"Yes... we did manage to safely secure her. Yes, yes she is just resting right now..."
Vert sat cross-legged on a single chair, sideways to her complex computer setup and holding a green NepFone to her ear. Her normally elegant posture was tired and slouched, a result of the panic, worry and stress over losing Verna, anxiety due to the circumstances surrounding her sisters eventual rescue, the inane situation of dealing with park staff and panic while trying to keep her younger sisters identity a secret.
In short, it was just one colossal mess after another, which was a perfect summary of her life in recent days.
"There is nothing to worry about, she is just fine..." Nevertheless, she had to keep her tone high and level for the concerned staff on the other end. There was no need to create needless worry, and Vert didn't want her exhaustion to seep through her calming words. "Yes, she has been reunited with her caretakers, they are keeping a good eye on her..."
'Good eye' was a heavy understatement, however. Vert cast a side glance to her own bed, where Verna slept peacefully tucked underneath the green covers. Sitting beside her was her 'big sister', Cave, who hadn't taken her own eyes off of the child since she arrived little over an hour ago. The green goddess watched as Cave pet her head, mussy golden locks gliding through her gloved fingers, while being careful not to wake her.
It would have been a heartwarming site, if Cave were not so intense concerning Verna's safety. Seriously, she looked lax when compared to the time she was 5pb's bodyguard, and that was saying quite a lot.
"I thank you for your concern, but we can handle it from here. Yes, yes, goodbye." Vert hung up on Yippyland's officials and let out the heavy sigh that had been building up inside of her. She put her head into her hands and rubbed her forehead, letting her phone drop from her grasp and onto the floor beneath her. "Hrm..."
Her room was quiet, perhaps a tad overly so despite recent events. It was nighttime, a quarter past 10 PM to be precise, yet the lights were still on and all but one occupant was still awake at the late hour. Any semblance of noise to be had came from Verna with her light snoring, while the soldier seated beside her may as well be a statue.
Vert's consistent moaning and groaning didn't count.
She desired nothing more than to sleep, but the lingering anxiety and worry was putting a hole in that plan. Too often did she find herself casting a glance over at the bed, hoping that her dear sister hadn't somehow disappeared again. Cave was watching her like a hawk, so there was no way... but Vert still felt unsure. In simple words, she was depressed and frustrated.
Nip... Nip...
Not even her sisters newly acquired animal friend, who sat upon her head and mindlessly nibbled on her blonde hair, could possibly lift her spirits. H-How did it even get on her head in the first place...? Curious, Vert reached up over her head and grabbed the young rabbit with both her hands. Though it wriggled at first, initially it calmed down when Vert placed the black-spotted bunny on her lap and pet its ears.
"... To think, that the one time I leave the little one out of my line of sight, something like this happens," Cave finally spoke, Vert could determine that she only heard the soldiers voice a grand total of twice over the course of the last few hours, and she didn't sound happy in the least. "I should have requested a leave from work, I could have been there to watch her..." Guilt was coupled with that. Vert couldn't help but sigh.
"You couldn't have known, Cave. None of us have." Standing up, Vert approached her bed with finesse. "It was a... freak accident, to be sure." The animal suddenly jumped out of her hold, hopping to Verna's spot and laying itself next to her. A show of compassion, perhaps. The sleeping child shifted at the sudden intrusion, but she calmed rather quickly, even taking the animal into a sleepy hug.
Vert would have squealed in delight at the cute display, had the situation not been so choking in its seriousness.
"It had no right to happen. A trip to an amusement park is supposed be a fun and joyful experience, not this..." The back of Cave's hand gently brushed against Verna's cheek. "At least she was not harmed, but Lady Vert, how could you have let this happen?"
The Goddess winced at the question. "I-It was a moment of carelessness, Chika and had gotten distracted-"
"I mean no disrespect Lady Vert, but regarding how you are treating the little one like a pet rather than a sibling, there is a very high chance of her resulting in road kill."
"... That was incredibly disrespectful."
"My warning still applies."
"Cave..."
"Lady Vert, I know that, in your own very special way, you are doing the very best of your abilities to care for the little one, but I must remind you that she is a child..."
"W-Why are you speaking as if I have a mental deficiency?!" With wide eyes, Vert couldn't help but speak up against Cave's tactic of talking to her like she was some mental patient or, worse, Neptune. "I-I am well within my abilities to care for my little sister effectively!"
"Were these last few days some sort of elaborate joke, then? Because I am not laughing."
"I-I... Oh, that's not important! Y-You must have more faith in me!" The fact that Vert had to remind one of her strongest followers to believe in her spoke wonders of her, well, everything during the last eleven chapters. "I-I know today was disaterous, trust me I know, but it is going to be much different, I promise!"
"It's not that I don't have faith in you, Lady Vert, it is just... Hm..." Cave closed her eyes, appearing to think for a moment before speaking again. "Well, how do I say this... your utter carelessness is a subject of concern to me. As you are already aware, I simply cannot be around the little one twenty-four seven..."
"You are always welcome to the position of Verna's bodyguard, if it troubles you to be away from her."
"An offer much appreciated, though you are well aware that is not what I meant."
"I know... I know..." Frowning, Vert sat on the bed with her red-headed companion. "Forgive me, Cave, for being so thoughtless, though it's not like I was unaware of my rather spectacular failures..."
"You do not have to apologize, so long as you own up to your mistakes." For the first time since her arrival, Cave actually smiled. That small, barely comprehensible form that can hardly be considered a smile, but a smile nonetheless. "I do find it rather awkward that I am ultimately the one reprimanding you, Lady Vert."
"No need to feel so unconformable." Vert waved her hand dismissively. "I am accepting to criticism as long as it is sound and reasonable, though I will admit this does hurt me on a more personal level than anything said before."
"Being a new elder sibling is something that cannot be seen as easy, no matter how long you had vied for it." said Cave. "The way you have been approaching this new responsibility that has been given to you is... questionable, to say the least."
"A point you have, yes." Vert nodded. "Though it is honestly troublesome to watch over my darling sister, when she hardly notices me in the first place." She sighed a miserable sigh then. "If only she would look at me the same way she looks at you and Chika. Even Neptune, which does such poor things to my heart , Cave."
"I can certainly see where you are coming from, though you'd be happy to know that Chika and I are not trying in the slightest to catch the little ones attention."
"That doesn't make me happy at all."
"Oh."
"..."
"..."
"... T-The offer still stands, as Verna's bodyguard I mean." said Vert, feeling an unholy amount of awkwardness seep into her very soul.
"I am well aware," Cave responded, more coolly than Vert could have hoped to achieve right then. "And I will consider it, since I do not find it helpful for me to act as her dutiful guardian all day while you helplessly struggle over basic, menial things."
"... Y-You make it sound far worse than it actually is, you know." A smile, despite having her pride shattered by Cave's painfully terse description of the last few days.
"I sincerely apologize for being rude, though it is a partial truth." Yeah, Vert didn't want to feel good about herself today anyway.
"T-That aside... yes, I know I was being incompetent, but..." The CPU turned to look at her sister, sleeping peacefully. She pet her sisters head, which made the small one slightly giggle in her slumber. Vert smiled. "Try to understand that the differences between a game about little sisters and a real life little sister are quite striking. Trust me, I learned that the hard way."
"Obviously, yes." Cave nodded. Vert's smile twitched just a small bit, but she went on anyway.
"Today's incident has been rather eye-opening, to say the least. Again, please have some faith in me, Cave."
"I will reserve judgement for when I actually see proof, though I will not say my faith is not placed in you Lady Vert." Another rare smile from the soldier. "Also, um, you're messing up her hair..."
"Hu-O-Oh!" Realizing that she was turning her sisters head into a used mop head, Vert retracted her hand quickly. "E-Er..." She put her hand back on Verna's head and tried to smooth out her hair as best as she could. "..." It looked frizzy and dry, not at all appealing, but Vert ultimately decided to leave it be. "At any rate... Oh dear, it's 11 PM." She finally looked at a clock for the first time since getting off the phone, and it was indeed getting very late. "Cave, you should-"
"Yes, it seems that way." The redhead lifted herself from the bed, unnecessarily dusting off her outfit and shooting a glance towards the sleeping Verna. "I will get back to you on that offer, Lady Vert. For now, farewell." Before moving towards the door though, Cave instead sauntered towards the bed, leaned down and kissed the sleeping girl on her forehead. "To you as well, little one. Please stay safe..." That said, the stoic soldier quietly retreated out the door and into the hallway, leaving the sisters alone.
"..."
Vert had no idea what to do then. The only other occupants in the room were fast asleep, which left the CPU to awkwardly sit on the side of her bed and twiddle her gloved fingers. "Hm..." Feeling very bored rather quickly, Vert summoned the remote to her TV and turned it on.
"-and so, investigators were unable to find a direct source behind this mysterious incident, beyond a mysterious trail of ink that led nowhere. For now, we can only hope and pray that the small child, and Yippyland as a whole, will be safe from this mysterious menace-"
Quickly, Vert switched channels. The last thing she wanted to hear was anything concerning Yippyland or the incident around it. The mere thought of Verna's life being in danger greatly troubled Vert, so much so that she had to ensure she didn't break her remote with how tightly she clenched her fists. One day, just one day where nothing went wrong. Was that too much to ask...?
"What has my life turned into...?"
"Mm..."
"!?"
Like a pin being dropped, the sudden noise in the quiet room stunned Vert. Turning around, she found that her dear sister was shifting around in the bed. Her eyes bounced between open and closed, which clued in Vert that she would wake up soon. "Ah..."
Only a minute later did Verna sit up, yawning cutely and rubbing her tired eyes while her animal friend moved around by her side. Vert suppressed a squeal at the adorable sight, instead focusing on moving closer to her tired sister and petting her head. "I see you've finally awoke, my sister." She said in a soothing voice.
"Siiiiiiiiis..." Drawling that one word like one sadistic sleepyhead from another dimension, her little sister crawled from her spot and onto Vert's lap, snuggling onto her like she was a comfortable chair. "Mm, siiis..."
Vert hugged her, while not too tightly, was still firm enough where her breasts took the role of soft pillows. "How are you feeling, Verna? Well, I hope..."
"Fine... I dun' feel funny..." She said sleepily.
"That's good, that's good..." Vert pet her sister some more, feeling rather possessive then. It's not like one could blame her. Almost losing her sister to some unknown menace? That would drive anyone mad, and a CPU like herself wasn't invincible to that.
"Siiiiis..." Her sister drawled again, though it sounded more like a whine that time. "Big sis... left..."
"I am so, so sorry, my dear sister..." Vert could feel her eyes watering up. Be... brave...! For her! "It was never my intention to leave you alone, but you should have never wandered off in the first place...!"
"Sorry..." Verna mumbled. "But Mr. Bu- Oswald..."
"Is that what you've named your new friend?" Vert saw the young rabbit sleeping on a random spot on her bed. Amused, Vert asked. "You chased that animal around the park, didn't you?"
"... Yeah..."
Vert giggled, and kissed Verna's head. "My sister, never stop being precious..."
"Mm..." Verna said nothing, instead nuzzling her face into the 'soft pillows' and closing her eyes. The sisters lay in their embrace, Verna close to sleeping again and Vert becoming lost in her own thoughts.
'Verna... I promise you, I will be better for you... I will ensure you live a peaceful life as my dear little sister...' Vert swore to herself, and to Verna as well. Things would be better, she would make it so!
"Siiiiiis, I'm huuuungry..."
... But first, she must feed the Verna! To the Kitchen!
"Aaaaaargh, I'm so damn tired..."
Things weren't going so well for Chika. Dealing with the Yippyland mess was bad enough, but dealing with everything else is what did her in. The Oracle had to deal with waves of questioning, which seemed to never simmer down in the slightest, on top of keeping Verna's very existence a secret from them was doubly stressful for her. She fell face first on a black couch, wishing nothing but a good rest. "Errrrrgh..."
"There there, you poor hopeless pursuant." Cave, sitting beside her, halfheartedly patted her legs. "The worst is already over, and the little ones identity is secured for now."
"I hope my dearest appreciates all the trouble I went through..." Chika grumbled. "How's the kid doing, anyway?"
"Fine. According to Lady Vert, she has been resting since they returned home." answered Cave. "Although..." Her tone changed suddenly, something Chika took an immediate disliking to. "Does that mean you are actually worried about the little one?"
Eyes wide, Chika shot upwards and turned her whole body around. Meeting her line of sight was the smuggest emerald gaze she had ever seen. She growled. "Tch... n-no, of course not! Why would I care for that brat, she stole my dearest right out from under me!"
"For her to steal Lady Vert, you would have to have owned her in the first place."
"..."
Chika's eye twitched.
It was true, but still...!
"Regardless, I believe it is my time to vacate." Cave gracefully lifted herself from the couch, shooting Chika a sideways glance as she made way for the elevator. "Oh, but expect me to be around much more often now. I do believe Lady Vert had offered me a higher position concerning the little one and her very life."
"... Eh?"
"I will inform you later, for now, ciao." With those parting words, Cave disappeared with the elevator. Blinking, Chika failed to understand what her best friend meant by that, likely as a result of her exhaustion, she simply shrugged and laid back down on the couch. She needed rest, a lot of it, so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and gradually allowed the graces of sleep to overcome her and-
"Big Sis Chikaaaaaa..."
'... SON OF A-' Nope, she was getting none of that. That brat, the Vert-stealer, sister-dethroner the very bane of her existence, it called her by that name, that damn name that always struck a chord in her heart. No! That was a sign of weakness, Chika! Hate little girls like you mean it, dammit!
No, wait, that sounded wrong...
"Big Sis Chikaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..." She drawled, then Chika felt a tiny body lay on her back. The Oracle stiffened. 'Nononononononononononononono-' "Mmmmmm..." Arms that definitely weren't big enough to wrap around her whole waist grabbed onto her sides, with the sounds of a light snore coming right afterwards. 'Did... D-Did this kid just fall asleep on me?!'
"Oh dear, it seems she fell asleep again..." Vert's angelic voice spoke up, sounding far too amused at that moment. "She is like a light switch, asleep and then awake just like that, and it seems your are about to follow her, Chika."
"Uuuurgh..." Was her response. Chika could practically see the smile on Vert's face, and it annoyed her.
"Verna simply wanted to eat, but she keeps falling from consciousness to unconsciousness that I'm afraid it's simply not possible." Giggling, Vert sits on the couch and rubs the brat's back. "The poor thing is so tired, today was a rather hefty handful, wasn't it Chika?"
"Yes..." She mumbled. "I just want sleep..." Preferably not with that brat resting on top of her. Stupid, stupid... brat.
"At least do so in the comfort of your own bed, Chika, though the couch is not an awful choice either." With those words, Vert lifted the sleeping child off of Chika and into her arms once again. "Good night, Chika."
"Nhm..." She barely grumbled, feeling the weight of a thousand pounds drop onto her eyelids then. She didn't even hear Vert leave the room or notice the lights going off, just the feeling of rest finally taking her.
"..."
Dammit, she forgot how uncomfortable the couch was.
'This is bullshit...'