Cave's visit had done a lot to little Verna. For one, she developed very confusing and unidentifiable feelings for the older woman. Whenever she thought about Cave, her heart would act funny. Her very own Cave plushie didn't help matters at all, but Verna made no effort to get rid of it. Verna wondered how Plutia managed to get the plushie to smell just like the real Cave, but her sister had told that dwelling on those kinds of thoughts was dangerous.
"Mm..." Verna didn't know what to do with these weird feelings. All she had done so far was hug the heck out of the plushie when she thought about Cave, which was almost always. She had once talked to Rom and Ram about it, though they hadn't been very helpful...
"Eh? Are you sure you're not sick or something? Do I need to buy some Ginger Ale?"
"..."
"A-Are you ok Rom?" Verna had asked.
"J-Just fine..."
When Verna realized that the twins weren't much help, she turned to Nepgear and Uni next...
"IT'S NOTHING! ABSOLUTLY ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT NOTHING!" Uni was blushing furiously.
"U-Uh, Uni? S-She only asked-"
"Y-YOU STAY OUT OF THIS! I-IT'S NOT LIKE I LIKE YOUR O-OR ANYTHING!"
"I-I didn't even ask anything remotly close to that..."
So her fellow Candidates were no help at all. Verna had gotten no explanation as of late, leaving her to sit and contemplate in her room. She sighed. Verna supposed she could ask the older CPUs about it, but that in itself could go horribly wrong. Neptune kinda scared her with her rambunctious personality, Noire was so tsundere that she'd probably give Verna the same answer Uni gave her, and Verna never took Blanc as the romantic type. Or whatever these feelings were. That just left her own sister, Vert. She was busier than usual these days, though Verna didn't know why. She understood though. Vert had told her that being a CPU wasn't very easy. Given how ridiculously young Verna was, she never got any work. That was fine with her, Verna hated exerting energy.
Now, she was contemplating her feelings., and possibly life in general. Not even her yuri anime could distract Verna from her feelings. She just needed to know what these feelings were, and everything would be so much clearer!
"Verna?" Her sister's voice, followed by her poking her head in, had startled Verna out of her thoughts. Vert had a worried expression on her face.
"H-Hi sis..." Verna said meekly. She didn't feel like talking to her sister right now, but it seemed her thoughts wouldn't matter much here.
Vert walked in, concerned. "Verna, you've been oddly introverted these past few days. Are you all right?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." One look on her face could show that Vert didn't believe her. "R-Really."
Vert sat on Verna's bed, looking a bit exasperated. "You know I don't like it when you lie, Verna. Tell me what's bothering you. Please." Vert sounded pleading on that last word.
Verna sighed, and hugged her Cave plushie. "I-It's about... Miss Cave..."
Vert nodded. She had been expecting this, for the most part. Verna had carried that plushie everywhere she went, so Vert had her suspicions. "What about Miss Cave?"
"U-Uh..." Verna blushed, scratching her cheek.
"What? You can tell me." Vert gave her sister a comforting pat on the head.
Verna bit her lip, struggling to find the right words to say. She still didn't know what these feelings were, which really bothered her. "W-When I think about Miss Cave, my cheeks feel hot. M-My heart goes super fast, and it's m-making me feel weird..." Verna looked down, embarrassed. Well, maybe her older sister knew what these feelings were? It wouldn't surprise her, Verna had always thought her sister knew everything. She looked and sounded smart, so Verna was just under the impression.
Unfortunately for Verna, that wasn't entirely true...
"Maybe you're just nervous from the visit. Perhaps we can meet Cave again. She's free today!"
... for Vert had completely misread her little sisters true feelings, and mistook them for nervousness!
"W-Wha?" Verna had felt nervous before, and these feelings definitely weren't it. And the thought of seeing Cave again... "I-I don't think that's a good idea..."
"Nonsense!" Without warning, Vert had lifted Verna up and hoisted her over her shoulder. "You need to get to know Miss Cave better, so a visit will do you good."
"N-NO! P-Put me down!" Verna struggled to get loose, but Vert had a steel grip.
"Now now, don't be so rambunctious. A simple visit won't kill you." Vert had transformed by that point, and was ready for liftoff.
'E-Easy for you to say...' Verna thought sourly. "I-I don't wanna..."
Green Heart merely chuckled. "You are too cute sometimes, Verna. Off we go!" They took off in seconds.
"Here we are!"
The Leanbox sisters arrived to where Cave would be in minutes, Green Heart cheerful and Verna grumpy. As soon as they touched down, Verna crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out in adorable defiance.
"Don't be like that, Verna." Vert sternly told her, reverting back to her blonde-haired self. "We're here to see Cave, please don't be rude."
Verna simply huffed and turned away. Vert sighed at her sister's peculiar behavior.
In any case, they had arrived on a beach, where it looked like a concert was in the making. Construction crew from left to right, a currently unfinished stage, and Cave herself standing stoically in the midst of it all, most likely looking for potential stalkers.
Verna's heart skipped several beats when she saw Cave. Instantly, her face flushed red and she looked down at her toes.
"Come now Verna, don't be so shy." said Vert with a comforting pat on her sister's head. "Cave is practically family after all."
"Eh? Family?" Verna was surprised by that statement.
"Yes, would you believe me if I said that Chika and Cave were a package deal? I remember it like it was yesterday, those two were by my doorstep, practically joined at the hip. They looked so young and innocent, they were around Rom's age when I found them, and I simply couldn't resist taking them in. I found out later that the poor things were orphans."
"O-Orphans?" Verna asked in shock.
"Yes, sadly that was the case. I took them in and raised them on my own. I gave my love and nourishment, and I think I did well, don't you think?" Vert chuckled. "Cave lived with us for quite some time, but she was always the mature one. She moved out when she was only 15, and she made quite a name for herself. I'm so proud..." Vert pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.
"W-Were Miss Chika and Miss Cave friends?"
"Yes, and they still are. Those two are very close, and I can't really explain the bond between the two of them. They were inseparable when they were younger, but now they've gone about their own ways. Still, their friendship is as strong as the day I first saw them." Vert smiled.
Verna looked at Cave with awe, now having learned about some of her past. Who would've thought that her big sister basically adopted Cave? Certainly not Verna.
"Cave had always felt like a daughter to me." Vert went on. "And I knew she thought of me as a mother. A mother she never had. Sometimes there is more to people than meets the eye, Verna, remember that."
Verna nodded, suddenly fascinated with learning more about Cave. At that moment, the SMD warrior noticed the two and gave them a friendly wave. Verna waved back.
"Why don't you go say hello?" Vert encouraged. "I'm sure you want to hear more about Cave."
Verna nodded again, and walked over to the older woman. The confusing feelings she had were still as fresh as ever, so Verna wasn't very enthusiastic about being so close to her.
"Hello, little one." Cave greeted with a warm smile. "I'm pleasantly surprised to see you and your sister here."
"S-Sis said you weren't busy, s-so we came to see you." Man, just hearing Cave's voice was enough to get her heart racing. She hoped she wasn't blushing, but she could feel her cheeks burn.
And apparently, Cave noticed this. "Are you feeling alright Verna?" Verna's heart leaped when Cave said her name. "You look very red." Cave placed a hand on Verna's cheek, which made her poor heart go into overdrive.
"I-I'm fine..." said Verna, still blushing.
Cave didn't entirely believe that, but Verna sounded fine, so she let it go. "If you say so..."
Verna sighed in relief, but for some reason, she missed the feeling of Cave touching her. Verna imagined a big bucket of ice cold water and mentally poured it on herself.
"Hey Cave!" A voice that sounded like wind chimes broke through at that moment, and the pair turned to see Gamindustri's idol, 5pb, running up to them.
"What is it, 5pb.?" Verna didn't know if she was hearing things, but she could swear she heard Cave get affectionate when she said the idol's name.
"I just needed a moment of your time, I won't be long. Oh?" The blue-haired girl then noticed that Cave had company. Lyrica smiled for her. "Well hi there, little girl! How are you?"
"Mm..." Verna took a small step away from this someone she didn't know, despite 5pb.'s normally calming smile.
So, Cave stepped in on the Candidate's behalf. "Allow me to introduce her to you, Lyrica. This is Verna, Leanbox's CPU Candidate and Vert's little sister."
5pb.'s eyes lit up when she heard who the little girl was, now almost completely hiding behind Cave, was. "Oh right, you told me about her the other day!" She knelt down closer to Verna's level. "Hello, Verna! It's very nice to meet you!"
"... Hi." Verna replied, unenthusiasm in her tone.
5pb. gave her a nervous smile back, feeling the pressure. "U-Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I mean you no harm; I'm one of your sister's many friends, as well as Cave's bestie!"
The Leanbox agent then stepped off to the side, revealing Verna and catching her by surprise. Cave reached down and rubbed Verna's head, comforting her as well as stopping her from hiding again. "Verna tends to be rather shy around strangers, like she did with me. I'm sure that given the time, she will open up to us both, wouldn't you say Verna?"
"I-I guess, heehee~." Verna replied, enjoying the rub up until 5pb. stood back up, with Cave removing her hand right after.
"Anyway, you requested a moment with me, 5pb.?" Cave asked her friend, almost sounding like she was glad that 5pb. wanted to be around her.
5pb. nodded. "Uh-huh. It won't be long, just a thing or two I need an opinion." She looked towards Verna. "Do you mind if I speak with Cave for just a teensy bit, Verna?"
Verna looked off to Cave then back to the idol. "S-Sure...?"
From then on, Verna didn't really hear the conversation going on between both adults, because she was far too busy glowering at 5pb. For some reason, Verna didn't like the idol being that close to Cave. The way she looked at her made Verna feel... mad? Frustrated? Verna had no idea.
"... and since it's supposed to be really hot on the day of the concert, I was deciding on what I should wear..." 5pb. pulled out two outfits, both swimsuits but very different in design. The one in her right hand was a very... ahem, revealing black bikini that left little to the imagination. The one in her left hand was more tame, a simple dark blue one-piece swimsuit, like the ones girls would wear at swim practice. "We're going with the beach theme, so I would really like your opinion Cave. Which one should I wear?"
It was no contest for Cave.
"I feel the bikini would suit the theme much more than the one-piece, wouldn't you agree?" Cave looked and sounded serious on the outside, but on the inside she was gushing from imagining 5pb. in that bikini. As if her normal outfit wasn't revealing enough, this one was just begging for people to look at her. It was a good thing Cave was good at hiding her emotions.
"Y-Yeah, you're right! Thanks, Cave! Bye, Verna!" The idol ran off all happy, and when 5pb. was happy, Cave was happy. It was kinda cheesy, but Cave felt strongly for Lyrica. It was something that had been jabbing at her for a long time now; a simple, yet powerful four letter word. A word Cave had trouble saying out loud.
Love.
"M-Miss Cave?" The warrior felt a small hand tug on her arm, and she saw little Verna looking at her all confused and adorable. "W-Why are you staring at Miss 5pb. like that?" There was venom when Verna said 5pb.'s name, but Cave didn't seem to notice.
"A-Ah, um..." It appeared that Cave made a slip, and let her emotions control her actions. While she was thinking, it appeared that Cave was looking at 5pb. in a very lecherous manner. Thankfully, because of her innocence, Verna didn't understand what that look meant. The very fact that Verna caught Cave staring at her like that in the first place made her feel ashamed in herself. She was better than that.
"I wasn't staring at 5pb., Verna, I was simply enjoying the view of the ocean." Cave lied smoothly. Another thing she had perfected, whenever she felt the need to do so. At least Cave wasn't a compulsive liar.
"O-Oh, ok..." Verna bought it hook, line and sinker. Then again, she was only 5.
Speaking of, Verna had a hard time controlling herself again. She moved away from Cave, but her mind was screaming at her to move closer. These feelings were doing bad things to her heart, and since everyone she asked so far haven't given her a proper answer, Verna decided she was gonna go to the last person she thought would help. Then again, maybe she would surprise her? She seemed really smart at least.
Verna was gonna get answers. Once and for all.
"Miss Blanc, I need your help..."
Blanc had been having a fairly acceptable day. The twins haven't been causing too much of a ruckus... yet. Her Basilicom was all nice and fixed, and she was in the zone with her new story! Overall, she was in a good mood..., until Vert's little sister had decided to spontaneously appear out of nowhere. And just like that, Blanc's good mood was ruined.
"Why can't you ask anyone else?" Blanc grumbled. She was still rather sour over Verna demolishing her Basilicom, even though she (begrudgingly) forgave her.
"W-Well, I tried asking Rom, Ram, Nepgear and Uni, but they either didn't know or yelled at me. M-Miss Neptune scares me, Miss Noire would yell at me, and sis is—"
"Alright, I get it!" yelled an exasperated Blanc. Hoping this would be quick and easy, Blanc looked up from her laptop and stared at the little marshmallow known as Verna. "Whaddya need help with, kid?"
"W-Well, it's more of a question, a-and I was hoping you had an answer."
"Well, spit it out then. What's your question?" asked an annoyed Blanc.
Verna gulped. "C-Can you tell me why I always feel weird around Miss Cave?"
...
...
...
Blanc blinked. "What."
"W-Whenever I think of around Miss Cave or when I'm around her, m-my cheeks burn, my heart beats funny, a-and it's starting to scare me a little!"
Blanc sighed. Since it was obvious she wasn't going to get any work done now, she closed her laptop and pressed her fingers together in a questioning manner. She looked quite exasperated. The worst part was she knew exactly what Verna was feeling.
"Before I tell you, let me ask you this... Do you know what love is?" Blanc wondered how her life had gotten to the point where she was teaching Vert's very little sister about the meaning of love.
"S-Sorta..." Verna answered meekly.
"Let me ask again. Do you love your sister?"
"Yes!" Verna's answer was automatic.
"Okay..." Blanc wondered how she was gonna explain this properly. "Alright, here's the gist of it, Verna. There are different kinds of love. You said you love your sister right?" Verna nodded. "Well, that would familial love, or love you feel for your family. These... feelings you have for Cave however, might be something else."
"Like what?" asked the Candidate, now listening with rapt attention.
Blanc cleared her throat, getting embarrassed. "From what you've told me, the feelings you have for Cave could most likely be love. T-The romantic kind."
"Ooooooh..." Verna was fascinated by Lady White Heart's wisdom, and suddenly everything wasn't so scary and confusing anymore. She thought back to her yuri anime, and remembered that she herself had been going through very similar phases of being in love as those girls on screen! Of course! It all made sense now!
The self-realization was very apparent on Verna's face. "Do you understand, kid? 'Cause I don't want to repeat myself."
Verna nodded vigorously. "I understand Miss Blanc!"
"Good..."
"Miss Blanc, how do you know so much about love?"
Blanc sputtered. "T-That's not any of your business kid." She wasn't about to admit that she got her love knowledge from books, and she also wasn't going to admit that she had feelings for a certain Lastation Oracle...
"Alright..., see you later Miss Blanc!" Verna left, and Blanc sighed in relief. She was probably gonna get hell from Vert about this, but she didn't give a damn. Blanc knew this wasn't going to end well for Verna, and for that, she felt a pang of sympathy for the kid.
"Hope things work out for you, kid..." Blanc mumbled, then went back to writing her story.