Chapter 23 "Grand Performance"
~ SOLLERTA ~ [Eight months later, now in the year 3965]
"Come one, come all, to the Grand Beauty Blade Gala of Dosilla City! Join us for the return of an old tradition as we marvel at the best of Alrest! Be the pride of Prudentia as the most beautiful Blade of all! Registration is now open at the Sollerta Chamber of Commerce. Don't wait! The Beauty Blade Gala is only a month away!" The advertisements for the beauty pageant were all over the place.
"Everybody ought to know about it by now. I guess we'd better register before they run out of space." I turned to Nia who crossed her arms and groaned. "Hey, you promised to enter with me for just this one time, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah…" she admitted sourly. "We'll probably end up winning, anyway."
"Yeah! That's… uh, the right attitude!" I was looking forward to this event which was going to christen the revival of Dosilla City, as well as the 'other side' of Prudentia. In fact, with new villages being built and populated over there, there wasn't any need to call it the 'other side' anymore. Queen Sophia hoped to bring over many refugees from Indol to fill those new villages.
It'd been eight months since Nia and I celebrated our first anniversary as driver and Blade, and a lot of progress had been made on our Titan during that time. Now that we were one month into the new year, it was time to prepare for the changes. Tourism had already increased, and immigration was expected to do the same.
As for today's agenda, we needed to register for the pageant. When we entered the Chamber of Commerce, we found a long line of drivers and Blades ahead.
"You're right. Everybody knows about it." Nia checked them out while I got in line for us. "All the Blades are female, too."
"That's not surprising." Indeed, all of the Blades present looked like professional models to me. "Beauty pageants generally favor the female body."
"You mean they generally favor the male gaze on the female body," she corrected me, sardonically. "The judges are probably all filthy, dirty-minded men."
"Shhh… they might be here," I cautioned her. "We certainly won't win if they hear you badmouthing them."
"Ha!" She clearly wasn't concerned. "You think they're here, now?"
"Why not? All these Blades in a row are like a preview." As I spoke, several more pairs of drivers and Blades filed in behind us.
"Good afternoon," the lady registrar greeted as we finally made it to the front of the line. "Entry fee is two thousand gold. Please write down your names here. Blade's on the left, driver's on the right."
"Very well." As I wrote our names, I skimmed over the list, but none of the other names were familiar.
"Okay, so we've got Nia, and… Remi," the registrar read us off. "Oh! It's Remi and Nia! I remember you two from the Cloud Sea Championship!"
"Ah, yes… ahem, that's us." I exchanged awkward smiles with her. (Let's not make a scene out of this, please…)
"Fantastic! Here, you'll want to read this." She handed us a pamphlet containing rules and recommendations. "Arrive at the Dosilla Country Club by the time and date printed there, and good luck in the pageant!"
"Thank you very much!" I noticed everybody near the front of the line were watching us as we left.
"They remember us, Rem," Nia spoke quietly.
"Yeah… rather nice of them." The championship was almost two years ago, so I didn't expect anybody to remember. Soon, we were back outside in the busy streets of Sollerta. A cool winter's wind blew, and Nia shivered instantly.
"Alright then, I'd say we're done here." As she walked away, I watched a man from the chamber of commerce post a sign on the door which read "Pageant registration now full. We apologize for the inconvenience." (Whew! We barely made it.)
~ HAGAN ~
"It seems like a typical beauty contest." I read through the pamphlet as soon as we returned home. The rules weren't as complicated as I'd thought.
"Oh? You've seen one before?" She flipped through one page before she lost interest.
"No, but I've read about them. You walk on the stage and strike a few poses… and I'll be right there with you." I stood back and practiced posing.
"I see." She tried hard to suppress a giggle. "So, you're in this as much as I am."
"Only Blades will be scored, but I imagine that the judges will be influenced by how drivers present themselves with their Blades." I attempted another pose, this time with more zeal, and immediately felt silly about it.
"In that case…" She got up and started inspecting me. "I hate to say it, Rem, but you're going to bring us down at this rate."
"Are my poses that bad?" I wasn't quite sure how to react to her candor.
"No, I mean your clothes are… y'know, dull." She slowly walked around me like I was a freshly-chiseled sculpture. "You're dressed like a commoner."
"A commoner?" I was taken aback by her sharp criticism. "Maybe you were right about being a social princess of Dosilla in the past. You're becoming snobbish."
"Maybe," she grinned smugly, "but right now, we need to find you better clothes."
"Aside from a few formal sweaters, all of my clothes are typical outfits for mercenary activities." I checked my dresser and closet to make sure. Until now, I hadn't realized how mundane my wardrobe was. And so, I conceded. "Fine, then. Tomorrow, we'll go shopping. Hopefully, we can find something Gormotti-style so that we match." Nia stood at the doorway, feeling proud of herself. "I'm just glad that you're finally digging this pageant idea."
"Aw shut it, you!" She stuck her tongue at me and marched off.
The next morning, Nia and I browsed through the shops until I found a finely-woven cardigan that complemented her color palette. With the appropriate attire obtained for the event, we turned our focus to rehearsing. We experimented with different entrances and exits over the next month, but ultimately, we decided that a simple strut would suffice. I had confidence in Nia's natural beauty to make a statement with the audience and judges. Additionally, I sent invitations to the Echell family to see the pageant. It became the talk of the town, until finally the big night arrived…
~ DOSILLA ~ [one month later, night of the pageant]
"Wow… look at all the people here…" I couldn't believe how packed Dosilla City was upon our arrival on opening night. It was our first time seeing it in its revived state. "These are definitely not the precarious ruins that I dug through when I found your core."
"Want to visit the old manor?" Nia read me like a book.
"I sure would." I checked my watch to see how much time we had until the pageant. "We've got an hour to spare."
"Then let's go!" She grabbed my wrist and led us upstream. It was surreal to walk along manicured streets with civilians in this city that had been known for centuries as a myth on the map. People were snapping pictures left and right, especially along the canal. (This is exactly what the queen wanted, I'm sure.)
At last we made it to the Kolier Manor at the upper-end of the city. Every room had been turned into exhibits to show how life appeared in the past. I couldn't tell if the furniture were originals or replicas.
"Pssst… Nia, look." I pointed at some portraits hanging on the wall. "The inscription says 'The Kolier Family, last known owners of the manor'." I moved aside to let her have a closer look. "Any chance that you might remember them?"
"Nope," she answered carelessly. "Koliers… Echells… they're just names to me."
"If you say so." Disappointing me further was that she was completely absent in these portraits. "How come you're not curious about your past, Nia?"
"The past is the past. I care about the present." Her eyes focused on me when she said that. (I guess I should take that as a compliment.)
We left the foyer and made our way to the ballroom in the back. Upon entering, I had immediate flashbacks of the fateful day when I found her core here.
"Everything looks original, just touched-up to look nice again." I really wanted to have a romantic dance with her, but it would've been too embarrassing with other people nearby. (She probably danced in here with her old driver many times.)
We continued to tour Dosilla until it was time to go to the Country Club and prepare for the festivities. Inside, people who paid for admission were taking their seats in the audience chamber and talking amongst themselves. Once all seats were filled, people without tickets were allowed to stand in the rear.
"There are a lot of Blades in the audience," I observed. "I wonder if any of them wanted to participate…"
"Driver Remi! Blade Nia!" a familiar voice called out to us as we were about to go backstage.
"Special Inquisitor Càidh? …and Brighid?" I saw the high-powered pair standing to the side. "Well, this is a surprise."
"For you, indeed." He sounded pleased to see us despite our previous meeting. "I would say that I didn't expect to see you here either, but this is your Titan, after all."
"Yes, and Nia is a participant in the pageant," I informed them. "Is Brighid entered, too?"
"Absolutely not. It would ill-befit the Special Inquisitor and me to participate," she answered for him.
"Oh… that makes sense." I should've known that people of their stature would attract bias, or worse, bring politics into an otherwise harmless affair. "So, then what are you here for?"
"We're here to see this fresh, new city, and all that it can to offer to us." The Special Inquisitor smiled and tipped his hat at us. "As for the pageant, it seems we have someone to cheer for, now."
"Good luck," Brighid offered as a formality.
"Thanks." Nia gave them a curtsy in return.
"I hope you two enjoy your visit. It's showtime, so we must report backstage now." I waved goodbye to our former international teammates and tugged Nia along. Once we were backstage, I led her to a corner, away from the other participants.
"Something wrong, Rem?" She was properly confused.
"It's the Special Inquisitor…" I kept my voice low. "I believe he let slip more than he intended for us to know."
"Know? About what?" She dropped her hands together in front of her and tilted her head. "He was talking about this city. That much was obvious."
"Yes, but he called it new and wanted to see what it had to offer, like he's canvasing it," I suspected. "What are they planning?"
"You're thinking too deeply into this," Nia dismissed. "It's probably nothing."
"I hope you're right…" Remembering where we were, I shook the thoughts out of my head. "We have a show to focus on, now, anyway." (I probably shouldn't have said anything. Can't have Nia getting distracted.)
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Dosilla City Country Club!" A well-dressed host commenced the pageant with a jubilant greeting over the microphone, and the audience responded with applause. "Here is the moment you've all been waiting for! The Kingdom of Prudentia is proud to present the Grand Beauty Blade Gala!"
"Everybody sounds so excited out there." I stood beside Nia as we waited in line with the other participants. As the curtains opened, I started to feel a little nervous. Nia remained calm and collected. (She can handle this. She's a veteran at this, even if it was from a past life.)
"Our first Blade is the elegant Eloise, accompanied by her driver Parky!" The host stepped aside and gave the floor to the first pair. We watched the Blade strike a few poses to the delight of the crowd. Next, her driver unsheathed a katana and handed it to her for a few more poses. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! That was lovely, simply lovely, Eloise!"
"I'm glad we aren't the first pair going up," I whispered to Nia, but she didn't say anything back.
"Our next Blade is the wonderful Koletta, accompanied by her driver Anders from Mor Ardain!" The host gave the floor to the next pair, and the crowd erupted.
"They love her, even though she's foreign," I whispered to Nia again, and this time she shushed me.
We were thirtieth in a line of fifty pairs of drivers and Blades. It was obvious to us that some people who signed up had dropped out. Eventually, it was our turn to show off.
"Our next Blade is Nia, the great healer, and her driver Remi!" The host moved out of our way as we walked on-stage. Nia went a few steps further and struck her poses, all of which were conservative and graceful. The crowd cheered her on, and she took it all in stride. After her third pose, I reached for her scimitar and presented it to her. She posed with it in ways that mimicked how we'd used it in battle. The crowd cheered louder. "Thank you! That was absolutely fabulous, Nia!" We took the host's cue and moved on.
"You did great out there," I told her as we joined the other participants who'd finished as well. "I'm so proud to be your driver." She turned around to face me with a careful smile. Her unwavering seriousness reminded me that there was still a second round in which a panel of judges would decide the finalists.
"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! Fifty beautiful Blades have come and gone, every one of them a spectacular sight! And now it's time for the judges to compile their scores!" The host prepared the crowd for the next phase of the pageant. We all waited to hear what would happen next.
I started to wonder if Nia actually had a shot to win. All this time, I'd assumed that she would be among the favorites based on her victories in her past life, but I remembered that this was a different crowd with different tastes. Regardless, we were in it for fun.
"Will all the Blades please return to the stage?" the host beckoned aloud. I blew Nia a kiss and watched her get back on-stage with her competitors. Some of their drivers around me started cheering. "On a scale of one to ten, each Blade has been scored in three categories… posing alone, posing with her signature weapon, and of course, natural beauty. I will now call forward the Blades who received a perfect total score of thirty from any of our judges." The host waited for the cheering to subside. "Alright! Congratulations Dahlia, Akiko, Garland, Nia, Monique, and Danna! You attained a perfect score!"
I tried to contain myself as I watched my partner step forward, almost out of view. Compared to the other five finalists, she carried herself most properly and professionally. (I hope they don't think she's being too stiff…)
"Ladies and gentlemen, the judges have reached a final verdict!" The host then passed the microphone to one of the judges.
"Thank you," the elderly judge said as he took over momentarily. "We have come to an agreement on who shall be crowned. On behalf of the Dosilla City committee, we have chosen Monique as the winner of the Grand Beauty Blade Gala!" The crowd stood up and applauded the Blade deemed the most beautiful one of all.
"Congratulations to Monique! Will her driver please join her on-stage?" the host resumed. Everybody applauded as the driver received a crown which he placed on his Blade's head. "That's it, ladies and gentlemen! A winner has been declared! Thank you so much for attending tonight's event, as well as being here for the historic reopening of this fine city of Dosilla! See you next year!"
Photo opportunities began as people with cameras flocked to the front of the stage. Most of the Blades posed for them, but Nia returned to me immediately.
"You made it as a finalist! That's awesome! I knew you could…" I halted my praising when I saw a worried look on her face. "Nia? What's wrong?"
"I don't know…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "I could've sworn that I saw the silver Blade in the crowd."
"Silver Blade? You mean the one who ambushed us?" I asked, and she nodded. "Are you sure? Maybe you overworked yourself and were seeing things."
"But… he stared straight at me, and he smiled… at least, I think that's what I saw." She looked to me for answers, but I had none. "Should we alert the guards?"
"No," I quickly vetoed. "We don't want to cause a false alarm, especially if you're not even certain."
"Can we at least tell Brighid? She said he was her ally in the past." Nia stepped out to the audience chamber to search for her, but she spotted someone else instead.
"Nia! Remi!" a familiar voice called out to us for the second time tonight. It was Owen, and the rest of the Echell family were right behind him. "That was a grand performance!"
"Oh… hey!" Nia addressed our old friends, although she kept looking around for Brighid. "I didn't know you all were here!"
"Remi didn't tell you that we were invited?" Owen shook our hands anyway.
"Please forgive her," I said in her defense. "She's had a long night."
"Miss Nia…" Lord Echell moved forward and gazed upon her. His eyes were beaming like those of a proud father. "I am glad to have seen you on the stage, especially this one of all. It's rather fitting that our family is able to experience this moment like our ancestors did in the Dosilla of old."
"Our… family?" Nia questioned.
"We consider you part of our family," he asserted.
"Ahem! Thank you for coming and supporting us! This really means a lot." I knew it'd get awkward if I didn't step in.
"Right…" Nia spotted young Tommy standing behind his father, and immediately her mood softened. "Hey, you. Thanks for coming to see me."
"Y-yeah, a-anything for you, Nia." Nervously, he reached out for a hug which she heartily accepted. I watched her stroke his hair caringly. They seemed to soothe each other's nerves. By now, we had lost sight of Brighid, Special Inquisitor Càidh, and the silver Blade who may never have been here at all. I felt safe to assume that Nia had imagined him and proceeded to guide the Echells around Dosilla. Lord Echell insisted on treating us to dinner at the Country Club's restaurant, and we would've been fools to refuse.
~ HAGAN ~
It was a long night, indeed. We said farewell to the Echells and returned home around midnight. I wasn't sure what to make of the experience. While Nia was disturbed by the sight of the silver Blade, real or imagined, I was disconcerted by the mysterious words of the Special Inquisitor.
"That was interesting, to say the least." I watched Nia drag herself like a wilted flower. "You okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry 'bout me." She kicked off her boots and plopped down on the couch. "Nothing bad happened… although, I am a little wary."
"I think you imagined seeing the Blade in the audience." I sat next to her and she rested her tired feet over my lap. "It was probably from stress, and for that, I'm sorry. You entered the pageant just to please me, and you wound up frazzled."
"It's nothin'." She slid her feet off and scooted closer. "How many times have I made you do something for me? I've practically been a burden on you."
"A burden? No way!" I quickly disagreed.
"C'mon, Rem," she contended, "if not for me, you wouldn't have put your life in danger. You wouldn't have been in the championship. You wouldn't have been recruited by Mor Ardain. You wouldn't have been abused in Uraya."
"Now wait a minute. Teaming up with Mor Ardain was my choice," I argued. "You can't blame yourself for the outcomes that resulted from that choice."
"Well, it's been on my mind." She paused for a moment and took my hand in hers. "Just think. You could've lived a calm, normal, safe life… and you wouldn't need therapy." I almost chuckled at the last part.
"If that's what it took to have this life with you, then it was worth it." It sounded clichéd when I said it, but it was the truth from my heart.
"If that's what it took…" she repeated with a yawn. "So, basically you agree that I'm a burden." The room fell silent next.
"Maybe," I eventually admitted, "but I'll never call you that."
"That's because you're too nice." She smiled through her fatigue.
"Lucky you." I got up and kissed her goodnight.
"Yup…" she sighed. "Lucky me."
There was little point in worrying about the presence of the dangerous silver Blade or the intentions of the Special Inquisitor. There wasn't anything that we could do about them. And so, we moved on from those preoccupations and continued with our lives on Prudentia, a Titan whose population was rapidly increasing.
I felt safer knowing that there was civilization beyond Hagan and the Prudentian Peaks. Some of our missions with the Solly Mercs called for us to help the immigrants settle into the new villages which surrounded the revived Dosilla City. Most of these people were Ardainians who were relieved to get away from their aging Titan, and we welcomed them with open arms.
Despite all the changes on Prudentia, life at home stayed the same. Perhaps Hagan Village needed some updates, but its antiquity didn't bother us. As long as Nia and I had each other, we were happy.
~ THE END… for now ~
Author's notes:
We've reached the end of this arc of the story, but there's more to come in the future. As I'd mentioned in prior notes, Nia's role was initially filled by an OC Blade whom I'd visualized to look like Nia in her black-haired, red-outfit costume. This is largely why the setting is original. The first arc was inspired by fantasies of this OC Blade, from her discovery in a ruined city, to an ambush in Mor Ardain. This second arc was inspired by fantasies of Nia with Rex, notably the vacation in Fonsett, and the cupcake gift in Fonsa Myma. I don't have any particular inspirations for the upcoming third arc, so I'll just follow my outline and flesh out each event as it comes.
Every chapter has a wordcount between 3,000 and 4,000. I don't know why I've stuck with these boundaries, but they've caused a few scenes to be shifted or cut. Such edits are doable because this is an original story, and I think we all benefit from having less unnecessary text. Original stories with original settings seem quite uncommon. I see a lot of stories that either rewrite Rex's adventure to find Elysium or take place after the adventure is over.
This story has been a letter of admiration for Nia. She's the first character from any game, TV show, book, etcetera with whom I connected on a personal level. Specifically, it was her struggle and acceptance of who she was and where she belonged that resonated with me… and of course, her unrequited love. She and I are alike in those regards. I suppose I've written a little bit of myself into both her and Remi. My goal in sharing this story has been to bring joy to all Nia fans. Hopefully, I've accomplished this goal.
Questions and comments are welcome! Thank you for reading!