Sorry for the late update, I definitely didn't lose track of time playing games (COUGH-GHOSTOFTSUSHIMA-COUGH) and pass out. Nope.
Chapter 27: The Long Climb, Part II
My eyes shoot open to the early summer sunrise on the day before I'm supposed to go back. Rolling over in the bed, I can see that it's just before six o'clock in the morning. Pushing myself out of the comfortable, thin light green sheets, I flip on the lights of the guest bedroom that doesn't have much other than a wooden drawer for me to store my clothes in, a table, and a TV stand, though it is connected to its own bathroom.
Changing out into the usual workout clothes, I'm out the door by six fifteen, hitting the pavement and starting my morning run. Technically this should be a biking day, but I wanted to save it for the evening, as there was something I was training for, so I needed to be able to make that climb at the end of a tiring day.
After almost three weeks of working up to this distance, it's not so bad anymore. About last week is when Lady Vert stopped running with me, letting me go on my own and face the world without her.
"Morning!"
I raise a hand as a response to some of the other shopkeepers who are opening up their stores as I make my way down the open downtown streets, knowing I'll be joining their ranks again in a few days.
"Oi, Elliot, catch! Two o'clock!"
I see the red blur and catch the apple from a store owner who gives me a wave. I wave in reply before giving a thumbs up with my free hand as I keep running, the morning sun starting to beat down on my back.
The light breeze, the brutal sun, and the smell of freshly trimmed trees as the city landscaping staff works before most of the city is even up all comes together for a truly unique feel as I make my burning lap around Leanbox, feeling my legs starting to wake up.
Along the way, there's all sorts of greetings, along with a few reporters who caught wind of the fact I'm running alone again. The hype still hasn't quite died down and my lack of facing the press directly is probably catering to that, but most of them can't exactly keep up with me. It still is a bit surprising to be on this level of public exposure, or the fact most people would care that much.
But it seems after all the exposure that Lady Vert gave me, things appear to be… well, normal, now. There's nothing out of the ordinary about me being with the goddesses and everyone's slowly coming to terms with that. Not to mention Lady Blanc's strategic decision to come out publicly with her boyfriend which is taking some of the heat off of me. I didn't get a chance to read the full article, but Lady Vert told me that Lady Blanc had said to tell me it was timed so I could go back to my shop with a little less eyes on me.
Of course, as soon as I make it back, there's not a lot of time for resting aside from my cooldown where I eat the apple I was given, as it's straight to the training room. My legs are tired as hell, but I'm still standing.
"Hora!"
The sound of wood clashing with each other fills the room, and on such a slow day as it's Friday, some of the Basilicom staff have come to watch Lady Vert continue to train me, even on the day right before I leave. I'm definitely not good enough to match with her, but I think I've improved loads compared to the first day.
"Hoi!" I yell out, sidestepping a thrust from her spear before pushing forward with my left leg to close the distance. In response, Lady Vert uses her momentum from the thrust to close the distance even faster before I can get an attack going, launching into a hip check that sends me rolling back.
As I recover my sense of direction after rolling around on the mat, I push myself back up to my feet despite the flaming sensation in my legs.
"My, my, you're still up? Then, come~" Lady Vert says with a proud smile, twirling her spear as if to beckon me forward. I wordlessly comply, dashing in once again, not intending to give up.
Over the next hour, I can definitely feel my technique becoming much sloppier, but Lady Vert doesn't give up anything. I feel a bit bad, as we've been training for three weeks, but with how great her control is at matching up exactly to my skill level to make me think there's a chance of hitting her, well… actually hitting her is a different story, let's just say that.
"Sei-ah!"
With an upward sweep up her spear, Lady Vert sends my right hand katar flying through the air, smacked straight out of my hands.
"And I believe that's where we'll have to end it." Lady Vert says, pointing her spear right in my face. "But you've done very well for only three weeks of training, Elliot."
"Thank you, Lady Vert." I say, going over and picking up the fallen katar. "I just wish I had been able to land a hit, just once."
"Ufufufu. Keep training, even after you get back home, and maybe you'll get there." She says with a teasing smile. "Now then, let's cool down and have lunch. I'm sure you're starving, and you've got your second half of training, don't you?"
Lunch is a quick affair, made up of a simple salad with grilled chicken. About forty five minutes of resting later, I'm back onto the training grounds, throwing pitching for about an hour. By practicing for about two weeks, I feel in pretty good shape, almost as if I were back in high school throwing a ball again.
But of course, the real test doesn't begin until the end of the day. With summer coming up, the days are getting longer, so it isn't until around seven in the evening the sun is really starting to set.
"I'm off."
"Take care." Lady Vert says, waving me off as I mount the bike and start pedaling. Down the same streets, straight to the park, I can already feel the soreness in my legs that's been building up all day mounting even higher.
It's Friday evening, so of course the streets are bustling. I take the bike lanes, weaving my through and catching the occasional greeting from someone. I try my best to say hi back, but I've got to focus on the road.
Eventually I take a right off the main roads and start on the path that rolls right into the park. Making a beeline straight for the big loop that Lady Vert and I went on during that first day, I grit my teeth and steel myself. This isn't going to be easy.
Even though it's starting to set, the sun bears down without mercy on my back. My lungs flare up as I begin the climb at the park, feeling the sweat soaking my clothes as I turn on the headlight to illuminate the dimmer path. The cicadas cry out, mi-i-n, mi-i-n, mi-i-n, and the fireflies are already starting to dance in the sunset. I push myself to keep pedaling despite the shivers going through me.
It's going to be tough doing this again, especially with two people on the bike, but if I can go this far like this, I can definitely make it.
"Ha… ha…"
I stand up, still pedaling, trying to make every push count and limit how much I slow down. Once I find the stairs that I stopped at on the first day, I feel a surge in energy and confidence. Keeping my head down, I exhale quickly before kicking into overdrive. It's tempting to use the pedal assist with this e-bike, but I don't give in.
It's a gruelling climb past that point, but eventually, I make it up to where Lady Vert first showed me the city of Leanbox from up top.
"Whooooo!"
I let out a cry to no one in particular, throwing my hands up into the air as I coast, my speed keeping me balanced. The wind rushes past my face, through my sweat-laced clothing as I glide on down, blasting past flower beds along the brick path.
The high doesn't last though, as I eventually come down to the bottom of the hill, where I've got to start pedaling again. However, as I look back for a second at just how high that hill was, I feel a sense of pride. Somehow… I was able to make it. It feels pretty good to reach out for a goal and get my mind off of life for a while. Really cleared my head. Plus, with the summer plans I have… I know I'm set.
But well… guess it's time to see what Lady Vert wants to do.
"Cheeeeers!"
"Cheeers?"
With that, we lift our glasses and clink them together, with Lady Vert taking a large swig of her glass (thankfully full of soda). Apparently, all Lady Vert wanted to do was come out to some sort of restaurant-bar place, having reserved a private room for the two of us.
"You sound almost disappointed." Lady Vert says, putting the glass of soda down on the table. "Were you expecting something… more~?"
"O-of course not, I was just surprised it was so… simple." I say before sipping on my cola.
Lady Vert only smiles, leaning back against the sofa. "Well, I did say I'd like to make memories I couldn't otherwise. And you see, I don't really have anyone like Nepgear, Uni, or the twins, so I can't go out with someone like this on a Friday night to celebrate a week being over."
"I see." I say, feeling myself smiling as well. "I suppose I can sympathize."
"Ufufu, but you have IF, don't you? You two are pretty friendly, right?"
I nod slowly. "Well, the shop is open until late and I have to close it out myself, so I can't exactly take a breather at five o'clock, you know?"
"That's true. It seems like we'll both make memories we can't normally make." Lady Vert says, her smile widening. "Now then, don't hold back! There's a lot I'd like to try on the menu, and I've been counting my calories so I could go all out for today!"
"You know, I was told that if you're going to go all out, you might as well not care." I say, laughing as I take a menu. "There's a lot to choose from, though. Why don't we go with a classic, first?"
"Mmmm. You're a little more experienced with this, aren't you? Why don't you go ahead and pick something."
"I wouldn't call myself experienced, I was never really one for the bar scene, and it's been years since I went to a karaoke place with friends, either." I say, looking through the appetizers.
"Well, let's go with something you consider a 'classic' then. I'll trust your experience, no matter how little or distant."
"I'm filled with a great deal of confidence, Lady Vert." I say, clearly emphasizing that I'm using her title in jest, causing her to giggle. "But I guess you can't go wrong with onion rings and wings to start off with. Let's keep it light for now."
Though, this is really quite the establishment. In this rather cushy private room that can serve probably four people comfortably, there's a TV on the wall across from the door that's so large it looks like a miniature theatre screen. On the cherry finished, brilliantly shining table are several tablets on stands that can be used to order food without having to call over the staff, but can also be used to play games that are projected onto said TV screen or to change the channel.
Leaning back on the comfortable black leather sofa seating, I take one of the tablets and tap, ordering the appetizers before putting it back on the table. Across from me, sits Lady Vert who is idly playing with her straw wrapper, dressed in casual clothing for the summer. Well, business casual, I guess, with a short sleeved blouse that's frilled at the ends of the sleeves with green buttons and a light brown skirt that hovers just above her knees. I was glad that the summer heat forced me not to overdress, as I'm here in a light grey polo shirt and tan khakis.
"Hmhmmm, where are you looking~?" Lady Vert asks, leaning forward as if to emphasize her figure.
"N-nowhere, Vert." I say, trying not to notice how her clothes are rather form fitting, though her blouse is a little bit loosened. "I was just hoping you were enjoying yourself."
"Well, the night is very young. Why don't we play a game to pass the time while we wait for our food?" She says, gesturing to the tablets that have games loaded up on them, which are put on the TV that's in the room.
Of course, I'm soundly defeated most of the time as our matches drag on, as there's no way I can possibly keep up with Lady Vert's gaming abilities, being really only a casual player at most. But, there's definitely something in the atmosphere that keeps me playing despite my losses stacking up.
It's probably just listening to Lady Vert complain about her week, as we share in our mundane struggles about the day to day, just happy for them to finally be done with the week, and the "stress" of a head to head in Player One Kart is far less than everything else we've had to do.
"Ch'mon, sch'mon…" I mumble, trying to desperately hold the spicy chicken wing in my mouth as Lady Vert decided it would be funny to start the race while I was eating. I should have let it go, but in my desire to want to win at least once, I couldn't let it go and instead chose just to bite down hard and pray.
But man, they really made this wing really hot for just buffalo wings! I thought these were only supposed to be mildly spicy at most…!
"Oh my, it appears I've gotten a blue shell~"
"Nghghh!"
I can hear Lady Vert snickering as I try to plead my case with my mouth full, but there's no use as she immediately launches it, the blue blur of doom zooming closer and closer to me on the map.
I can't help but suppress a sigh due to the fact I don't want to drop the wing as it makes impact, sending me from first place to seventh place. My poor kart limps its way back to fourth place, with Lady Vert taking first place as expected. As such, I wash away my feelings of defeat in a mixture of buffalo and ranch sauce.
"Good try, good try~"
"Your consolation is very much appreciated."
"Hehehe, I'm sorry about that last race, but it's very cute when you struggle. I'll order something for you as an apology."
"I thought we were here on your treat."
"Oops, you caught me." Lady Vert says, tilting her head and then using her left hand to knock it. As incredibly downright cute as that was, I'm still not fooled. I think. Maybe. "But with the first round of appetizers done, let's think of an entree to go with the second round~."
After some internal debating, I decide to roll with supreme pizza flatbread while Lady Vert goes for a smoked salmon platter, while also ordering a side of breadsticks for each of us along with an order of cheese curds and mozzarella sticks. While we wait, we once again resume the games, still continuing to chat about idle things.
"Oh, huh…" I say, looking at Vert's side of the table after the waitress delivers not our food, but rather some drinks. There's nothing particularly special about her entree, but what I didn't realize was that Lady Vert had ordered some alcohol.
"Well, we are both of age, aren't we? There's nothing quite like a small drink on Friday night." Lady Vert says with a smile.
"For someone who was very concerned with their health, I thought you wouldn't drink, is all."
"There's nothing wrong with a drink every now and then." Lady Vert says, swirling her scotch on the rocks, which is backed by what appears to be a stout beer. "I can order you one, too."
"No, I'm fine." I say, starting to get a bad feeling about this.
"The worry is written all over your face, Elliot." Lady Vert says, taking a sip. "But don't worry, the others can attest to the fact I can hold my alcohol."
That's the kind of thing a lightweight would say when they want to show off, is what I think, but I keep my mouth shut and just nod. If Lady Vert is saying that, there's no need to worry, I would think.
I feel somewhat safe as when we keep playing, Lady Vert's focus is still unparalleled, with her stealing first place constantly. Though, it feels like her lap time is slipping…?
I shake my head, trying not to worry about it. I wouldn't want to spoil the night like that.
By the time our food arrives, Lady Vert's gone through at least two glasses of scotch and is on her second glass of stout beer. There's no immediate signs of tipsiness, as she still looks incredibly elegant as she eats her salad.
"Still hungry?" I ask, giving a small laugh as Lady Vert polishes her salmon off faster than me eating my flatbread. "You were kind of torn between that and the surf and turf with the lobster."
"Hmmm, let's do it~!"
Somehow, I felt a slur in her words, but I shook it off. "Alright, I'll order it for you."
"And make sure you order a drink with it, too. It's no fun if I'm the only one drinking."
"Well… alright." I say, adding the order of surf and turf to the list before scrolling through the list and committing the name Freeze Point Lowee IPA to memory while going past it. "Have you had this one before? Freeze Point Lowee IPA?"
"Hmmm, can't say I have."
"Well, I'm feeling lucky tonight, then." I say, pretending to select it and hoping it doesn't show on my face, as I instead actually select some soda and put in a special request to have it in a beer glass.
My senses continue to flare up as we keep playing, as I realized that Lady Vert's times are slipping up, to the point I even stole first place once. We take a break during the time her entree arrives, with my glass of "beer" arriving as well.
"Hmmm…"
"Hm? W-whoa, whoa!" I yell out as Lady Vert gets up, now plopping herself next to me, dragging her plate across the table.
"You're so far away, Elliot. Even if you're leaving tomorrow, there's no need to be so distant with me~ Haven't we been so close for three weeks now?"
I gently raise my hand to intercept hers as she goes for her beer. "Ah, I think that's enough for now, Vert."
"Mou… that's not fair though, you get to keep drinking with your full glass!"
"Ah, then I guess I won't drink it, then."
"That's no good, then you're just wasting it!" She says, shoving the glass onto me. I thank Lady Neptune, who surely must have been intervening, that I was able to successfully somehow pass that lie off. "Drink it!"
"Just one sip, then." I say, realizing that with both hands on my glass, I can't keep Lady Vert away from hers.
"Cheeeers!"
"Che… eeers…!" I say, forcing a bit of enthusiasm as we clink our glasses together.
I close my eyes as I take a sip, trying to formulate a plan. It's going to be impossible with Lady Vert's… very forward and bold personality to overtake her lead. Thus, I should attempt to simply arrive to the point of 'we should go home' as soon and quickly as possible.
"Well, now that we've finished the entrees, why don't we get desert? I heard the cheesecake is good. We'll get two, alrIGHT?!"
I can feel my voice spike as Lady Vert leans into me, her heading resting on her shoulder.
"Just get one, we can share, can't we? I trust your desert choice."
"Then, let's get the tiramisu…"
Fortunately, I'm able to keep Lady Vert off of me, though she's very insistent on clinging to me, all the way to our desert arriving. I even manage to dodge a "Say 'aaaaaaah'" moment by timing my sips of soda to whenever Lady Vert would slice off a bit with her fork.
So much for 'can hold my alcohol', I think, as I manage to start getting us on the road back to the Basilicom. In order to better our disguise, I bought two souvenir hats at the restaurant, thankful they had some merch, and put one on Vert's head and one on mine so we match.
It doesn't, however, change the fact Lady Vert is clinging to me, sandwiching my arm in uh… some very steep valleys. I'm glad that she seems to be mostly silent though, instead just nuzzling me rather than actively hoop and hollering around. Halfway through, though, she seems to become more sleepy, instead leaning on me and forcing me to support her weight with my shoulder.
It seems in the haze of summer heat makes us able to slip by without much incident, as we soon make it to the Basilicom.
"Um, you might want to prepare a bucket. For tomorrow morning." I say to the staff as I carry her on. "Also I haven't had to solve a hangover before, but if you know any home remedies, please prepare those as well. I'm sure she'll appreciate it in a few hours."
The graveyard shift staff there get to work as I bring Lady Vert up to her room, depositing her on the bed. I can't help but sink in a chair for a moment, feeling exhausted as the stress and tiredness of tonight all crashes down on me, the adrenaline wearing off.
"Still awake?" I ask, jokingly, when I see Lady Vert stirring as I stretch my arms.
"Mou… Elliot, is that you?"
"We're back at the Basilicom safely, Vert. You don't need to worry." I say, getting up and not turning towards her as I walk towards the door. "Your staff will be here shortly, so they'll be better able to take care of yo—whoa!"
I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist and pull me back. The room turns into a blur as I'm spun around, suddenly finding myself in a very compromising position.
"Don't… go…" she pleads, having turned me around while also dragging me along.
My left knee and two hands pressing down on the bed about all that's keeping me from being pulled in as Lady Vert's arms have me bound by the waist, my right foot barely on the ground as she pulls me over. She must have unbuttoned an extra button or two while I wasn't looking though, as she looks extremely vulnerable and enticing right now.
"I don't want you to leave. I don't want to be alone anymore…"
A lump of guilt forms in my throat as my heart starts to race.
"No one… is going to know. It's okay~"
The scent of alcohol is all over her breath, mixing with her peach perfume for a very sweet smell in the air. For anyone else, no, even for me, this entire situation is the apex of temptation. Who wouldn't take a chance to be in a goddess' embrace? Or go further than that, considering Lady Vert's reputation.
I know this is definitely wrong. But, in addition to that… even if no one knew, I would know, and I'd have to face up to IF about this. Not just because there's no way I could lie about it, but also, it feels like I'd be betraying her. Wasn't I supposed to be wanting to at least try getting closer with IF? Just what kind of guy…
...would lay his head with some other girl if he really was serious about that, even if she was…!
I push down that feeling of guilt as I feel strength returning to my arms, but it comes back with a vengeance as I remember the day I broke up with Melanie. Denying someone also hurts in the short term, and part of me is trying to justify it, saying that if everything goes well, then no one has to be hurt. It's a very, very sweet temptation.
That voice of guilt gets louder, saying such things such as "She's a goddess, isn't she? Who are you to say 'no'?" It gets louder and louder, but eventually the image of the twins and Lady Blanc cuts through all the noise, along with all of the work that went into the reveal just three weeks ago. The fact that we started all of this, not so that people would look up more to the goddesses, but be able to connect with them on a more equal level—that we were free to say yes and no to them in our personal lives like we would a friend.
It's just as Lady Blanc said, there's no running away from it. At the end of the day, someone will definitely have to get hurt…
"Lady Vert," I say, finding my footing and strength to push back against her embrace. "even if you don't wish me to go or to be alone again, I can't go there. I have someone else in mind and I can't betray them."
She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling, perhaps with tears. I push myself up, her arms going limp as I stand up tall, my heart pounding to the point it feels like my ribs will crack.
And then…
"Congratulations."
Lady Vert rolls up on the bed, buttoning her shirt.
"My, my, you've grown." She says, clapping lightly.
"...eh."
"Didn't I say I could hold my alcohol?" She says, giggling. "Two bottles and two glasses of scotch won't do much to me."
"I'm… excuse me?"
"This was a bit of a test that I came up with." Lady Vert says, sitting up. "You see, Blanc told me about your struggles. And so, I knew that at some point, you'd have to hurt somebody in the heart. Thus, I set everything up properly."
"I…"
"...have become much stronger than you think, Elliot." She says, smiling. "Saying 'no' to a CPU in such a dire situation, my, my."
I'm still at a loss for words, simply standing there and trying to figure out what to think of it.
"Well, do you mind if I start from the beginning, then?" Lady Vert says, shuffling back and leaning up against the wall. I nod back, and so she starts. "Blanc approached me, before you arrived, and gave me a basic rundown of your situation. While she didn't use names, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who the two in your life were.
"She left the details up to me, but she asked that I at least help you solve the biggest hurdle you were facing, and that was that no matter what your decision was, you'd probably hesitate to act on it if you had to hurt someone. So, I did just that. Everything up to now, well, part of it was me having fun as I rarely have someone to do things with that treats me more like a friend than a goddess, but also because I thought it would help you.
"And that all culminated to today~ I knew you had it in you."
I let out a deep exhale, feeling all of the tension inside me release. "Um… what were you going to do if I failed?"
Lady Vert tilts her head, putting a finger on her chin. "Hmmm, probably just use you as a hug pillow~? I was very confident that you'd pass. Besides, you're not the kind of person to take advantage of anyone."
"I'm glad you believe in my character."
"It's kind of hard not to notice everything you've done, after all." Lady Vert says with a knowing smile. "While your situation is going to be different, I think you'll find it will give you a boost in confidence. After all, you were able to say 'no' to me in such a state."
"It is true the circumstances are going to be different, but… I guess it will help. But, er, I have a polite request."
"May I make one in return?"
"W-within reason." I stammer out, Lady Vert giggling as she nods. "...please never do something like this again."
"Hehehe, of course, of course. Now, as for my request…" Lady Vert leans forward, grinning. "Do come visit, every now and then. They say the best writers write what they know, and actors try to pull from moments in their life to accentuate their performance, after all."
I read between the lines and get what she's hinting at. Ah… that's why it seemed so real.
"I don't know how often I can come visit with my work schedule, but I don't mind trying every now and then."
"Hmmm, then maybe I should come over to your shop sometimes. Ufufu, it seems like it's becoming quite the gathering place for us CPUs, isn't it?"
I can't help but laugh along with that, but my thoughts soon turn to the idea of moving again. I wonder… if I move out to Lastation, will that change this dynamic?
"That's true, isn't it?" I say, leaning back in my seat.
Lady Vert just gives a small nod. "Quite so. Now then, I'm sure you're exhausted by today. You should get some rest, as I'm sure it'll be quite noisy tomorrow."
"Noisy?"
"Hmhm, that'll be a surprise."
"As long as it's not like tonight's surprise. I think I could drop dead of a heart attack."
"Hehehe, it won't be anything like that, I promise."
"Then, good night, Vert."
"Good night, Elliot. But, you are welcome to stay if you'd like. After all, it's not taking advantage if I'm willi—"
I can hear the laughing fits as I quickly retreat from the room, feeling my face blazing already. There is no doubt in my mind that out of all of the goddesses, that Lady Vert is probably the worst for my health.
But, despite all that, when I go to bed that night, I can't help but feel like a weight is lifted off of my heart.
My eyes flutter awake on the following Saturday, hearing some sort of noise. I groggily pull myself out of bed, feeling drained as all of the fatigue from last night slams into me like a freight train. Gah…
I make it to the bathroom, where I manage to wash my face, waking myself up with the cold water. When I see the clock, it's well past nine, meaning that Lady Vert has probably already gone out on her jogging run. I hope she didn't wait for me, though, but just in case I change into my running clothes, made up of a simple black jogging sweatpants and a dark blue running shirt where the sleeves come down to about halfway between my shoulder and elbow.
"Oh, Elliot, there you are. Ah, were you worried about me running? You're so sweet~" Is the first thing I hear as soon as I open the door to the kitchen, finding Lady Vert in her usual clothes. Before I can get a response out, there's already shouting from two others.
"Why didn't you answer your phone?!"
"What's the deal with all the pictures where Vert's hugging you that closely?!"
All sorts of accusational questions, well, the former has a more worrying tone to it while the other has a bit more yes, accusational tone to it, as IF and Lady Noire immediately cross the distance and poke their fingers into my chest.
"U-um…" I start, holding my hands up in a surrender position. "G-good morning?"
"Good morning, Elliot." Lady Vert says from the back at her table. "Why don't you have a seat? I've already had breakfast prepared for everyone."
"Oh, were you waiting long?"
"No, not at all. It seems that they were rather eager to come and get you, though. A flower on each arm, hm?"
Fortunately for me, the attention is now turned onto Vert, who starts giggling at her implication statement as the duo quickly start grumbling at her while I take a seat.
"Even if you have a late flight, you shouldn't be slacking so much. Aren't you going back to work soon?" IF asks as Lady Vert slides an omelette forward, apparently packed with ham, bacon, cheese, and spinach.
"It's okay, I've been waking up earlier, although it was pretty bad for me to wake up this late on a Saturday." I say, nodding. "But it was kind of exhausting last night."
"...exhausting." IF says, turning her gaze back to Vert. "Oi, Vert, you didn't put him through anything suspicious, did you?"
"Why, I never! I promised not to lay a hand on him, didn't I?" Lady Vert says, IF scowling. "But I thought the plan was for only you to come along. Why is Noire here?"
IF looks back towards Lady Noire, shrugging. "She was here around when I got here."
"I… I just wanted to be sure he was okay!" Lady Noire declares, crossing her arms. "But it seems like I didn't have to worry at all. Not that I was that worried, or anything!"
"You're worried, but not. Please pick one." Lady Vert says as she wipes her mouth, clearly enjoying the situation. "My, it's almost like none of you trust me not to do anything with him."
"Do we have to remind you of what happened to the two brothers who used to work under you?" IF says rather pointedly as I start eating.
"Mou, that's unfair, IF." Lady Vert says, putting a hand on her own cheek. "That only happened because they had to be punished for betraying us."
"What… happened?" I ask, half wanting to know, half not.
"Well, let's just say their eyes were opened to a whole new world."
The way Lady Vert says it sends chills not down only my spine, a shiver running through me despite the summer morning's heat, but I see even IF hesitate for a second as well.
"My, my, you two are quite in sync. I wish you had woken up a little earlier, though, Elliot. We could show off your new skills."
"What have you been teaching him." Lady Noire says, with it coming off more like a statement than a question.
"Wouldn't you like to find out? He's been able to keep up with me, and it's getting more and more difficult to hold myself back whenever he's there."
"What have you been teaching him?!"
Lady Vert's giggles start to leak into laughter as she looks right at Lady Noire's reddened face. "Why don't you tell me about what you think I'm teaching him~?"
"That's…!"
"I must say, it's always been one on one, but just the other day we had our first session where we were watched."
I want to say something to stop the madness, but while I've gotten a little bit used to Lady Vert, she is no doubt a master provocateur and will surely find a way to make me dig myself into a hole. Scratch that, it's less dig and more 'drop a lightspeed meteor in order to create a hole I'll never dig myself out of'.
"W-watched?!"
"Ahhh, it was really quite exciting, you know? Elliot was already growing quite a lot, but he's very driven when there's other watching something that's typically done behind closed doo—"
Lady Vert's words are cut short as IF gives her a light karate chop on the top of the head, having walked quietly around the table.
"Hey, Vert, cut that out. Noire'll overheat at this rate."
"Awww, but we were getting to the good part~ Besides, you're a maiden too, aren't you? Don't you have an interest in—d'uah!"
Another light chop brings that to an end. "There's a time and place for everything."
"You say that, but you're blushing~"
"Anyone'd be embarrassed if you're talking about that kind of thing in the open!" IF says, crossing her arms as she takes a step back to avoid a hug from Lady Vert. "Hey, Elliot, speak up. What was she teaching you, anyways?"
"Just… how to fight. It was mostly a confident booster."
"See, Noire? Nothing out of the ordinary." IF says, walking back over to our side of the table.
"Just… fighting." Lady Noire repeats, her head slowly turning back over to Lady Vert. "Why didn't you just say that, then?!"
"Oh my, my, my, you didn't understand that? I wonder what was going through your mind when I talked about our activities, Noire~ They do say absence makes the heart grow fond—"
"Agghgghghghhhhrghggh!"
At this, Lady Noire loses all comprehension in her speaking, only causing Lady Vert to laugh more while never losing the elegance around her.
"Well, why don't we go and see it, then?" IF says, putting her hands on Lady Noire's shoulders. "I'm sure Elliot wants to show off in front of you, doesn't he?"
IF flashes me a knowing smile as she pushes Lady Noire towards me, but she manages to catch her footing before she comes barreling into me.
"Besides, you barely touched your omelette. Might as well work up an appetite considering you've got a late flight today. That, and I guess I'm a bit curious, too."
"Why yes, that sounds like an excellent suggestion."
I don't know why I have a bad feeling about that coming from Lady Vert as she stands up from her chair, having that enigmatic smile on her face.
"Why don't we show her?"
Though, regardless of my attempts, I'm still knocked down pretty thoroughly, as Lady Vert continues to adjust to my skill level without letting me get a hit in. I come close a few times, but every time, she continuously blindsides me, teaching me a new lesson as I keep learning to anticipate more and more or have the lesson of having to pay attention to my surroundings and not get tunnel vision beaten into my head.
"I think that's enough for today." Lady Vert says as I force myself to sit up before leaning back against the wall. "You're improving quite a lot, Elliot."
"It doesn't feel like it."
"You have to teach him how it feels to actually hit though, Vert. At this rate, if Elliot went out into the field, he'd get overexcited about actually scoring a hit." IF says, shaking her head. "But he's got all the basics down."
I see IF then crouch in front of me, looking moreso at my weapons.
"So you kept these, huh?" IF asks, though the question is directed at Lady Vert rather than me.
"How could I not~?"
IF smiles, shaking her head.
"Something wrong, IF?"
"No, it's just… there was a time we were pretty close, weren't we, Vert?"
"It was back when you were still wandering around, yes, and hadn't settled down in Planeptune. Our time together was a bit short, but it was nice to have you around. For what it's worth, I do consider you a dear friend still. You're always welcome here."
"Thanks. That really means a lot to me." IF then takes one of the katars and flips them in her hand. "Though, I'd have pegged you for a sword guy, Elliot."
"It's not like me to want to be in the spotlight."
"Hahaha!" IF laughs, offering me a hand up. I take it, being pulled up. "Vert never told you, huh?"
"Told me what?"
"These…" IF suddenly looks away, her cheeks a bit flushed. "...these are my weapons, you know? The type I use in real battles."
"O-oh. Well, they are pretty dependable. I guess that explains why everything felt so comfortable, then. It was like you were there guiding me."
"H-hey! D-don't say that kind of crap!" IF says, pushing me away, or at least, she would have, had I not already been up against a wall. "Hey Noire, take him over to the shower room, I don't want him to be late for his flight so hurry him up."
As I'm brought away, I can see Lady Vert smiling as she rubs IF on the head, though I can't catch what they're saying as Lady Noire and I walk away.
"S-sorry if I smell." I say, feeling quite conscious about how sweaty I am.
"N-no, it's… it's fine. Um…"
"Is something wrong?" I ask, looking towards Lady Noire, who shakes her head.
"No, it's just… ahahaha, never mind, this… it's just something dumb. Don't worry about it."
"That just makes me worry about it a bit more."
"Well... it's just that, you're on so many pictures with Vert, and ah… you know, we don't have anything like that even though we've been friends. S-so, we have to make up for it, got it!?" Lady Noire says, looking away from me when she says that
"Mhm, alright. That's fine. After all, we're not hiding the fact we know each other anymore."
"Y-yeah… you're a lot more confident about it now, though. A month ago you weren't even sure if you wanted to go through with it."
I pause, standing in front of my guest room, thinking to myself. I can't help but smile a bit as I nod. "Yeah, I… I think I am. Vert definitely helped with that, since I got used to being in the spotlight with all of you."
Lady Noire smiles in return. "Well, I'm glad that you don't mind. And um, you know, that uh… that style looks good on you."
"O-oh, thanks. I'm… er, I'm going to go take a shower now."
"R-right, I shouldn't er, wait around for you, then. See you in a bit!"
With that, Lady Noire takes off, full of energy. I have missed being able to interact with everyone, actually, since I was mostly cut off from my phone and console. Hopefully the trip to the airport will be… not a mess.
After I get cleaned up and everything, Lady Vert unveils her plan, poking fun at the fact that Lady Noire had to ruin it all by apparently showing up, thus alerting everyone to her presence. Either way, she was sending a limo to pick up Chika at the airport, which would probably get everyone assuming that had us in there, while we'd slip away in a four-seat sedan to the private airport we were actually flying out of.
"Oh, but Elliot." Lady Vert says, waving off Lady Noire and IF, who keep walking. "I'll ship all the equipment to your address, no need to worry about it."
"O-oh, you really don't have to."
"If I don't, you'll slack off." She says, smiling while stepping out in front of me, her back now towards IF and Lady Noire as she grabs my hands. "And I'd like for you to come back one day and really score a hit~"
"I still think it's impossible."
"Well, if IF teaches you, I think you'll be fine. That, and I'm sure you'll find time in your schedule. Your health is very important, am I understood?"
"Of course."
"Then, please be sure to visit sometime soon, okay?" Lady Vert says, her smile widening to the point that I'm worried. "IF, Noire!"
I move to step around her, with Lady Vert having called them without turning around. Before I can, though, Lady Vert moves her hands to my shoulders and keeps me rooted as she tilts her head and plants a light kiss on my cheek in plain view of the others here, with Lady Noire and IF immediately yelling at her to stop screwing around.
"Oi, Vert!"
"Hey, you can't just—!"
"But perhaps, if you had given in, I wouldn't have minded~" Lady Vert whispers in my ear as she pulls away.
With a giggle that tells me I'm sure Lady Vert is clearly joking, but a smile that would charm any man to the point he might believe her regardless, she leaves me to the wolves as I then have to get into the car.
It's um… a fairly tense drive, though IF and Lady Noire seem to be in agreement that Lady Vert shouldn't be doing that sort of thing. I decide the smart thing to do is remain silent.
Fortunately, the airport, the same one we flew into, isn't as noisy, and it's late enough that there don't seem to be too many people here. Lady Noire's flight is first, heading back to Lastation, so we go with her to the terminal to wait around.
"Flight 0479 to Steamax Private Airport will be preboarding shortly. Please have your boarding pass ready when we call your boarding number."
"Well… that's it." Lady Noire says, getting up from her seat. "Be safe, okay?"
"I'll try." I say, nodding as I get up from the seat as well. IF isn't with us, having said she'd give us some space before winking at me.
"Let's um… let's do something soon, okay? It's not fair that she got to er… have all that time with you like that." Lady Noire says, glancing towards the ground. "So you know… if you have a weekend…"
"I work Saturdays, but if I catch the late flight, then we can do something Saturday night and still have time on Sunday."
Lady Noire smiles, looking up at me. "I can fly into Planeptune too, you know."
"Yeah, but isn't it better to go there? After all, I'm sure you know all the fun spots."
"Well… just a bit. It's not always the most exciting place, but I'll see what I can come up with."
"Flight 0479 is starting preboarding. We ask that any senior citizens and families with infants under two years old board."
"You're boarding number one, right?"
"Mhm."
Lady Noire looks up at me, right into my eyes, where I can see mine reflected in hers. There's nothing to really be said, I think, or neither of us can find the words. She smiles after a while, her shining white teeth indicating a lot of care put into them, a light flush on her cheeks, and now I can feel myself being a little self-conscious if I've been sweating too much in this summer heat despite the air conditioning.
"Flight 0479, Boarding Group One, you can begin boarding."
The dilated time comes to a halt as the flight attendants call out her boarding number, the two of us coming out of it with a jolt.
"Y-you should board. You wouldn't want to miss your flight. Lady Uni would be mad."
"Y-yeah, that's true. Um…"
I see Lady Noire open her arms a little bit, but her face suddenly turns red as she turns away, pulling them away. "Get home safe, and make sure you call when you do!"
"Y-you got it…" I say, trailing off as she shows her boarding pass on her phone, scanning it and quickly boarding the plane, only glancing back once to wave, her face still just as red.
"She really missed you, you know? When she couldn't contact you, she came straight to me." IF says, laughing while nudging me in the rib, having suddenly reappeared. "And that was the longest goodbye I ever saw at the terminal. Her eyes must be really pretty, with how you look into them."
"You were watching?!"
"Well, I have to keep an eye on you or you'll get into trouble." IF says, shrugging as she gestures for me to walk along with me, but I can feel her tone become a bit more annoyed. "You know, like before we left."
"Look, she was the one that—"
"I know, there's no way you would have ever initiated a… a, you know…"
"...a kiss?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at how touchy IF seems to be about it, as her cheeks turn red. "Is it that embarrassing?"
"H-hey, look, I… shut up!"
"I'm not saying anything." I say back, knowing that before I had my first girlfriend I was pretty bashful about that kind of thing, too.
"Either way! All I'm saying is that you should've stopped her, it would've made for a less troublesome car ride. And it'll mean less strife in your life, down the line."
"Down the line?"
"Well, you know." IF says, nudging me in the ribs as we walk. "The world seems to be fine with you two being with each other. So, when you get together, you gotta be able to keep others away from playing with you."
"Why 'when'?"
"It's just a matter of time, isn't it?" IF asks, laughing. "You could tell just by the scene of you two by the terminal alone."
I try not to let it get to me, knowing that right now, when I'm talking with IF, this isn't the time to be sorting out my feelings. When I get back home, in my own space, relaxed and centered, that's where I should really think about what I want to do with the new clarity of mind Lady Vert gave me.
"Maybe. But hey, come on. It's just you and me again, after almost a month. Can we not talk about her? I'm sure there's a lot we need to catch up on."
"Oh. Well, yeah, sure." IF says, looking just a bit happier now, if not slightly conflicted. "Well, I'm sure the twins'll be visiting, so make sure you're ready for that. Oh, and since you didn't have your phone, well, I'm sure you heard the news from others, but Blanc and her boyfriend came out together."
"Ah, yeah. How is he?"
"Well, he's… definitely a kind of silent, but caring guy, from what I saw. He doesn't talk a lot and doesn't exactly have the friendliest face, but from what I heard they met at the library where he was volunteering on the weekends. Not exactly who I imagined her with, but hey, I guess birds of a feather flock together, right? Seems like he's good with kids, too."
"I feel like that's a requirement considering the twins."
"Haha, definitely."
"Oh, right, also, now that I'm back, we should handle that vacation, yeah? Summer's picking up, but school should still be in session, so we can get ahead before the beaches fill with families."
"True… bit hard to do it right away, though."
"Let's shoot for a month, then? Should give us some time to prepare, and I'll finalize being able to use the vacation house we have."
"Where is that, by the way?"
"It's actually close by, on one of Planeptune's beaches. We won't even have to buy plane tickets."
"Ooooh, that's nice." IF says as we arrive at our terminal. "But still, back to work, huh?"
"I think I miss it, in a way. I do have some new recipes I'd like to try out as well that I learned while I was here, since I had some time."
"Be sure to recommend them to me when you have them."
"You got it. Though…"
"Hm?" IF asks, turning her head a bit towards me. "What is it?"
"Oh, um… I just wanted to say thanks for coming out here for me. It really means a lot to me."
"Someone had to make sure you didn't get in trouble, yeah?" She says, a smile on her face. "It's what friends do for each other."
"Still, it does mean a lot that you'd do it. I really did miss you, as well."
"Wh, well, I guess I did miss your coffee, too." IF says, turning her head away now. "And it wasn't fun not having a place to relax. Er, um… sorry. That came off as kind of rude, huh?"
"Haha, don't worry about it." I say as we sit down. "I get what you mean. I know you're not just friends with me for the shop. You don't have to worry about misunderstandings like that."
"Sheesh… just trying to be a bit careful with my wording, you know?" IF says, scratching the back of her head. "Blame Nep."
"Is she bugging you about something regarding us again?"
"Yeah… don't worry about it, I'm sure she's just having her fun, but you know how it is. It makes you kind of self conscious about that sort of thing, even if you know, we're… just friends."
"I'm pretty familiar with that feeling, yeah. But hey, she's not here, so you don't have to worry about it. I know what you're talking about, so just let loose, okay?"
IF smile, shaking her head. "Alright, thanks. Anyways, hey, dinner. We were supposed to have it before you had that chat with Blanc, all the way back then, and if I remember right this wing of the airport has a pretty good grill place."
"Well," I say, getting up just as quickly as we sat down. "Lead the way."
As I walk forward with IF, chatting about useless things, I can't help but feel just a bit confident that everything's finally going to start returning to normal. No more hiding or anything like that, just back to living my life. While I still have to think about what I'm going to do regarding the shop… I don't feel quite so nervous anymore. It's still there, yeah, the anxiety, but it doesn't feel as soul crushing as—
"Hey, come on, quit spacing out. I'm hungry!"
"Haha, okay, okay, sorry. I was just thinking about my wallet, you know?"
"Well, you're going to get a lot soon with everyone gunning for your shop, so make sure you treat me later, okay? It opening back up is going to get a lot of press!"
"Haa… well, I'll treat you during the vacation."
"Alright, pricey tourist food, and I don't even have to pay for it!"
I only laugh at this as we follow the signs down the halls of the airport, thankful to be back to having this in my life again.
Well, here's hoping to normal days. Haha, if, well, they even exist anymore...
Okay wew we're getting there, everyone. Next time, a bit more of a relaxing chapter.
Either way, had a lot of fun with this chapter. Elliot working his way up the hill, practicing baseball, and then all culminating in the "climatic" part of this chapter, although it ended up being low stakes, haha.
I felt that was something up Vert's alley, as she strikes me as the most deceptive of the goddess trio, so forcing Elliot into a making a difficult choice in a way to test him seemed like something she'd do. It fits well with her teasing/provocative nature, too. I apologize for using the "Hi I'm drunk, take me" cliche too, but, it was invoked this time on purpose so I suppose it's not as egregious. Also I had a bit of amusement with Vert's wanting of a sibling leak through in her own subtle way. Along with her "final gift" to Elliot, which threw the other two into a fit.
IF and Vert being close was a reference to ReBirth 1 as well as what happened to the brothers serving under her, for yet another sly reference. I know that this story isn't really set in any of the games' timelines, but it's still fun to make passing reference to each one. I have a soft spot for RB1 as well since it's the one that roped me into the franchise, even if VII was HELLA AWESOME.
It's kind of crazy knowing we're about to come up to the last arc here. It's somewhat stressful, as I'd like to really to go all out, haha. I already have the storyboard in my head, but it's going to be rough not jumping the gun. While I won't say which songs have inspired me, for the finale there's 5 song medley that I've used as inspiration for the major scenes
But if you don't have to worry about that for now. Next chapter is a fairly relaxing one, and may God forgive me for it because I've committed the biggest sin of writing any slice of life story. You get three guesses and the first two don't count.
Catch you all then!