Verdurous Seas, Cerulean Skies
Home
Morning had come too early, even for Ledo, who had been trained to wake up at inconvenient times. But during his first few weeks on Earth, his hardened exterior began to soften up at the knowledge that the denizens of Gargantia were harmless, for the most part, and his internal clock started to adapt to the fluctuations of Earth's time zones. But the harsh sunlight and piercing caw of the gulls were not what woke him up on this unpleasant morning.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty!"
Startled, Ledo shot up from the mess of blankets he was lying on, accidentally hitting his head against Chamber's cockpit. Disgruntled, the former ensign rubbed his head and crawled out of his little hovel to see who decided to disturb him at this ungodly hour.
Pinion stood above him with his signature smirk on his face. "Good morning, Pinion," Ledo greeted less than enthusiastically. "Though I don't see what's so good about it."
"Did you just use sarcasm?" Pinion almost looked impressed.
Ledo had to resist rolling his eyes. "You know, just because I wasn't born on Earth doesn't mean I don't know what sarcasm is."
"Right, right. Sometimes I forget that even though you're from a prestigious race of human beings hell bent on destroying whalesquid you're still just a teenager."
"Is there a reason why you're here, Pinion?"
Sensing Ledo's growing irritation, Pinion accordingly went along with the change of topic. "You don't still plan on sleeping out here, do you?" His gestured to the Ledo's current home, which was nothing but a ragged, used tent with a floor of blankets, both of which Amy had been kind enough to give to him.
It'd been three days since Chamber had defeated Striker and three days since she and Bebel had offered to let him stay with them, but Ledo had refused, wanting to stay by Chamber's cockpit. Unfortunately without Chamber himself, it was not in any condition to be inhabited, so Ledo had to make do with the tent and blankets. He was used to sleeping outdoors by now, and since he had been trained to live self-sufficiently, he could deal with his current situation for a few more weeks until he could find a permanent home. The conditions might've been less than accommodating—it most certainly wasn't like sleeping in Chamber's powered cockpit, which just sent him into stasis—but at least he had the picturesque view of the rippling sea to look forward to.
"I have no other place to go," was his reply as he folded his blankets up in a neat pile.
"Well then, today's your lucky day. I think I've found something that will work for the both of us!"
"The both of us?" Ledo echoed, stopping his task to hear out Pinion's proposition.
"Yes, dear Ledo. You see, I'm looking for a roommate, and since you're looking for a place to stay…"
Ledo quickly caught on. "You want me to live with you?"
The repairman shrugged. "Why not?"
"How close is it to Amy's home?"
Pinion nearly laughed at the question, but he quickly stifled himself. Though Ledo did not go out of his way to hide his requited feelings for Amy like the young woman tried but inevitably failed to do every day, his candor was nonetheless comical.
"I will admit it's a bit of a walk, but there are ways to get around Gargantia other than on foot. You'll have to ask the girls how to use those surf kites." This answer left Ledo skeptical, so Pinion tried a different tactic. "Hey, I guarantee it's much better than sleeping out here where you're practically a sitting duck. I'm surprised those weirdos from the red-light district haven't gotten to you yet."
Ledo froze, having forgotten about the incident that happened so long ago. His spine shuddered at the thought of those flamboyant transvestites sneaking into his tent at night, doing things to him while he slept… "I accept your offer, Pinion."
"Great!" Pinion immediately started off in the direction of his home without even waiting for Ledo, who still had to pack up the tent and blankets. Once everything was packed up in a duffel bag (also supplied by Amy), Ledo had to jog in order to reach Pinion, who had been chattering on about the neighborhood in which he lived, completely oblivious that he had left him behind. When he heard the words "red-light district", Ledo nearly ran off, but Pinion had stubbornly hooked his arm around his neck in a chummy fashion. "I know a few people in that area who have access to the materials I need, so I try to stay close by. But not so close that they can just walk through the front door!" But his words were lost on Ledo as he was trying to control his roiling stomach.
Once they reached his door, Pinion stopped him. "Okay, just to warn you, my place isn't exactly spic and span."
"'Spic and span'?" Ledo pronounced the words carefully, unfamiliar with the idiom.
"It's not really clean," Pinion rephrased. "But once you move in I promise I'll try to make it homier for you." Melodramatically, he opened the door, allowing the young man to step inside. "Welcome to Casa de Pinion!"
Ledo did not know what to expect once he set foot inside Pinion's home, but since he was a mechanic, he shouldn't have been surprised the blonde man was not as tidy as he thought him to be. But when Pinion said it wasn't very clean, he had clearly understated.
First entering into his house, Ledo had accidentally stepped on a bolt, but thankfully he was wearing boots because it was jagged and rusty. The kitchen area was at the front door, where he could see tools every which way. On the table was Pinion's toolbox, oily and spent from an earlier job. The rest of his home was just as sullied, including the bathroom, which made Ledo's stomach churn harder. Once Pinion showed him the spare room, he cringed. It seemed until he found himself a roommate, Pinion had been using this room to store spare parts and experimental projects. Schematics for potential Yunboro upgrades were tacked to the walls and more tools were stationed on the opposite side of the room. In the far corner was a dusty futon which looked very used.
"I know it looks a bit crowded," Pinion said, "but you'll get used to it."
Ledo was starting to regret not taking Amy's offer.
"Are you done torturing the poor boy, Pinion?" Ledo had never been so relieved to see Bellows. She was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed under her breasts. "I'm here to collect him now."
Pinion waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. You can have him." Surprisingly, he didn't seem bothered that Bellows was taking him away.
"Where are we going?" Ledo asked curiously.
"Amy told me about your living situation. Pinion doesn't need a roommate, just someone who can clean up after him, but if you ask me he just needs to man up and find a woman for himself instead of trying to get you to become his maid. I'm surprised he hasn't asked Lukkage to move in with…" She stopped mid-rant, noticing the innocently puzzled look on Ledo's face. "A-Anyway, I think I've found someplace more suitable for you. You'll feel right at home."
After a few minutes, Ledo began to recognize the path Bellows was leading him on. He'd taken this path often enough to recall every insignificant detail: the faded cream walls, the rusty metal stairs, the quiet yet hospitable atmosphere that welcomed him whenever he walked through the neighborhood.
"Why are we going to Amy's house?"
"Just be patient, soldier boy," Bellows replied. "You'll thank us for this later."
"'Us'?" Bellows merely winked at him, further piquing Ledo's curiosity.
They went up the stairs like he always did in order to reach Amy's place, but instead of going all the way to the top, Bellows stopped him a few flights bellow Amy's floor. They went through a corridor, which led to a door similar to Amy's. "We're coming in!" Bellows announced.
"Wait, we're not ready!" he heard Amy's voice cry out.
"Well hurry up and get ready!"
"Just give us thirty seconds!" That sounded like Melty.
"I'll give you five."
"Ten seconds tops!"
"We're coming in!" Bellows warned in finality.
"Okay, okay! Bring him in!"
Without further ado, Bellows opened the door. Peeking inside, Ledo saw Melty and Saaya standing in front of a curtain. "What is going on?" Ledo asked. "Where is Amy?"
The girls merely looked at each other and giggled. "You'll see in a bit," Melty teased.
With a flourish, the girls pulled back the curtains and Ledo began inside, completely in awe at what he saw.
At first, there was not much to look at. It looked just as small as Amy's house, but it appeared much bigger without any possessions or furnishings taking up space. But looking around once more, the interior made his heart clench. The ceiling was covered in pictures of the Milky Way and asteroids and other things that seemed to have come out of a textbook. On the wall was the familiar black and orange color scheme.
"I know it's not the same as Chamber," said Amy, who had seemingly come out of nowhere, "but we thought it would be better than sleeping outside. A-And you might feel a little more at home if you had a little piece of him with you…"
Looking over at the area she had come from, Ledo saw the nightstand next to the bed had his flute and his communicator, one of the only things that he had left of Chamber. He had lost it sometime after the battle with Striker, but he hadn't thought about its whereabouts until now. "Chamber…" As soon as he picked up the communicator, his eyes started to sting. Overwhelmed, Ledo put a hand on his face as his heart was torn between immense joy and grief.
"Ledo?" His glassy eyes met Amy's, her cerulean gaze glistening in concern. "Is… Is this okay?"
Wiping his tears away, the former ensign nodded. "This is perfect. Thank you, Amy."
"Sorry we tricked you." Melty, Saaya, Bellows, and Pinion, who had joined them a little while ago, began entering the room. "We thought showing you Pinion's pigsty would make this place more desirable," Bellows joked.
"Hey!" Pinion looked insulted. "My place isn't that bad… is it?" Everyone's silence was answer enough.
"It was convenient that Old Lady Sadako had moved in with her son and his family," Saaya commented. "It was nice of her to let you have this place."
"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Melty smirked deviously at Amy. "I see through your scheme, Amy! Now that handsome boy lives down here you'll get to sleepover whenever you want!"
"Sh-shut up, Melty!" Amy cried, a furious blush on her face. "It was just a coincidence!"
"That would explain a lot."
"Not you too, Saaya!"
As Amy continued to bicker with her friends, Ledo smiled at the familiarity of this scene. He knew it would take a while to get adjusted to this new environment and it would take even longer to get over losing Chamber, but he found that he did not miss being part of the Galactic Alliance; he had no sense of belonging back then, only obligation. But on Earth, he felt something new, something he couldn't explain…
"So, Ledo," Pinion came up behind him and put an arm around his neck, "feel at home yet?"
The younger boy looked back at the three friends, Melty and Saaya still teasing Amy while Bellows watched in amusement. Ledo couldn't imagine where he'd be without them. "Yes, this feels just like… home."
