Reviewers's responses First!
Naval Ace : Well, here's the next update. Glad you like it so much!
Fofa : Hehe, glad I'm not that bad in English. and I'm happy to know I got a reaction from that suit...
MesanShade : I know all too well what you're talking about. Making descriptions is my biggest problem, sine I prefer to get straight to the point. While I know they ARE necessary, I don't want to dwell on them too much.
Bill of the Past : Nobody is perfect, but I know that Foulds deserve all the respect he get. Even if there's some things I don't agree with.
Aya-Angel of Mars :I do what I can for grammar, but I always make sure that there's no spelling mistakes, or at least as few as possible. For your request, let's see... well, yeah.I can make them do some things together, but not that much. but I'm sure you'll appreciate those times.
keeperofthescarf : Well, I do what I can for the length. For descriptions, like I said to MesanShade, I don't like them that much, but I'll do what I can. It's just that I don't find that necessary to tell what the reader already see in his head when they talk. But I'll keep it in mind for the next chapter. And I'm really glad that you like this fic!
Foulds : First, sorry if I didn't answered you before my edit, but I saw your review just after I posted the next chapter. For your question, don't worry, there is a pretty good hintfor the relationship between Jake and Rachel near the end of the game. For descriptions, I know I have to do better in that area, and I do what I can to add descriptions when I can. Glad you like my fic!
Author's notes : Well, here's the next chapter. I TRIED to be more descriptive for the environments as asked, but description for dialogues are a problem to me. Sorry for it. Anyway, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer : I don't own Advance Wars.
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"We're here!" Lash shouted.
Rachel breathed in relief. First, for reaching the place without accidents. And also because the place Lash choose was a normal shop.
They entered the shop and Lash quickly dragged her near the changing room, which was close to the bathing suits.
"Wait here and let me search something for you. I'm sure you'll love it, teehee."
"Lash, I can search for one too, you know?" answered Rachel, becoming nervous at the idea of Lash choosing for her.
"Nuu-huh. I know you, you're going to choose something that cover all. Just wait here, I saw it a little earlier."
And after saying this, Lash quickly disappeared, searching for it.
Rachel took a glance around where she was. There was mostly bikinis to choose from, along with some one-piece suits. All were varied in colors, but also in size, upon closer inspection. How can some of them be so small and who could choose to wear this, Rachel didn't wanted to know.
"I'm back! Like what I choose?" said Lash, emerging from a corner.
Rachel turned her attention towards Lash. And upon seeing what she choose, she did the only rational thing she could think of...
Orange Star's headquarters, near a sentry tower.
"...and that's how I lost that damned bet..." said a soldier.
"Ha ha ha! You sure got into a fine mess!" Said another soldier, laughing from the predicament of the other.
"How can you laugh at my misery? I'm not even sure to survive Lash's experiment. Remember that she asked Rachel to deliver to her lab a large stock of gunpowder last week?" cried the unhappy soldier.
"Don't worry, man, she refused that request. Rachel knows what Lash can do sometimes. Anyway, you better go and enjoy the time you have left, ha ha!"
"Thank you so much for your support..." said the ill-fated soldier.
The soldier watched his poor friend reach the stairs before turning his attention to the horizon. A few seconds passed when...
"...WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?"
Surprised, the soldier fell backward, but quickly got back on his feet.
"What the hell was that?" he shouted.
"I... don't..ouch!...know..." said a voice, in pain.
Searching for the person who said that, his gaze found his friend, who had reached ground level in a painful way, surprised too by the scream.
"Errr... You're okay down here?" said the soldier on top.
"I hate my life..." answered the soldier in pain.
Back at the store...
A few clients went deaf for a few seconds, looked at the owner of the scream, and understood by a mere glance what happened.
The swimming suit, a bikini, that Lash currently held proudly was beating in size easily all the others suits. For being the smallest, that is. Rachel even wondered if it could hide something at all. No way she was going to wear that!
"Lash... Are you sure you choose the correct size?" Rachel asked, fearful at the idea of wearing it.
"Don't worry, it's perfect! You'll be sure to catch some eyes with it! And you're certainly going to catch the attention of..."
"Well, well... It look like the kitten is as crazy as usual...Only you would choose something THAT ugly..." said a new voice, coming from the back.
Lash immediately lost her smile, recognizing who it was, and turned to face her.
Sure enough, it was Kindle, dressed in casual clothes. Jugger was behind her, holding some clothes that Kindle obviously wanted to try. And Rachel saw Koal outside, waiting in a car, asleep. Rachel assumed that Kindle was here for a good time.
The shouting took her out of her thoughts, and she saw Lash and Kindle already insulting each other. Jugger just stood her, waiting for Kindle to finish.
"Sigh... At this rate I'll never find... Wait a minute..." said Rachel to herself.
Her eyes catching a red swimming suit, she took it in her hands to look at it better. It was a one-piece suit, entirely red in color. She took it and she got in a cabin to try it. She then looked at herself in a mirror.
While the front of her body was covered by the suit, her back was exposed. Rachel found it perfect. The size was good for her, and it was not too covering, as Lash put it, nor it was too exposing, and certainly much better than what Lash had in mind.
Satisfied, she put her clothes back, and got to the counter to pay. She then got back to Lash and Kindle, who were still arguing, and dragged Lash away to the car.
"Rachel! Let me go, I got to beat that crazy psycho and..." said Lash, while she still shouted insults at her sworn enemy.
"I'm sure you'll get another chance." Answered Rachel. "For now, we got stuff to buy, remember? And by the way, who were you referring to before Kindle interrupted?" she asked.
"Huh? You mean you don't know at all?" said Lash, surprised.
"Know what? Is there something I should know?"
Lash, surprised and shocked at Rachel's reaction, jut stood here before answering :
"I'm not telling! Figure it out yourself!"
"Well then, never mind." Said Rachel then. "But I still wonder who is it..." she thought.
But how was Jake doing meanwhile?
Jake, usually calm and confident, was desperate to see the end of those reports. And the five soldiers he called to help were also as desperate as him. While Jake still had to sign them, they could read and summarize them so he didn't had to read all of them by himself.
When the end of the day was near, about only the quarter had been done. Everyone in the room, and patrols passing by, wondered how could Rachel work like that all this time without falling under the pressure. She definitely was too much hard-working, in Jake's mind.
"Commander Jake." Said a soldier, coming in. "Rachel and Lash just came back a minute ago, if you wanted to know."
"Alright. You can go guys, and thanks for the help." Answered Jake.
All five of them shouted with joy and scrambled to get out as fast as possible. Jake got up, but instead of going out, he just stood near a wall, hidden from people just entering.
Sure enough, footsteps were heard a few seconds later. Jake waited, and when someone entered the room, he immediately intercepted her.
"Rachel, I've already told you : You need a break from this."
It was her alright. Jake knew what she was going to do the minute she would came back from the city.
"Jake? How did you know it was me and that I would come here? But I still need to work on those reports now! I took a break as you asked but now..." answered Rachel.
"Now you need to rest for tomorrow. Remember the party we're having?"
"Alright, alright. I'll go away..."
"And I'm keeping the key to the room so yo can't sneak in when I'm away."
"You can't do that! I must check those reports before..." said Rachel, thinking of a way for going in since Jake guessed her plan again.
"Before what? I'm sure you'll have enough time later do to them, with my help. Now do you want me to carry you so I'm sure you away from them?"
"Fine." pouted Rachel. "You win. Just stop treating me like a small girl, I can take care of myself."
"That's because I care for you and your health." Said Jake.
Before she turned the corner, Jake could swore he just saw her blush like last night. Then he realized what he just said.
"Oh well. It couldn't have hurt" he said, before going to sleep too.
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Author's note : Here's some sad news.I got only one chapter left to do for this. While it's fun to write this, my interests are going towards Riviera, which I already started a fic in this section, and the upcoming Megaman Zero 4. but the good side is that with one chapter left and much to write about, it's gonna be a LONG chapter, or as long as I can find to write. The last chapter WILL take time to write, so don't expect it too soon.
So, as always, r/r.