelievable amount of luck on their end. Some monsters are known to lurk near the safe zones, you know," Nephthys countered. "The most likely possibility I can think of is if they somehow discovered some sort of more elaborate and long safe zone that allowed them to travel unimpeded. Perhaps found somewhere under the sands? We've not had many expeditions under the sands. I suppose I will have to make note of this for future reference."
"Excuse me!" Noire finally managed to interrupt.
"You are excused," Nephtys said without thinking. "... Oh! Oh, I am sorry. We had almost forgotten you 3 were here," she admitted, embarrassed. She chuckled awkwardly, offering an apologetic smile. Nubie and Nefertiti nodded along as well. "My sisters and I can get very carried away. So then, what was it you were trying to say, Ms. Noire?"
"Oh," Noire took a metaphorical step back. She hadn't expected the woman to be so polite, for some reason. "Y-Yes. Like I was trying to say, you've got it all wrong. We're not from this land at all." The trio of pharaohs gave her a quzzical stare, though Woserit just gave a 'harumph', like she'd expected such nonsense. Noire paid her no heed. "We believe that we have come from an entirely different dimension," the ravenette proclaimed.
"Another dimension?" Nephthys mimed.
"Y-Yes!"
"... Huh?" The Pharaoh was confused.
"Another dimension? How does that even work?" Nefertiti asked.
"I find that very hard to believe," Nubia chimed in. "What do you think, sister Nephthys?"
"Hm..." The pharaoh in question remained quiet for several seconds. She locked eyes with Noire, her gaze unwavering, as if she was examining her very soul. For some reason, Noire felt a sweatdrop under the woman's gaze, until after a brief moment, her gaze softened. "She doesn't seem to be lying, from what I can tell," she said finally, much to the surprise of Woserit.
The CPUs blinked. They looked at each other in disbelief before turning to the shocked face of the Captain. Blanc couldn't help but smirk at the woman's dumbstruck face.
"Your highnesses!" Woserit began. "Surely you cannot mean to say you believe these outrageous claims!"
"I don't," Nephthys immediately replied. "But at the same time, we cannot discount the fact that we do not have enough evidence to deny their claims, either. If they had been lying, I would certainly know. Or do you mean to question my judgement?"
"N-No! Of course not, my lady..."
"Then that is the end of that conversation," Nephthys declared. Noire didn't want to admit it, but she had to admire the woman's surprising rationality and judgement. It made her feel at ease to know that at least one of these women was willing to lend them her ear. "Now, then. I believe the best course of action would be to have them stay here at the palace so we can discuss this further."
"Wait!" Woserit began once again. Blanc scowled, though Noire couldn't really blame her, she was getting a bit tired of the guard captain just as much as the CPU of white. "Surely you cannot mean that! What if they try to attack you while you are vulnerable?! You saw what the small one is capable of!" Much like Woserit, even her sisters seemed to be a bit cautious of the idea.
"I am aware," Nephthys answered quickly. "I also believe it would be best to keep them within our line of sight, metaphorically speaking of course. Should they try anything, we will have our guards at the ready, but otherwise, I do not believe these fine women would try such a thing. Would you?" she asked.
The CPUs quickly shook their heads.
"Then there you have it. Ms. Noire, Blanc and Vert shall stay with us for the time being," she finished. "Does this sound fine to you, Woserit? And you, my sisters?"
"I guess you have a good point there, Nephy," Nefertiti chimed in. "Very well. I'll agree to it. Besides, they all seem pretty interesting, so it'd be kind of a waste to let such a chance slip by."
"Hm... I'm still a bit weary of the idea," Nubia said. "However, I do agree that are an interesting bunch. Just so long as they promise not to wreck our library. I still have many books I would like to finish."
Blanc's eyes lit up at the mention of a library. She hastily nodded her head, even though that wasn't really much of a question. Still, Nubia seemed to be appeased by this, if her quirking of an eyebrow was of any indication.
"..." Woserit, however, was the least accepting, but she ultimately grit her teeth and said, "Very well." But, just as quickly her eyes hardened, turning to the three foreigners. "However, should anything happen, I will not hesitate to eliminate any threat to our nation."
"Pah," Blanc responded with a rough look of her own. "I'd like to see you try."
Violent sparks flew between the two women as they glared at each other like rabid dogs. "N-Now now, Blanc. No need to start a fight now," Vert started in an attempt to calm the brunette. "These nice ladies are letting us all stay here. Let's not cause them any more trouble."
"It's no trouble at all, uh... Vert, was it?" Nefertiti began, bringing all eyes back to her. "I thank you for bringing them here, Woserit. You are dismissed." She waved Woserit off, and the Captain left begrudgingly. "As for the three of you, we shall arrange a room for you all to stay in, along with some actual clothes. It's almost nighttime, so until then, feel free to have a look around, or have something to eat. Or, if you prefer, we also have some... other activities you may partake in, if you are interested."
Perhaps Noire was seeing things, but she could almost swear she saw Nefertiti wink at Vert when she said that last bit... Must have been her imagination, she thought. Regardless, she pushed that to the back of her mind and stood up as some few guards came in to show the 3 guests around.
"Oh wait!" Nephthys suddenly interrupted, standing from her seat. Noire turned her way, surprised by the serious expression on her face. "There is one more thing, Ms. Noire," the woman announced. The ravenette in question gulped. Was she in trouble? Had she said something wrong, or- "You have a very wonderful figure." Or did she just want Noire to know she liked her body? ...Wait, what?!
"...I..." Noire's face flushed. "I... Wha... Wha?!" She looked at Blanc. She held back a chuckle. She looked at Vert. She just shrugged awkwardly. She looked back to Nephthys. She just gave her the most genuine smile she'd ever seen, with a hint of something else hiding underneath. "Wha! Wha! WHAAAA!" And so, without thinking, Noire rushed out of the room like a lightning bolt, as everyone else watched in amusement all the while.
"Eh? Already picking out your favorite, eh, Nephy?" said Nubia playfully
"As expected of sister Nephthys." commented Nefertiti.
"She's an interesting one, what can I say? Surely you can't tell me you don't have your eyes on any of them?"
"Well... I guess that Vert girl is very... pretty, let's say. What about you, Nubi?"
"Hm... I suppose I felt a sense of kinship with the brunette."
"Then there you have it."
"..." "..." Blanc and Vert gave the Pharaohs blank stares for the longest time, before the blonde finally decided to speak up.
"... We should chase after her, yes?"
"Oh, definitely."
~Sex in the Egyptian City~
After more than an hour of searching for the lost, panic-ridden Tsundere, somehow locating her all the way to a nearby riverbank where she had tripped and fell in, the trio of CPUs were led down a dimly lit hallway to their room, which according to Nefertiti had been prepared for them in advance. Noire was cloaked in a towel, wet and shivering as her comrades had struggled to hold back their grins for the entire trip. "A-Achoo!" It didn't help that she had gotten a small cold from it, as well. It tends to happen to those that jump into cold water on a cool night.
"I hope that you all find everything to your liking," Nephthys had gestured to them a single wooden door, likely referring to what was on the other side. "To our guests, we only offer the best."
"Also, don't be afraid to request us or any of the helpers for assistance or advice," followed Nubia. "We're aware that Femi may be incredibly foreign to you three, so it would be in everyone's benefit to seek help from either of us."
"We'll keep that in mind, thank you." smiled Vert, then turning her head to the shivering, dripping wet Tsundere that was Noire. "Though it seems that one of us is going to use that offer rather quickly, hm hm."
The ravenette glared at her blonde companion, but chose not to respond to the jab. "Ugh... I-I hope there's a hot bath i-in that room..."
"I believe there's a hot spring in there, somewhere..." commented Nefertiti, who then put a hand to her chin and wore a thoughtful look. "Hm... how would hot baths even work, I wonder?"
"I can't imagine it would be much different from a normal bath," said Nephthys. "I mean, the idea does sound very lush..."
"Wouldn't the water get cold over time, though?" commented Nubia.
"That's what I was thinking, unless we can summon Fire Mages to consistently heat up the water for us." said Nefertiti.
"Ah, that sounds far too contrived for my liking. I'd rather bathe in the hot springs, or in the Nile like Noire did," Nephthys grinned at Noire's frown at that comment. "But at the same time, what do I know? Perhaps there is a hidden luxury to it that I'm missing."
"... In any case," With an awkward, forced cough, Vert steered the conversation away from heated bath speculation. "We very much appreciate the hospitality you all have given us."
Blanc nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is more than what we could've asked from you."
"Oh, it was our pleasure. It'd practically be a crime to leave interesting girls such as yourselves out alone in the desert's heat." said Nephthys with a warm smile.
"If that'll be all for today, it's nigh time that we rest." said Nefertiti,with her sisters nodding in agreement.
"We will be heading to bed as well." said Vert.
"Until tomorrow, then." With those parting words, the duo of trios separated, with the CPUs of the bunch opening the door and retreating into the room given to them.
The room was dimly lit, a sparse few of torches pinned to the sandstone walls to make it as such. Akin to the throne room, there were many images carved and decorations hanging from said walls and even the ceiling. The carpet was a simple light brown design, and the only furniture in the room was a simple wood table, random sitting chair and of course, three large queen-sized beds pinned to the wall in a row. Coated with big bouncy mattresses, white sheets, golden blankets and some white pillows, it looked very comfortable. A good thing too, since it was the dead of night and the three of them were all very tired.
Layed onto their beds was a new outfit for each of them. They took the outfits, inspecting them briefly, before stripping off their sheets and into the actual clothing.
"Well, that was nice of them..." spoke Blanc, slipping into a tube top and trousers, both a very very light shade of brown, covered up what was important on her, the only things even remotely explicit being exposed being her stomach and shoulders. She lacked a hat of any sort, which looked a little jarring since she was rarely seen without it. Covering her neck and collarbone was a gold platted neck piece, adorned with small diamond pieces that circled around the apparel. A set of golden gauntlets, golden sandals and even a golden belt similar to her own shared the same design trend. It was more than overly excessive, but Blanc wore the same blank, disinterested face she always wore despite it.
"They're actually quite comfortable, I'll give them that," The outfit fit Noire snugly. A simple, sand-colored cloth covered most of her body, hanging over her left shoulder and acting as a make-shift sleeve that reached down to just past her elbow, not that she would need one in the ungoddessly hot environment she was in. Her collarbone and right shoulder, down to her hand, were exposed, as well as her legs. The cloth did a very poor job of covering below the skirt, something she would have to discus with the Pharaohs at a later date, lest something unfortunate would happen. Wrapped around her waist was a belt made of pure gold, which secured the cloth to keep it from falling off, and embedded on its center was a small diamond, surrounding it were designs like what Noire had seen on the walls the previous night. Just below her right shoulder was a golden armband, identical to the belt, right down to the diamond in the middle. Two bracelets and one anklet made of simple string wrapped around both her wrists and left calf, though what was on the string is what mattered; small diamonds, perhaps six or seven per anklet and bracelet, decorated carelessly on them as if they were mere paste pearls. Her black hair was without its pigtails, letting it flow freely. Though it felt unnatural, she had forgotten how nice it felt to run her fingers through her liberated locks.
"They have quite the taste in fashion, I wonder how they concocted these outfits so fast?" Vert wore something more tame than the other two combined, ironic since it was Vert. It was a simple, tan brown sleeveless dress with multi-colored straps hanging off her shoulders. Like her companions, she had a golden belt and scatters of expensive looking jewelry scattered across her limbs and neck. The one defining feature was boob window that made way for a ridiculous amount of cleavage, even if the outfit was designed for a woman with with a large chest, such as she. It couldn't be helped but to think that the cutout was a design choice with perverted intentions behind it. Not that Vert minded all that much, but still. "These outfits look as if they were designed just for us, and we had only arrived less than an hour ago."
"We have more important things to worry about than the speed of textile manufacturing." said Noire irately, taking a seat on the edge of her bed with her eyes closed and legs crossed. "We need to figure out where we go from here. What's our plan?"
"I assume you mean how we could get back to our own dimension..." Vert took a seat as well, which happened to be Blanc's bed since it was were Noire was facing, who nodded silently. "Well, it's like what you said before. Unless they have a Histoire-like Tome waiting around, our chances are effectively cut in half."
"Vert has a point." Blanc moved up and sat on Vert's left, sporting a brief annoyed look at her boobs. "Remember when Neptune got stuck in the Ultradimension? She was lucky enough to have another Histoire there as is, but this place is so wildly different from home... if they had one, they would've shown us back in the throne room."
"It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?" inquired Vert. "Perhaps they did not want to frighten us with the sight of a cute, magical midget."
"Fair enough, though with all the shit we've seen over the years, it'd be damn hard to surprise us anymore."
"Mm..."
"..." Noire sat silently as the two bantered, mulling over some possibilities in her head.
It would all have to wait until tomorrow, to approach the Pharaohs after just departing from them would be weird and awkward, never mind that she felt like she could collapse at any moment. Despite her burning curiosity, questions would be repressed until the sun rose again. Of course, there were still other things to discuss... "Do you two think that they'll find us first?"
"Hm?"
"Huh?"
Blonde and brunette respectively turned their attention to ravenette. Feeling flushed at the unexpected sudden attention which honestly she was just mumbling to herself, Noire cleared her throat and spoke. "W-Well, I mean... we did it before, right? Maybe, once Histoire or our own Oracles notice that we've gone missing, they'd try to search for us interdimensionally."
"That'd take a long time though, wouldn't it?" asked Blanc. "They'd prolly search all of Gamindustri from top to bottom before they jump to the different dimension conclusion." She slumped, wearing an agitated look. "I don't even remember what brought us here! Was it some werd antique thing?"
"Aside from that, there's another thing we need to bring to light: Time dilation." said Vert, gaining attention and confusion from Noire and Blanc. "Well, think about it. In Neptune's case, it had been eighteen years in the Ultradimension before she was able to return home, whereas only eighteen days had passed in the Hyperdimension. Imagine how long it would be before they even found us? Days? Months? Years? Perhaps even longer than that. Neptune was fortunate enough to have a Histoire make her situation easier, but that fortune seems to be lost on us. Should these Pharaohs not have a tome, or any way to cross dimensions at all, we could be stuck here for a very long time..."
The slim, but horribly real possibility struck the women like a whip crack. They thought about their friends, their younger sisters and home in general... with the prospect of never seeing any of it again put a heavy weight on their shoulders, among many other conflicting things and emotions. Vert immediately realized the heavy reality she had brought to the situation and spoke up.
"... W-We should be off to bed, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Vert huddled off of Blanc's bed and dove onto her own.
"Y-Yeah..." "Yep..." Noire and Blanc followed suit and laid down, not even bothering with the lights and closing their eyes.
Two things were certain, though.
None of the CPUs would get much sleep that night...
... and their faces were strangely wet.