Hello, this is Kroissant!

Due to my studies and taking a breather from writing/posting stories online, I was unable to update as much as I wanted. To make up for the lost time, I managed to produce a new chapter for SoSN, along with another one in the works that would later be updated either later today (Monday) or during the weekends.

For now, take your time and enjoy reading!

Dinner at Raven's place was enjoyable yet fleeting.

For the most part, every single member of the Vesperia main cast was able to relax and unwind and to make up for the lost time, were eager to share their experiences in their respective lives.

Ever the energetic boy, Karol was the first to speak up.

Since he arrived at the airport together with Rita and Patty, he remained under the care of the Mordio family for three days, attending a dinner in a fancy restaurant and lending a hand on managing the triplets while Rita's parents were out to work. Once that was over, his father came over to pick him up, though took a while as he conversed with Rita's father who happened to be one of his best friends, and bidding farewell and thanking the Mordio family for their warm hospitality, Karol and his father returned home to the suburban area of Toronto where his mother and their golden retriever waited for their arrival.

"And then we had this big party with the neighborhood folks!" The youngest member of their group exclaimed, raising his arms high above his head in sheer excitement. "And there was so much Venetian cuisine, courtesy of my Nonna and— "

"Okay, okay, we get it," Rita interrupted, causing the latter to pause midway in his speech. Motioning her head to face him, she shot him a glare and said through clenched teeth, "Just get straight to the point already!"

Processing her words, the young boy pouted. Releasing an exasperated sigh, Karol eventually complied. "Alright…" He softly murmured under his breath as he lowered his arms back on the dining table, quite oblivious to his friends who wore amusing and pleasant expressions on their faces. "Anyway, there was a party, spend some time hanging out with my friends and doing errands, walking the dog, and then all of a sudden," He then gestured his chin over to the braided blonde girl sitting beside him and went on, "Patty over here called me up and said something about a ceremony we have to attend!"

Judith tipped her head to the side, smiling as she listened. "From the looks of it, I'm guessing that your parents agreed to the idea unless Rita came with you, right?"

Both Rita and Karol exchanged glances for a brief moment before quickly averting away.

"Honestly, I wasn't too keen to join," The short brunette grumbled, bringing a hand to nurse her aching forehead. "Especially since my brothers are difficult to supervise,"

"That's understandable," Estelle joined in, smiling sweetly, "By the way, how's Ryan?"

"He's feeling much better compared to the last time you've seen him," Rita assured her best friend, blowing a few strands of her bangs while leaning back against her chair. Folding her arms over her chest, she added in, "Might have to contact Mama and Papa later tonight about his current status,"

Listening to her words, the ponytailed man stationed on the right side of the table laughed. "Oh, what's this I hear?" He began, wiggling his eyebrows in a teasing manner. "Our little Rita worried for her brothers?"

Much to his surprise, the teenager was quick to flash him a death glare on the spot. "That a problem?"

Raven sheepishly grinned and looked away, whistling to himself.

Rita scoffed, refusing to say more.

Even so, the spread of laughter among her friends allowed her to feel a growing sense of comfort and warmth inside her. Rita mustered a tiny smile, though was quick to revert back when she noticed Karol and Patty grinning widely toward her general direction.

"Anyone else would care to share their adventures?" Judith spoke up, once the spread of laughter gradually ceased. Examining the entire room, as well as keeping an eye out on a certain canine who seemed to be sprawling on the carmine-dyed carpet in the living room, she eventually locked eyes with bright seafoam. "What about you, Estelle?"

As soon as the haired woman heard her name being called, she slightly flinched. "W-what about me?"

The older woman broadened her smile as she innocently asked, "What were you doing before you came here?"

Feeling the intense stares of her friends solely on her and the pressure slowly building up inside her, she shuffled awkwardly on her seat, inhaling a deep breath as she attempted to recall what she'd done three weeks after their departure. To her delight, the first thing that came to mind was her dearest cousin. "I spend some time together with Ioder, wandering around and memorizing the sights in our old neighborhood…" She started as she smiled to herself. "Sometimes, he'd come over and visit me from time to time. And when I was by my lonesome, I— "

Suddenly, a memory emerged from the back of her mind and before she knew it, found herself becoming swept in by the misery of being alone.

All alone by herself, nobody except for the pictures of her deceased parents welcoming her for her safe return, and the eerie silence of her footsteps lightly echoing as she scampered back and forth to make preparations for her cousin's daily visits, and in some nights, she'd communicate with her friends through the phone, via text messages or video calls, eat by herself in the dining table, read a few chapters of the books she'd purchased beforehand or often times, watch episodes of her favorite television series.

And when it was time for her to go to sleep, it was her routine to approach the shrine and say goodnight to her parents, head upstairs to her loft, and go to sleep on her own. Since her separation from her friends, Estelle would find herself having nightmares of being alone or becoming abandoned by her friends, and it was times like these that she felt fortunate that her cousin, Ioder (though embarrassing as it sounded), managed to offer her a gift—a plush version of her boyfriend, Yuri and with his presence alone, she was able to sleep soundly for a few days.

And when Yuri arrived on her doorstep, there were no more nightmares to speak of and the bitter feeling of loneliness and despair dissipated in the drop of a hat. Once more, Estelle felt grateful to have the man in her life.

But the rest of it?

No, Estelle was persistent to keep them to herself in fear of becoming embarrassed.

"Estelle?'

The pink-haired woman bit her bottom lip, and yet when she lifted her chin to take a look at her worrisome friends, she forced a grin. "I'm okay," But she knew, deep down, that she wasn't. Unlike the people around her who led promising lives, hers, in particular, was nothing of the sort. Never once did she felt inferior toward them but rather…she personally felt like she wasn't enough to be integrated into their lives. As she prepared herself to continue, something warm was placed on her hand.

Looking down, her eyes slightly widened.

There, underneath the table, was a large hand implanted on top of hers—warm and inviting, encouraging and patient—just like him.

Becoming reminded of the positive memories she had together with the man, Estelle smiled. "…read some books, cook a few meals, and would visit the Tales of Shop during my spare time,"

"There's a Tales Shop in your area?" Patty suddenly exclaimed, completely perplexed. When she gained a nod from the latter, she pouted. "Man, you're sooo lucky! Flynn and I don't have that in our neighborhood…"

Estelle giggled. "Actually, I went ahead and bought a few gifts for each and every one of you," She explained and watched as the younger members of their team widened their eyes and dropped their mouths open.

"Wait, you serious?" Karol cried aloud.

"Really?" Patty squealed, waving her arms frantically and hitting her poor brother a few times.

Again, Estelle nodded.

Both Patty and Karol cried with excitement, leaning close to give each other high-fives in the process.

"Patty, be careful!" Flynn cried out as he took a hem of her blue dress from behind with Yuri doing the same on the other with the use of his available hand.

"I think that's enough sharing," Yuri points out, catching the others' attention. "We've got plans for tomorrow, don't we?"

Judith smiled. "We sure do," She confirmed. Turning her head the other way, she fixed her gaze on the older man sitting across from her and said, "I'll be taking the girls off your hands for the night and let them stay over at my place,"

Raven pouted. "You sure you wouldn't wanna stay a little longer?"

"If we do, there's a chance that Rita might end up doing something," Judith reminded him and just like that, every single person in the dining table became reminded of how the short teenager, in a fit of anger, managed to ruin the poor old man's day by purposely starting a fire during one of his rehearsals.

"You've got a good point there…" Raven mumbled, shaking his head.

Judith emitted a light giggle, followed by a pleasant grin. "Then, I believe it's settled. Tomorrow, it'll be a girls' day out and then we'll be meeting you boys in the ceremonial party the day after," She declared, "Sound good?"

Everyone in the room nodded their heads in response.

And just like that, Judith dismissed herself from the dining table and entered the living room to fetch her car keys. "I'll be starting the engine. Estelle, Rita, Patty—I'll meet you guys outside,"

Once she left, the younger girls made no hesitation to jump out from their chairs to grab their luggage, with Karol and Flynn trailing after them.

With Raven leaving next, Yuri and Estelle found themselves alone in the dining room.

"Thank you," Estelle finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

Yuri turned to look at her, smiled, and without warning, slightly bent down to give her a quick peck on the temple. "You sure you're okay, though?" He wondered, sounding concerned. "You looked a bit frazzled for a second when you were talking,"

"I'm fine, really," Estelle assured him with another one of her false smiles. "But thank you again," She extended her hands forward, seized hold of his and intertwined them together, "for giving me support,"

"Anytime," And gave her another sweet kiss, this time on the nose. Wrapping his arms around her waist, the dark, long-haired man pulled her closer and inhaled her strawberry scent. "Damn, I'm gonna miss you,"

Hearing this, Estelle blushed. Seconds later, a trace of giggle slipped past her throat. "It's only one day,"

"I know," Yuri murmured, placing his chin on top of her head as he closed his eyes, "Guess this means I've been so accustomed to your presence lately,"

Estelle closed her eyes as she too sniffed her boyfriend's natural scent of lavender and gradually found herself beginning to grow sleepy. "I could say the same thing for myself," She felt his chest rumble with laughter, and that alone was enough to make her feel safe and right at home.

With the help of the boys, the three luggage was secured in the trunk of the car. After a short farewell, along with Repede's somber barking and Karol bouncing up and down as he waved them goodbye, Judith and the girls ventured off to the streets.

Unlike Raven's place—located in the district of Naka-Meguro, Judith's apartment was situated in the bustling neighborhood of Moonachie at Yokohama, famous for its shopping, dining and entertainment sites, which mainly featured the central shopping area where an endless array of boutiques and stores are stationed. Well-known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, fashion trends and western influence—Yokohama was a befitting place for someone such as Judith.

"Wow, so pretty!" Patty wondered aloud, her large eyes twinkling like starlight as she popped her head out the window, smiling widely as a burst of cold wind passed by and blew across her face.

Sitting beside her was the short brunette, who happened to be shivering madly in her seat.

Taking notice of this, Estelle, who sat on the front together with Judith as their designated driver, moved her head and called out the young girl's name.

"Yeah?"

"You don't mind if you could close the window for a few minutes?" Estelle asked her politely.

Patty pouted, "Fine…" And did what she was told.

As she pressed the button to make the tinted window ascend upwards, Rita eventually heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks a bunch, Estelle," She expressed to her best friend, who in return smiled warmly.

Switching her focus back to the large mirror in front of her, the pink-haired woman leaned back on her seat and allowed herself to become immersed with the blazing polychromic lights around them.

"You alright, Estelle?" Judith asked curiously.

Estelle bobbed her head, "Yeah…"

"That's good," Judith replied, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as she slightly angled to the right, initiating the movement of her car to do the same. "By the way, how are things going with you and Yuri?"

As expected, Estelle stiffened in her spot. "J-Judith!" She cried, her face turning beet red.

Unfortunately, Judith managed to grab the attention of the other pair seating behind them.

"Woah, what's this about who?" Patty suddenly intruded, growing interested.

"Is this true, Estelle?" Rita joined in, leaning forward to get a chance to listen in on their conversation.

Estelle squirmed in her seat, feeling rather hesitated to speak up. "H-how did you…" She trailed off, sneaking a glance at the older woman who simply smiled.

"I was surprised to see you two together in the airport," She explained to her with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "And since we've been making bets on while we were on set, I was happy to discover that you guys were able to reciprocate your feelings with each other,"

"Ioder filled me in with the details," Estelle replied, lowering her gaze at her joined hands and ignoring the burning sensation of her flushed face.

"How did this whole thing start between you and Yuri?" Patty questioned rather excitedly as the thought of her other older brother figure dating a wonderful woman such as Estelle made her feel giddy inside. "I wanna know all of the details!"

And to their astonishment, even Rita was willing to go on board with this.

Once again, Estelle found herself in a spotlight with people patiently waiting for her response, their stares quite intensive and eager to consume her words.

Collecting her hands and bringing them close to her thrashing heart, Estelle closed her eyes and cracked a smile. "Well, for starters…Yuri was the one who took the first step," She began, "After we finished the last scene where our characters had a heart-to-heart when we were heading back to join you guys in the cabin, he kissed me all of a sudden…"

Patty blinked, "Wait, was that why you rushed off that day when Karol and I were asking you to play Clue with us?" When Estelle confirmed this with a subtle nod, the blonde girl dramatically gasped. "Oh my god! What happened next, what happened next?"

Estelle took a moment to ruminate through her thoughts, becoming swept with emotions as she recalled the newfound memories she made with the dark-haired man. Unconsciously, she smiled and unknown to her, her friends snuck glances at each other with adoring smiles.

"Well, let's see…" She went on, tipping her head to the side. "When it was time for us to leave the facility, Yuri would often update me with information about the conferences that he and Flynn would partake on a daily basis. After a few more weeks, he surprised me by arriving on my doorstep and from there, well…"

Patty beamed. "Yes, yes?"

Rita frowned, her cheeks slightly blushing as she listened intently. Meanwhile, Judith nodded to herself as she would constantly shift her attention from her best friend to the road ahead, moving the steering wheel back and forth before eventually pressing the brake as the street light, slowing down and abiding by the glowing red color of the street lights overhead.

"For the past few days, Yuri was a wonderful addition to my daily life," Estelle admitted to them, "And he was always gentle, willing to assist me with the house chores and give me some space when I needed it the most," As she said those words, she suddenly became reminded of her boyfriend donning her yellow apron and making pancakes, held hands with her during one of their occasional walks around the public park and that was enough to make her cheeks reddened, "He would make the best fluffy pancakes, help me purchase groceries, walk around the park and read books together…"

Judith let out a light-hearted laugh. "You two sound like a married couple already," She commented, causing the latter to blush. "Anything else exciting?" Leaning a bit closer, she added in, "Did you guys do the thing yet?"

"…What thing?"

When she took notice of Judith wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, the pink-haired woman squeaked. "N-no, we haven't!" She exclaimed, though the quick exchanges of glances between her friends proved this to be otherwise. "I mean, we did make-out that one time, but— "

"Oh my god!" Patty shrieked again, moving her arms animatedly like an ecstatic fangirl.

"Patty, calm down!" Rita called her out as she tried to settle the poor girl back on her seat, growing more irritated when she found out that the latter wasn't wearing the familiar safe device across her chest. "And wear your seatbelt for heaven's sake!"

While the two continuously bickered in the background, Judith took this opportunity to surprise Estelle by prodding her with another question, "Did you guys do it yet?"

Her friend swallowed her saliva thickly, fidgeting with her fingers as she cleared her throat. "We would often get close to actually…err, doing the deed but…." And then the memory of Yuri's speech, about how much he wanted to treasure her and restraining himself in fear that he'd hurt her, and how softened his eyes were and tone of voice when he was openly expressing himself to her and that alone was enough to make her crack a smile. "Time and time again, Yuri would stop and tell me that for my benefit, we shouldn't do it, unless I'm ready,"

Hearing those words, Judith grinned amiably, "Good to hear," She said and withdrawing her hand from the steering wheel, proceeded to pat the latter fondly on the head. "I was confident that Yuri would take good care of you," All of a sudden, her eyes narrowed and she spoke in a low voice, "But let me know if he does something, and I'll do what I can to set him straight, okay?"

Estelle blinked a few times, taking a moment to drink in her words until finally settling with a sweet smile. "…Okay," She replied back, bowing her head a little. "Thank you so much, Judith,"

Judith winked in return. "That's what friends are for,"

And for the next hour, all they could do, with Rita and Patty included, was to make up for the lost time with an abundance of recollections that they've discussed earlier at Raven's place. After another thirty minutes, the four friends have finally arrived at their destination—sandwiched between two similar-looking apartments, along with a local seven-eleven nearby was none other than Judith's penthouse, on the fourth floor.

"Yay, we're here!" Patty rejoiced, raising her arms high with glee.

Rita, on the other hand, staggered out of the vehicle along with her small bag in tow. "Finally, we can sleep…" She grumbled and walked over to the trunk to seize hold of her other possessions, with Judith and Estelle following her example.

Once Patty immediately grabbed her bright blue suitcase embellished with glittery stickers, she quickly exclaimed, "The last one there's a rotten egg!" And scurried off to the staircase of the apartment.

Witnessing this, Rita scowled. "Hey, come back here!" She cried, rushing after the young girl in distress.

From a distance, Judith and Estelle watched them and exchanged knowing glances.

Placing a hand close to her cheek, all the older woman could do was shake her head and mumble softly, "My, my, everything is going back to the way it should be,"

Estelle, who stood close to her, overheard this and couldn't help but silently agree.

Shortly after they made it inside Judith's penthouse, after another few hours of poking fun of each other and assigning themselves with the two rooms available to them—under Flynn's suggestion, Patty would be sharing a bed together with Judith with Rita and Estelle occupying the other room which luckily consisted of two spare mattresses, it was time to go to sleep.

Surprisingly, as soon as Patty dove into the Futon bedding, she slept right then and there.

"I'll see you two later in the morning," Judith informed her best friends while entering through her respective bedroom. Pausing in her steps, she peered over her shoulders and added, "What would you like to eat for breakfast besides pancakes?"

Rita folded her arms over her chest, pondering for a brief moment. "…Hard-boiled eggs, I guess," She mumbled, averting her gaze the other way.

Estelle smiled and nodded in agreement. "Orange juice or herbal tea would be wonderful as well,"

Judith chuckled lightly, "Excellent," She responded back, sending them a wave, "Go to sleep now, the both of you. We've got a lot of things to do in the morning," And off she headed back inside her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"I'll hit the hay," Rita began, scratching the back of her head as she ambled back to the room across from where they currently stood. Reaching out for the doorknob, she proceeded to twist it halfway, though before she could go inside, she paused abruptly and turned around. "You coming, Estelle?"

Her best friend stood in silence, causing her to grow worried. "Estelle?" She repeated her name, this time a bit louder.

"You go on ahead, Rita," Estelle assured her with a small smile on her face, "I'll come and join you later,"

The teenager frowned a little. "Fine, whatever," She mumbled, shrugging her shoulders in a carefree manner. "Be sure to come back and sleep, you hear me?"

"Yes," Estelle quickly answered, smiling widely. "Good night, Rita,"

Rita dipped her chin a little, "Night…" And then left to go inside their bedroom.

Once she was finally left alone, Estelle took the opportunity to wander around the penthouse.

Time and time again, she would always find herself marveling by the extravagant lives of her friends. For a typical girl hailing from a lower-middle-class family, the world of entertainment was such a foreign place for her to be in. And yet, through the many experiences she'd shared together with her friends and the many places around the world she'd traveled in a span of a year, her viewpoint about everything vastly changed for the better. Deep down, Estelle remained the same as always—ever the curious and knowledgeable woman she was, and with the addition of her career as a budding actress, the more she was eager to learn more and understand of the world that her friends have become well-accustomed to.

No doubt that there were times in her life when she would question her choice of becoming an actress. Sometimes, Estelle would secretly wish to become a teacher and surround herself with children, and at the same time, a children's author—which ironically and to her delight, were the same dreams that her character, the princess, sought to pursue in her journey.

Sliding one of the glass patio doors to the open balcony, Estelle walked through and took a deep breath of the chilly, open air. The bright lights, the spectacles, and view of the skyscrapers towering high above the heavens—how fortunate she was to have witnessed such a perfect panorama scene on her first night in Japan.

With a smile etched on her flush face, the pink-haired woman withdrew her phone from the pocket of her cream wool sweater and raised the device in front of her. When she was able to get a perfect shot of the eye-catching sight, with the use of her right hand, she pressed the middle button to capture it. "Ioder will love this for sure," She said to herself, smiling sweetly. Seconds after she managed to acquire the photo and send it immediately to her cousin, a set of numbers appeared on the screen.

Reading the name of the caller, Estelle felt her heart thump louder.

Once more, she clicked the middle button and bringing the electronic device close to the shell of her ear, softly whispered, "…Hello?"

"Yo," A familiar baritone voice responded on the other line, much to her delight.

Fighting the urge to giggle, Estelle looked to the other direction of the patio and replied back with, "Salutations to you too, Yuri,"

"How's everything?" He questioned, "Were you and the others able to get to Judith's place?"

Estelle confirmed this with a soft and assuring "Mm," For some reason, she could picture her boyfriend splitting his lips to a satisfied and relieved grin.

"Sounds like you're having fun,"

"I am, actually," She admitted, leaning her back against the brick wall as her seafoam eyes drank in the beauty of the night view of the city. "Hanging out with the girls has been a refreshing change of pace,"

"Same goes for me too with the boys here," Yuri agreed with her.

Estelle giggled. "So, Mister Lowell, care to explain why you called me in the middle of the night?"

"Just checking up on you, is all," Yuri answered back, his voice becoming more of a whisper, "And also, to say goodnight to you,"

Feeling flattered by his words, Estelle inwardly smiled.

"You're blushing, aren't you?" Yuri wondered with a teasing tone in his voice.

On cue, Estelle felt her face burn rather hot. "N-no, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are," Yuri replied mischievously.

Puffing her cheeks, she suddenly realized how childish they both sounded and began to laugh to her heart's content.

Listening to her laughter, Yuri joined in as well. "Feeling better?"

"Yes," The pink-haired woman answered in a playful manner, "Thank you so much. You always seem to know whenever I feel down,"

"Call it instinct," Yuri told her, which caused her to erupt into a fit of joyful laughter. "But to be honest, hearing you laugh puts me a lot at ease,"

Estelle blushed at his comment. "I…also feel the same way," Raising her head, she took in the wonder of the collection of stars in the pitch-black night. "I can't wait to see you again in the ceremonial party,"

Yuri smirked, "Can't wait to see you too. But for now, just relax and have fun with the girls,"

"And what about you?" Estelle went on, "Any plans with Flynn and the others?"

"Flynn and I received a call from the Director to attend a meeting regarding the party," Yuri explained to her, followed by an exasperated sigh. "Karol and Raven wanted to pitch in so we're probably going to spend the whole day making plans, confirm any members of the community that would be arriving, and so on,"

"They must really enjoy you and Flynn's company to get you to participate," Estelle pointed out.

"You think so?" Yuri wondered, "Sure, I don't mind helping out but sometimes, it can be a pain,"

"I'm sure you'll be alright," Estelle encouraged him, "I'll be sure to message you a few times to boost your strength every now and then,"

Yuri boisterously laughed. "Looking forward to that," Once his laughter ceased, he quickly reverted to his soft voice and said, "You should go get some rest,"

"I will," Estelle assured him, "You should do the same,"

"Yes, Mom," Yuri sighed, letting out a light-hearted chuckle as he imagined his girlfriend puffing her cheeks as she exclaimed his name on the other line. "Sleep tight, Estelle,"

"You too, Yuri," Estelle replied to him with a softened expression. "Good night to you,"

And just like that, the phone call ended.

Unable to get rid of the smile on her face, Estelle twirled around and headed straight back inside the confinements of the penthouse, back to the warmness and enticing atmosphere of the new world she's entered, where the friends she'd proudly call her family warmly welcome her presence.

Slowly but surely, the doubt she felt inside of her was beginning to dissipate.

And for the first time, she felt ready to face the world and the new changes that were about to come.

And that concludes the end of chapter eleven!

This chapter is mostly centering on our main heroine, Estelle, and her current situation. For the most part, she's been hesitated about where to go along with her career as an actress and encountering a new life-transition: acquiring a relationship with Yuri.

Oh and if you are wondering about where we are currently standing, we've entered the second act out of the three acts that I've planned for this fanfiction. Despite the staggering updates, I assure you that I'm committed to completing this wonderful story hopefully by the end of this year or so. For now, please be patient as I'm doing my best, making sure that this content remains high quality, exciting, and relatable.

For the next chapter, we'll be focusing on the girls and their day out, as well as a short introduction of the Tales party that I've been foreshadowing for so long.

Once again, thank you so much for the support!

Feel free to comment down below on what you think! (I'm open and eager to hear your opinions and your criticisms!) and in the A03 community, leave kudos if you'd like!

Until then, please wait patiently for the next update!

Thank you one and all!