Chapter 25 - It's time to talk
After completing their job, the Party returned to the meeting point where they informed Ganache, who was alone this time as Singe had seen fit to return to their HQ, his words being 'I have no time to indulge in the flawed capability of humans.', that the site was clear for them. After they received their reward, the Party returned to Lastation's Capital to report to Chian about what they found out so far on their first mission.
Plus, like before, as well as in true Neptune fashion, the purplette threw open the doors to the Café, yelling "I'm home!" with a hand in the air and a beaming grin on her face while the rest followed suit. Nico would have scolded her for her behaviour, but decided not to, considering this was a familiar place and it would be pointless to scold her here, where Neptune's antics were accepted as part of the course. "Chian! We're done with the weapon testing!"
Chian, who had been checking some papers by the Counter, looked up and saw that they were back, a grin slowly forming on her features as she waved back at the purplette. "Hm? That was mighty quick." She remarked, still grinning at the sight of the excitable girl as she handed the Armas Test Model along with a paper filled with notes on how the weapon functioned, made by their sole male member since Neptune's handwriting was atrocious. It could hardly be called letters just a bunch of scribbles. "And, how about Avenir?"
"About that, it didn't work as planned." Noire replied, sighing a deep sigh as she held her arms below her chest in her usual classy manner. She had taken off her Mask before entering as well, as to not scare Chian, depositing it into her Inventory. Although that would not be the last of it, Heck, even when this business with Avenir was over she still had some plans for that Mask… enough said. "What we do know is that Avenir is making a new plant."
The weapon mechanic tensed when she heard what the Party had learned, her skin losing some of its colour as she regarded Noire with a look of incredulous disbelief. Soon, she opened her mouth and spoke, though it looked like she had difficulty finding the words. "Another one?!"
IF frowned suspiciously at Chian's reaction, quickly concluding that there was something wrong yet they didn't know what. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Is it that much of a surprise for a plant to be made?" it was a surprising reaction from Chian, businesses making plants isn't that uncommon nor would it be that surprising, especially in a Nation like Lastation.
Chian turned her gaze over to the brunette after she asked her that question. Her eyes looked like that of a professor teaching a class as she left the bar from the side and walked over to one of the walls that made up the Café. Said wall seemed to have a map of the nation, but what was interesting was that many areas were filled with red splotches, splotches that looked to serve some form of purpose. This was enhanced by the red pins on their centres, and when Chian pointed to a few of them. "You may not know, but all those plants are ruining the nature around them." She explained, a thin layer of disgust under her educational tone. "We've lost countless forests because of them!"
"Okay, now that is bad." An unmasked Nico stated while cupping his chin as he analysed the map like a General would to prep for battle, devising strategies to beat the enemy with the least number of casualties. 'Planeptune may be a technologically advanced nation, but it doesn't sacrifice the wilderness throughout the Landmass. Me and Compa used to sometimes take walks along the parks with her grandfather, both for fun and for exercise for the old man.' He thought to himself with his scowl going deeper and deeper each second. "Not only would that damage the economy in the end, it could potentially ruin Lastation."
Indeed, while it was good that they were expanding business with these plants, it was ruining the environment the Landmass provided, the grey skies around Lastation being perfect proof. He could hardly recall the last time Lastation saw the full sun because of all the pollution in the air. If the land was destroyed too much, then it would become counterproductive since people wouldn't want to live there, and that would lead to Lastation's downfall.
Plus, judging by what he'd been secretly investigating, Nico knew they wouldn't stop there.
"Well if that's the case," IF began, frowning at first as she thought of the stakes that were now higher than they ever were before, "let's go back to Avenir." She suggested. If this was what they would have if they failed to stop Avenir soon, then it was best that they keep going. Possibly take a small break when they could so they could regain their strength.
Noire nodded her head in agreement with the brunette, her lips curling into a confident smile as she held her hands on her hips. "Yes. Even if it didn't work this time, we have the next." She added in, furthering IF's idea through the Party's minds.
Then Neptune had to go a little extreme with her addition to what they should do. "Aaaand we can do some sleuthing, too!" she grinned evilly, holding Murasama like a serial killer would which, combined with the occasional electric spark from the current flowing through the HF blade, made for an intimidating sight.
Fortunately, Chian was quick to douse such notions, and the sight of an intimidating Neptune worked far more than it should have… and not in a good way. "Hey, hey. Nothing over-the-top."
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the Party were being monitored by a Recon Drone, and not one that operated for their resident DPU either. The Drone, upon receiving orders to return to its master, turned and floated away, not making a single sound as to alert the people being observed of its location. The Drone floated down the streets, making several turns till it came to the entrance to a dark alleyway, the sun having cast shadows over it so that nobody would be able to see if anyone was there.
The Drone floated in and its form was patted gently by a hand, a masculine hand with a tuff of what looked like a suit. The man held a remote in hand, one that had a screen that displayed a recording of the conversation between the Party and Chian. The screen illuminated the man's face, revealing it to be…
A smirking Ganache. And a smirking Ganache was not a good thing, for this smirk lacked his previous politeness, replaced by a sinister, ominous demeanour that would send chills down the spines of those that knew him as a polite businessman. "Oh my, how interesting. Their conversation is quite intriguing." The man said as he reviewed the recording, repeating the action multiple times to make sure he got every detail committed to memory.
Nico, or rather DEATHSTROKE as Ganache knew him as, wasn't the only one with access to Recon Drones. Ganache knew of DEATHSTROKE, how could he not, that boy was someone who was responsible for the downfall of its rival corporation Umbrella. It was well within reason to suspect that he would make Avenir his next target considering what he did to one of their rivals.
Their conversation was also very interesting, revealing a lot of information to the man. The fact that they planned to take them down while achieving work from them was an ingenious plan that Ganache doubted the purple haired one, who he had checked out and found was the leader of the Party, would concoct on her own. He was certain that it was either DEATHSTROKE, the brown-haired girl, or the girl in the Mask that suspiciously looked like Lastation's CPU. Since the recording wasn't a visible one but the same as the one DEATHSTROKE uses, he didn't know of the blackette's identity, but that didn't matter.
Now, how should he, Ganache, the Founder of Avenir, deal with these troublemakers?
An idea crossed its way onto his mind, and his smirk widened into an evil, almost psychotic grin that threatened to split across his face. If anyone saw him, they would swear that his right eye flashed a bit in the darkness, but it was gone as fast as it came. "Let's see. Maybe I should make them taste what it is like to go against us."
The rest of the day passed by, and the Party filled it in with Quests and training. Unfortunately for them, Avenir wasn't offering any more jobs yet, so their return to that detestable corporation wouldn't happen as soon as they'd hoped, as weird as that sounded in their minds. Therefore, they did any Quest that they could, sometimes crossing Monsters afflicted by the Frenzy Virus. Those creatures proved to be more trouble than their normal counterparts, which meant they had to exercise much more caution till they take them down.
One good thing came out of their emergence, and that was an abundance of monster slaying quests by the Guild. Seeing as the Frenzied Monsters were causing as much trouble as the Abnormals, though compared to them the Frenzied Monsters were much weaker and easier to deal with, the Guild had assigned Quests specifically detailing that certain monsters needed to be taken down. Those quests proved to be more rewarding not in terms of Credits, but in terms of items and 'EXP' as Neptune once referred to as, considering that they were tougher and dropped different items on their defeat. The cause of the virus was still unknown however, meaning that all they could really do was keep the Frenzied monsters at bay.
As for training, it was proven when Nico sparred with Neptune that training was a majorly effective way for the Party to learn new Skills. Neptune using CRITICAL EDGE was the proof since she told them how she had learned she could use it after one of their sparring matches. Therefore, it would continue, with the girls sparring against Nico or each other. Compa remained out of the sparring as her expertise was geared towards healing and support, therefore Sparring wouldn't be a good way to have her Skills develop. Instead, she would be on the sidelines, using her Healing and support Skills to better aid the girls in their sparring, while Nico wouldn't let her help him because unlike them, he had much more experience in combat than they did, IF being an exception. His skills still though, were superior because he had fought so many Abnormals in his lifetime that his body didn't need as much training as the others did.
In an RPG, they would be low-to-mid-levels while Nico would be the high level mini boss.
None of them, not even Neptune in her transformed state, could get an injury on him, which showed how big the power difference was between them. It also showed that both they lacked experience in fighting human opponents, which would become a major disadvantage to them, as well as how much he held back during their Monster Hunts. It was during those training sessions that the girls truly understood… what made Nico a Spec Ops Agent, the one known as DEATHSTROKE. Even without his Armour, Nico was a beast in battle.
Another aspect that attributed to Nico's training was the demonic energy of the DPU within him. Using it in such short bursts like in Skill activation or just empowering himself with it would allow him to better control it if he ever does try to transform again, although he never truly did turn into his DPU form, much to everyone's relief. They didn't think that they would be able to scratch him if he did. if they couldn't do so when he was in his human form, then the DPU form was way off, like a small star compared to the Sun itself.
Plus, the male was also preoccupied making preparations for when Avenir would make their moves. His rage had been quelled from its previous raging orange flame that potentially consumed him, to a low, cool yet bright blue flame, one that gave him purpose and direction. His mind clear, his purpose doubtless, Nico made sure to make ample preparations for the time that they would strike.
Though, something interesting DID happen between him and a certain Tsundere...
In the afternoon, Nico sat on one of the tables, his expression focused as he gazed at his Bracer, which displayed a holographic screen. The details on the screen were held in a way so that only he could see them, but they were notes and calculations of his plans for Avenir's inevitable strike on Lastation. He had investigated several secret facilities once owned by Umbrella, under the cover of darkness with his Mask on to conceal his identity of course. Through these secret outings, Nico learned much. There were certain facilities that he hadn't touched during the events of Racoon City's destruction. Back then, the male had been more focused on confirming their existence rather than investigating what they were doing. That would have been enough to prove Umbrella guilty back then, but now he needed to know more. Thus, he had gone deeper into these facilities, using the blueprints he got from scanning them with his Bracers to find hidden areas and secrets Umbrella had hidden. These investigations revealed to him that Avenir had more than one hidden dealing with the corporation before it fell, because some of the areas he'd found looked like they were ransacked before te authorities even got there. Considering what he knew, there was only one culprit responsible, at least in his eyes:
Avenir.
Sneaking into one of their facilities would have been beneficial for him, had he not gone with their plan of working for them and getting data from within. Nico knew that on his own, he'd be able to achieve this goal of attaining information, no problem. Hell, despite stealth missions not being his forte, he was fairly adept at them, so he could have snuck into one of Avenir's bases with little trouble. However, Nico didn't because he was worried for the girls, that they wouldn't know how to cover for him since they had no idea of what he had been secretly doing. Secrecy was a norm for Spec Ops on covert missions, and his instincts told him to follow that logic here. In addition, Nico also wanted to know more about Noire, part of him had been suspicious about her allegiances to Avenir, a small part of him at least. However, that part of hi m was smashed out of existence by the rest of his being when he saw how they interacted. Nico knew the stages of how to tell when someone's lying, plus his Condition gave him enhanced senses, and both sides showed no signs of false acting between them. Then, there was her true identity...
"What are you doing Nico...?"
The male's thoughts were shattered, just like his illusion of perfect silence, when he heard the voice of the exact same person he was thinking about from by the cafe's entrance. 'Speak of the Devil and she will appear...' the male couldn't help but remark with a slight exasperation in his mind, although his face remained neutral as he closed everything down and slid off the table. "Good afternoon, Noire." he replied evenly, letting out a small smile as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Just going over my research notes on a project." he explained, before looking from side to side as if searching for something. "Where's Neptune and IF? I thought they were with you?"
Noire huffed as she flicked one of her ponytails, placing the hand she used on her hip. "Neptune and IF went off to go get some more Pudding. Or rather, Neptune dragged IF across to the Pudding store. I swear, she's just a head full of Pudding sometimes." the blackette girl remarked, tiredly. After their training and treatment, IF, Neptune and Noire had gone out for a stroll trough Lastation's streets. The first two intended to see the sights, since they never got the chance to beforehand, while the third wanted to spend some time alone but got dragged into their antics. Or rather, Neptune's antics. "Anyways, Compa's gone to get more bandages, so its' just... us in the Café."
The blackette slowly trailed off as she suddenly felt very nervous around the male right now. For as long as she could remember, they never actually got the chance to talk to each other privately like this. It was always with Neptune and the others, so this would be their first chance to finally talk, and while she did have some questions for the male that she would like to have asked alone, she couldn't help but be afraid for what he might ask. After all, she did notice how different he was compared to the others. Neptune and Compa were blissfully ignorant idiots, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and IF was like the middle ground between them, trying to keep their antics from going overboard. Nico on the other hand, was like a hawk. When he had his eyes set on something, you can bet your entire life he would not stop till he achieved his goal. She knew that he was no fool, and that her attempts at covering up her identity may not have worked on him... like, at all.
Meanwhile, Nico felt just as awkward as she was right now, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Yeah... I guess so." he responded, though he did curse himself for how meek he sounded. Yet, he couldn't find anyways to say it other than like that. After all, he had many questions he would like to ask her, but never got the chance since they usually only were around each other when the Party was together, not separately like this. Problem was, he had been so focused on Avenir that Nico never thought he'd get a chance like this to talk to her. 'Plus, there's the fact that under that arrogant, boastful and tsundere shell of herds, lies a really attractive lady. I'm surprised she hasn't found someone as of yet.'
While he would say most men were perverted pigs out there who didn't know how to treat a lady, he had to admit that Nico was biased in his views. Mostly because that was mostly the kind of guy he had been accustomed to. True, he had seen some guys who actually treated their ladies well, Compa's grandfather being a perfect example. However, those instances were so few and far in-between that he almost forgot about them. He could think of a few people whom he could admit treated girls much better than the average male, some of whom were his fellow Comrades in the Spec Ops Programme.
For a while, the two just stood there, an awkward silence about them as the two struggled to think of something to say. For the time being, these weren't two beings that had special beings, there was nothing like hidden agendas or TechEd out secret agents, just two teenagers who weren't very sociable around others, struggling to find ways to break this awkward tension in the air. They needed somebody like Neptune to break the ice here, or someone like her who wouldn't try to do so by teasing the hell out of them. They could indeed imagine Neptune laughing while saying something idiotic about two 'lonely people' finally finding companionship or something like that.
Finally, the sound of a Kettle screeching filled the air, making both of them jump in surprise at the sudden sound. The Kettle was located by the counter next to the alcoholic drink cupboards, as Nico cleared his throat with a flustered set of cheeks. "Oh, um, that's me. I was making myself some Coffee while I was planning my Project." he hurriedly explained, electing a nod of understanding come from the blackette as he walked to the Counter. He finally got to the Kettle, mentally thanking it for ending the awkwardness. As he made to reach for the cupboard that housed the cups, an idea sparked inside his mind as he looked up at Noire. "Would you like some?" he asked her.
Surprised ad caught off guard by his sudden gesture, Noire quickly responded with an affirming nod. "Yes, please, thanks. I'd like mine with 2 sugars in please."
With a nod, Nico pulled out two cups, placing them on the counter. He then went and pulled out a container filled with Coffee Beans, before beginning to brew some Coffee. While he did so, Noire sat at one of the tables, ironically the same one that Nico had been using earlier. She crossed one leg over the other and lightly tapped the table with her index finger, looking down at her other hand and finding it very interesting at the moment. Both sides struggled to get their thoughts in order while the Coffee was being brewed, a sweet aroma filling the air and sending pleasurable chills down their spines.
After a few moments, the Coffee was ready, so Nico poured it into the cups, one being all silverfish white while the other was a light purple colour. The Coffee filled them up and was still steaming when he was finished, so he chose the one that represented Lastation's colours for Noire's, putting 2 teaspoons of sugar in it before mixing it together. He then walked back around the counter and brought her coffee to her, getting a soft 'thank you' from the tsundere as she looked away from him, blushing slightly. Nico nodded at this, blushing a little pink too, as he sat opposite her.
This time, the silence was short lived as Noire, after tasting the Coffee, had to admit that it was quite good. "Wow, this Coffee is splendid." she remarked, surprise evident over her features, before looking to him and tried to regain some form of pride... by acting like a tsundere. "I... I guess you can have some praise for this." she stuttered, turning her head away from him.
The male smirked in pride at her praise, despite her attempts to cover it up. "Thanks, someone I respect highly taught me how to do this. He actually lives in Lastation, owns a Coffee shop and everything." he explained, smiling fondly. He forgot the awkwardness as he immersed himself in some of the few good memories he had in his lifetime after leaving Compa's house all those years ago. "He was, in my opinion, a Coffee wizard, since he could make anything Coffee based taste great."
"You sound like you admire him a lot..." Noire mused, thoughtfully. Though, in her mind she was surprised at how open Nico was being right now. She figured he'd be al stiff and try to interrogate her, her refusing, and leading to an intense argument. Surprisingly, that wasn't happening, instead they were having a civil conversation. While it was only the beginning, Noire had to admit, if this held up, she would like to talk more like this in the future. "What kind of Coffee Beans did you use for this?"
Nico waved a hand dismissively, taking another sip of his Coffee. This was the only thing he could have aside from THAT, thanks to his Condition, but nonetheless he loved having a cup of Coffee in the morning. Even in the afternoon. "Just the standard Coffee Beans, nothing special." he stated bluntly, much to Noire's surprise.
"You're kidding..." she muttered, this time not trying to hide it as she looked down at her drink, taking another sip and pleasantly moaning at the liquid going down her throat. "You must have used a special trick or something, there's no way standard quality Coffee Beans could taste this good."
A wry smirk tugged at his lips as Nico shook his head at her. "Nope, nothing special. Just normal Coffee Beans. The man I told you about, he run's a Coffee Shop in Lastation. He told me something he believes to his very core: "My own private philosophy... is that the most important thing, even more than where beans are from, is how you approach each of them. Your approach must vary, depending on the bean. Just because some beans are expensive, if you brew them without care, they will not turn out well. The opposite is also true. Even cheap beans can become flavourful, if you carefully brew them to bring out their special qualities."" he quoted, remembering that lesson well. That philosophy was something that Nico had learned long ago from him, and it wasn't just applied to Coffee Beans. If it weren't for him, Nico doubted he would have made i this far.
"He sounds like an interesting person..." Noire had to admit, that this guy sounded like someone she could talk to. Just from hearing his words, Noire felt that a lot of her questions regarding Nico were answered. This philosophy could explain why he only stuck to the prototypes of mass-produced Planeptune Gear, or how he still tried to learn how to control his DPU powers. Time and effort to bring out their best qualities... she found that she liked that ideal, very much so. It fit in line with Lastation's motto: we only do everything, in a weird, yet pleasant way.
The male had the decency to nod. "Yep, sure is. He should be doing alright, last time I heard from him was after the..." at this, the male's gaze fell as he recalled the last time he had seen the man. "... After the Racoon City incident."
Noire had to admit, she had winced on that one. "Yeah... I've been thinking about that, actually. I'm sure that, if she got the chance, then Lastation's CPU would thank you for your help, personally." she remarked, refusing the urge to chuckle bitterly. Here she was, hiding in plain sight, pretending that she was someone else, someone she knew she was. It was weird, and very ironic. "People like Umbrella... they really disgust me, you know." a frown marred her lips as a sour taste formed in her mouth, both from the rumours she heard, and what she learned from Chian. It was deplorable that someone in her Nation got the idea to do something so horrid. "Makes me question whether or not this world should be destroyed is really a bad thing."
If such people outnumbered the good in this world, then what's the point of trying to protect it? Noire had often wondered that, even before everything went to hell with her and the Basilicom. She often wondered what was the point in protecting people if they were just going to destroy themselves in the end. She came up with an answer, and that was how twisted and fucked up the world truly was to allow such unfairness to thrive in humanity. "This world has become so messed up... and it's people like Umbrella, like Avenir, who mess it up in the first place."
"... Not exactly, Noire."
Nico, who had remained silent for a while, spoke softly and with melancholy, like this had happened before. "Huh? What do you mean that I'm wrong?" Noire asked, surprised before narrowing her eyes intently at him. "You better have a good reason why you think that, or..."
Despite her threat, Nico didn't feel any desire to defend himself. Likely this was because he knew he could take her down with or without DDD. He still hadn't shown his full arsenal yet, just so you know, readers. "I mean to say this: It's not the world that's messed up. It's those of us in it." he told her, placing his Coffee, which was 3/4 finished, down on the Table, before standing up. He then walked to the window, placing his hand on the glass as he looked outside to the city, eying the people that passed by. "Yes, there's many who walk paths that leave death, destruction, tragedy and sorrow in their wake. However like anyone else, people can chose to change altogether. Although most do not. There's a lot people have to learn about each other, this applies to anybody, including the CPUs. Yeah, especially them." the male mused, before turning to her and looking as if his stare could pierce right though her very existence. "They need to stop fighting and start talking, because when it comes to the state of the world, you can't point your fingers at anyone else, for we're all to blame."
Those words. Nico felt a tightness form in his throat when he finished saying those words, despite having that Coffee hydrating it. Those words were spoken to him by his adoptive mother, and he could see the truth in them. People were so quick to put the blame on others, saying things like 'its not our fault' or 'if only you didn't do this'. In the end though, there wasn't one group that was responsible for the world's problems, but all of humanity. These problems could be solved simply by doing one thing: Co-operation, the co-operation of all of humanity. Unfortunately, that was it's biggest weakness, the ability to talk and learn through mouths, words and actions.
To say that Noire was floored by his words, as well as the power behind them, was an understatement. Nobody had an ideology like that before, she had never heard such a powerful belief in her many years of living. Coming from Nico though, it made somewhat sense as to why he would believe that. As a Spec Ops Agent, he wouldn't believe in any CPU, so thus he wouldn't be blinded by religion and fanatical faith like an average person would. This would give him a unique perspective that hadn't been seen in Gamindustri's history. 'It's us and not the world... huh...?'
He could see that his words had an effect on the blackette, and not the negative kind he had been dreading. Nico knew that despite their great success, Spec Ops Agents were still looked down upon by the fanatical believers in the Basilicoms. It was only natural after all, given how they had different ideals compared to the rest of Gamindustri's residents. They fought not for religion, but for their own ideals, something that most don't do very often. Thus, he had feared that Noire would be like them, all too caught up in her beliefs to see what was really happening to Gamindustri. But seeing how thoughtful she looked, how her lips were pursed together as she sipped on her Coffee, almost trying to seek an answer from it, assured him that she wasn't angry with him at all.
It was actually relieving to be honest.
A beeping came from his Bracer, and Nico soon realised that he had stuff to do for his plans against Avenir. "Well, I have to be off, I've got some more things to attend to." he spoke, finishing th last of his Coffee before walking to the counter's sink and putting it inside. He then made his way to the door, his coat flapping dramatically when he turned. Just before he left however, his hand about to reach the door handle before freezing in place, Nico turned his head back to Noire and spoke a final piece. "Anyways, if you want to take anything from this, then if Neptune once again tries to get you to spend some time with her, do so and talk. After all, it may answer some of your questions." he told her, before finally leaving her to her thoughts.
The Night finally fell on Lastation, darkening it slightly more than the day would thanks to the grey clouds covering the Skies like an ugly, murky blanket. The citizens would be in their homes, performing their indoor activities. Children would be playing videogames, businessmen working late while the women, single or otherwise, would be engaged in their own activities.
Meanwhile, the Party had purchased a room at a Hotel, one that was unlike the one that Nico had purchased for them back when they first arrived in Lastation. At first the male had protested that he could just purchase them a room with his own funds, but IF reasoned that it would likely make them more of a target for Avenir. Taking less expensive lodgings meant they would be able to hide within a crowd, something that Nico could see happening. Admittingly the lodgings he would buy were fancy, but they were also lacking in security now that he remembered the brochure on the site he had checked out. That would not do now, as unlike now back then they didn't have to worry about a corrupt organisation such as Avenir breathing down their necks. Therefore, Nico reluctantly agreed to the brunette's reasonings.
The room they had chosen was a large room, with a set of four beds with a boiler at the back of the room which connected to a series of pipes. It wasn't a bad looking room, if Nico had been honest, rooms Spec Ops Agents use have little security because their very presence hinders all thieves from getting in since they don't want to get owned. Since there were five of them, it would have been a problem though fortunately Nico had always got his Camping gear in his Void Storage. Easy to set up plus cosy within the heat of a room.
Right now, though, there was only one occupant in the room, and that was Noire, who was sitting on her bed and was contemplating the series of events that had transpired since she first joined Neptune's group. She was mumbling to herself with her head hanging low, too deep in thought to notice anything else. "I'm finally getting to know what's going on in Lastation."
She remembered what she had learned about her home, and her brows furrowed. Things were worse than she thought, not only was the business market being destroyed, but with the recent revelations she'd learned, Noire knew she couldn't be careless. Things had to change, pronto. However, there was a sour note that she didn't like to admit to herself, fortunately she was the only one here now, the others had their own errands to do. Compa had left to do some grocery shopping since the hotel food wasn't as good as her cooking, Neptune was doing whatever, Nico was out with Compa as a form of protection, though, they knew he was worried about her, and IF was likely talking to Chian about their plans for Avenir. "I hate to admit that it is because of Neptune and her friends, though…"
However, this posed a dilemma, a dilemma that she was unsure how to solve. For the first time in a long time, Noire was torn. She knew that she had to defeat Neptune, it was what all those years had been meant to be for. However, seeing the damage that Lastation had suffered during her absence, Noire had begun to wonder: was it really all worth it? Was fighting the others really what would be best for this Nation? If she hadn't been where she was, maybe she could have stopped Umbrella from doing what they did and perhaps that tragedy would never have happened. But she had spent so long fighting the others that she, well, because she didn't know any other way. She thought so anyways, but… ugh! Her head was a jumbled mess!
The words that Nico had told her rung in her head, not letting any help reach her, either.
After scratching her scalp in frustration with both her hands, Noire huffed to herself, letting her hands fall onto her lap once again. "… Still, something doesn't make sense." She mumbled, her eyes narrowing as she once again dove into her thoughts. "Spurring business growth makes sense, and I would have said so myself." She then thought of what Chian said, about the nature being destroyed by Avenir's plants which left a sour taste in her mouth. "But, at the risk of destroying the environment is going too far. If no one can live here, it defeats all purpose."
Lastation and Planeptune always had a massive rivalry, more so than the other Nations. One, the land of Purple Progress and the other the land of Black Regality. Both strived to progress, to grow and prosper. Both had their own ways of doing so, and the results speak for themselves. However, with the way Lastation was going and how Planeptune was still thriving without having to sacrifice nature, something surely went wrong.
And she knew what that was, now.
"Avenir…" Noire almost spat the name of the organisation that was responsible for so much suffering in Lastation, the reason why most of the citizens had stopped believing in Lady Black Heart, even though Chian's faith was powerful. It didn't match up to the faith of the entire Nation. "I wonder what they're planning. At this rate, there's no time to go back to the Console War."
The Console War… even as confused as she was about the subject now, Noire was glad that she came back when she did, otherwise this would have been a whole lot worse. She could have come back to watch Lastation's final days before it fell to ruin, a future that scared her more than her own death.
Images of Neptune flowed into her mind, another subject Noire was conflicted over. "And as much as I don't want to admit it, Neptune isn't a bad person…" Neptune. Someone Noire indeed knew very well, someone she had despised for so long. She had never seen the side of her that was outside of battle, the happy-go-lucky, energetic, meme spouting side of her that was her human form. Noire had known her for a while, and she had assumed she would be as arrogant and power-hungry as she was back then… but… Another sigh escaped her lips. Noire's head hung even lower as a depressing yet oddly relieving revelation dawned on her. "There's no way I can fight her now knowing this…"
More images flowed into her mind, images of the sole male party member that both intrigued and unnerved her… though something else was slowly brewing inside her at the thought of him. "And then there's that guy… Neptune's friend, Nico… or rather the Spec Ops Agent known as DEATHSTROKE…" once again, Noire sighed depressingly as she thought about the male. "Like Neptune, he isn't a bad person, unlike a lot of guys these days, and he's quite insightful. I bet that he would have been a fine soldier if he were born in Lastation…"
When she first met him, Noire hadn't thought much of him, he just seemed like an idiotic man who had almost gotten himself killed. However, that changed once she saw him turn into that psychotic side of him, the DPU form as he called it. Demon Drive Demonica, a power resembling Hard Drive Divinity in a way. However, the two couldn't be any more different. That power… it scared her even now, though she would never admit it. Noire had never felt such fear as she felt when facing that monstrous blade, the blade that almost ended her had Neptune not intervened, and even then she almost fell. After she had learned about it though, Noire had been filled with more questions than before.
Who was this guy? Where had he come from? Had he any agendas with regards to the CPUs and their lands? Travelling him had only answered a few of those questions, but raised even more. she had learned of his occupation, past-history with her land that she, to her dismay, hadn't been even aware of and his… decent personality. Plus there was that conversation they hand this afternoon, something she found very insightful. He was just an enigma like Neptune was…. "In the end, I bet that he too would be a good person to get to know…"
"Noire! Let's go eat some pudding!"
"Wha-?!" A hyper shout from behind her, right next to ear, made Noire cry out in surprise, completely startled and caught unawares from the sudden intrusion. Noire fell off her bed but managed to roll into a one-legged crouch, glaring at the cause of her fright which, like last time this happened, turned out to be Neptune.
Said girl was beaming from ear to ear, unfazed by Noire's startled response. "Déjà vu?" Whoops, did I surprise you? Sorry there." The preteen apologised as she laughed nervously. She had knocked and entered, but Noire never answered her so she had figured that she was alright with her coming in.
'This part of her I don't like though!' Noire screamed in her mind as she stood up and glared at the preteen. "Why you…!" she began to say, before she quickly closed her mouth and clenched her fists, trying to keep her anger under control. It wouldn't do for her to lose it within a hotel room, of all places. Once she had calmed down enough, Noire sighed to release the remains of her anger and aimed an annoyed stare at the preteen. "… Now what?"
Seeing as she hadn't heard her question earlier, though Neptune didn't mind since she had admittingly caught Noire off guard, the girl raised a hand to show her bag that looked to be filled with something, although Noire had an idea as to what it was. "Ah, I brought some pudding, so I was wondering if you'd eat some with me." She requested. Since they had gotten onto better terms, Neptune figured she'd try to take another chance.
Though, it seemed like it would end the same as last time as Noire did another sigh, as she gained an absent-minded expression while turning away from her. "I'm sorry… I'm just not in the mood." She denied her request, trying to keep her guilt from seeping into her voice. Why was she feeling guilty so suddenly? If anything, she should be annoyed at Neptune's persistence.
Neptune stepped back, a dismayed look on her face as a groan escaped her lips. "Whaaaat?! You too, Noire?!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Iffy said no when I asked her, Compa's out with Nicky, so that left you! Now who am I supposed to eat with?!" she whined sadly, hanging her arms in front of her with the bag dropped to her feet when she had made the earlier exclamation.
"How about yourself?" Noire responded coldly, turning to look at the preteen. She had her hands on her hips, with that 'I don't have time to deal with you' look on her face as she regarded Neptune with annoyance. Seriously, how did she have so much love for pudding and teasing people.
Still not giving up though, Neptune stood upright as she once again regained her happy demeanour. "You still don't get it, do you Noire? Pudding tastes better eating with others. Like, a lot better!" she explained, finally telling her the reason why she had been so persistent on sharing pudding with someone. One could say it was a bonding experience, one she wanted to share with her friends considering they're doing so much for her. Neptune may be slow on the uptake, but she could tell that they had better things to do than to help her with her memory. Yet they still did, Compa, Iffy, even Nico. She wanted to be as close to them as possible, because they were truly good friends to stick with her like they have.
Even if the preteen had admitted this though, Noire still wouldn't budge on the issue. "Well, even so, I won't eat before I sleep. I'll get fat. I'm sleepy too." She added on at the end. All that thinking earlier, combined with how much Neptune had been pestering her, had drained her stamina quickly.
"Awww…." Neptune whined, her joy now evaporating as her eyes turned to ones of dejection. In an instant, Noire didn't know how this was possible, but Neptune was curled in the fatal position at the wall, with a depression cloud over her head while she doodled on the ground. Though this sight was a little comical, the despair in her eyes was real, which stopped any amusement being born within the blackette.
Nevertheless, Noire pushed her sudden guilt aside as she made her way towards her bed. She had been dressed in her PJ's a PJ top and a pair of shorts, both black with silver detailing as she pulled out the covers. She then slipped into the covers and rested her head on the pillow, before glancing at Neptune. "Got it? Well, good night then." She said with a tone that spoke volumes. This conversation was over.
"Awww."
"I'm sorry."
"Well, don't worry, I guess it's my fault for asking so late! But… it wouldn't have been great to eat with Noire…"
This time, her dejectedness was even stronger, and the depressing aura around her grew bigger. Hell, Noire could hear faint sounds of tears rolling down the girl's cheeks. Neptune may not show it, but she did like her friends a lot, and considering that one of them, though they hadn't known each other long, refused to eat with her felt like a stab to the heart. She then remembered what Nico told her about taking to her if she got the chance, plus his whole speech about co-operation.
It was this revelation that made the guilt unbearable for the blackette.
"…Well…"
"Hm?"
"If you REALLY want to eat with me, then why not?"
There, she had done it. Noire could no longer resist Neptune, not with what she knew and what she had seen of her. It felt like hurting a little kid when she saw Neptune sad, and if she was honest with herself, Noire didn't find that idea appealing at all. Even if Neptune was an annoying little brat, she had this way with people that many others lacked.
"Really?!"
"Like I said, if you REALLY want to eat with me."
All of Neptune's despair had vanished in the blink of an eye as she shot up and hugged Noire with so much strength that they nearly fell off the bed. Noire had just threw off the covers, too, when this happened, so the two had rolled to the opposite edge of the bed. Their position looked… weird, and if anyone came in right now they'd assume they were lovers. "Yay! I love ya, Noire! I knew you'd come through!" Neptune cheered, laughing with happiness as she nuzzled Noire's cheek with her own.
Now THIS was pushing it for the other girl as she gaped at what the preteen was doing. Soon though, she found her voice again. "Huh?! Wait! Stop hugging me!" she yelled, grasping Neptune to try and push her away. Although the preteen had a tight hold over her. 'Neptune's hugging me so tightly… I wonder how Nico's would be-No! Bad Noire! What the hell are you thinking?!'
Unaware of the panicking girl's thoughts, Neptune realised what she was doing and let go of her, rolling off the bed and landing in a standing position as she laughed a little to clear the awkwardness in the air, the awkwardness she had caused unintentionally… for once. "Oh, sorry. I was so happy so I got out of hand there." She tried to defend herself, flustered slightly though her beaming smile from before remained. Though unknown to Noire, Neptune's thoughts also shifted to the male of the group. 'Wow, when I hugged Noire, a pic of Nicky appeared in my mind… what the heck was with that? Man, this is so weird…'
After getting changed and meeting Neptune outside, Noire and said preteen ventured out into the City, walking till Neptune lead her to a peaceful part of the residential district, where they sat at a hill that led to a small rocky pathway down below and beside that was a river, one that ran out of Lastation and into the wilderness around it.
"So, why do we have to be outside to eat the pudding?" Noire asked the cause of her being out here. She and Neptune had their own cups of pudding with their own spoons, hers being a chocolate one while Neptune had an egg flavoured pudding. The plastic bag she had with her before was at the side, ready to be used by the two girls.
Neptune chuckled as she spread her arms to the sides as if gesturing to the world around them. "Heh-heh. You may not know, but pudding tastes better outside, too! See! And the Sky is nice and pretty!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the skies above.
Like Neptune had said, this night was one of the few nights where one could see the night sky, with the clouds abating thanks to the lack of factories operating at night. Some areas were darker than others thanks to some factories remaining active, but hey. The stars twinkled in the night, almost as if they were dancing a beautiful melody. There was no moon in sight, but that didn't take away the beauty factor that the skies possessed at this moment.
Noire had to admit that Neptune was right indeed, although a part of her growled at this. "Yes… it's so beautiful…" she mused, staring up at the skies with a lost expression on her face, losing herself to the beauty of the night.
Seeing this, Neptune beamed happily as she took a spoonful of her pudding. "I told you! I just found out when I was eating outside the last time." She explained, making Noire flinch. She remembered that time well, and now that her emotions were different from that time, she did admit that the feeling of guilt intensified at the memories.
"Ah… about the last time I didn't eat with you… I'm sorry." She muttered, looking away and not meeting Neptune's gaze as she thought about that time. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her gut which came from her newly conflicted emotions. Well, new wasn't the right word to use exactly. She'd been slightly conflicted at that time, but back then she had been of the opposite mindset that she was on now. Now that she had a different mindset, her conflicting emotions had levelled up.
Neptune, seeing as how Noire looked like she felt bad about that situation, waved it off without much of a care. "Oh, don't worry about it! I was kinda pushy, too. And Nicky was there to scold me for it afterwards." She admitted sheepishly. She remembered that time well, as Nico had scolded her for trying to press Noire into doing something she had no desire to do, making herself look to be more like a dictator than a leader. Nico never minced his scoldings, not just because they worked, but because he knew she could take them. It was something she could see as a positive whenever he scolded her.
The blackette did not know that. "I see…" she mumbled in surprise, her gaze falling to her pudding. Though, should she be surprised? After all, Noire had observed Nico and whenever Neptune did something overly stupid he would scold her like a teacher punishing his rebellious student, or a parent to their disobedient child. "And anyway, I'm eating with you now, so everything is good!" Neptune chirped happily, after a moment's silence as she contemplated that time, plus the times that followed. The conversation and atmosphere around them lightened considerably from its earlier heaviness, much to the job of the blackette.
She then decided to use this chance to ask Neptune a question, one that she had been fighting herself to ask for so long now. "Neptune… Um, can I ask you something?" she began to speak, trying to keep the hesitation out of her tone as she turned her head to face her. While curious about her question, Neptune couldn't resist cracking a joke in this situation. "Sure, as long as you don't ask what my account balance is."
Her timing seemed to be right, considering how Noire's turned upwards slightly for just a mere moment, before her lips settled into their previous stern and serious state. "If you were a CPU… what would you think of Lastation? Between the Land and the Console War, which would you choose?" she asked her finally.
Now THAT was a question that made Neptune blink owlishly, it was one she didn't expect to be asked in a situation like this, but she did see that Noire was serious about this question, so she tried to think of an answer for her, an honest one otherwise Noire would likely hate her again. "Hmmm… I'm not a CPU, so I'm not really sure." She mused, holding a finger under her chin while turning her head upwards.
Noire waved it off with a hand, knowing that Neptune would likely not get it. Both her gesture and the context of her question thanks to her amnesia. "I'm just hypothetically asking "What IF…" With that in mind, Neptune continued to think about the question. "Hmmm… I would like to help whoever is in front of me first. And what was that again? The Console War? Even if that goes bad… I'm happier seeing the people's faces who I saved! … And pudding." She added on at the end. Pudding was an important part of life, don't judge!
"Neptune…" Noire whispered, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at her. Had amnesia changed her so much, or was this what Neptune was really like and they had never noticed? That sounded so much better than just fighting in the Console War. Neptune probably wasn't aware of it, but she had just made Noire realise something. The Console War had too much selfish reasonings behind it, and if there was any good to it, it still wasn't good for the Nations they ruled if Racoon city was any example.
Noticing the surprised expression on her face, Neptune grew concerned if the expression shifting on her face was any indication. "Hm? What's the matter, Noire?" she asked, tilting her head in worry. Eyes blinking as Noire snapped out of her thoughts, the girl shook her head in a negative manner as she turned away to look at the city around them. "No, nothing… Nothing at all." She said, before glancing to Neptune's pudding as an idea formed in her mind to get Neptune distracted from their previous conversation. "By the way, your egg pudding looks good. Do you mind if I take a bite?" she asked her.
Instantly the previous conversation left Neptune's mind, like Noire intended, when the mention of pudding was made. "Okay! Let me try your chocolate pudding, too!" she responded as Noire nodded in acceptance. Said girl took a spoonful of pudding as she hovered it closer to the ever-growing impatient Neptune. "Sure. Open your mouth wide…" she mused as the spoon finally found its way to the confines of Neptune's mouth as she chomped down on the tasty treat. Her face scrunched up in delight as a large flavour bombarded her senses, almost like how a drug addict moaned when he got his fix. "#CHOMP# Aaah… The bittersweet flavour! Pure ecstasy!"
Noire smirked at the joy that Neptune was experiencing, she was feeling excited about this herself now. Was this what it felt like to have friends? In that case, she liked it. "Hey, now it's my turn. Come and slip one into my mouth…"
…
Neptune smiled weakly as Noire unknowingly said something that… could be interpreted in various ways. "Uh… that didn't sound good, but… okay." She shrugged it off though, deciding it was better to not think about it too much as she repeated the actions that Noire had done to her previously.
The moment that Noire tasted Neptune's pudding when she chomped on the spoon, a moan of delight escaped the confines of her lips. "#CHOMP# Mmmm… Nice and sweet!" she exclaimed after swallowing the treat. A massive grin formed on Neptune's lips at seeing someone else enjoy pudding as she did. "See? I told you it'll taste better eating with someone else." She told her like a professor lecturing her student, though her face remained as cheerful as ever.
The blackette looked at her, before a small smile came from her as she chuckled in amusement. "Hah, you right." She admitted, feeling much more refreshed than she had felt in a long time, like a massive weight was removed from her shoulders. And to think, if Neptune hadn't dragged her out here she would have been pondering this topic, which now that she had the answer she felt kind of stupid for overthinking it so much. "Um, Neptune…? Thank you…" the smile on Noire's face when she said this was the most grateful one she had made since she had joined the group on their adventures. She didn't feel too bad that Neptune didn't get it thanks to her emotional high. 'Lastation or the Console War. My answer was always there in front of me…'
On her end, Neptune couldn't help but be confused over the sudden mood change from the blackette. She didn't know what she did, but if what Nico once told her was true, then Noire no longer had as much 'baggage' on her shoulders. "Huh? I don't know what I did there, but okay! Oh yeah, Noire while we're here, I gotta ask. What's your opinion on Nicky?"
Now it was Noire's turn to be caught by surprise at the unexpected question, the conversation shifting to their male party member. "Eh? Why ask me that? Whatever well, I guess I can say he's alright… not at all what I expected of a guy." She had to admit that Nico was at least decent, if a bit odd with some of his… mannerisms. A laugh came out of Neptune's lips at the response she was given. "Yeah, your right. I only asked because you guys seem to be… tense, when you're near each other. He's giving you that look, and you are thinking to yourself, 'I'm so screwed.'" She explained, chuckling while Noire looked to the side.
"He's not THAT bad… but, well, I get the feeling like he's thinking hard about something to do with me. If I know anything at all about him it' that he's observant." She admitted, pondering on what to say about a guy she only knew for a couple days. When she said he was observant, she meant how he would have good insight into solving problems, case in point her Eyeglasses. Buying a Mask like he did for her was, admittingly a better way of disguising herself than a pair of eyeglasses.
On that, Neptune had to agree with her. She beamed as she remembered everything she experienced with the Spec Ops Agent. "Of course, Nicky is, he's a cool dude, badass too. You don't see many of those nowadays. Not even in the generic OC insert fanfics. There's a few exceptions though, but still."
Rolling her eyes at Neptune's usual joking mannerisms, Noire decided to inquire about Neptune's opinion of the male. She seemed very fond of him, and from what little she knew of him... Noire began to feel the same. Not that she would admit it though. "Meta jokes aside… what's your opinion on Nico. What kind of guy do you think he is?"
Blinking owlishly, Neptune pointed to herself with her spoon. "Huh? Me? Well, I'd say he's someone who has a mix of me and Iffy in him. No, not like that, geez get yer head outta the gutter, Noire. Such a perv. Anyways, he's got the stern, no-nonsense demeanour that Iffy does, but he's also playful like myself. Don't get me started on his fighting skills, you've seen how much he wrecks in battle. Plus, he's kinda protective of Compa, I mean, sure their childhood friends, but the definition of 'protective guardian angel' could have his face written beside it. In the end, I think he's a really cool guy to talk to and get to know."
After hearing Neptune's opinion on the male, the blackette hummed to this as she felt a sense of relief fill her inside. She had felt a little unsettled whenever Nico would stare calculatingly at her, like he was thinking about the best way to kill her. Hearing that he was just being protective of an innocent girl put her mind at ease. "I see… thanks for telling me this, puts my mind at ease…"
"Huh? whaddya mean?" Neptune blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the meaning of what Noire had been saying this whole time. She assumed the blackette would explain it to her, but her hopes were dashed when Noire mischievously smirked and looked away from her, back at the skies above but with a noticeably lighter gaze in her eyes.
"Oh, Nothing, nothing at all…"
Chapter end!
Wow, long ass chapter! Pretty sure those who want to see chemistry between Nico and Noire are going to be pleased with this one.
Though I do admit, I think that the whole Console War is pretty stupid, at least in the first game and the original. There are so many good games out there, games made by collaborating between multiple companies. Imagine what it would be like if they could pool all their knowledge and resources together. That would be great.
Also, you get to see more into Nico's character, as well as Noire influenced by him to talk to Neptune. In the game it happened naturally but in here I wanted Nico to not only score some points in Noire's eyes, but also to help them further their bond of trust. With the future events, this will be needed heavily, I assure you.
Anyways, review, leave a like, fav, follow, the good stuff. pretty sure part of that is only for youtubers, but whatevs, eh?
Peace!
