With Leaf, the group stopped at a gas station. James and Jenny were both inside the building, collecting some gas for the car, while Leaf waited outside with Makoto. James was about to talk to Leaf like he promised, but he wasn't able to, due to the fact that he needed gas for his car. Jenny even told him that it's for the best to wait until the next stop for that conversation.
So Leaf stood by the car, looking at both sides of the roads, making sure that he wasn't seeing either Preston or Esma coming towards their way. The elf held the side of his head as he was thinking about Petal to himself. The song 'Time After Time' by Cyndi Lauper was playing on the gas station's outdoor radio, as he was thinking about Petal to himself, wondering if she even knows, or cares, that he is even gone from the Forest of the Elves.
Makoto actually took notice of Leaf standing rounding, thinking to himself as he was looking up at the sky. She was looking over to the elf as she was standing by the corner of the car. She walks up to Leaf.
"You seem pretty depressed, Leaf." Makoto said, standing next to him now. Leaf looks at her, blinking a couple times. "What seems to be the matter?"
"Me? Depressed? No way, dude! I'm as happy as I can be." Leaf said. "Well...aside from the fact that two psychos now know I have magic..." Leaf held up a hand, as an orb of purple light started to float out of it. "...Now they probably want to kill me for that magic, but...hey, they don't know that all you have to do is to do this to get a bunch of flowers to grow."
Leaf snaps his fingers, causing the nearby tree to have flowers grow out of it immediately. The elf then throws a hand towards the tree, allowing that magic beam of purple light to collect a couple flowers off of the tree. Once a couple were collected, the flowers came back to Leaf. Makoto took the flowers that were from the tree, smiling at them.
"I must say, this is rather amazing." Makoto said. The robot's eyes turned red as she was looking at the flowers. "I do sense magic was the reason that these have grown as fast as they did." Leaf rolled his eyes, before giving the girl a smirk.
"Hey, it doesn't take one to know that magic is magic, my friend." Leaf said. "Kind of sucks that Preston and Esma now know about me having magic. But hey, knowing that Jenny is working for that SPA Agency or...whatever she just said moments ago, I doubt we have anything too badly to worry about now that we got those rare metal used for that crown, right?" Makoto nods her head. "What are we going to do with that metal anyway?"
"Since you are asking me, I believe that Alexa Lexington could put it to some use."
"Right...so...after Esma and Preston are taken care of, what are you going to do after that? Because me and James were just planning on going to whatever town he lives at. Enjoy the rest of my life there."
Looking down, Makoto stood there, thinking about that to herself. "...Hopefully, make sure that Dr. F and Alexa are alive..." Leaf sat down onto the hood, looking at Makoto still.
"Right...you've been pretty vague about those two ever since we've gotten you out of that warehouse..." The elf points at the robot girl, giving her a suspicious look. "Now I have never heard of those two, but...I assume that somehow, they are the closest people you have as...how do I put it, a 'guardian'? Somebody who looks after you, right?"
"That would be correct."
"Right. Okay, when was the last time you even seen those two? Like, before Esma somehow took you from them?" Makoto looks down to the ground below her, remembering that day, when Esma found her...
A couple months back...
Makoto was still wearing the exact same clothes as she did before. She was sitting in what appears to be a lab room, with a lot of machines everywhere. The robot girl woke up already, and she was ready to go and do something for today. She didn't know what, but she was willing to leave the lab once again.
Dr. F, the man with extremely white hair and mustache, goggles, a white lab-coat and black dress pants, was looking through a couple machines, seeing if they work or not. Alexa was standing by a nearby counter, looking at a clipboard. She has short purple hair, with glasses, a white lab-coat, a red t-shirt with a pink bunny on the front of it, a black skirt, and baggy plaid pants.
Makoto walks down the steps that were leading down to where the two scientists were at. Dr. F was busy trying to get one of the machines to work, while Alexa that was looking at a toy robot that was on the counter. Alexa looks behind herself, noticing that Makoto that was coming down the steps.
"Oh, Makoto." Alexa said, before turning around, straightening her glasses. "What brings you downstairs, this morning?"
"I was just going to collect myself some breakfast, and head outside." Makoto said. Alexa looks at her clipboard, before looking at the robot once again.
"I just hope you're not planning on going to that club that was inside that warehouse again. Dr. F is still unhappy with the fact that a couple teens were running around the alley-way next to the lab, mocking him and the building." The robot girl shook her head, not wanting to do that kind of plan. "Oh okay, where will be you be going out today?"
"Oh nothing, but I've been noticing something in the Industrial Park that I need to have brought to the Eleanor Myers. It has been something that I have been noticing it for quite some time now." Makoto walks over to the steps, then looks over to Alexa once again. "I need to tell it to her before things escalated any worse than it has to be." Alexa lowers her clipboard down, looking at the robot with concern on her face.
"Eleanor Myers? The agent who came into our lab back in 2010? What are you going to tell her?"
"It involves a certain...person that I need to tell her about. I just hoped that she is at the SPA Agency when I go to tell her about what I have to tell her." Makoto walks over to the stairs, about to climb up them. "I have to go to the SPA Building so that I can tell them about this one person before it's too late..." Alexa nods her head, now understanding the whole situation.
"Alright. Be safe out there, Makoto." The robot nodded her head.
"Don't worry, I will."
Makoto headed out of the lab building. Little did she know, this day was going to be attacked by said person she is about to bring to the SPA Agency. Seeing that there wasn't anyone around the Industrial Park, she started to make her way to this section's exit.
Along the way, Makoto was hearing the sound of footsteps behind her. The robot kept hearing the footsteps getting closer and closer while she was walking to the monorail station nearby. Makoto kept getting more and more concern as she was walking towards the stairs out to the monorail station, only for the sound of trash cans falling over were heard nearby.
Looking behind herself, Makoto didn't see anyone who was over there. Seeing that there was nobody around, it was too late for her to do anything, as Esma from behind Makoto kicks her to the ground, and opens the hatch that was keeping Makoto's battery in her head.
"Did you honestly think that someone like you was going to try to give me up to the SPA Agents?" Esma asked her. "Guess again, pal..."
Esma takes the battery out of Makoto, causing the robot to try to stop her, only for it to not work. Slowly, Makoto slowed down. Then her eyes went from being normal, to close, and the fearful look on her face slowly turned into a face of no emotion. Esma took a look at the battery, seeing that it has Makoto's name on it.
"Those two scientists will be curious where this robot girl went off to." Esma said, before pulling out her phone, and placing the battery into her jacket. "I got to call Preston so that I can bring this robot off to the warehouse up in Canada."
"Damn, she really did that?" Leaf asked the robot girl with fear in his voice.
"I had no idea what Esma was really capable of." Makoto said. "I must say her strength was rather better than mine back in the Industrial Park...I don't recall what month it is...but I remember it was...around Halloween when Esma had my battery with her." Leaf's eyes widened, seeing that Makoto was kept in that warehouse for a very long time. "From what James's phone said, it's June now...and I've been...oh no...I've been gone for that long? They really must be worried about me...they probably think I ran away from my home."
"Hey, don't worry about that. I'm sure that after all of this bullshit with Esma and Preston, you'll be able to go home to Dr. F and Alexa." Makoto nods her head. "By the way, just want to say, your strength is way better than that bitch, I'll give you that." Makoto looks down, blushing.
"Thank you." Makoto smiled, looking at Leaf. "I...honestly was expecting those scientists to actually save me however..." Makoto giggles a little bit. "...Not a boy, a girl, and...an elf."
"Well, I didn't expect to actually save the life of a robot." Leaf said, chuckling back. "I mean, twice, if the warehouse thing counts. That time in the cave, I totally did save you." Makoto turns her head the other way, tapping the side of her chin, smiling and blushing.
"I never expected to be saved by an elf." Makoto then looks away for a couple more seconds, before looking at Leaf again. "By chance, are you...thinking about...dating anytime soon?"
Leaf's eyes widened immediately when that was asked to him. He knew that question means that Makoto is wanting to date him. He can tell it was from a mile away. He still had feelings for Petal, which makes that question even more awkward for him to answer. He held up a finger, before he fell backwards off of the car on purpose.
"Are you okay?" Makoto asked.
"Yes...I am..." Leaf said, laying on the ground, looking at the sky. "...Makoto...this is going to be awkward for me to even say after you ask me that, but..."
"Alright guys, we got the gas." James said, walking out of the gas station with Jenny following him. He took notice of Leaf laying there on the ground. "Dude, what are you doing on the ground? We're suppose to be heading off back to our town, not looking at the sky." Leaf snaps his fingers, making himself stand up off of the ground.
"Sorry about that. I was just talking to Makoto out here, and it ended with me landing on the ground." Leaf shrugs. "Either way, glad to know we got ourselves some more gas for the car now."
"Yep." Jenny said, as James was pouring the gas can into his car now. "Thankfully, we have enough gas to try to make it back to our hometown. It might be night when we find our first motel, like me and James had last time. But who knows, hopefully, we can end up in America before sundown."
"Who knows." Leaf said, chuckling nervously, before looking over to Makoto, who was sitting there, seemingly disheartened by the fact that Leaf didn't answer her question to her. "Uh, ha ha...why don't we just get in the car now?" Makoto nods her head, softly.
"Of course..." The robot said, softly, before everyone got into the car.
