Chapter 32 "Close Enough"

~ HAGAN ~ [Three months later]

Oh how time flew. Summer was knocking on the door, its patience waning after nearly five full months into the year. In the blink of an eye, the boys' participation in the student exchange program was about to enter its final week which included the treasure-hunt that I'd helped organize with their school. Another milestone that snuck up on us was Nia's and my third anniversary as driver and Blade, which happened to be today. However, it wasn't the only ever-present event making waves.

At long last, the new port on the other side of the Titan was complete. Although its grand opening wasn't quite as prestigious as the revival of the nearby aristocratic Dosilla City and its Blade Pageant, it still brought in quite a crowd, nonetheless. In fact, the event was big enough to attract the attention of Nia and I, despite our wariness of General Gollach who led the port's construction.

"It sounds like bedlam over there." I shut off the radio after hearing the announcement.

"Shall we go?" Nia suggested. "We've got nothing else planned this afternoon."

"Can we go, too?" Tommy perked up, having just finished rereading a letter that he'd recently received from his brother. Rodwyn likewise appeared eager for a daytrip to break up the monotony of the weekend.

"But tomorrow is the big treasure-hunt," I reminded them. "Are you sure you want two busy days in a row?"

"We'll be okay," the young heir paid no heed to my ineffectual warning.

"Glad to see you're up for anythin'." Nia got up from the couch and stretched to get the kinks out. However, in a moment of spontaneity and naivety, Tommy interpreted it as an invitation for a hug and went for it. "Oh, hey. You really wanna join us, huh?"

"Er… sorry," he quickly retreated, embarrassed. "I thought you wanted to, uh…"

"No, no, I'm good for one." She opened her arms again, this time expecting the embrace. "C'mere, you rascal…"

"I'm sorry, okay?" he pouted in her ear.

"Hey, I said it endearingly," she reassured the fretting Gormotti. Upon parting, she smiled and gave him a soft peck on the cheek in an attempt to clean up his grave expression. All the while, Rodwyn and I were watching them from opposite sides of the living room. The other Gormotti teetered between amusement and jealousy over his mate's predicament.

"Well… if everyone's listening, I say we should leave in ten minutes." I figured there was no point in voting against going out now. "In the meantime, Nia, do you have a moment?"

"Sure." As she turned to join me in the bedroom, Tommy initially reached out but quickly retracted before his fingers could make contact with her dress. "What's up?"

"Hold on…" I closed the door before answering, although it wouldn't completely shut thanks to the aging wood.

"Is this about Tommy?" she wondered, quietly.

"Eh… not quite," I tilted my head briefly. "He's grown quite attached to you, though."

"Yes, he has. I can tell him to back off," my concerned partner offered. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"No, it's fine," although I doubted that he'd take it well if it ever came to that. "You can… you know, be affectionate with him, to a certain point. I suspect that you're the only significant female figure that he's accepted into his life."

"I could be," she sighed. "He's grown up without a mother, after all."

"Is that so? I didn't know… I mean, I figured as much." I lowered my voice barely above a whisper as the topic turned deep. "When did he tell you that?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "At some point, he started to open up to me and tell me things, including about his family. He wouldn't share about his letter from home, though."

"Have you told him about us?" As far as I was concerned, our Gormotti guests had gone this far without picking up any hints.

"Uh… I don't think so. I've only touted how we've been paired up for three years now." As one thought led to another, her hands came together at the palms, her fingers interlacing seconds later. "Speaking of which, that anniversary is today, huh?"

"Indeed," I grinned, scooting closer. "It's what I wanted to discuss, actually."

"What's to discuss? Should be just as good as before, yeah?" She gently ran her tongue along her teeth. "I hope you're lookin' forward to it."

"Oh, I am," I swallowed hard, "but as I'm sure you're aware, it's still the weekend, so Tommy and Rodwyn will be with us all day. Plus, we'll be with them all day tomorrow for the field trip."

"Big deal. We'll wait 'til they're asleep," my bonny Blade brainstormed boldly, "unless you want to have a go of it outside."

"No way!" I yelped before covering my mouth. "We've still got stalkers, remember?"

"Do we, though?" her face contorted with doubt. "Newt hasn't bothered us in such a long time."

"I don't know for certain, but it's not happening outside," I maintained. "I'll never be truly comfortable outside until Gollach and Newt return to Mor Ardain."

"That's fair, but it might take some time," she patted my shoulder sympathetically. "They've got that lease."

"Yeah, and now that they're done with the port, they'll be holed up at their training grounds. I must admit, I'm just a tad curious to know if anything else is going on. The empire has been usually quiet as of late." Switching topics to the Ardainian army had cooled me back down, just in time for a knock on the bedroom door.

"Nia? Remi? There's an armu-taxi waitin' outside," came Rodwyn's voice. "Should I call him over?"

"Yes, thanks," I answered through the door before turning back to Nia. "Well then, I guess it's time to go."

~ IRADELL ~

Despite a straight, direct route from Dosilla, the new port was titled under Iradell's name, likely in recognition of the toil of the Ardainian soldiers who put it together. It didn't dampen the turnout, however, as the place was packed with people.

"I hate to say it, Rem, but this is impressive," Nia remarked as we approached the scene. We'd taken the direct route to avoid the soldiers' base.

"The port looks so… modern," I squinted as the sunlight reflected off of the steel plates which made up the majority of the pier. Like Iradell village, the style was undoubtedly Ardainian, from gilded gears to gargantuan garages. "The only plank of wood they've got here is the welcome sign."

"At least Newt's not here," she noted.

"Who?" Tommy looked to her. "Oh, that Blade you beat?"

"Yes…" I glared at my partner for mentioning the adversary.

"She's probably at their base, from what I'm feelin'." Nia grabbed my hand and tugged me onto the freshly unwrapped premises. "C'mon, let's check it out. I think I see a seafood stand." At first glance, both ends of the port each had a row of stalls and storefronts, filled with prospective renters looking to claim the vacancies and get in early on a new market.

Touring the port was a lot more fun that I'd thought, thanks in no small part to all the free food samples. However, the lines were long at every stand, a minor inconvenience that the boys currently found themselves in while Nia and I waited by the docks, observing the sights and sounds.

"Not a bad outing, Rem," she declared, having just polished off her last sautéed beat shrimp. "Mmm… what an incredible spread." Unlike the rest of the group, I'd focused less on the food and more on the port itself.

"What I find most incredible is that this land had remained untouched by human hands as recent as two years ago. Now it's cold, hard industry. And what's up with those gateposts?" I pointed at two enormous pillars whose bases disappeared into the bay of the cloud sea. "They seem rather bulky, don't you think?"

"Uh… maybe?" She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I think those are watchtowers."

"Watchtowers? For what, pirates?" I razzed before I realized that it might not have been a bad idea after all.

"How does one even set foot up there?" Nia tried to trace a path from the tops of the watchtowers down to the ground where a group of people had gathered. As luck would have it, there was a familiar face among them. "Oh, hey, look who it is."

"Huh?" It took me a moment to locate the group. "The Special Inquisitor? Well, I guess that's not surprising, considering his army built this place."

"I imagine you'd like to have a word with him, eh?" she assumed, but I was hesitant.

"Uh… I mean, an update would be nice," I contemplated, "but I'd hate to bother him."

"He's lookin' at us, Rem," Nia mumbled as the street between us seemed to conveniently clear itself of people. "You may as well."

"If you insist," I caved in, easily. "You stay here and keep an eye on Tommy and Rodwyn." The walk toward my former international teammate was brief, though long enough for me to notice that he was without Brighid, his usual companion. (Was she that disgusted by her experience during their last visit to our Titan that she refused to come back with him?)

"Good afternoon, driver Remi," the solo Special Inquisitor greeted as cordially as ever.

"Fancy meeting you here," I couldn't think of anything original to say. "Are you satisfied with the results?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," he extended his hand for a customary shake. "But, to answer first, yes, I am extremely pleased with the construction. I had the utmost faith in General Gollach and his company."

"Right…" I sidestepped joining in the praise of the man whom I trusted least.

"I do hope you all have been playing nice," the Special Inquisitor lowered his tone, along with the short bill of his decorated cap. "His residency on Prudentia has long to go before it expires, unless he chooses to retire here." (Oh gosh no…)

"Ahem…" I cleared my throat, tactlessly. "Surely he misses his real home, no?"

"That is not for me to say," he respectfully declined to divulge.

"How is Mor Ardain doing these days, anyway?" I decided it was time for that update.

"It's stabilized, no heatwaves nor tremors since we last spoke," the eminent Ardainian informed, sounding relieved. "As a matter of fact, conditions remained clear enough for repairs to commence around the capital."

"Oh, like that mine, right?" I recalled from his last report.

"That is the most notable facility being repaired, yes," he nodded. "A company of our soldiers are taking up the task after a proposal was made to his majesty, in an effort to keep our vulnerabilities at a minimum." (You couldn't have sent Gollach and his men back home to do that?)

"Is it the big building just outside the capital, with the gondolas?" I asked for the sake of conversation.

"No, that is the geothermal plant," he corrected me. "The damaged mine is next to it, on a lower level. You'd have to take a path through a canyon to reach it."

"Canyon?" It didn't ring any bells to me. "Guess I haven't been there, then."

"And if you had, I'd be wondering what you were doing there." Special Inquisitor Càidh appeared like he wanted to chuckle, but his usual professional demeanor prevailed. "My apologies for cutting this short, but I'm on a strict schedule. Brighid and Aegaeon are awaiting my arrival so we can all report back to his majesty on the progress of our three projects."

"Three?" my curiosity struck again. "What's the third?"

"The port in Torigoth. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be returning home." He bowed his head conservatively before making his way to an Ardainian ship, a rather small one compared to most of their fleet. As soon as he was safely aboard, it wasted no time in pulling out of the docks and maneuvering past the towers to the open Cloud Sea beyond.

Meanwhile, I'd begun making my way back to Nia who, by now, was in the company of the boys who'd emerged from the long line with bowls of salmon ceviche.

"Hey, all." I peered down at Rodwyn's bowl, a portion much too generous to be a mere sample. "Huh, that actually looks pretty good."

"It is. You want some?" Nia offered, even though she was eating from Tommy's.

"No thanks," I passed, for the betterment of my stomach. "You know I can't handle seafood."

"Suit yourself," and back she went for another bite. The young Gormotti beside her seemed delighted to share with his favorite Blade. "So, did you learn anythin'?"

"More or less." My answer was vague, as I became partially distracted by their cozy interactions happening before me. "He said this port is a success…"

"No argument here," Nia interrupted between hearty mouthfuls.

"Right… and he also said that Mor Ardain has stabilized. As such, their undeployed men are repairing things… over there." I crossed my arms as a strange thought crossed my mind.

"Are you okay?" she noticed my rumination. "You're doing that thing with your eyebrows again."

"I'm okay, but…" I raised a hand to tap my chin, like the detectives always did in the novels that I still read on occasion. "Something doesn't quite make sense… about what the Special Inquisitor said."

"What?" Her face started to mimic mine. "That the army is spending more time building than protecting?"

"Y-yeah, especially with how vulnerable they are, as he'd claimed." Particularly, I couldn't imagine how a damaged mine would leave them open to enemy attacks, but then again, I wasn't an expert of their infrastructure.

"I don't mean to sound cold, but what do we care?" Nia asked rhetorically. "If the Urayans take advantage of them, then it's their own fault for stretching themselves too thin."

"I hope they do," Rodwyn muttered, his bowl now half-empty.

"Aw, come now, you don't actually mean that," but I received no further response. I got the general sense that there was no more momentum left to this trip. "Well, on that lovely note, are we about ready to go home?"

"I am," she waved with her free hand. "I think we've hit all the food stops, right you two?" Both boys nodded in unison, no doubt full from all the free samples.

Nia was right, though. At least for the moment, Mor Ardain's precarious situation wasn't our problem. In fact, as I sat in the back of the armu-taxi with Rodwyn, my mind was already on other things, like how close his mate and my Blade were being together. They sat snuggly in front of us, his head against her shoulder, very much like how I'd done in intimate moments with her. Despite what I'd said earlier, I was beginning to feel uneasy about how comfortable and affectionate he was getting with her. It was a weird feeling to have, especially on our anniversary of all days.

~ HAGAN ~

This continued at home, right up until it was time for bed, where I sat in my robe and perused tomorrow's itinerary for the school field trip, waiting for Nia to join me. After ten more minutes alone, I started to wonder if we were ever going to celebrate tonight. Perhaps it would've been better to postpone it until a school day.

"Hey," she whispered when she finally showed up. "Were you in here waiting this whole time?"

"Of course." I looked at her like she'd asked a stupid question.

"I'm sorry," she momentarily hunched in shame and quietly closed the bedroom door behind her. "I was hangin' in the kitchen with a cup of tea, waitin' until the boys were good an' under."

"Ah, good idea…" I nodded once, trying to fight a yawn.

"Um… Remi?" She'd only moved a few steps. "Something's bothering you. I can tell."

"Can you?" My empty response popped out of my mouth without much forethought.

"Yeah, you've been quiet ever since we left the port." With her sullen eyes fixed on me, her hands began to remove her sleeves, fumbling in the process.

"Ah." I didn't think that keeping to myself all afternoon would've made it that obvious. "Remember what I said earlier, about Tommy?"

"He was rather friendly today, huh?" she wrapped her arms around herself.

"So were you," my tone was sharp, though my voice was soft. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stick it to you."

"Well, you're not wrong…" her sigh sounded heavy, and I felt it warmly on my exposed knees. "I gather you'd prefer there to be a little more space between him and I?"

"Maybe… I don't know," my thoughts were nowhere near collected, despite having several hours to stew. "He's normally grumpy, yet you make him so happy here. It really shouldn't bother me…"

"But it does," she filled in the rest, "and I don't want you feelin' shafted, especially today of all days."

"What are you saying, then?" I asked even though I had a clue of where she was leading.

"I'll tell him that we've gotten close enough and now we should cool it," she decided. Her figure looked so frail while we talked. I felt rather small myself, still seated patiently on the bed.

"You don't have to tell him," I backpedaled somewhat. "Just… keep the distance."

"What if I do that, and he asks why?" she brought up a good point, as usual. "Then I'll have to tell the poor kid."

"He's technically not a kid anymore," I reminded her impertinently. "You'd said he'll understand."

"Nevertheless, it needs to be set straight," she continued, "especially if he actually thinks I'm goin' steady with him."

"Are you?" My question was hardly serious, but now she was the one displaying the look of incredulousness like I'd given her moments earlier.

"You're an odd one, y'know that?" Nia wagged her finger at me. "C'mon, put away that paperwork and forget about Tommy. Tonight's about you, er, us, and enough time has been wasted."

"Are you in the mood, though?" I had to make sure.

"I am," her voice cracked ever so slightly as she held out her hands. "On your feet."

"Hmm?" I blinked, confused, but listened anyway.

"You need a hug, first," and she delivered with no contest. Any further reservations that I might've had were kicked aside as I willingly and happily succumbed to her warmth, her softness, and her perpetually soothing fragrance.

"Mmm…" I moaned softly, lulled into a lazy state. "How do you always… smell so good?"

"Bless the ether," she hailed wryly. "My healing power is the ultimate purifier."

"Ah… wait," I moved my hands to her shoulders and stepped back. "How come you still smelled good when you temporarily lost your powers, two years ago?"

"What?" she smiled both in amusement and bafflement. "We were both a beaten mess. I did not smell good then."

"Yes you did," I insisted.

"No I didn't," her smile turned to frustrated laughter.

"Yes you did," I repeated, knowingly annoying her.

"Shut up," and she made me in the best way possible. Our eyelids grew heavy as we lost each other in a long and impassioned kiss that was made for a special night like this. Her hands poked underneath my robe as mine found their way to the thin rope that kept what was left of her dress together. If we weren't ready before, then we were undeniably feeling it now. Such was the power of the bond we shared. The only person on my mind was her. Not the Ardainian army, not Tommy…

And just like that, it was over. Nia had pulled back quite abruptly, her ears twitching after something had attracted her attention. Her eyes, now drained of their lust from the warmup, shot to her left. Standing at the door ajar was one of our guests, an innocent face barely visible in the darkness. (You've got to be kidding me…)

"Tommy?" she called to him quietly.

"S-sorry…" Scared witless, he backed up against the hallway wall with a piece of paper in hand, likely his letter from earlier.

"Is everythin' alright?" Nia approached him cautiously. "I didn't hear the door open."

"It wasn't closed." He peered over her shoulder at me. By now, I'd fixed my robe and sunk to the corner with my face to the wall, unsure of what was to happen next. Several thoughts raced through my mind, including how much I regretted putting off repairing the door.

"Ahem, well," she waited a few seconds, "if you've got anythin' to say, better spill it soon. We're about to go to sleep."

"Together?" His voice was hardly audible.

"Y-yes… where d'ya think I've been bunkin' all this time, huh?" She flashed a discomfited grin, perhaps in an attempt to divert his attention from whatever he might've seen or heard.

"I-I didn't mean to barge," he started to leave, without sharing what was on his mind or in his letter. "I'll ask later…"

"Ask what?" Nia wondered, but he said nothing more as he returned to his futon next to Rodwyn whose slumber was somehow undisturbed. She observed them for a minute longer before closing the door, this time with a firmer shove so that it wouldn't come undone again. Seemingly in slow motion, both of us turned to face each other from across the bedroom, the air no longer sparking with the heat that we'd generated before the interruption.

"Now what?" I mouthed off, mutedly. My equally embarrassed Blade rubbed her forearm and dropped her empty gaze down upon herself. The answer was rather obvious at this point, but neither of us wanted to say it. With the mood curtailed, our special celebration was off for tonight. We knew that we should've waited until the coast was completely clear, and now the young heir to the Echell fortune was most likely wise to our secret that we'd been keeping from the family.

Everything had been going so well at home, but I feared that we might've stepped in the proverbial wisp's nest with tonight's gaffe. Whether or not it spelled bad tidings remained to be seen. The Echells were the very reason I found Nia three years ago to the day. The last thing I needed was a rift in that relationship.