Chapter 14: Weekends Off Pt 3
As Richard and his friends finished going through the turnstiles, Rin turned to the group and asked, "What should we do first"?
"How about a roller coaster?" Cecilia said
"What about an interactive ride?" Richard suggested
"I am particularly fond of zi teacups", Laura interjected.
Everyone froze and stared at the intimidating German.
"Vut? Am I not allowed zi vunder of a child?"
"No, no, no, that's not it", Ichika said, "It's just... surprising".
Laura folded her arms and turned in protest of everyone's profiling of her.
Ichika started looking around at everyone, and felt like he had to break the awkwardness.
"How about this: We all go do whatever we want, and meet back here before closing?"
Everyone smiled and looked at each other.
"That sounds great", Richard replied.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll see you all back here at 8:00", Ichika managed to squeeze out as Houki whisked him away to the depths of the park. Richard gave a mocking laugh before he found himself getting dragged off himself. Rin and Laura quickly found themselves alone.
"So...", Rin started, "How about those teacups?"...
Charlotte and Cecilia were pulling Richard as quickly as they could, and he found he had to sprint to keep pace.
"I don't suppose there's any chance we could slow down?!", he shouted.
"Oh, but if we slow down, we won't have a chance to do all of the amazing things I want us to do", Cecilia retorted.
"Oui, it is imperative that we maintain zis speed for maximum fun" Charlotte added.
"WELL IF I'M DEAD WHEN WE GET THERE, NONE OF US WILL BE HAVING MUCH FUN"
The girls stopped abruptly, and Richard... didn't. He sprinted straight between the two girls and tumbled over, dragging them with him. The world span and ran together as Richard hit the ground and rolled, and as soon as he stopped rolling, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. It took a few seconds afterwords for the world to stop spinning, and for Richard to orientate himself. His first realization was that he hadn't hit concrete. Where he had landed was relatively soft, and it had allowed him to roll on without sustaining any real damage. He guessed that they had managed to find some grassy park . Richard then moved his arm to rub his chest, but found that the girls were lying on top of him. When he had pulled them down, the girls had the good sense to let go very quickly, but were unfortunately dragged down right on top of Richard. Richard picked his head up and looked at the two beautiful girls lying on top of him. Their faces were so soft, so lovely, so... contorted in rage.
"WHAT, EXACTLY, WAS THAT?", Cecilia screamed.
"WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?", Charlotte shouted.
"I'm s-sorry. I didn't think you would stop that suddenly", Richard stammered out.
"Well I would think a man capable of piloting an IS would be able to react quite quickly" Cecilia shot back.
"Well an IS is different" Richard replied quietly, "I need to react quickly in battle. I don't usually need quick feet when I'm walking with friends. I just didn't expect it."
Cecilia and Charlotte both gave an audible "Humph" as they got up and straightened their outfits. Richard slowly picked himself up as the girls who had been scolding him mere seconds earlier reclaimed their posts on his two arms.
Richard was surprised by the suddenness with which they'd done it, but got over it fairly quickly.
"Where are we going?" he asked as they resumed walking.
"Well before we took a tumble" Cecilia said as she shot Richard a sideways glance, "I was going to take us to one of the park's roller coasters".
"Well I" Charlotte intervened, "was going to take us to a fun adventure ride".
"Oh, I think Richard would have much more fun on a fast, thrilling roller coaster" Cecilia said with a chuckle of condescension.
"Well Richard did recommend an interactive ride earlier" Charlotte shot back.
The two locked eyes for a few seconds and waged a silent war of willpower before turning towards their unfortunate male companion.
"Well what do you think, Richard" Cecilia asked.
"Oui, Richard, what do you sink?"
"Uhhh..."
Richard's mind scrambled for the words to say.
"How about we do a roller coaster then what you want, Charlotte?" he finally proposed, hoping that he'd found some sort of common ground.
Charlotte was shocked that he had chosen to follow Cecilia before her, and was visibly hurt.
Richard read her face and suddenly felt like he had betrayed her.
Cecilia, meanwhile was bouncing with excitement.
"Well let's get going, then, shall we?" she said with a triumphant smile as she dragged Richard along the walkway.
Charlotte followed behind as she thought about what had just happened.
'I sought he liked me' she said to herself, "Didn't he want to date me? Maybe I was mistaken".
She was still feeling disappointed when she looked up and saw Richard looking at her with a concerned expression as he was dragged away.
'Or maybe not...' she finished with a smile...
After being forcefully brought to the entrance of a roller coaster, Richard looked up at the top of the ride, and felt his knees get weak as the world started to spin.
"Ughh", Richard said as he stumbled backwards onto a bench.
Cecilia ran over to him with a worried expression on her face.
"Oh goodness", she said, "Are you OK?"
Charlotte had finally caught up with them and went over to check on Richard.
"I'm fine. I'm fine", he assured them, "I just have really bad vertigo".
"What is zat", Charlotte asked.
"It means that I get really dizzy and nauseous when I'm up high", Richard explained, "Mine is so bad that it happens when I just imagine heights."
Charlotte shot an accusing glance at Cecilia.
"Maybe ze roller coaster was not such a good idea", she said.
Richard looked at Cecilia's guilty face, and felt guilty himself for getting sick.
"No, no, no" he reassured them, trying his best to fake a convincing smile, "I'll be fine when we get on the coaster."
Cecilia's face brightened up as she helped him up, and pulled him into the line for the coaster.
As they moved through the line, Richard couldn't help noticing the lack of a wait in the section they had chose.
They were passing loads of people, and a suspicious feeling started to creep into Richard's head.
Before he could figure it out, though, they were at the front of the line, and the girls were arguing their case for him to sit with them.
"Oh, please, Richard", Cecilia said, "I might get scared on such a terrifying ride, and I will need a gentleman to protect me".
"Oh, Richard" Charlotte called with her special, melodic voice, "Wouldn't you like to sit wiss me instead?"
"Guys, I don't think we're in the right-" Richard was interrupted by one of the park's employees coming up to them, and saying, "We need two".
"Excuse me?" Cecilia asked.
"We need two people to fill empty seats", the worker replied.
"Guys, this is what I was trying to say", Richard explained, "We're in the single-riders line. They use us to fill in empty seats."
"Well they still need two people", Charlotte said, "So let's go".
The worker's patience had reached an end, and he roughly grabbed Cecilia and Charlotte.
"W-Wait", Cecilia exclaimed, "I don't want to ride right now!"
"I-I do not like zis either", Charlotte told him.
"Please keep your hands and legs inside the ride at all times", the worker said mechanically as he threw them into their seats, "Have fun".
The two girls screamed as the roller coaster shot into the distance…
Charlotte and Cecilia stumbled out of the end-of-ride retail store, doing their best to suppress their nausea as they walked. They set down on a bench to wait for the world to stop spinning and their friend to come out. After a few minutes of silence, Charlotte turned towards Cecilia and asked, "What do you want with Richard".
Cecilia was taken aback, and asked, "Pardon me".
Charlotte repeated, "What do you want with Richard? I can see what you are doing, and I don't like it. What are your intentions?"
Cecilia laughed, "Well isn't it obvious? I want him for my own".
"Well you cannot have him!", Charlotte exclaimed, "He is mine!"
"Oh is that so", Cecilia said, "He certainly didn't seem too committed on the train platform".
Charlotte's confidence faltered, and she tried to cover it up with anger.
"You were certainly leading him on you English witch!," she said with venom in every word.
"Well I can't help that he follows," Cecilia replied, "That, my dear, is on your 'boyfriend's' head".
Charlotte looked at her lap as she tried to contain her anger. Cecilia, meanwhile, had been observing her behavior.
"It seems to me," she said, "that Richard isn't committed to anyone. I say let the best woman win, and he'll be the one to decide".
Charlotte's eyes were still locked on her lap when she clenched her fists and looked up at Cecilia with fire in her eyes.
"If it is a war zat you want, zen it is a war you will get"
The girls' fires were quickly hidden when Richard emerged from the ride with his hands in the air.
"WHOOOOOHH, that was great! I can feel the adrenaline pumping through me, hahaha"
He walked over to them, and said, "Let's go again!"
The two girls looked at each other as their stomachs recalled their past trauma.
"Don't be silly," Cecilia said through a fake smile, "You promised Charlotte that we would do what she wanted next".
"Oui," Charlotte agreed, "You wouldn't break a promise, would you?"
"Oh, sorry," Richard replied, "Let's go"...
As the three of them walked in their now-standard formation, Richard asked, "So what kinds of rides did you have in mind, Charlotte? You know this place much better than I do."
"Well let me think" Charlotte said as she furrowed her brow, "There are many fun tour-style rides".
"Sounds fun", Richard replied.
"Zair are also many interactive competitive rides", Charlotte added.
Richard stopped. The girls looked up at him, and Charlotte asked, "Is zair somezing wrong?"
Richard had a fire in his eyes as he said, "Let's go play one of those".
His competitive nature was finally showing through as he pulled the girls along with him towards the ride...
Richard had been to many amusement parks in his life, and while he usually hated them because of the sunburn that inevitably followed, he had always loved the carnival games. Even though they were rigged, Richard had an uncanny ability to overcome the odds and win. So, naturally, the mention of a competitive carnival ride had him stoked. He rushed to get there, towing the girls along with him, and could hardly wait to go when he got there.
"So this is it?," He asked as he inspected the entrance.
"Oui" Charlotte said as she and Cecilia caught their breath and adjusted their skirts.
"Well fancy seeing you here," a voice called from behind.
The trio turned to see Ichika and Houki strolling towards them.
"Hey, guys," Richard said with a smile, "What are you up to?"
"Well this is my favorite thing here", Ichika said, "I've got the Park Record".
Richard sensed a challenge and smirked, "Well I haven't been yet so let's see if you still do afterward".
Ichika shot back, "Well then I guess I'll have to go on with you to protect my record".
"Sounds like a showdown" Richard replied, "Let's go"...
The ride was a rail-shooter. The way it played reminded Richard of the Men in Black ride he had gone on when he went to Universal Studios as a kid. The objective was to shoot targets as you rode along, and you would compete against another cart of two people. Richard stood looking at his two-man cart, and trying to decide who to take with him. Ichika was obviously going to be with Houki, but Richard's team was far less certain. He knew that his decision would have obvious ramifications, but he didn't really care at that moment. He just wanted to win. He thought about the traits of his two choices: Both of them were very used to guns; They both had very good reaction times, but one of them was probably more accurate. Cecilia was a long-range sniper while Charlotte used mainly spread weapons. His decision was made.
"Come on, Cecilia," he called, "Let's win this thing".
Cecilia sneered at Charlotte as she hurried to get in the cart.
"Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times" the ride operator said with a dead inflection.
'Hey, Angel, are you still there?'
'Of course' Angel replied, 'What did you need?'
'Let's do this thing'
'No'
Richard was shocked at his partner's immediate refusal.
'What do you mean?'
'I mean 'no'. If you beat him with my help, it won't mean anything.'
Richard was about offer more protest, but he realized Angel was right.
'OK' he conceded, 'Can I at least get a 'good luck' or something?'
'You know you've got my unconditional support. Good luck.'
Angel's wishes helped Richard focus on what he needed to do as the ride entered the "battlefield".
Richard zapped the first target that came up, but many more quickly floated by, and he struggled to keep up with all of them. His teammate, though, was definitely helping. Cecilia was moving from target to target almost as fast as Richard was, and Richard felt like he had made the right decision. They made it through the first section hitting all of the targets, and smiled at each other as their cart moved on to the next section. When they turned the corner, they were assaulted by a barrage of bright lights, bright colors, and moving targets. Richard and Cecilia fired away at every target they saw, but Richard was getting distracted by all of the lights in his face, and Cecilia was struggling to keep up with the increasing pace with which the targets were appearing. Richard knew this moment was critical. Things were getting out of hand, and he had to do something. Then everything slowed down. All of the lights disappeared, and all of the decorations faded away. Richard, his laser, and the targets were the only things that mattered. He was in a zone, and he was about to go off. He went from target to target to target, spending no more than a second on each. It all became a blur. Colors ran into each other, and time seemed to simultaneously stretch on to infinity and pass by in an instant, even Richard's laser was too slow for his liking. He hit the last target, and mechanically scanned for more, but he had gotten them all. Slowly, the lights and decorations started fading back in, and Richard heard a muffled voice getting clearer and clearer.
"Richard bhljhdfuh"
"Richard hhg bhd it"
"Richard we did it"
"MORGAN WE DID IT"
He turned in a daze to see that Cecilia was hugging him and cheering. He looked down at the cart's display and saw it flashing "NEW RECORD!".
"Wait," Richard said, "Is the ride over?"
"Yes, of course it is," Cecilia said, "And you were absolutely brilliant."
"But it was so short," Richard said.
"Don't be ridiculous, it was 10 minutes long"
"But there were only two sections"
"What?!" Cecilia exclaimed, "There were at least 5".
"Were there?"
Richard was getting more and more confused.
'See', Angel began, 'You didn't even need me. You underestimate yourself, Richard.'
"Congratulations", a smiling Ichika said as he put his hand out.
Richard took his hand and shook it.
"Thanks, man, haha. Though, I couldn't have done it without my partner," he said as he gave Cecilia a hug. He looked up to see a very jealous Charlotte standing at a distance with her arms folded, and broke off the hug...
When the gang emerged from the ride, it was dark, and everyone could tell it was almost time to go. Richard turned to his companions and asked, "Well, ladies. It looks like we'll only get to go on one more ride. What will it be?"
"How about the Tunnel of Love?" Cecilia said as shot Charlotte a look to let her know that this contest of love was over.
Richard looked at Charlotte's downhearted face and asked, "Is that OK with you, Charlotte?"
Charlotte hardly even looked up as she muttered a quiet, "oui".
Richard looked at her concernedly as Cecilia gleefully grabbed his arm, and whisked him away...
When they finally arrived at the Tunnel of Love, and got to the front of the line, Charlotte was almost on the verge of tears as she looked at the ground. As the worker called for two last people to go on the ride, she didn't even bother looking up. Why would she want to watch her final hopes for companionship float away on a gondola? Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand and drag her onto the boat. She fell into the boat, and looked up to see Richard smilingly warmly at her as the boat floated off.
"What are you doing" She asked as she sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"I'm going through the tunnel of love with you," Richard said with a charming chuckle.
Cecilia finished wiping away her tears before she asked, "Well what about Cecilia? I sought you were going wiss her."
"I had spent enough time with her today," Richard said guiltily, "I felt like I'd been neglecting you."
Charlotte's chest started heaving as she began to cry. Richard pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly.
"Shh, shh, it's okay," he whispered to her, "I know I fucked up, I know. I'm not a perfect guy, but this moment is as perfect as it could ever be, and I want to share it with you."
Charlotte sobbed into his chest as Richard kissed the top of her head and comforted her.
Music started playing in the background as they continued along the ride.
Charlotte stopped crying and laid in Richard's arms, listening to his heart through his shirt.
The world seemed irrelevant to them.
All that mattered was the fact that they were together.
Richard suddenly remembered something.
"Charlotte"
"Hmm?"
"I haven't shown you any of my poetry, have I?"
"No you have not," Charlotte replied.
"Most of what I write is Slam," Richard told her, "and concerns social change, but there's one poem I wrote a while ago that feels very appropriate right now".
"I would love to hear it"
Richard gently pushed Charlotte out to arm's length and stared her in her eyes.
He had never noticed how pretty and purple her eyes were.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Charlotte asked with a smile.
"Huh? Oh, of course"
Richard closed his eyes as he remembered the opening lines.
He opened his eyes and started,
"This world is a very dark place.
There's violence and hatred all over the place,
And people judge others just by looking at their face,
And seeing problems or faults or judging them by their race"
Richard's head sank.
"Sometimes, it feels like there's no end in sight,
And I feel like giving up, fading into darkness without a fight"
A smile broke across Richard's face, and he looked up at Charlotte.
"But then you appear,
And you push away the fear,
And convince me that everything is gonna be alright"
Richard's right hand moved over his heart.
"My heart beats faster when you enter a room,
And it freezes when you leave.
I-I can't concieve
A life where you're not there,
And the pain
Of the days
When I don't get to see you
Is just too much to bear"
Richard brushed some hair out of Charlotte's face, and rested his hand on her cheek.
"You... inspire me
To create beautiful art, to write poetry.
In you, this world has a shining light,
And I was wondering if I might
Be allowed to be selfish for once in my life,
And steal all your light for myself,
But I realize that I can't rob everyone else
of the joy that it is to see you
Or the gift that it is to be with you
Or the blessing that is not just to see
Nor to be,
but the privilege that it is to know you.
So I won't take all your light for myself.
I want everyone else
To know what it feels like to know who you are.
I'll just take one, little shard
To remind me why I can't have you for myself:
This world needs your love,
But I will love no one else."
Charlotte stared into Richard's eyes.
She hadn't notice how deep and blue they were.
Maybe she was getting caught up in the moment, but she had never met a more kind and beautiful person, and there was nowhere she would rather be, and no one else she would rather be with.
Richard looked at Charlotte, and couldn't find a single flaw anywhere.
She was perfect, he was convinced of it, absolutely perfect.
The two leaned closer and closer until their lips met in the middle, and they shared a kiss that was, in a word, perfect.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur.
Neither of them remembered how they got back to the academy or how they got in bed, nor did they particularly care.
The only thing that mattered was how they had kissed each other good night, and how they couldn't stop thinking of each other as they drifted off to sleep...