Um, I do not know how you managed it. I am so sorry if it sounds rude, but it must have been horrible to live here with so many active volcanoes. Do not worry, I will fix it.
-Vert, 1 year old
IF sipped her soda in contemplation.
They had spent hours running pest control and the wave only barely ended despite the fact four Makers had deployed to the same area. She never saw that many monsters in such close proximity and the fact the majority of them were Dogoos did not make it better.
There had been a pair of King Crabs and a Turtle, all of which they easily cracked; it had been her first Crabs, seeing that those were rarely seen outside of Leanbox. The problem about this, however, was that destroying the big ones set off the Dogoos and they soon had dozens of giant versions to exterminate. Which set off more Dogoos, not to mention all the other monster types.
With so many dangerous creatures around, the army could not help them much; they did two bombing runs on large groups far enough away, but had to stop once all monsters closed in too much; no one would risk bombing the Makers on accident.
Next to her sat Tekken, with 5pb. to the martial artist's other side and Cave next to the idol. Their little circle was completed by Green Heart herself, who wore a pleasant smile and the same green dress IF saw her in earlier; it had a few whites and pastels mixed in to create a warm impression, though she felt it also pronounced the blonde's bust. The cleavage did not help and she had trouble stopping her eyes from straying.
"Say, how are La-, ah, Uni and Nepgear doing?" 5pb. quickly caught her slip of the tongue and corrected herself before anyone around them could figure out who they were actually talking about. Granted, they had been given a booth in a quiet corner where most did not actually see their group, but caution was still advised.
IF shrugged weakly, but grinned at the same time. "Still getting used to being a couple, last I heard. It's a little weird that I'm the one both of them gossip with, though." She earned a round of laughter at that, though the fact Uni and Nepgear felt like sharing their progress with her of all people remained jarring. "You laugh, but I probably know more about their relationship than Nep and Noire."
The response was more laughter, though she knew they took her seriously. IF sighed good-naturedly and took another bite out of her burger with an appreciative sound.
Before coming to Leanbox, she had never expected there to be high-quality burgers. Now she knew better and was happier for it.
"My, I can imagine." It was the first time Vert had spoken up since they sat down to eat, her own plate already completely empty and a half-filled glass of wine in hand. She offered IF another pleasant smile. "You are both Nepgear's and Uni's first real friend aside from each other. Blanc and I do not really count there, we are more like aunts to them. You do not judge or ridicule either, something which Noire and Neptune still do, no matter how careful they are not to let them know it. It is their first relationship, and so they want to talk to someone."
The CPU took a sip from her wine and nodded to herself with a pleased sigh. "My, what a nice flavour." Only then did she continue on the previous topic, though her wry expression made it clear she knew exactly what she was doing. "As much as I dislike to admit it, you are likely the person they trust the most aside from their own siblings. Having met you, I can see why."
The only barely hidden compliment tinged IF's cheeks pink. By this point however, she became ever more aware that Vert smelled of sweet flowers, a scent that was not overpowering, but noticeable in that it covered their booth. None of the Makers present was big on parfume, at least not often.
"She's envious," 5pb. stage-whispered into the silence. Tekken laughed and the corners of Cave's mouth curled upward in a barely visible smirk; Vert, meanwhile, pouted.
IF simply used the distraction to calm herself and took another big sip from her soda. At least the half-dark ambience made it possible to hide her embarassment from her colleagues; not that she actually believed they had not noticed.
"Just be careful that you do not do that too often, my sweet." Vert had already recovered and rested her cheek on her palm, eyes closed pleasantly. "Or I might end up seeking a substitute to fuss over with my feminine wiles."
The blunette countered immediately: "You mean the ones that don't work on me because I'm not into blondes?" There was not a trace of her shyness at all; she had been noticeably less tense around IF earlier, this was merely proof that what she told her a long while ago was true. Once 5pb. knew someone well enough to relax, her anxiety up and vanished for some unknown reason. Though she was not sure about the topic in question.
"Are you sure about that, my dear?" Vert winked at the idol, who appeared far less secure in her views than just a moment ago.
That was when Cave delivered the killing blow: "I would not make that claim if I were you. At least one of us knows there is more to it." Owlish looks went to the redhead while 5pb. sputtered, but she simply shrugged. "I've seen her browser history."
But that were Leanboxians for you; or maybe more mature women in general. IF decided to just try not to make it too awkward and interjected, trying to change the topic: "Why did you look at her computer?"
The other woman made a quick motion toward 5pb., whose expression still rivalled a tomato. "We're roommates, at least technically. She is rarely home due to her other job, but we share the same place for convenience. My own computer broke recently, so she let me use hers while mine was being repaired."
"And as it turned out," the blunette added miserably, "Cave is the kind who always deletes her browser history."
"It's cleaner." As she concluded, Cave picked up her half-eaten burger. "Suffice it to say, she doesn't do it and I saw some things when I opened hers." Then she took a bite, her piece said.
"My, oh my." Vert giggled behind her gloved hand while 5pb. turned her gaze to the floor. IF felt sympathy for the embarassed woman, though she was also glad it was not herself who got teased like that. Yet, sitting together with colleagues and having a meal like that made her feel content.
Which, unfortunately, delivered ammunition to Tekken. "I just notice how cute you are when you smile like that." And with a single sentence, all attention was on IF, who only barely managed not to sputter.
"You're right, Tek. She does smile so rarely, though." She probably deserved that, considering that she only made a token attempt to help 5pb. before, but it still bothered her.
"Perhaps she will leave in a better mood than she arrived in," Cave noted in-between bites. "Many people do."
"Because they get laid, Cave," 5pb. deadpanned.
"Oh, right."
IF sighed and shook her head at their banter. "Yeah, no. That's unlikely to happen... I don't get why you think I'm in a bad mood, though." She quickly added the last part once she realised the kind of discussion she would have begun otherwise.
Thankfully, they took the distraction. Tekken made a throwing motion directed into the distance, indicating the area outside of Revay. "It's because we mostly see you at work, where you don't smile much at all." 5pb. nodded, apparently in agreement.
"Is she different outside of work?" Cave had leaned forward a little, eyeing her colleagues with a hint of curiousity. Vert appeared content with just listening while IF could still not believe that she had gotten out of that other topic.
"A bit," the blunette answered honestly before finishing off her own burger and patting her belly. "Urgh, they still make these large portions. How can normal people eat that much?" IF had to agree, the portion each of them got was enough to sate Makers, who were well known for their physical fitness and appetite. Then again, she had a guess.
A guess which Vert confirmed momentarily: "That is because you were recognised by the staff. They know your needs as well as you do, so you probably got twice the normal portion. Us Leanboxians look out for each other after all." She threw a passing server a bright smile; the man, unaware of what it was for, smiled back and quickly carried on.
Her little distraction done, Vert turned back to her Makers. "Have you really never noticed?"
5pb. shrugged while Tekken finished munching on a few fries. The martial artist poked her colleague with one elbow. "Afraid you'll get all chubby if you eat too much, little mage?"
"Mhm, maybe the fat would actually go into my tits for once." Both women giggled over the playful retort while IF wondered if this was how Leanboxians always were. Then again, her circle of friends mainly consisted of sweet Compa and polite Nepgear for the last few years. Neither of them would talk like that even if they were the same age.
Cave merely shook her head and softly slapped her own chest with one fist. "You should be happy yours are on the small side. All those acrobatics actually hurt if they go on too long." IF made an affirmative noise, which brought her a short nod. "IF over there has the perfect body for field work, really." She nodded back, this time fully in agreement.
There had been a time where IF had lamented her lack of breasts, but it had only been a short phase at the end of puberty. After hearing Compa complain about her sports bras and seeing that she could not even run properly without wobbling unless she wore one, IF had found a great amount of confidence in her own body. At this point, with the atmosphere as infectious as it was, she decided to throw in her two credits: "I'll say that it's incredibly nice I don't have to wear a bra into combat. RED kept complaining every other day. I just need some bindings so it doesn't chafe."
She thumped her own chest for emphasis and snickered over the sudden envious expressions she got from everyone except Vert; the CPU merely hid a smile behind her hand.
The first one to break into laughter was 5pb., with the rest quickly following. "You know how they say in Lowee," the blunette added mirthfully once she caught her breath, "flat is justice." And everyone descended into incoherence again, including IF.
She liked the atmosphere and the food; if Leanbox was like this all the time, the young Maker would definitely enjoy her stay.
. .
. .
The following morning saw her falling out of routine, at least somewhat; seeing that her usual gym was currently half a world away, she decided to use the Basilicom's internal facilities. Those were meant and equipped for the Makers, meaning that she had peace and quiet as she worked out all morning. Tekken did her own workouts mostly in the afternoon and evening, spending mornings with running.
At around the halfway mark, an hour before noon, she got a visitor. Not an attendant or one of her fellow Makers, but Green Heart herself; Vert entered with a calm graze and sat down by her side quietly. IF took notice of her, but finished her weight-lifting sequence properly without a second thought.
Once she put the weight back on its rack and rested her arms, the young woman greeted her visitor. "Good morning. Could you pass me my water?"
"Good morning to you too, IF." Vert simply reached over to pick up the half-emptied bottle and held it out to the human woman, who took it after thanking her. "It is no problem."
Only now did IF sit up, having rested after the last stretch of her physical exercises. She quickly emptied the bottle in long gulps, seeing that staying hydrated was important while working out; doubly so with long workouts like her own. Vert waited patiently for her finish, though the silence only made IF painfully aware of the fact she was a sweaty mess right now, with a prim and proper goddess right by her side.
Once she felt somewhat refreshed, the brunette spoke up while wiping a sheen of sweat off her forehead: "Is something the matter?" She quickly took the towel Vert offered her to wipe herself somewhat clean, though her clothes were more or less drenched anyway. She would shower like she did every day.
"Not directly," her host told her warmly. "I was merely curious about you. Hearing all my dear friends talk about you made me quite curious; they praise you quite a lot, all of them." Hearing this made IF avert her gaze in embarassment; she could guess that the CPUs mentioned her, but actually having it confirmed made her feel light again. Once more she found that she really reached the top.
Vert simply chuckled. "I have not yet found anything wrong about the description they gave about you. You are a pleasant young lady, although in need of a shower." She chuckled when IF blushed, gently tapping the younger woman's shoulder to snap her out of it. "Please, I am not so shallow as to be offended by your state after you worked yourself so hard. Though I can see you disagree on the matter, so off you go. We can talk more at another time, it was rude of me to interrupt you in the first place."
"Sure, I don't mind." IF was not sure what the CPU herself would want to talk to her about, but it did not matter much. She quickly got up and gathered her things, then strolled toward the showers with a wave to the rising deity.
Vert herself shook her head once the girl turned away, lips curled into a pleased smile. She had confirmed much with just the previous evening and this short encounter, finding the girl almost exactly as her friends had described her. A prospect which made her presence positively thrilling; Vert could see what all of them saw, a budding heroine that was still on the rise.
. .
. .
By the time IF returned, Vert still sat in the deserted gym; she had made herself comfortable on one of the benches and enjoyed a mindless game on her phone. She often did that to pass the time, thoughts on other matters as her fingers solved puzzles or matched objects without much effort.
In fact, the blonde was so absent that she did not notice IF's return, which allowed the young Maker to step behind her to watch. She could only follow the speed of her fingers because the software was made for humans; inhuman input speed was never considered and thus not implemented.
Vert almost crushed her phone when IF cleared her throat, the CPU almost flinching at being surprised in such a way. She softly pressed a hand to her heart in fake indignation. "How vile, to scare a lady like that."
IF just rolled her eyes and regained the sass being around Neptune had naturally built up. "Says the world's apex predator." Her dry tone conveyed the brunette's thoughts on the matter quite accurately.
Vert held her pose for a moment longer, then she broke into a smile and relaxed. "You do have a point. It is refreshing for someone to speak to me so freely; even my Makers get a little intimidated by who I am." She clicked her phone shut after turning it to standby, the sound underlining her words.
"I blame Nep." The human woman shrugged weakly and offered a hand, which was taken without hesitation. Pulling Vert up was interesting, though; she felt light, especially when considering her build. "Do people not notice that you're too light for your appearance?"
She received a thoughtful look and a mischievous smile before Vert did something she never thought was possible; the CPU made her own chest jiggle without moving any other part of her body. Then she leaned forward and ran a finger over IF's cheek. "While it is rude to ask someone about their weight, you are right. Blanc keeps insisting that my breasts are hot air balloons because of it, but this is not the case. Share Energy cares little for mass, IF."
She stepped back and jiggled again, then motioned for the blushing girl to follow her. "I rarely let anyone pick me up or carry me, so nobody notices unless I step on a scale somewhere. Walk with me for a bit?"
"S-Sure." IF quickly forced herself to calm down, trying her best to get the weird feeling out of her system. She might be crushing, she figured; she was probably crushing a little, but she could not blame herself. Green Heart was gorgeous and knew exactly how to play her looks and demeanor to the greatest possible effect.
That did not mean she had to be happy about it, though. Interacting with CPUs was already not that easy if she just met them; Nepgear explained to her how they would not date humans some time ago, so she knew it would be a fruitless crush on top of it.
In difference to many others however, for IF, the mind was greater than the heart. She got her feelings under control before long, Vert having let the silence hang for a little while.
It would take a while to actually get over the fact she was actually, honestly crushing, but at least she knew it would not make her a stuttering mess before someone who was obviously an experienced seductress... and tease.
"It is sad that I did not get to meet you sooner, truly." The older woman noted wistfully, her words dragging IF out of her own head. "While it is your first visit to Leanbox," she pre-empted the brunette, "I have been in Planeptune the previous year when we came together; I had my hands full with Blanc as usual, though."
Vert chuckled while IF tried to make sense of what she had been told. This was complete news to her. "You and Blanc were in Planeptune? Why is that?"
This time she elicited an actually surprised reaction; Vert blinked at her as they walked, arm dropping to her side in her perhaps first unplanned motion of the day. "You do not know?" When the human shook her head, she sighed. "Well, I guess it makes sense she would not tell you. The four of us, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and I, meet up for one day once a year. No work, no business, no human friends, just us. Neptune insisted on this long ago, when we first formed our nations; she said we should all take at least a day to get together as friends instead of rulers or business partners, to relax and have fun together. I quite agree with her there and believe all of us have grown fond of these days."
Her explanation complete, the CPU brought up her hand again and folded it in front of herself as they walked through the warmly painted hallways; green, grass-like carpet covered the floor everywhere, underlining the fact they were in Leanbox. "In fact, another such day is next week. We are all meeting here this year."
"Huh, I had no idea." IF could see how such a tradition would be important to the gods. She was a little confused why neither of her divine friends ever mentioned the matter at all, but Vert already said humans were not brought along. Maybe Neptune and Nepgear simply figured it did not matter.
Thinking of Neptune began to highlight the other new information, though. IF could not help but sigh once she noticed. "And with that timing, chances are she sent me here right now on purpose."
Vert softly put a finger to her chin to convey thoughtfulness, though the amused twinkle in her eyes remained. "I do not know about that, though it does sound quite like Neptune to do such a thing. I can imagine she will want to brag about you again."
"Wait, why would she brag?"
The blonde actually chuckled heartily, a sound that almost felt soothing even while IF did her best to shake off the feeling. "My, because we all love to brag and you are certainly worth bragging about. Appointed at eighteen and in the upper half of the current generation already. You stand out next to people like Broccoli, MAGES., Tekken, and even Falcom."
She chuckled again while IF lowered her head in resignation; the people who passed them did not seem to hear their conversation, seeing that Vert covertly kept a magical screen around them to project silence.
"I'd say I'm not that special, but I can't even make myself believe that." Once she had accepted that she did not reach her position through connections, IF no longer had any excuse to deny that she was indeed special. "But, uh, you really don't seem like the kind to brag. Same for Noire and Blanc, really."
Vert had little else than a shrug for her. "It is a guilty pleasure of sorts, something we only indulge in while among ourselves. Neptune always loved to brag about the unusual people she befriended, and recently about Nepgear's impressive feats. Noire always brags about Lastation and its achievements, most recently about Uni as well. Blanc prefers to make fun of the rest of us for whatever we talk about, though she joins with notions of her entertainment industry often enough."
It was delivered matter-of-factly, yet with a certain fondness to it. In the meantime, they had made their way through corridors and rode the elevator all the way up. Noticing that they were at the very top did not stop IF from asking the expected question, though: "And what do you brag about?"
She faintly wondered if asking this may be a little too personal, but her concerns vanished as fast as they appeared. Vert opened up a door leading into a bigger room and offered her a smile. "I have few preferences in that regard. Though it riles Blanc up a great deal whenever I brag about my body, which makes that a decided favourite."
IF followed with a shake of her head; finding amusement in angering a CPU was once again a fitting trait for a CPU. No one else would be that insane.
Then she beheld where they stood, and stopped. All around them were plants; flowers, trees, herbs, and many more. Various kinds were scattered across the vast room, or rather hall; sunlight flooded in through an open roof, retracted glass panels barely visible at the opening's edges.
It felt a bit like an actual jungle, with small critters and even insects and spiders abound, though all of those fled the presence of a CPU. IF could not help but gawk for a long while, until a gloved hand gently guided her inside. "This is another little something I am quite proud of. I felt that even if I turn everything green, it is still nothing compared to the vibrant wilds. I think I did quite well in reimagining the world outside the city, no?"
Were it not for the door and limited expanse of the room, IF would indeed believe herself in the wilds. The walls were not even visible under all those various plants. The only real sign of human influence within this realm, though IF herself would not realise it, was that the entire place had been arranged to impress onlookers.
"It's amazing."
"Quite so." Vert let go of IF and made a sweeping motion to encompass the room. "This area doubles as a quiet refuge for my Makers. It feels much nicer to be in than a boring lounge. Any visiting Makers have the same right, of course; so if you ever feel you rather be alone for a bit, you can always come up here."
"I see." IF was still looking around with visible wonder, though she began to get a hold of herself at this point. "Thanks, I think I'll drop by at least once." And she meant it, too; her recently acquired hobby and related research had given IF a new appreciation for plants. With these being leanboxian specimens, she found many types she never saw before.
"I am glad you like it." Vert offered her another warm smile as she motioned for the door behind them. "Though I have to take my leave now; it is time to get back to work. Enjoy yourself, IF."
"Sure." IF could not help but return the smile, the presence of so much green around her oddly calming. "Thanks for showing me the place."
"Oh, it was nothing." They exchanged a wave and the blonde turned to leave. "I will see you around."
And with that, IF was alone; just her and all those plants. She never even realised how interesting those were before she began to read up on them.
Taking a look at her phone's clock and considering how much time she had until her shift started, she decided to stay for a while and explore.