I lied. It wasn't actually a UNoire/mainNep. Turns out, I felt as whimsical as always and wrote a very late Christmas shot. Go figure.

Know what? I didn't know where I was going with this, and it became more and more pleasant to write as time went on. It got really sappy. I don't even know.

Go ahead, read it. You can't unyurify it.

Christmas – a time of year I often try to do without. Honestly, even now, after the Console War has ended, I'm reminded how simply crushingly lonely this holiday genuinely feels to me, and that's putting it mildly. I sigh, sliding another stack of completed papers out of the way before sliding onto my desk, letting the coolness of the wood emanate into my skin. I yawn, utterly uninterested in the festivities going on behind me, out in the main streets of Lastation. I appreciate giving my people the ability to celebrate, and they always seem so joyful and happy – but, even on times where I tried to blend in with them, it ended up poorly. Who really has the nerve to spend their time leisurely with their ruler? It makes sense, but that doesn't make it less sad.

I could ask the others if they wanted to get together, but that would go against my pride – being as emotionally soft as they are would make me seem weak in the eyes of my populace, and I can't abide by that. I refuse to, more than anything. And I suppose Uni must be busy with something, hence the lack of any company whatsoever, even now. I hope she's having a better time of it than I am.

…Moping isn't going to improve matters, though. Chin up, back straight, and eyes forward. I can make even more progress as the companies are releasing their seasonal new technology and products – products that resulted from my consistent supervision and funding, no less – so that I remain ahead of the game. Blanc has relented, and Vert never could keep up, and Neptune just doesn't care, so I can use this time to extend Lastation support to the other continents.

Not that I'd ever do anything with the support. Even if I don't tend to admit it, I like having them around. Life is less black and white. However, if I ever said that… I shudder. I don't need more reasons for them to harass me. As if appreciating your friends is that weird. Jerks.

I need some tea, and something to eat. Maybe I'll at least go for a walk and make some rounds through the city. That should be fine, right? Yeah, of course it should. Even I can take breaks now and then. Yeah. Rising from my chair, I stretch, yawning gently, before gathering the large stack of papers, taking them with me to the central region of the Basilicom to drop off. We have less people working today, since it's a holiday and I'll let them stay with their families – even if it impedes our progress, I'm not a tyrant. The man working the counter nods appreciatively at me, accepting the papers with ease, and I am left free for the time being.

Alright, time to head out. I smile softly to myself, enjoying the concept of a little bit of free time. Maybe I'll check out that new café over toward the cosplay section of the city. I hear they've got good food and the dresses are cute, so maybe I'll get some ideas of my own for new outfit ideas. It's not like I took up the hobby for anything weird – but I like having variety in my wardrobe, and despite how the other three feel, always dressing the same way every day is really boring.

On the way out, I notice a familiar pinkish-purple spiky ball of energy is, surprisingly, waiting for me. My eyebrows raise as I make my way over to her, and as she notices me, she tilts her head and beams brilliantly at me. I… have to admit, the dope has a wonderful smile. It's brighter than anyone else I've ever met, and I think that's why I get so frustrated – she somehow gets under my skin so easily, it floors me.

"Hey! Merry Christmas, Noire!" she chirps, closing the remaining distance with a gentle hug. I inhale sharply at the sudden contact, but relent and pet her head – a seeming ritual lately for whenever we see one another, though I don't know when it started. It's nice, though; she's warm, and she doesn't smell bad, to say the least. "Headin' out?" she asks, turning her head upward from my chest to look up at me.

I cough, doing my best to rid myself of the annoying red spreading across my cheeks. "Yeah, merry Christmas to you, too, Neptune. I figured I'd take a break from my paperwork and go get something to eat. I'm going to guess I can't stop you from tagging along?" I half-inquire, half-resign myself; she never really listens even if I try to argue with her, so she just does whatever she wants and I let it go. I guess that's how our friendship goes – whatever happens, happens, and we just kind of move along whether it's small and trivial or large and disastrous. We kind of bonded a couple years back, after the whole incident with the 'True Goddess', anyway, so I can't say it's unexpected. We got closer. Isn't that how all friends work?

"Hmm… nope! I'll come with ya', since I don't really have much else to do here." Duh – you're in my city, you dope. Of course you're here to follow me around. Dork. "Where are we going?" she asks, releasing me after a few more seconds of hugging me. She plays with her hair to mess up the sort of orderly vibe I ended up creating from running my hand over her head repeatedly, and I sigh. I don't really know how she'd look if she weren't always so spiky and Neptune'y. Maybe better, maybe worse – she'd probably look more like Nepgear, which is… weird.

"I was thinking of checking out the new maid café down in the cosplay section. I hear it has good publicity and it might be a good change of pace for creativity – my wardrobe seems a little lackluster lately," I explain, not really minding whether she knows or not; she figured it out a while ago, so I can't really deny it, and she didn't go as far into teasing me about it as I'd normally expect, so I'll just roll with it lately.

"Hmm… maid café? That sounds kinda' cool – you'd probably look nice like that," she remarks, nodding. I feel somewhat embarrassed by this review, but say nothing. "I wouldn't mind trying one on if you do, though it might not fit me as well, ahaha," she laughs, rubbing the back of her head.

"I don't think that's true – you'd probably look really… c-cute, actually," I mutter the last few words, feeling it somewhat awkward to praise her. I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea.

"…Haha, I'll try it then!" she answers after a few moments, beaming at me. "We'd be a more iconic duo than even Team Rocket!" she continues, chuckling quietly. I cock my head, wondering.

"…I'll take your word for it, since I don't recognize that name, but, you want to head out?" I say, and she nods. I smile, leading the way as we depart from my Basilicom, off into the slightly-blistery Lastation scene.

"Honestly, I never really knew that our continents had actual 'seasons' of any kind," she suddenly notes, looking over the slightly cool air and light snow dusting the city. I nod after a few moments, remembering that she ended up losing her memory as a result of everything. I sometimes recall those days and feel bad, but she doesn't seem to harbor a grudge, so I figure I might as well move forward as well. "Lastation's actually kinda' pretty around this time of year,~" she teases, grinning at me.

"As if you're saying my city isn't ever not pretty, in its own way," I answer, smirking. "You're just so dang bright that you can't appreciate our charm as well," I continue, nodding. "And we're able to make the 'Christmas season' look a lot more appealing than Lowee does, too."

We both laugh, thinking back on the extreme blizzards that tend to end up hitting Lowee at this time of year. Each continent has its own climate – Planeptune tends to remain on the warmer, almost spring-time side, where Lastation could be compared to autumn, Lowee to winter, and Leanbox to summer. It's a pleasant experience to visit each of the four throughout the different times of the year, except Lowee in winter and Leanbox in summer – they're utterly disgusting at those two times.

"Your residents look really excited," she says, and I nod again. She really mellowed out after everything ended, even if she still has her happy-go-lucky charm and playful attitude. It's hard to believe I ever actually had a problem with her. "It's nice, since you guys are workaholics like, ninety percent of the time, so you look so darn happy when you aren't knee-deep in it, y'know?"

I grin. "Of course. We enjoy our brief respites more because we're almost always constantly working. The brief moments mean more. Unlike Planeptune," I tease, and she shrugs innocently.

"I have no idea what you mean. We're always working, too. We're like, super serious. The most serious. No one is more serious than we are."

I snort, shaking my head. "You barely even know the word."

"Do too! 'Noire is too serious, period.'"

"That's cheating, and I'm not that serious. I just take my work… damn it, you got me there."

She laughs, nodding. "I'm the ultimate detective, Neppy Kudo."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Look alive, 'greatest detective,' we're almost there," I remark sardonically, motioning to the café. It's rather pretty – a bright reddish-purple, arched cloth overhang leading into a brown-and-white brick building. It has a plentiful number of windows along both sides, and I can easily see quite a lot of lighting in the shape of flowers hanging from inside the windows, with a decent amount of commotion going on both inside and out. "Would you want to stay inside, or relax outside?" I ask, glancing over at her. She seems distracted by something, though I can't tell what since her eyes immediately flick back to look over at me, and she shrugs.

"I'm okay with either, though, you'd probably not see as many dresses and different outfits if we stayed outside, huh?" she answers, and I blink. "What's with that look?"

"Neptune… are you logically intelligent?" I inquire, chuckling as she immediately reacts and tries to retort. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Alright, thanks for the reminder. Let's head inside, then."

"Mm!"

We continue toward the entrance, and she grabs the door to open for both of us. I curtsy with a smirk, and she snorts before we enter, our presences immediately being picked up on by the residents currently dining here. The waitresses exchange low murmurs, their expressions somewhat concerned, but what I presume to be the owner seems unfazed as she quickly comes over herself to direct us to a table.

"Hello, hello! Welcome to the Kitten House Café! It's our pleasure to serve you, nya!~" she says without the slightest hesitation, and Neptune and I exchange surprised looks. "How may we help you, today, Ladies Black and Purple Heart? Table for two?~"

I nod. "That'd be appreciated," I answer, and she bows before leading us with two menus nestled in her arm. Walking past various tables, I notice how colorful the food seems to be, and notice how frilly most of the girls in this establishment are. The uniforms are really well-made, and the waitresses are all in various shapes and sizes – it's really rather adorable. As we sit down, she sets the menus before us before briefly excusing herself.

"Wow, she's really calm, compared to everyone else here. I didn't think people would recognize me, but I guess being around you magnified my image, huh?" Neptune remarks, and I sigh, nodding. "Must be tough, huh? That's why I don't mind Planeptune's atmosphere – people don't really mind if I'm around or not."

"I don't think that that's a good thing," I respond, sighing again. "I'd prefer to be treated a bit more normally, but everyone has this strange professional aura when I'm around."

"Maybe because you're super intimidating to normal people? Ah, that looks like a fun drink!" she says, already having been browsing the menu. "What do you think of it? It's a pretty blue color."

I smirk. "If color's all that matters, I ought to introduce you to a few companies that are dabbling in new marketing schemes for their drinks. They might appreciate that attitude," I chuckle, checking them out now myself. "Though, you're right – that really is a pretty blue. I kind of like that pink one, though."

"Eh? But it's not colorful enough! Simply put, they could go pinker!"

"But that's not… eh, maybe you're right. It's still nice."

We go back and forth for a couple more minutes before the girl from before reappears, bowing. "Hello again, Ladies Heart. My name is Choco – I'm the owner here!~ What may I get you both to drink?" she asks, pulling out a small pad followed by a pen. Now that she's up close, that uniform is… so adorable!

"I'll go with this one," I say, gesturing to the pink drink from before, while Neptune happily points to the blue one from before. She nods, smiling, before excusing herself again. "Thank you, by the way," I say as she turns to leave, and she just simply beams.

"Their outfits are pretty snazzy," Neptune remarks, her eyes traveling over the café's interior. "I like your styles better, but they're not bad as a basis. I could definitely see you as a maid like these ones, maybe even with the ears.~"

I grumble, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Maybe I should try on one of my outfits and get myself a cat-ear headband sometime… "I agree that they're wonderful, honestly. People can be so creative."

"Mm! Totally got you there. Also…," she pauses, hesitating for a moment. I tilt my head curiously. "What are you doing after this?"

"I'll probably walk around a little more, and then head back to…"

"Unacceptable! Noire, I'm dragging you to the party today, then!"

"…There's a party?" I ask, somewhat confused.

"Now there will be!" she retorts, pumping her fist into the air. "Or my name isn't Neptune!"

"…Huh, got it. I suppose I'll find time, since we're ahead of schedule with things, anyway," I grumble, somewhat pleased at the turn of events. I didn't really want to work Christmas anyway, but I wasn't going to be the first one to ask to hang out. "When?"

"How about when we're done here? I'll shoot a message to Nep Jr., Blanc and Vert, too, if you want?"

"Sounds alright, I don't really know if I'd be okay with a massive party besides everyone, anyway. It'd be… a little too crowded."

"Noire's an introvert?~"

"A-am not. I'm just… I like exclusive events."

"Intro~, vert~," she teases, and I roll my eyes. Still the same pain in the butt as usual.

Eventually, our drinks arrive, and I raise my eyebrows. It's pinker than the pictures, and the other drink seems a lot lighter blue than what they advertised. I'm not sure if it's false advertising, or if they worked harder for us. Did they overhear us? I'd feel terrible.

After a few minutes, we also place orders for a couple small dessert-like treats, and the owner disappears again. Watching Neptune eye her glass with blissful happiness, I shake my head at the small child sharing my table while I begin drinking my brilliant pink haze. It's sweet, and kind of fruity – pleasant; I'd almost feel I'd find this in Planeptune, instead of Lastation. Still, this is nice.

"…Urk! Noiiire…," she whispers after sipping from her glass. "It's… kind of sour! What's yours like?" she says, suddenly leaning over the table to steal my straw, sipping from it, much to my surprised horror. Her eyes light up, and she smiles. "Ooh! That's so sweet!"

"N-Neptune, that's my straw!" I exclaim, and she shrugs. "Aren't you going to drink your own?!" I grumble, and she shrugs again. "Uuugh… fine, just give me the drink if that's the case. I… guess you can drink mine now," I say, sliding the drink toward her. She grins contentedly, withdrawing her straw to set it into my drink, and I blink. "Uh?"

"Just use your straw, duh. Isn't that obvious?" she says with a slight mocking tone in her voice, and I stare at her in wonder.

I withdraw my straw and add it to her drink, staring at it for a few minutes. Does she not see why this is kind of embarrassing? I glance up, but she's just humming softly while drinking away, and I mutter small grumblings about her before finally yielding to drinking my drink as casually as possible. Stupid Neptune.

As the food arrives, we both stare on with awe at how pretty it all looks – sweet, fluffy, and colorful; the epitome of 'cute' dessert. Both dishes are mini-one-piece snacks, so we pick off one another's plates, munching quietly.

"Hey, Noire," Neptune says while chewing, eyeing the drinks. "What should we do for a party, anyway?"

I snort, shaking my head while shrugging. "You just now thought of that? What are you, spontaneously dumb?"

"That's mean; and when I went so far to invite you…," she teases back, grinning. "Should we do games, or try and host something with food and drinks and stuff?"

"Drinks, like alcohol or just the usual stuff?" I counter, and she raises her eyebrows.

"Alcohol? But, like, can we even get drunk?"

"I don't know; haven't tried. I don't know if Christmas is the best time to find out, though. What if Blanc and Vert kill each other?"

She chuckles while eating a truffle. "That might kinda' funny to watch though. Has Lastation released any large-scale co-op or battle games recently?"

"A couple. They're not the biggest titles, but I know the companies and Uni said they played well. We have various test copies lying around somewhere, though they're the shooter kinds."

"Hmm… Blanc's not into those, and I'm into the more retro stuff, but it's not bad I guess. I saw Lowee released some new party games, but… those are… like…"

"Interactive? With a room full of CPUs and competitive faces? Yeah, that might be a little extreme."

"Yeaaah… I wonder if there's options to just use controllers? We could do 4-person and just alternate, like we usually do," she suggests, stirring her drink with her straw. Well, mine, but, technically her drink now.

"We sometimes get a little high-strung, but that might not be too bad. If we can all remain amicable."

"I'm up for it if you guys are!"

"Sounds good; we can also grab some of those test-copies from my Basilicom before we head over. Which Basilicom would we head to?" I ask, tilting my head. "Definitely not Lowee, but which one sounds good today?"

"We could do yours?" she suggests again, her bright eyes sparkling curiously.

"I'd rather… not… be in my Basilicom all day again. Truthfully."

"Aaah… getting a bit stir-crazy, eh? Leave it to Neppy. Lemme' shoot them messages and ask for ideas. Where's your sister?" she asks, flipping her phone open to begin typing up a storm. She's a lot faster and more informal than I am, so I let her handle it entirely.

"I don't really know. Maybe with Nepgear?"

"Probably," she says flatly, pausing for a few minutes. "What d'ya' think they do all the time?"

"…Hang out?"

"Y'think so?"

"We're hanging out at the moment, too. Maybe they also brought Ram and Rom along?"

"…Huh, that's a good point."

I feel like I might've missed something there, but I can't be too sure. Is she implying Uni and Nepgear have something they're not telling us? But they're both such dependent little girls, I can't see it. Or am I overthinking it? Now I'm all confused.

"Aaaand, sent! Now, we wait. You gonna' finish those truffles?" she inquires, already swiping another three to throw into her mouth. I blink, narrowing my eyes.

"I thought about it, but I guess you can, instead. I guess."

"Hey, don't be like that! A growing Neptune has to eat!" she replies, smiling proudly with her cheeks puffed out. Usually that'd probably sound unintelligible, but I've known her so long, I'm accustomed to this.

"You aren't growing anymore, though. None of us are – we're CPUs. Dork."

"Then am I destined to be a little girl forever?! But I'd be such a sexy girl as I grow up!"

"What if you just grew up to look like Nepgear?" I counter, and she shakes her head with a haughty laugh.

"Silly, silly Noire. I'd definitely be at least as shapely as you are!" she answers proudly, patting her chest with pride.

"…Uh-huh. Too bad that won't happen," I retort with a smirk, watching her expression grow sulky as she pouts at me. I almost feel bad.

Then, she suddenly grins. "'Too bad,' huh? Why? Would you like to see me all womanly and mature?~" she says with a low tone, and I suddenly stiffen and vehemently shake my head.

"N-no! I don't care either way! Don't make that out to be anything, either!" I say, trying to remove the idea of a voluptuous Neptune from my mind. It wouldn't ever happen anyway, so thinking about it is…! Ugh, why am I even fretting so much? I don't think of her like that… I think.

We spend the next half-hour quietly lounging, with the owner coming back to check on us now and then, the waitresses and patrons changing but all always murmuring about us. I find myself somewhat embarrassed to be seen out at all, let alone with Neptune, though I don't let this discourage me too much. Even I get breaks now and then.

Neptune's phone lights up, playing a… familiar jingle. I can't put my finger on it, but I know I've heard it somewhere. It's… hmm…

She flips it open, grinning. "We've got confirmation from Vert, oh! And now, Blanc! Nep Jr. has still yet to respond."

I frown, finally grabbing my phone, opening it to the contact list. Selecting Uni's number, I call her, waiting as the phone rings quietly. Once… twice… thrice… Slight static. She picked up!

"…Eh… Shut up! It's my sister! Uhm, uh, what's up, big sister? You almost never call."

"Hey, Uni. Calling to check on you – did I catch you at a bad time?"

"N-no! Not at all! I'm just being… dragged around against my will. Yeah. Hey! Stop that!" she shouts, and I hear something falling over from somewhere in her vicinity. "Ah, crap! Look what you did! Um… was that it, big sister?"

"No, are you with Nepgear?"

"Y-yeah. And Rom and Ram. We were just hanging out for a few minutes, I'm uh… I'll…"

"Heyyyyy, Uniiiii!~" Neptune calls out from beside me, causing both Uni and I – noticeable by the sudden yelp on the other line – to jump. "Are ya' taking care of Nep Jr.?!"

Uni mutters something, then sighs. "You too, huh?"

"Yup. We're going to be having a get-together for Christmas, it seems. Are you all joining us?"

"R-really? We're going out? Where will we be having it? Hey, fix that!"

"…I don't know, but you seem busy. I'll talk to you later, then, Uni."

"…N-no! Wai—!" she starts, but I hang up, sighing aloud.

"They seem preoccupied. I guess I'll talk to her later. Did you…?" I ask, noticing Neptune intently reading something on her phone. When I go to move over to check it, she suddenly reacts and closes the phone, her eyes shifting immediately onto me.

"We're all good to go! They'll said they'll head over to meet us in Vert's Basilicom, this time around, in a little bit. We have a bit more time, so do you want to head anywhere else?" she continues, completely unfazed. She smiles her usual goofy smile at me, and I sigh, feeling unmotivated to question her.

"I… guess I could go for actually looking for some new outfits. Do you want to go with me, or should we just head over? It'd take us some time to get on one of the ships to hop continents, anyway," I say, rising to my feet.

She raises a finger to her chin, humming curiously. "I think we have a little time, so we can go check out whatever you want! Lead the way, 'kay?" she answers, hopping to her feet as well, stretching while making a contented sound. "Mmmmm… that was comfortable. Good idea, Noire!"

"…Yeah. You're acting a little off, today, though," I say, finally somewhat perturbed.

"Huh?" she tilts her head to look at me, somewhat confused. "Whatcha' mean? I'm not doing anything different?"

"While we're a little more mellow than we used to be… you seem… doting, I want to say?" I try to explain, feeling awkward. The phrasing isn't really wondrous, but it gets the point across.

"What's that mean?" she inquires, and I pause.

"Well… you seem really… patient and interested in my hobbies, today. Usually you don't say anything and drag me along at your pace, but today…"

"Hey, I can be nice sometimes, too! I just felt like spending time, hanging out with you instead of making you hang out with me. It's really kind of relaxing, so, I'll see it through to the end. Getting to know my best friend's not a crime, right?" she points out, and I purse my lips but nod. She has me there, but I can't put my finger on it… this kind of feels like a… No, no, I'm overthinking it. I'm being kind of weird again. Brush that thought aside, Noire. Recompose. Aaaand… good. I think.

"…If you say so. Well, I'll leave the credits here for them, so let's get going," I continue, setting a small pile on the table. It's a bit more than what we ordered – or a lot, really – but it doesn't really matter. I'm not hurting for money, anyway. "Shall we?"

"Let's, m'Lady,~" she replies, overexaggerating a clumsy bow. I chuckle, shaking my head as we depart together, proceeding down the streets.

I gloss over the various stores, deciding against visiting the ones I regularly frequent – they can't have gotten too many things in that are fresh and new, so finding something I haven't heard of before might be good.

Neptune's humming softly, remaining close to my side. I hear people murmuring about us, though I can't make it out. It's kind of frustrating. Do we look awkward hanging out together? "Hey… Neptune, do we look out of place?"

"Hm?" she replies absentmindedly, immediately focusing on me. "Mmm… nah, I can't really figure out what they're saying, but everybody looks pretty happy for some reason. Maybe they think we look like the best of pals?"

I scratch my cheek, nodding. "Maybe. I'd just wonder what people have to say, but I guess it doesn't really matter, anyway. So, see anything interesting?"

"Hmm… I don't remember ever hearing you talk about that one, over there," she replies relatively quickly, gesturing to a rather large, recently-completed building on the right. It's greenish-grey brick on the outside, with various tall windows with multiple mannequins lined up inside them, on display. Each wears various colorful outfits – one in a green sundress, another in a purple tee and blue jeans, and a third in a hoodie. The fourth… is wearing a really cute Santa outfit.

"Oh…," I say without thinking, and Neptune raises an eyebrow, tracing my attention. She pauses, shooting me a grin – much to my dismay – before nodding. Obviously, she's decided on it. "…Well, let's check it out. I don't know it, so maybe I'll find something."

As we enter, I immediately find myself overcome with awe at just how many outfits are on display, and just how many are also stacked in neat piles at each of the various tables or on various clothing racks. It's almost overwhelming, actually, and it's all so colorful and pretty. Definitely, I have to seriously explore every nook and cranny of the store. Neptune already seems to have disappeared – no doubt in search of that Santa outfit, though I don't really know whether she wants to get it for herself or will ask me about it. Regardless…

I hum happily as I sift through the endless mountains of new garb, dancing slightly to some catchy Christmas song playing over the loudspeaker. Already, about fifteen minutes since entering, my arm is buried beneath multiple layers of clothing, and I smile. I can't wait to try most of this on! I peer around for a dressing room, taking note of a females-only one on the far right. That probably means the male side is on the far left, but that has no relevance to me, so I ignore the notion to confirm this fact. Various pairs of colorful underwear catch my eye, too, but I can come by for those when I'm alone. Neptune might get the wrong idea.

Proceeding to the room, I hear the pitter-patter of someone following me. Looking over my shoulder, I notice Neptune – speak of the dolt and she shall come – trailing after me with an ample pile of clothing in her arms as well. She beams at me, and I smile back. She's kind of cute like that; she actually looks like a normal girl, for once.

"Are you trying all those on?" I ask with interest, and she shakes her head. "Huh? Then why do you…? Do you just take them if they're your size?"

She shakes her head again. "I have a few things here, but I found stuff that I thought might be really cute on you, so I had to grab it and bring it to you."

Blush. "W-what? But I'm…"

"Just, humor me! Please?" she requests with a pleading look, and I sigh and nod. If she thinks so, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

"This better not be a joke. Here, set them in here with my pile," I say, opening the changing room door for her to set them down. She divides her pile immensely, setting them aside before setting hers off into another room. I stare in awe at the eight or nine things she found for me, and glance over at her.

"Lemme' see them, too! I'll give ya' my thoughts, 'kay?~" she states, grinning.

"I… might not... that's embarrassing, so…"

"Hey, don't worry, don't worry! We're both girls, Noire.~"

"…Uuuugh… fine."

The next… however long, passes by pretty slowly for me – but probably rather quickly in reality. I change into various styles of outfits – casual, punk, semi-cosplay, goth, fancy, etc. – appearing before Neptune over and over. She gives me honest opinions on each one, her eyes always intently scrutinizing me, and I find myself a lot more self-conscious than ever before. It's… actually kind of agonizing. But, weeding out at least sixty percent of the outfits, I finally begin delving into her pile, which turns out to be…

"…Neptune, these are all Santa outfits," I remark, and I hear her make an affirming sound from the other side of the door. "Um…"

"We're going to a Christmas party, right? Y'gotta' look the part.~ Don't worry, Noire, I've also got a few. We'll go, both dressed up!" she tries to assure me, and I grumble. She's definitely not being herself. Or I'm just way more paranoid than usual.

I notice immediately that the first few are on the skimpier side, and I glare daggers at Neptune while blushing scarlet – though she seems to genuinely like them, even if she agrees that they don't fit me. Is she getting some weird kicks out of this? I begin looking around for a camera somewhere that she might've hidden, wondering if this is a long-running joke. No such luck. After this strange revelation, I begin to see that the next couple are more classical, and far too stuffy. She agrees, saying that I don't need to be ashamed of a little bit more skin, since it's just all of our friends. I don't buy it, but I give in.

This next one… long red stockings with fuzzy lining at the top, with a skirt down to my mid-thigh – which is a little much for me, but better than what she had me try earlier – made of extremely fuzzy red material, lined with even fuzzier, fluffy white material at the bottom and top. It tickles my stomach, where it sits, though it's comfortable and easy to move in – and is weighty enough not to flip at every single movement I make. Then, there's a thin, red silk undershirt that covers my entire torso and shoulders, though doesn't really cover my skin. I'm thankful that I wear thick enough bras on this day. Past this, there's an adorable little overcoat that covers the tops of my arms, my neck and chest, cutting off slightly above my belly button, lined with really soft fluff. It's of the same consistency and materials as the skirt, and comes with matching red gloves that come just shy of my elbows, and little red shoes with bells attached that jingle endlessly. I twirl in the mirror a few times, utterly enthralled – it's adorable. The one underneath it, before I go show Neptune… is the plain one I saw in the display window. It's not the same, now that I see myself in this.

"Hey… Neptune, I think I really like this one," I say, exiting my room, walking out and to the left to knock on the door to hers. It swings open, revealing her in a slightly different version of what I've got – or rather, the undershirt is thicker, but the overcoat is shorter and doesn't close. It's not a huge difference, but… "You really wear that well," I remark, thinking she looks really cute. "I really like that."

She smiles, nodding. "Ya' look great too, Noire. I thought that one would be the one, so I chose well! I'm just so great.~"

I roll my eyes, returning her smile. "Let's head out, then? I'll pay for this stuff, we can return the others, and then drop them off at my Basilicom before we go meet the others. Is that alright?" I say, humming happily. Today's going really nicely, even if I didn't expect it to be this way – nor Neptune to behave like this, but I can say it's really pleasant.

She nods, helping me proceed quickly through the checkout counter. Turns out that these weren't the cheapest outfits, but I decide it's worth it. The cashier absolutely fawns over us, which turns out to be a lot more embarrassing than I first thought, but… I'll tolerate it. It's only one day of the year, anyway. Glancing over, I notice Neptune's focusing seriously on her phone again, and frown.

"Is… something wrong?" I ask, and she suddenly jumps, plastering her eyes on me again – that occasional weird look in them, like before – before she shakes her head.

"Nah, just, uh, they're all apparently running late. We have a bit more time."

"…Oh, I guess that's fine. It's… uh, not that big of a deal, anyway," I say, biting back the weird feeling welling up in my stomach. It's kind of disappointing, but the way she's acting is even more bizarre. My chest feels a little tight. "Well… let's drop this stuff off, and then we can figure out what next. Are they alright?"

"Mm, they're perfectly fine. Things are just not going like expected."

"…Like expected?"

She freezes, her eyes darting to various places as we exit the store. "Um, uh… yeah. I was hoping they'd all be getting to Leanbox faster than…"

"Neptune, is something going on?" I ask, feeling a sudden pang of loneliness. "Do you guys not trust me enough to tell me if something's happening?"

Her head immediately rises to make eye contact with me as she motions frantically. "No, uh, no! That's not what's wrong, Noire! No one's in trouble or anything, they're just busy, so…!"

"…I see. Well, that happens."

We walk along in silence now as I try to keep my eyes off her. I suddenly feel very out of place. Think, Noire – did I overlook anything? I can't have. I don't recall any signs… Wait, Uni was arguing with someone, really busy with something too. Do she and Neptune know something that I don't?

"…Did Nepgear respond yet?" I ask, suddenly suspicious.

"Huh? No, not yet. She's still not answering."

"Try calling her? She's, out of all of our sisters, the quickest to respond. She's extremely dutiful, so if she's not responding…"

Neptune sighs, shaking her head. "I'm sure she's fine. If Uni responded, then I'm not too worried about Nep Jr."

"Neptune, are you hiding something from me?"

"…Look, Noire, it's nothing bad."

"But you are."

"…You'll see soon, so…"

"I'm irritated. Fess up."

"…Nngh. Um, I'll tell you when we get to the Basilicom, alright?" she says tiredly, and I sigh in frustration.

"…Fine."

The rest of the walk is agonizingly uncomfortable, my emotions starting to fume over the turn of events. What, were they all working on something? Is Neptune only hanging out with me to keep me from finding out? Did I think today was something meaningful? These thoughts fill my head over and over, and I find myself feeling very unhappy, now.

Neptune, of course, tries to come up with various comments or conversation, though I can't help but completely ignore her. She sighs, giving up after however long, opening her phone to stare at it with a furrowed, unhappy look of her own.

"…Ugh," she mutters, "how slow can they be?"

Are they setting up something? Am I overthinking it? Are they setting up the party, or something? I mean, that sort of makes sense, but why keep it a secret? Why deal with this in such a roundabout method? Did they pick Neptune to keep me away, knowing I felt closer to her and wouldn't pick up on it? If so, I think what bothers me the most is that she lied about wanting to hang out with me. Maybe they just kicked her out of the preparations because she was being too… rambunctious?

We arrive at the Basilicom, and I ignore the guards as they attempt to do their greetings. I proceed directly to my personal quarters, setting the bags on one of the many wardrobes in my room, sighing as I kick off my shoes and sit on my bed. I glare at Neptune as she deposits her bags, awkwardly joining me on my right toward the foot of the bed, as she sighs.

"Talk."

She shoots me an unreadable look, sighing again. "Our sisters and Vert decided they'd get involved in making up a huge party for all of us – so, since Nepgear is terrible at hiding things, I figured it out pretty quickly. Blanc doesn't know, yet, either, but she's held up by the blizzard, and Iffy and Compa are both busy with work, so preparations down in Leanbox are… going very slowly. I was told to keep it a secret, and told to keep out of their way, so I decided to spend the day hanging around with you, since I felt sort of lonely, and…"

"Did you, though?" I say flatly, sighing. Her story makes sense, being very typical of our sisters and Neptune herself, but that still doesn't make me feel somewhat hurt. "If you were just bored and had nothing else to do, I'd rather you didn't just…"

"No, that's the thing though!" Neptune shouts back, much to my surprise. She suddenly leans closer to me, her face more serious than I've ever seen before, and I find myself caught off-guard. "It's not like I had anything else to do, yeah, but that doesn't mean I didn't want to hang out with you, Noire!"

"…Okay, that's…"

"I had a lot of fun today," she says, smiling softly, a light red beginning to appear on her face as she leans in further. I try to lean back, feeling somewhat flustered by how close she is, until I eventually end up falling over. She scoots closer, climbing on top of me as she sighs. "I enjoyed spending time with you; it's really nice to see the side of you I've never really seen." I feel myself flush red as she straddles me, and I try to agree with her, but she continues. "I don't really get it, but lately, I've been thinking about ya' more, and it's weird. I started wondering about stuff I never really thought about before, and…," she trails off, putting an arm on either side of my head. I gulp. "I can't figure out this weird feeling, and it only really calms down when I'm with you like this. It's annoying!"

"I… N-Neptune, it's… o-okay, um…"

"I… we have awhile, Noire. Can you help me figure things out?" she says slowly, her face reddening more than ever before. My mind melts a little at this sight – the revelation that even Neptune can become scarlet with blush – as she leans in closer to me, trembling slightly. "I… need to figure stuff out. Can you…?"

"…Eh? I mean… uh…"

"I know I'm being weird, but… I have this sudden urge to…"

"N-Neptune, I… mmh?!"

The last thing I can recall is just how warm her lips are.

I. Regret. Nothing.

Besides that this is four months too late. But eh.

I'm content. I even felt it flowed really well, despite being started before I went to bed last night, and only being completed now, twelve hours later, after various interruptions and long breaks from it.

The Superdimension is still my favorite to write from. The Hyperdimension is okay. The four continents offer a lot more variety than one giant landmass and a few islands. But y'know, details.

I'm tired, so I'm gonna' go sleep before I embark on the next one - I'll be back up in a few hours for the next project. Prepare yourselves, you glorious people. I love you all.~

Tainted out!~