Amount of Hugs needed: 10,398
Amount of Hugs found: 4,849
Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha nor any of the various seasons made after the original.
Nanoha-chan's excuses… they were always so flimsy yet dejected.
'Sorry Suzuka-chan, Otou-sama has me doing chores very late tonight.'
'Otou-sama said I couldn't, we have a family gathering on those days.'
'Onee-sama's taking me somewhere, I can ask if she's alright with you coming along?'
'I have to take care of some family friends until they leave for home. Sorry Suzuka-chan.'
Nanoha-chan… she couldn't tell a lie to save her life, and that was what she liked most about her first friend, aside from simply being friends… Kaa-sama didn't let her out of the house often when she was little, at best she was allowed onto the grounds with Noel-san and two of Kaa-sama's kobun. Of course that changed when Nanoha-chan came by with her mother, but that had been… difficult to go through since she herself didn't know what to do and Nanoha-chan… was Nanoha-chan.
It was hard… but she managed to learn how to act appropriately in public whenever Nanoha or one of Kaa-sama's kobun were with her… she had 'hiccups' every once in a while, bowing too low, bowing too high, not addressing people properly, not knowing how to deal with people that were bothering her. There'd never been anyone that had bothered her before Arisa… the kyodai were the only ones Kaa-sama allowed near the mansion itself and they were fairly well-mannered, Nanoha-chan... people stayed away from her for whatever reason.
Which translated to the first time she was alone, she was given a situation she neither understood, nor could figure out how to get it done with. And then Nanoha-chan made it worse before she just… snapped.
That had been exhilarating… and absolutely frightening.
Kaa-sama eventually learned of her outburst, she had long given up on learning how she did, and had been waiting for her when she came home, she didn't have a frown which meant she wasn't disappointed but at the same time she didn't have a smile, so she hadn't known what to do then. She hadn't said anything, merely let her into the house and allow her to attend a meeting she had later that day, that had been nice.
Anyway, Arisa… the two of them didn't get along at first, and even now two years later they could barely be considered 'friends', more mutual friends of a single person that tolerated one another. She didn't really understand why Arisa wanted to be friends with Nanoha when the both of them decided to fight upon first meeting… then again they both seemed to enjoy their play fights.
Arisa… she certainly was polite to her, but… they only really 'worked' well with one another whenever Nanoha-chan was around… the hot springs trip was… not as enjoyable as it could have been. She still was trying to get used to not being told what to do and what not to do every waking moment… and Arisa reminded her of Kaa-sama whenever she started telling her things…
Arisa didn't do that whenever Nanoha-chan was around, and that made her feel happy and free for the duration that Nanoha-chan was around. The only time she did was when Nanoha-chan had started acting… different from normal, and she'd let it happen if only because she was more concerned with Nanoha-chan's behavior.
Onee-chan would be following in Kaa-sama's footsteps, she was the heiress after all and most of Kaa-sama's kobun were well acquainted with her, far more than her at any rate. That left her… unsure of what she wanted to do… she didn't have much she enjoyed doing, and on top of that what she did enjoy revolved around the things Kaa-sama was in charge of.
Which resulted in the… problem of her trying to start up from the ground, or follow in Onee-chan's wake if she wanted to do it… not something she particularly wanted to do…
She'd… gotten off track, just like Nanoha-chan did normally… considering that there was nothing to occupy her time but thinking right, which for Nanoha-chan must have had at almost every waking moment, she now understood why she got lost in thought so often. Doing nothing sucked.
Absentmindedly she started to pet one of the cats at her side, listening to it purr as the others seemingly glared at it and she continued to wallow away in boredom. Then something unexpected happened, a knock sounding from the door, that immediately stopped her petting and made her and one cat to look at the door, Falin-chan's voice carrying through the door and immediately giving her something to be excited for.
"Suzuka-sama! You have a guest!"
A guest? There wasn't anyone besides Nanoha-chan that would come to see her, seeing as Arisa only came over whenever Nanoha-chan was attending, and none of the other children much liked to be friends with someone associated to Nanoha for some reason. And even with Nanoha-chan, she had 'Family friends that need to be taken care of', so it wasn't like she'd be here until those 'friends' were gone.
And with a slow opening of her door, followed by Falin-chan coming in, she was treated to the happiest moment of the past three weeks. Nanoha-chan was here! And for once she hadn't invited her over either!
Given how ecstatic she was and how long it had been since she'd so much as seen Nanoha, it was a given that she quickly got up, ignored every cat around her looking straight at Nanoha, made her way over and gave her friend a hug. That was what friends or loved ones did when they were meeting after a while did… right?
"Nanoha-chan! Come in, have a seat. Falin-chan, can you get us some tea?"
She barely heard the confirmation from Falin-chan before her maid was out the door and off to see to getting them drinks, instead focusing solely on Nanoha-chan, making a path towards the sole table in the room and pulling out a seat while Nanoha-chan did the same.
Now… how to start…
"It's good to see you, Nanoha-chan. Is everything settled now?"
Near-absentmindedly Nanoha-chan gave a nod of her, as she often did whenever it was the two of them, giving a light hum before giving a quick response of, "It's good to see you." and "Yes." … They really didn't know how to have a proper 'normal' conversation.
"That's… good. How are those family friends doing?"
Nanoha-chan looked towards her with her smile, gentle, warm and full of joy, and gave a light laugh. That last action caused her to look at Nanoha-chan strangely, since that wasn't something she normally did, before her only friend shook her head and replied.
"They've settled in, they won't be going home until they can get a stable connection to home. Chrono-san and Onee-sama tend to spend time together, Harlaown-sama and Otou-sama either sit and watch me practice while drinking tea or Harlaown-sama helps me. The others tend to go around doing random things, writing, practicing, wandering, telling stories, normal things for them I guess."
… Huh… Nanoha-chan actually had people over, so now she felt a bit bad for being… 'annoyed' that Nanoha-chan hadn't come over or been on a trip for a while… She was still annoyed for the scare that Nanoha-chan had before school ended, but that was natural. She'd have to ask if she come over and meet these 'family friends' to see if they were good people and were good enough for Nanoha-chan's time.
"That's good Nanoha-chan. Oh, thank you Falin-chan."
Focusing too much on Nanoha-chan meant she hadn't noticed Falin-chan come back in with tea, apparently having carefully picking her way through the cats. Gingerly she took the cup while Nanoha-chan did the same with her own, before sending Falin-chan off to do whatever she had to do next, leaving her alone with Nanoha-chan again.
The ensuing silence as they just drank tea was comfortable, something she greatly enjoyed and treasured given that most silences she'd been a part of were… quite uncomfortable. Eventually the silence was broken, surprisingly by Nanoha-chan, which never happened in all the time they'd been friends.
"How have you been Suzuka-chan? Anything new happen while I've been occupied?"
A hard question... at least the second one was, the first one was easy, she'd been annoyed, worried and generally unpleasant since school ended. The second… there was almost no way to put this gently, so she'd have to say it, on top of her managing to barely make it back to school, thanks in part to having a perfect grade in P.E., she'd be moving with Kaa-sama, Onee-chan and several of the kobun to another city once the next semester was over… right after Christmas ended…
… She was allowed to be selfish, as well as not make Nanoha-chan sad. She was good at lying, she'd learned how to do that quickly to put up with Arisa.
"I've been good, nothing really has happened aside from Arisa-chan asking if I'd seen you and if you were alright."
"Ah, I'll have to go visit her and tell her I'm fine then."
A pang of jealousy went through her before she mashed it down to nothing, Nanoha-chan had come here first after all so she shouldn't be jealous that Arisa would be visited by Nanoha-chan. Even though Nanoha-chan was her friend first… and Arisa didn't deserve Nanoha-chan's concern.
"You should really get a phone Nanoha-chan, it would really help keep in touch."
The answer she received was expected, given that she got it every single time she or Arisa tried in vain to get Nanoha-chan to get one.
"I'll think about it Suzuka-chan. Shouldn't we get back to the tea and enjoy ourselves?"
Nanoha-chan would always be Nanoha-chan, her first and only friend, who she selfishly lied to without a second thought and brought her happiness. Nanoha-chan, who didn't have a have a shred of anger and was always gentle like her smile.
She was a terrible person.
Well, while little Nanoha-chan was away, she might as well go check on the 'prisoners'. Honestly, given the state of Mid-Childa and the surrounding worlds, the girl wouldn't even face so much as a trial. Come to think of it, there hadn't been a trial since the Fleet Admiral became the Fleet Admiral, well before she was born. Haa…
Mid-Childa… It had been a long time since she'd gone back home, the last time had been to pick up Chrono after what was supposed to have been his graduation, that had been six years ago and had been when Chrono became an Ace… She'd given him his initiation and his Title, and so far he tried to stay as far away from it as he physically and mentally could, that title and the meaning behind it would lead him down a slippery slope should he embrace it as every Ace before them had done.
Even she had given into her Title, if only because she had nothing else aside from that title and it kept her somewhat able to continue interacting with normal people. A dangerous game she and the other Aces played, but they had nothing else aside from fighting to look towards, and what would they be if they didn't at least try to maintain something for when the fighting eventually ended.
Anyway, she was getting off-topic, she had two little girls and a mother to talk with, two of which were familiars, not that that last part made much difference considering her connections to the Fleet Admiral.
There wasn't any reason for a guard really, the three kept to themselves and generally weren't making any trouble. That said 'protocol' dictated they should be guarded by someone, and if there was one thing her mentor had told her, it was that following protocol led to less headaches not caused by getting drunk.
… It'd been a long, long time since she'd seen that old, axe-wielding drunkard, almost fifteen years now, not since the disaster that 'haunted' her and her little group of enforcers happened on Faurus. For a moment before she reached the screen designated as a door, she wondered if that woman was still alive, or if she had kicked the bucket… knowing the situation and who was in charge there, she expected the former. That prick was the reason only a thirtieth of her force was still here.
'Reinforcements are inbound in three minutes.' her ass, the man hated Aces… and pretty much anyone that wasn't one of his aides, and was just trying to get her killed while making it an accident. She'd very much like to just use his baş as a qolfşar.
Pausing for a moment just as she was about to knock, mostly just to clear her thoughts for the first actual conversation she'd had with Fate… and to not accidently lapse back into Kyrtanha, she took a deep breath, before finally going to meet with the three with a knock.
A slightly muffled 'Come in' sounded from within, sounding older and far more mature than the other two… so likely the mother familiar, followed by her sliding the screen open and showing the same exact room that made up this house, only with different occupants. … It honestly surprised her that the Takamachi's had nothing in the way of decorations… even a sword hanging or some mantra would have been appropriate but no, nothing but the essentials and a desk.
The cat-woman and mother of the two, was standing near the single desk in the room, back to the door doing something, doing something, while the other two occupants were on the bed 'huddled' together, one looking straight down at the floor and the other looking at her momentarily before going back to watching her sister. What a depressing atmosphere, not at all like what she enjoyed… well on top of that she might as well cheer up the little girl.
Introductions were in order, considering she didn't know any of them, and they really didn't know much about her aside from her name and the fact that she was a Admiral. That said, it'd be rude to be bunt and state her name… ah, that would work. "Would any of you care for some tea?"
The yellow-haired girl didn't so much as move in response to her question, the wolf-woman looking back at her with a 'angry' look to mask her worry before going back to her sister, as if something that fake would fool her, while the mother of the two calmly shook her head. "No, we're not tea-drinkers here Admiral. Little Arf likes coffee though if you have any."
Arf… she didn't even bat an eye at the simple name, considering she knew several with far more simple names, and had named her own device Bob. Besides it didn't matter too much, that was one introduction down, and two left to go. "I'm afraid we don't have any coffee here, us aboard the ship haven't had it for… three years now, and the family here only drink tea or water. I'll have to ask if they get some for her."
The cat-woman gave an absent nod of her head, still doing… whatever it was that she was doing standing at the desk, and letting the conversation drop completely… they weren't really a talkative people were they. "Introduction are in order I believe, can't call you two 'familiar' and her girl for the rest of our stay here." Once again she received a nod from the woman, and another, more curious yet still angry look from the wolf-girl… Saint-king, this was ridiculous. "I'm Admiral Lindy Harlaown, S-rank Ace of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, the Tea-drunk Berserker and pupil of the Ever-drunk Inferno."
Considering what she'd just said, she wasn't surprised when the woman stopped what she was doing, alongside the wolf-woman shifting protectively towards the still unmoving girl, the moment her second set of words were out of her mouth. Few people managed to get to S-rank or above, maybe a few hundred in the seventy years the Bureau had existed, besides that only Aces managed to attain that rank, no common soldier or enforcer managed to get there even with intensive experience and training… Then again, those ranks weren't dictated on one's power or mana level, at least not anymore.
After a minute of silent staring she brought Bob up and drank from him, sipping at the tea in a probably futile attempt to diffuse the tension… she probably shouldn't have said the three last lines, but it was habit to do so. Somehow, the cat-woman got over the fact that she was an Ace, and a dangerous one at that, and continued the introductions thankfully, it was annoying to watch civilians and strangers just freeze up at the simple mention of 'Ace'. "I am Rinith Testarossa, Familiar and wife to Precia Testarossa and mother to Fate, Alicia and Arf Testarossa."
Huh, not unexpected but a bit strange regardless, there was always some form of relationship between a Familiar and their mage, whether it be Master/Student, parent/child… she hadn't heard of a familiar marrying their master though and having or raising kids with them. Learn something new every week.
Regardless, she turned to the two girls on the bed… wait, why hadn't she noticed that Arf or Fate, whichever was the familiar of the two, was a girl Nanoha-chan's age now? She really hadn't checked up on them in the time since if that was new to her. Anyway, the familiar raised her head again to give her another look, carefully getting up from the bed while staying close to the other girl, and out came a strained 'polite' voice that barely lasted a full ten words. "I'm Arf, this is my big sister and 'master' Fate. We're the proud daughters of our Mothers Precia and Rinith."
Sisters. A lot less strange than being married to a familiar for sure, especially since she was technically sisters with one… or sisters-in-law to be precise… Anyway, Fate, Arf and Rinith, she knew them and they knew her now, at least name-wise, with pleasantries and introductions done, it was time for them to discuss exactly why they were on this… 'backwater world'.
So with another smile and sip of tea, she made her way over to the 'wall' connecting this room to another, just a bit further left down the corridor, and once there she finally asked the question. "Now that introductions are all in order, mind telling me exactly what you were after or hoping to accomplish from breaking space?" The two familiars shared a look between them, then almost in sync turned to regard Fate, who was still moping... and turned back to her before Arf decided to answer her.
"We were going to Al-Hazard, to revive our big sister and go back to a normal life again. The Jewel Seeds were the only thing Mother found that could possibly take us there, so we tried to get them. And you know how it ended Admiral." She'd heard and felt more venom in words before from secessionists, so Arf's little 'insult' wasn't that much of an issue and was easily ignored in favor of stewing over what was just said.
"I see." Not really, while she'd felt the pain of loss massively in her long life so far, she'd never once thought of trying to bring them back, or even considered it. Maybe it was due to some half-assed notion that she'd see them either in hell or the Saint-King's garden, or perhaps because she was so broken from seeing so many corpses, not that it mattered. "Now then… would you mind telling me why you even needed to bring her back, or is that too sore a subject for you?"
This time it was Rinith that answered her question, though unfortunately with something that she would have preferred not to have. "Even though it's been over a decade since then, I'd rather not talk about Alicia's death. None of us will, and that's final." That was fine, and the emphasis on the last part really didn't need to be there, all the familiar had to say was that she didn't want to talk about it and everything would have been just fine.
"Alright, alright, I won't ask again. No need to be so hostile woman." … Now then, since there wasn't a mass of depression left from anyone but Fate, and she knew what exactly they had been doing, she could now at least try and cheer up the girl… probably unsuccessfully but it was worth a shot at least. "Fate. A pretty name, who picked it out for you?"
There were two immediate winces from Arf and Rinith, which immediately made her regret asking that, before the wolf-girl almost meekly gave a one-word response. "Alicia." … Oh come on! What, was she going to have to get the girl to be angry at her to get her up and moving?
… That wasn't that bad an idea actually. Now what would actually get Fate to not immediately hate her, and actually be strong enough to snap her out of her 'depression'… that would work.
"She was right to leave you behind." That got a reaction out of Fate, head snapping up to glare at her with an intensity that mirrored her own when she was furious, as well as getting shocked looks from both Arf and Rinith, with the former quickly turning into anger.
"What?" She didn't shout, or raise her voice, something she was quite grateful for considering she wasn't really fond of loud noises considering the past and her being drunk. Now with that said, she asked the wrong question, and she felt a little entitled to play a little with Fate after being ignored for the entirety of the conversation.
So it was with a small smile and a challenging look that she stared straight back into those furious red eyes, and prepared for a little bit of amusement for her own sake. It wasn't often that she got to indulge in it anymore, what with the status of the Bureau and the secessionists. "You heard me kiddo." And for an added 'insult' or whatever it was, she took another sip of tea from Bob and just waited for the inevitable retort. Any moment~
"Why in Belka's name did you just say she's better off without us." And there it was, and what a temper too~ Now then, time to give the long-ass explanation that may or may not actually be understood by any of them.
"Well, to start off, to so much as get to that mythical place you'd have to go through the dimensional space, gap, whatever it's called now. Doing that means you're at the level of an Ace or have something that's on par with an Ace, and then there's the actual trip, which is bound to be dangerous and quite possibly extremely long." There was point one, now to move on to point two… which was also the last point.
"Next there's whatever lies beyond the gap at Al-Hazard. Considering no one has ever been there, who knows what's there, or even if there is anything." That was the truth of the matter, even if someone finally managed to get past the initial step, and then survived the journey over, whatever laid past that cold end them… not that any actually managed to get that far… probably.
"… Granted I suck at explaining things, and I'm not an expert on the subject so… I'll try and explain. Basically two people probably wouldn't have made it with that size, let alone four. It would be safer overall for one person to go, especially the one that has the higher chance to get your revival done, and since said person has a familiar, you'll know when she's gone if she fails."
"And how would you know that it's 'too small' for more than one person?" Within the anger, there was genuine curiosity, something of a surprise really given she expected there only to be anger, but even the two familiars were wanting to the know how… which was a problem. The answer to that question was… confidential for the most part, which led to her having to figure out how to say it, without giving too many details on the subject.
… She'd take a page from Nanoha and be vague for the most part, while still being truthful, which meant starting with a different little fact.
"You'd be surprised by the amount of people seeking Al-Hazard. There's always someone wanting to reach its halls for one reason or another, whether that be power, knowledge, pleasure, adventure, death. Given the sheer amount of people trying, I have reason enough to believe that it does exist, even if it's only a shadow of what our legends tell of it." There was now total confusion from Fate as she drank a bit of tea, considering she had seemingly ignored the question entirely, it was to be expected, but she still needed to move on before she could formulate a response.
"That said, there's always the first step that's basically made it impossible for everyone trying. 'Breaking through the dimensional gap'. There's been a few people that have managed to crack it, but never break it open like the storms do on occasion. And then the Bureau comes in, 'cleans them up' and goes on its merry sikilmiş way." Another sip of tea, another pause to let what she said sink in for the girl, as well as ignoring the glare sent at her from Rinith... She didn't expect the woman to know, or at least understand Kyrtanha, it rarely got spoken by anyone outside of Calnarog.
"Your Mother achieved that impossible task where everyone else failed. If she had all twenty-one of those Jewel Seeds, she'd likely have managed to break the gap everywhere and bring Al-Hazard back to the Bureau… Probably at the cost of a planet or seven, but she'd have done it. Which means that she will succeed where all others have failed, and reach Al-Hazard... Probably, still not an expert, and who knows how long the trip there is."
She gave a helpless, yet indifferent shrug at the end, finishing her tea cup a few moments later with a content sigh before walking back to the almost exact place she had when she'd entered the room. She really had only one last thing to say, hopefully it came out right as she wanted it to, rather than the mess she usually made for trying to cheer up Chrono-kun and any newbloods. "So keep your chin high and wait, Fate Testarossa. Your Mother will come back, with whoever 'Alicia' was/is and you'll have your peace again. Just keep waiting and we'll never need to look for that place again."
"What do yo-" Oh, it was almost time for her to go and get Chrono-kun for some training, or as he put it, 'a beatdown', and a few pointers on where his prosthetic could go better. She'd have to finish this talk later, probably tomorrow if she had nothing else, especially Nanoha-chan, to occupy her time.
"Ah, you must excuse me, I have some things to take care of. We'll talk again some time in the future if you want Fate-chan, Arf-chan, Rinith-san." And with a quick little bow, she turned around and left the room, leaving the three 'criminals' behind in various levels of dumbfoundedness. That always felt good to do, especially to the pricks thinking they could order her around when she was on the ground.
That had been a bit more insightful than the last time, she wasn't sure if it would persist, but at the very least Fate was moving and talking again. … For however long this was.
It was rare that she went to the library, she wasn't studious or even that interested in the subjects that they had there, but that was where she was right now. Why?
Nanoha-chan, always Nanoha-chan.
What it was Nanoha-chan wanted to get a hold of, she had no idea, but considering the alternative was staying at home… Nanoha-chan and the library was the better choice. Besides that, maybe the library had something interesting for her to read… maybe… hopefully.
So here she was, wandering amidst the many bookshelves looking for something to catch her eye, anything really to just… keep her occupied until school arrived again in the coming winter. The only thing she had found that really caught her eye were the Law and Government section, considering that Kaa-sama worked with them and she enjoyed Kaa-sama's duties it was a given.
Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a knack for understanding certain terms, which was why she now was wandering to look for Nanoha. That was when she saw a… peculiar sight.
A wheelchair-bound girl with short brown hair looking and pointing at random books on bookshelves, being moved about by a woman with pink hair worn in a long ponytail… There wasn't anything else noteworthy enough about them to say really, given they were facing away from her and their clothing was nothing special.
That said… she was interested in the two, for one it was rather hard to find someone with that kind of strange hair, and she could do with a second friend… one that Kaa-sama didn't need to know about and wasn't 'tainted' by other's perceptions and opinions of her and Nanoha-chan.
So with that thought she started to make her way over… before immediately stopping as she tried to think up how she was even supposed to start this conversation… Should she say hello? Or should she ask if they needed help finding something? Or should she ask how they were doing? … So many different ways to begin, and not a single idea on how to start.
"Is something wrong little girl?"
The woman's voice made her nearly jump in fright, especially since when she focused back to them, she found the girl looking at her with confusion and the woman not even looking at her. Couple that with the cold tone, she was justified for being scared… still she should at least try right?
"Umm… I was just… trying to think of how to start a conversation… I don't talk to many people."
"Is that so. Would you like to try and have a conversation with this girl, Hayate?"
What the woman said first should have been a question, yet with her tone it had sounded like just a statement. Yet the moment she started the second part, she turned her head to look at the girl and her entire voice changed, getting softer like Nanoha-chan's mother had done with her.
So was this woman the girl's mother then? And why was this 'Hayate' looking so excited… it was actually more intimidating than the woman's cold.
"Of course Signum! Why wouldn't I want to?"
She certainly didn't expect light laughter to so much as come from the woman, and yet it came as naturally as one would expect of an average person, making 'Hayate' blush and look down in slight embarrassment before looking back up. Who was she to judge that outburst considering she'd likely do the same if Nanoha-chan wasn't here?
Regardless, she walked up to them as calmly as she could muster, waited a few moments before trying to remember what she was supposed to do… Oh right, bow first, then say good afternoon and introduce yourself. So she did just that, giving a hopefully appropriate bow before speaking.
"Good afternoon. I'm Tsukimura Suzuka, what is your name?"
Right after that was when she realized she'd made a slight mistake… 'Hayate' couldn't really bow back given her condition, still if she noticed that or cared she didn't show and just went on.
"Good afternoon. I'm Yagami Hayate, but you can call me Hayate if you want. And this is Yagami Signum, my aunt."
"I will if you'll call me Suzuka, Hayate-chan. Are you looking for anything in particular here?"
Hayate nodded in response to the first, while the second just received a shake of the head, well that complicated and simplified things.
"Well… what do you particularly like?"
"Um, manga? Particularly, Mahou Shoujo and Shōnenones."
Manga? She'd… never heard of that genre before, or 'magical girl' and 'boy's comics'. With that said however, considering the names of the two she did know where they should be, at least the general area. She'd wandered over pretty much the entire library at this point, and while she hadn't paid much attention to the books she didn't like, she had found the children's section by complete accident, and immediately turned and walked off.
Children's tales of heroes, villains and monsters didn't bring out the 'wonder' in her like other children, idly she wondered for a moment if Nanoha was the same way before shaking her head. She couldn't be nodding off like Nanoha in front of her new friend, that would make a bad impression.
"I know where that is, if you would follow me, I'll lead you over there."
Of course, right after that a phone hummed lightly, surprising her that it wasn't nearly as loud as her own, said phone being pulled out by Signum before she put it to her ear and didn't say a word. Still without saying anything she lowered the phone, and put a annoyed and saddened look on her face as she looked over
"I must take my leave Hayate. Shamal has need of me at the store and Vita is being uncooperative as usual."
"Really, are you needed that badly?"
… Kami that voice sounded near broken, and it physically hurt to see her look up at Signum with defeat and complete sadness, and she was just a bystander.
"I am. I shall rush straight there, deal with the problem and rush straight back. Until then, I am sure Suzuka will keep you in good spirit."
That caused her to freeze, especially with the cold look once again directed on her, though this time it was more threatening and promised something she was certain she didn't want to experience. So she tried her best and turned what would have been a hasty nod to a normal one, catching a little one from Signum before the woman turned back to Hayate.
"I'll be back soon."
"I'll be waiting."
A simple exchange, and off Signum went, turning and walking at a brisk pace towards what she assumed was the door before turning around a corner. Since it was just her and Hayate, um… was it common courtesy to ask if Hayate needed help, or would that just
"Do you need an-"
"No I don't, I'll be fine."
Hayate's voice was little more aggressive in response to that, and immediately she backed off the issue, turned about and started walking, only to stop when she heard nothing. Turning back around, she tilted her head in confusion when she saw the girl look at her feet downcast for a moment, she probably was used to people leaving after the aggression. Well, for once she'd be selfless, if a bit selfish as well, and help her likely friend.
So it was for that reason that she spoke in a confusion-filled, questioning tone, immediately making Hayate's head dart up in surprise.
"Aren't you going to follow me?"
"Y-Yes, I'm coming."
She didn't say anything else, just nod as Nanoha usually did, and continue walking, this time with the sound of wheels clicking behind her. Considering she only knew the general area of where everything was supposed to be, alongside wanting to know where Nanoha-chan was, she leisurely led Hayate along the 'corridors' formed from the shelves, idly looking over the books with disinterest before moving on to the next.
After maybe seven minutes she finally found the correct section, judging by the fact that the books went from novels and textbooks to… whatever these were, and Hayate was now looking attentively over everything with a wide range of emotions ranging from disgust and hate to intrigue and 'hunger'.
Considering this was apparently the right place, she stopped, looked at the mass of strange… books and tried to find one she might enjoy. Easier said than done considering the wide range of works she saw, but she did try. Of course, her not finding anything drew Hayate over to her, two books sitting in her lap, and what followed ended up being basically a reversal of just a few minutes before.
"What do you like to read Suzuka-chan?"
With that question, she was left with two choices, lie and say something completely random that she'd heard other people talk about, or be truthful and outright state she enjoyed something that was… very strange. Being truthful was probably best, even if it was a little white lie, people didn't like being lied to, and she'd just met Hayate.
"… I like reading about Laws and Government."
Hayate's face went blank for a moment, nothing showing until a bit of concentration took hold and she turned about, looking up at the shelves with a searching look, as she followed along. Another minute of searching before Hayate pulled out a book near to the floor, turned and held it out to her, which was taken after a moment of surprise.
It… it had a white-haired, red-eyed girl on the front, which wasn't physically possible, on her knees with a sword by her breasts wearing something blue and red. Regardless, the name of it was Madan no Ou Vandis, or Lord Marksman and Vandis, and considering that Hayate had gone almost straight to it, she may as well give it a shot.
Right as she decided that, she was interrupted in her thoughts by Hayate speaking again.
"I haven't personally read it, but I read the excerpt and it seems to be near what you like, if in a different time period. Lots of politics and stuff in there, at least there should be, and a bit of romance and action as well."
"I see… Would you like to sit down and read until your aunt comes back?"
"Sure! Uh, where's the nearest table?"
… That was a good question.
Yet another helpless shrug, and a responding sigh from Hayate was how that conversation ended. After a couple of seconds they walked, or in Hayate' case, rolled, away and down two corridors before they saw and went over to a basic wood table. Being courteous she pulled one of the chairs and set it a little ways away for Hayate to sit at the table, not receiving anything in thanks but that was somewhat expected, before she sat down herself.
Before going into the book she'd been given, she took a brief few seconds to look over at what Hayate had picked up for herself. The first was a rather… poor quality artwork, though that could be just from age, there was a blonde-haired girl with two ponytails, wearing something similar to a school uniform and in a pose. The second… was a bit stranger, having a little girl, barely older than five from the picture, once again with two auburn ponytails, on the cover, and unlike the other one there was barely anything but the border on that one.
Feeling a bit curious she asked her companion a simple question about the books, specifically the one that was open in front of her.
"What are you reading Hayate-chan?"
"An older Mahou Shoujo manga called Sailor Moon. It's rather good, but nothing you would like I assume. I'm just re-reading it from the start now."
"Alright. What about the other one?"
For whatever reason Hayate decided to ignore that question and bury herself back into her book, though she had a faint… 'blush' she believed dusting her cheeks. She didn't understand why that happened, but considering the earlier, almost outburst, she wasn't about to pry again and chose to just start reading.
"Rozen Maiden."
The quiet voice almost didn't get heard due its volume and the fact that she was into her book, but considering her own voice being low and the fact that she was used to silence, she still managed to hear the words, for the most part.
Of course, to play 'normal' she had to pretend not to have heard it, and would have to ask what she said, as well as what it was. Ha, this was a pain, she never had to do this with Nanoha-chan... then again Nanoha-chan was Nanoha-chan.
"What was that?"
"I said it's called Rozen Maiden. A girl drops out of highschool after being persecuted in class for… reasons, and works mostly as a dressmaker. Eventually she finds a sentient doll who's participating in a deathmatch royale with six other dolls and they go about fighting one another to become 'Alice', or the perfect doll. It is something you would very much, not enjoy Suzuka-chan."
… That kind of sounded like the way Nanoha-chan was treated, though she actually didn't even notice the 'persecution' that much. Considering that, she was somewhat interested in reading it, if only because of the similarities to her own friend and the summary Hayate gave piqued her interest.
"Is that the first volume?"
The question probably came out of nowhere for Hayate, who was already back into 'Sailor Moon', considering she nearly jumped in surprise when it came out. Blinking her eyes twice, Hayate stared at her for a while before shaking her head in… something, either confusion or denial.
"This is the fifth volume, are you sure you want to read this?"
Was she sure? Not really, but then again, she wasn't sure about most things, preferred to lie than to tell the truth and wasn't the best with other people. Besides that, with how evasive she was being, her interest was mounting about why Hayate seemed to not want another person to know about it.
"As sure as I was to try this genre and book."
"Well alright then. I'll go back and get the first one, though I'm still certain you won't like it."
She was certain she wasn't going to as well, even still she was curious and that enough was reason to at least try and read it. Of course, her musing made her miss Hayate leave to get the book, though she could still hear her roll back towards where they had gotten the other three books. She might as well continue the other book until Hayate got back, it was rather good, even if it was a bit… strange at first.
After about two minutes Hayate came back with another book in her lap, which was quickly deposited in front of her before Hayate went back to her own spot. Putting her own book aside for a moment, quickly noticing how far she was and marking the place, she looked over the cover of the first book of Rozen Maiden. It, it wasn't any more detailed than the fifth, the same doll was sitting on strange throne with thorns curling about her, but still she took the time to ope…
… Huh, she didn't know two girls could kiss one another on the lips.
"If you don't like it I'll take it back."
Hayate's voice cut through her thoughts, making her focus back on the girl. For once she had no little thought to try and even lie, probably because she was just completely confused by this little picture in the 'book'
"I'm just confused, I didn't know two girls could be in a… what's the word?"
"Relationship?"
"Yes, that word. I didn't know that."
That wasn't exactly unexpected for her considering her upbringing, she'd just assumed from Onee-chan and Nanoha's brother, as well as Kaa-sama and Tou-san, that relationships were only between men and women, not man and man or woman and woman. Huh, maybe she was like that, she did like Nanoha-chan a lot… but was that friendship or 'love'?
She'd have to learn more about it another time, she needed to pay attention to Hayate, who for some reason was looking confused as if this wasn't something she was used to.
"Well… It's not like it's encouraged. Most people tend to look down on those people and don't associate with them."
"Really? That's no different than how me and my friend are treated… and the other girl too."
At the exact moment she finished she had a feeling something was wrong, watching Hayate's face change from confused to excited confirmed the feeling. Knowing something was about to happen, she prepared herself for what was to come, hopefully it would just be something like Arisa's 'big' outbursts.
Thankfully it was like it, to a lesser degree, as few actually managed to reach Arisa's level of emotion.
"YES! Another person that understands!"
"Please quiet down, or else they'll kick us out."
"Oh… Sorry…"
Seeing someone excited immediately 'change gears' to 'depressed' was always strange to watch, considering how polar opposites those two were. Becoming shy and not speaking for the next few moments made her go back to her first book, and Hayate back to hers shortly after.
Unfortunately, she wasn't able to read more than a few more pages before Signum came back, walking towards them without a single way to tell she was tired or winded.
"I apologize for being late Hayate, Vita was being very uncooperative. I see you two are getting along well."
Both her and Hayate gave nods to the latter statement, and thankfully Hayate cheered up to just normal shyness the moment Signum started talking, taking her two books from the table and laying them in her lap before backing away from the table. Of course, that set of actions caught her guardian's attention, with the woman giving a smile before speaking again.
"I see you found your new books. We'll have to see if we can get copies somewhere else for the library. I trust that she was good?"
The question at the end was addressed towards her instead of Hayate, something she wasn't particularly prepared for, but nonetheless answered after a moment of hesitation.
"She was good, only a single outburst that needed to be quieted."
"I see, thank you for taking care of her."
She gave a simple bow in response to that, before noticing Hayate was fidgeting a little in her chair, at least she did before she noticed her attention directed towards herself. Then she started playing with her hands before looking up with a 'hopeful?' expression and finally asked what was on her mind.
"Um, would you like to be my friend, Suzuka-chan?"
… YES! She made a good impression, and Hayate-chan wanted to be her friend now! Thankfully for her own 'dignity' she refrained from expressing her joy for everyone to hear, instead managing to settle on a soft smile that made Hayate-chan give a smile in return. And then Hayate's expression changed again from soft to bright and happy again the moment she gave her reply.
"Yes, I would very much like that Hayate-chan."
"Yea, that makes two friends made today!"
"Two?"
"Oh, I met another girl before you, she had hazel hair tied like Signum's, pretty, deep blue eyes and was dressed in a kimono. There was a smile on her face the entire time and she helped get some books for me to read from the high shelves."
Nanoha-chan… this girl who she'd just met had met Nanoha-chan just before, or a bit before she'd met her. That was… actually convenient, and would help in having Hayate be a bit more comfortable with her, considering that Nanoha-chan was a bit more off-putting than herself.
"You met Nanoha-chan?"
"Was that her name? She didn't give her name, but she did help me get stuff while Signum was off doing other things. and I'd like to say we're friends."
Oh. That would be Nanoha-chan, helping others for no real reason and not actually asking for anything in return… she was strange and straight-forward like that.
"Yea. She's friends with you, if she so much as did anything helpful for you, she'll consider you a friend until the world ends. Or you make her angry at you. Whichever comes first."
Hayate positively beamed when she was finished, so much so that she was once more almost afraid of her for having that much positivity and happiness. She wasn't afraid of Signum anymore, the woman was more like Nanoha's mother than her own Kaa-sama, cold to strangers and warm to those she liked.
"Anyway, if you want to talk, come over and visit or want to get in contact with Nanoha, just call, and I'll be there."
Another beaming smile, thankfully less bright as she would have gone further into fear if she'd done that. And with that she gave a hesitant wave, one she received a returning wave from Hayate-chan, before turning and going off to find Nanoha-chan.
It was getting late, and Kaa-sama and Nanoha-chan's father would be upset, annoyed or disappointed with them if they weren't back for curfew.
Few were the times when she was ever alone, even here where she had nothing to do, and an entire forest she could hide in, there was almost zero time due to having to make sure Chrono-kun and her crew was fine, training with and teaching Nanoha a few little things she'd learned from her own Mentor, trying and failing to understand the family. Between all of that, she was busy, and hadn't had a proper talk with Bob since before the clusterfuck happened.
Seeing as how Nanoha hadn't bothered her all day due to her going to visit her friend, and the first thing she did upon getting home was go and sleep… she actually had a little time to herself. And that was quite nice after everything that had happened.
"It's been a while since we've had a conversation to ourselves, huh Bob?" The teacup in her hands thrummed lightly in response, making her quirk a smile. If there was one thing that she quite enjoyed about him, aside from being able to make tea whenever she wanted, it was that she could confide in him, just as she did with Clyde once, and he'd help by discussing the options with her.
It was nice having A.I. with a personality rather than some computer that would spout off generic phrases, she was sure the other Aces would agree, if only because only the Devices could understand them anymore, aside from another Ace. "Indeed it has, your ladyship. Not since we picked up the young Lord have we had the chance to talk again. Always barging in to report whenever we're about to talk. He'll make a fine man one day." "That he will, that he will."
For a few moments they lapsed into comfortable silence, before she broke it with a light humming of some half-forgotten lullaby she should have sung to Chrono when he was younger. Who had taught her it? Couldn't have been the old drunkard, she was too engrossed in violence, drink and smithing to have ever considered learning some lullaby. And before that the matrons of the orphanage never had the energy to recite the lullaby after each day.
And besides that she'd only once tried to look up the lullaby, and that had ended up with her being off to become a soldier somehow… that had been a strange day, but being honest it was a good one, minus murdering a thief in the middle of the plaza with blacksmith hammer. That hadn't been her best moment, but it led her to meeting her Mentor and then to Clyde.
After a few more moments she trailed off as she hit the part she never remembered, the only part that housed lyrics, as all Calnarog lullabies did, before speaking again to her Device, Teahammer and friend. "Have you had any luck finding the lullaby Bob?" She was graced with a reply instantly, "I have not your ladyship, the count has been lowered to four now however. I'll have found it by the time we believe the lanes to have stabilized."
"Thank you, Bob." A quick reply of 'you're welcome' sounded before they were back to gentle quiet. The moon was high and full, something she'd rarely seen from the ground, and the sounds of night were mute for the moment, which made the night all the better to enjoy this talk. Another question rose amidst the few she had to ask, a simple one that would take a little bit for Bob to answer as he gathered his thoughts together. "What do you think of our hosts?"
For several long seconds everything was silent, before finally Bob answered while still keeping his polite tone. "The man hides something. Many things from our conversations with him. He hides from us and likely his children as well. The boy is nothing special, a child who's seen terrible things and refuses to ever speak of them again."
A pause sounded as her device deliberated over the two she wanted to know his opinion of, before finally he spoke again, though with a noticeably different tone, more serious and deeper. "The elder girl is broken, much like an Ace yet without a single shred of humanity to hold on to. Yet due to that she's wrong compared to Aces, more human and yet not. The younger… she will be an Ace, possibly one to rival the Reaper. She will come with us when the time comes, there's nothing for her here to learn and do."
Accurate to what she thought of the girls and boy, though the man was a surprise, she knew he was hiding something, not multiple things. Well, it wasn't anything she needed to pry about, considering that she'd probably never see the man again after the lanes were done repairing themselves, which was somewhat depressing as she really wished to see the cherry blossoms fall several times and marvel in their beauty.
Now another question, now that Bob had seen her child grow up, argue with her and generally live. "What do you think of Chrono, Bob?" There was barely any pause this time, in comparison to the others, probably because he'd saved up his thoughts of Chrono for years now. "The boy is no Ace, not yet. It will take your death or the death of his grandfather and aunt for him to take his title." Haa… no mincing words apparently, still he was being truthful, he always had.
Yet, he wasn't done yet apparently, something that surprised her for a moment before remembering that he'd been watching Chrono since the latter's incident. "He is still human, not an Ace, and though he's skilled, as he currently is he will only be a burden and worthless in combat. With his past actions after the latest incident however, he's moving towards his title, if unwillingly. Nothing is as cold-blooded as a machine after all, right your ladyship?"
"You and your kind are certainly not as cold-blooded as a regular machine then, even if you are made for our trade." Her device gave off a chuckle at that, something she hadn't heard in a long time, not since she'd married Clyde and told him. Meaning he was greatly entertained by her quip for whatever reason, strange. "Well that is certainly true your ladyship. Then again, we Intelligent Devices and you Aces never followed the rules when it came down to it." "That is true, never did care for the rules or those that enforce them. Only followed them because it's easier than having to exert the 'Ace' card."
Another comfortable silence among many came after her words, Bob waiting for her to ask another question of him, as he had always done before, finally she came up with one last question to ask, one that was more a curiosity than anything of importance. "Would you serve Chrono if I were to pass?"
The silence afterwards was no longer comfortable, as Bob waited or refused to answer the question, before finally answering with a simple statement. "Each device crafted by an Ace is bound to their Ace, they will avenge their owner should that be within their power, but otherwise, an Ace's Device dies with them, and no one will wake us from our unending slumber." "So the answer's no?"
"Correct." Expected, her device, and those of other Aces, was extremely stubborn when it came to others handling him, the only one that she'd seen that remotely allowed anyone to touch him in Device form besides his wielder was Excalibur… and that was more from Clyde's own good nature rubbing off on the device enough. With that said however, the fact that she managed to get 'avenge their owner' from him meant he was willing to work with Chrono in the future should she kick the bucket.
Well, there wasn't much left for them to discuss, not like there were any combat strategies to cook up, spells to make or improve or men she needed to keep an eye on. The first she didn't have to worry about until they made it back to the Bureau, the last she'd lost with the prick and hadn't had to deal with any more bullshit since. The second… there came a point in every Ace's short life where they decided they didn't need anything else, and would just refine that which they already had.
Regardless of those things and the conversation, she and Bob lapsed into another silence, filled only with the almost silent sound of her own breathing and the little creak of wood under her weight. She'd enjoy this calm, and eventually she'd retire and be able to have days made for this kind of talk with Bob, only with more tea, there always needed to be more tea.
One last time she looked up at the full moon, bathing her in moonlight as she drank from her teacup again, a single thought idly rising to the forefront before hastily being snatched as she calmly walked back to the room she was supposed to be sleeping in. "It's almost time Bob…"
"… for our old friends to come back."