Whew. This chapter took way too long. Mostly because it went through at least one complete revision, with me having to just rewrite the entire chapter from scratch after I realized that I've ended up with an incoherent trainwreck.
Then again, what I've written now is not too far away from a trainwreck either. Tried for a little bit of everything, but I feel like I just failed at everything instead. I dunno, I need to write another chapter where it's just Akko and Sucy, without any "outsiders", so to speak. But that's only happening after I'm done with the finals month. Or earlier, if I get some free time. Can't say for sure.
And I'm probably going to have to fix some parts on the next day after uploading this shiz. Can't say for sure cause I'm too drowsy and I need some goddamn sleep.
Welp, here we go with the review responses. Oh wait... Just one review response, huh.
symbiotic: Yep, there is going to be an appearance from Diana here. And that's about as much as I can say on this chapter :P
Wow, the lack of reviews is... Disheartening. Come on now, the reviews are the main form of motivation for me!
And GeminiAlchemist, if you're reading this... I think I've found the answer to the a certain problem with Diana you brought up long ago. :D
Normally, when Sucy needed any alchemical ingredients, she only travelled over to Blytonbury alone, bought the necessary things and left quickly. This particular time, however, Akko insisted on tagging along, as she didn't want to stay all alone back at home, even if it was for a couple hours at most.
But it wasn't like Sucy really minded – it was a nice change of pace, and Akko was glad to visit Blytonbury after having had never been there since one of her last performances during the time when she was still a magical performer.
"Wow, this place sure is as nice as it used to be, ain't it?" – Akko remarked as she and Sucy walked through the streets from the Glastonbury-Blytonbury town border. The violette hardly understood the appeal of the place – it was crowded, the traffic, even if it was occasional, still made a ton of noise, and the place was just too unremarkable for her taste. But, eh, if Akko liked it here, then the alchemist figured she might as well not sour her wife's mood, and quietly nodded.
"So anyway, where are we headed off to first?" – The brunette asked in her usual chipper tone.
"Well, we'll just head off to the Magic Item Shop, buy all the necessary things, and be back on our way to the leyline." – Sucy replied, and just as she noticed that Akko was about to reach over for their broom, she added: "Oh, and this town's still a no-flight zone. Usage of brooms here is formally restricted for quite a few reasons, so it means we'll have to get over to the shop by foot."
This prompted a pained groan from Akko: "Ugh, my legs are so going to hurt after this!"
"Hey, cheer up, bunny." – The violette reassured her wife, giving her a light pat on the shoulder – "If anything, when we get home, I'll make it up to you with a foot massage. Sit back, relax, let me do all the work – that kind of thing."
"Now wouldn't that be information too personal to share in public?" – A familiar voice said from behind Akko and Sucy. As the couple turned around, they've noticed that Diana was standing right behind them.
"Oh, hey Diana! Didn't expect to see you out here!" – Akko replied, grinning sheepishly, while Sucy just sighed. Even if they did stop bickering over the years, she still was rather unhappy with Diana's presence. Just not as outright hostile to her as she was before.
"I visit this town on just about every weekend, so I suppose it was within expectations that I would be present here on a Sunday." – Yup, the blonde still had her usual eloquent manner of talking. Seems like some things just never change. – "More specifically, I was actually… Just about to head over to the shopping district."
"Huh. So that means we do have to tag along after all." – Sucy said without much enthusiasm, in an almost groaning tone.
"So anyway, you didn't seem to notice one particular detail when you bumped into us, though." – Akko remarked, resting her hand on her belly to emphasize her point.
Diana quietly chuckled and remarked: "I did. I just presumed it would be rude to call any attention to your current state. And I have to admit, you've made a rather bold decision. "
"Eh, it wasn't that bad. The first three months were the worst, but now the most I have to worry about is the occasional back aches. I just thought that, since Sucy and I were together for so long, we just needed to take our relationships to the logical next step." – The brunette replied, smiling.
"Nah, it was her maternal instincts going out of control that made her decide on this." – Sucy remarked, giving out her usual shroom-eating grin as she finished her sentence, making Akko pout as usual. As for Diana, she just sighed and remarked under her breath: "These two, I swear…"
"So anyway, how are things going between you and Constanze lately?"
Long story short, after Diana had moved on from her past crush on Akko, the latter witch tried to play matchmaker and attempted to pair the blonde up with Constanze. While the two did go on a few pretend dates just so that Akko would leave them alone, eventually, the usual cliché of a "romantic fake-real turn" reared it's head and next thing Akko knew, she spotted the two witches making out in the middle of Constanze's workshop.
Out of all of Akko's close friends, however, Constanze and Diana were probably married for the shortest period of time – just a couple years by the current time. Partly because they've had other matters to attend to, with Constanze getting a job at Meridies Corps right out the gates of Luna Nova while Diana chose to study further to be a Magical Linguistics Professor, and thus the blonde was only able to propose to Constanze after finishing a further study course. Luckily, even if their jobs left them separated quite often, the relationship between Diana and Constanze was going smoothly over the years. Or, at the very least, it seemed to be doing so – nobody could say it with them for certain, considering they weren't the type of people for any public displays of affection, unlike at least three other couples both witches knew all too well.
"Well, this is the exact reason that I had travelled over to Blytonbury, actually. Today's our wedding anniversary, and I figured I might as well get her a gift." – Diana replied, blushing a little bit. – "The problem is, I cannot really decide on what to get for her."
"Just give her something that you think would be just the right kind of gift for someone like her!" – Akko cheerfully remarked, which led Sucy to retort in a deadpan tone: "You're not thinking of a set of techmaturgical instruments now, are you?"
"Nooooo?" – The brunette responded, clearly not being a very good liar. Sucy just snickered at the situation, while Diana once again sighed and rolled her eyes back. Yep, some things just plain never change.
While the trio of witches was busy making their way over to the shopping district, Akko just barely noticed someone trying to sneak past them, just a few steps away. Considering Akko's low attention span that persisted even in her twenties, she quickly turned her attention from the conversation they were having over to the person that attempted to sneak past her just now.
Sure enough, the person turned out to have been Constanze – the navy blue hair, short stature and overly serious expression couldn't let even Akko mistake the girl for anyone else. And when Constanze realized that she has been spotted, she began furiously signing to the asian witch to not say anything and to just walk over to her, then hid behind a corner.
While Akko was initially puzzled, she still wanted to get to the bottom of this.
"You girls go on, I need to check something around here. I'll catch up to you two quickly!" – Akko remarked as she ran walked off in the direction where Constanze was currently trying to hide from Diana's view.
"Don't overexert yourself, bunny." – Sucy remarked, while Diana, seeming a little puzzled, just shrugged it off and kept going.
As Akko approached Constanze, she asked: "What's wrong? Why are you hiding from Diana like this?"
Constanze, as per her usual matter, didn't say anything, and first pointed at the direction where Sucy and Diana were currently going, then pointed at an odd case she was holding. A jewelry case that seemed to be just the right size to accommodate a necklace, no less.
"Oh, so that's your anniversary gift for her?" – The only reply Akko got was a quiet nod. – "Why didn't you just go up to her and gift it, then?"
The german girl signed that she didn't want to talk about it, looking rather apprehensive about the whole thing, then pointed over in the direction of the city's train station.
"So this is where you want to meet up with Diana and gift it to her?" – Once again, the only response from the German witch to the brunette was just another nod. – "Okay, okay, I won't tell anything, I promise."
As Constanze flashed the Japanese witch a thumbs up gesture, the two soon parted ways – Akko coming after Diana and Sucy to catch up to them, while Constanze walked over to the train station.
Meanwhile, Diana and Sucy were on their way over to the shopping district, their convesation having had come to a screeching halt now that Akko ran off.
"So…How were you and Akko doing lately?" – Diana asked, trying to somewhat break the resulting tension. – "You know, ever since she resigned from her position as the Lightning Lily."
Ugh. Sucy hated hearing Akko's old stage name. It always served as a reminder of those forlorn days when she had to wait for Akko to return from another one of her tours for weeks on end, and how utterly exhausted Akko looked when she did return, barely having a week to get some rest from her work before going off on another tour.
"I'd say that we're doing a lot better since then. She seems to be perfectly content with a more grounded life and hardly even misses her time as a performer. And, well, if she's happy, then I am happy, I guess." – Sucy off-handedly replied as she and Diana briefly stopped.
"That point of view…Does make a certain degree of sense, I guess. " – As Diana said that, she went silent for a few more moments. Later on, however, as much as the blonde wanted to avoid prying at the matter, she couldn't help but ask: "Was it difficult?"
"What?"
"You know…Waiting for her to return back home for such prolonged periods of time." – Diana forlornly sighed and looked off somewhere into the distance, then, getting no answer from the violette, she added: "At least Constanze and I don't end up on particularly long distances for so many days. And yet I still feel the odd distance, just not of the physical kind. "
"Career getting in the way of relationships, huh?" – Sucy asked, and before Diana could answer, she added: "I'd say you and Constanze should try to spend more of your free time with each other whenever possible. Not to the point of getting sick of one another, but just the right amount. Go out on dates, broom flights, all the good stuff that you should have been doing in your free time instead of extra studying or techmaturgical tinkering back in the academy. One should always make the most of a relationship, and if you two didn't do that before, well, try to do the same thing now. I mean, I'm no couple counselor, but at least that seems like common sense. "
"I might consider your advice and try to make the most of any free time Constanze and I may have together later, Sucy. Thank you." – The blonde replied, and it seems that the two witches' conversation ended just in time, as Akko had just caught up to them.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting!" –The brunette said while trying to recover her breath. After a few moments, she added: "So, I suppose we can keep going now?"
Meanwhile, at the Blytonbury train station, Constanze was sitting at one of the benches and waiting for when Diana would come over to the place. The German witch's Standroid – a more portable and less noticeable version of the Stanbot with flight capabilities – tilted it's head at her as it looked over the jewelry case it's master was holding.
Constanze just quietly gestured the techmaturgical robot to land onto the bench for a while, and remarked: "This is going to take a while."
"Maybe get her one of those photo lockets?"
Seems like Sucy's original objective of shopping for alchemical ingredients had to be put aside for now, much to the Filipino witch's chagrin. She just quietly stood near the counter at the gift shop, waiting while Akko was busy helping Diana choose a proper gift for Constanze.
"Hey, they're not an old couple, one of those cheesy lockets just won't do." – The violette deadpanned in retaliation to Akko's suggestion.
"Yes, it just doesn't seem right." – After a few moments of thinking, Diana added: "Not to mention she already has one she prefers not to wear in public."
"Okay, maybe then a split heart keychain?" – Akko remarked, looking over at the currently unengraved keychain, leading both Diana and Sucy to groan out in exasperation. –"Well, I'm trying!"
"Maybe this?" – Sucy jokingly held out a canvas art depicting two gravestones side to side, with the writing "We'll be together forever, right?" on the frame, leaving both Diana and Akko noticeably mortified.
"You have some really messed-up taste in gifts, Suce." – Akko replied in a still somewhat scared tone. The violette's only response was one of her typical wicked grins as she said: "I'll get one of these for you on our anniversary the next year, if you want to."
"Anything in particular you're looking for, Miss? I see that your friends' suggestions are not being very helpful." – One of the shop assistants, a skinny man with unkempt black hair, remarked as he approached the trio.
"That would be Mrs. Cavendish, sir." – Diana responded as she turned around to face the assistant. – "They were merely helping me pick a wedding anniversary gift for my spouse."
"Alright, just describe what kind of person your spouse is, and I'm sure that, if the solution doesn't come to you on your own, then I can at least help you out." – The assistant remarked, in a rather "bored-to-death" tone. Seems like the guy's had his fair shift of indecisive customers already.
"Welp, we tried. I suppose that means we can just ditch her now." – Soon Sucy noticed that Akko was slightly leaning against the wall, seeming a little dizzy. – "Oh. You okay, bunny?"
"Yeah, just…I basically ran a marathon to catch up to you two. " – Akko needed to say no further things as Sucy quietly led her outside the gift shop and let her sit down for a while on a nearby bench.
"What did you even run off for anyway? I'm sure it wasn't worth a near-fainting situation. " – The violette asked as she sat down next to her wife, who was taking quiet, controlled breaths to recover from her slight dizziness. When the Japanese witch did recover, she was rather quick to reply.
"Hey, cut it out! I can't control it, you know that all too well!" – Akko shouted out, pouting afterwards. This sight caused Sucy to giggle and remark: "Come on, take it easy. You know I'm just concerned about you. No, but seriously, what was it?"
"Well, it's a short one…" – Then the asian witch explained the whole situation with Constanze.
"Wow, I guess Diana really did misjudge Constanze after all." – The violette replied in a somewhat bored tone. – "Oh, and promise me one thing – that you'll never do this whole surprise gift thing yourself. We just tell each other what we want, and then go ahead and get that for one another. Deal?"
"Deal." – After Akko said that, she gave her spouse a soft hug, with Sucy returning the affection. After they've let go of one another, Sucy said: "Now, considering your state at the moment, I suggest you just sit here for a bit while I go buy all the necessary alchemical ingredients we came here for."
"Come on, I'm not that helpless, I'm already fine." – Akko whined, which prompted the Filipino witch to answer: "Alright, then you'll be carrying the bags back home."
"Hey!" – The brunette was not at all happy with the prospect of having to walk back to the leyline terminal with even more weight to carry around. Sucy's trademark mischievous shark-toothed grin, however, revealed that the violette was merely toying with Akko once again.
"I'm just kidding, Akko." – The violette gently stroked her wife's belly and added: "You know I wouldn't be cruel enough to put you or your child at risk. "
"Are you two done yet?" – And this was when Sucy wondered if her reputation as a moment-killer was one-upped by Diana's own moment-killing.
"Why yes. Yes, we are." – The alchemist deadpanned as she helped her wife get up from the bench. – "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some alchemical reagents to buy."
Akko didn't say anything, and just quietly nodded in confirmation with her spouse's words, which caused Diana to sigh and reply: "Alright, I suppose I'll just wait here, then, since I'm in no particular hurry right now. "
Some more shopping and walking back to the split path later, the trio soon had reached a point where their paths diverged – Diana had to head back to the train station, while Sucy and Akko needed to head over to the leyline terminal.
"Hopefully we'll meet up again later. And thanks for at least trying to help me choose a gift. Even if your advice proved rather fruitless, I'd give you a B for effort." – Diana remarked.
"Ah, well… You know I never am any good when it comes to any kind of advice." – The brunette replied, grinning sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head. – "So what is it you got for Constanze, anyway?"
"I figured that a piece of jewelry would do nicely, so I went with a silver bracelet with twin sapphires set into a golden setpiece." –To emphasize her point, Diana showed a smallish jewelry case that seemed to be just the right size to fit in a small bracelet.
"Subtle." – Sucy quietly deadpanned.
"Well, guess we should be going now. Say hi to Constanze for me!" – Akko cheerfully said as she waved goodbye to Diana while the blonde witch herself was leaving for the train station, not knowing that she was about to meet up with Constanze on the way there.
Not that Akko or Sucy wanted to stay around and see the two other witches exchange gifts and get all sickeningly sweetheart with each other – if anything, they've had their own "sweethearting" to do back home.
"Whew, talk about a hectic day." – Akko remarked as she and Sucy flew through the leyline, with the bags full of alchemical reagents currently dangling off the broom, seemingly not offsetting it's balance in the least.
"Well, you were the one who had to run a marathon today, not me." – The violette deadpanned, rolling her eyes back. Her little idiot meant well, sure, but it was still a dumb move for her to overexert herself like this, even despite how energetic she is. –"Next time, warn me when you're about to get involved in someone else's affairs."
"Hai." – The asian witch responded dejectedly. – "Speaking of which, what will you be getting me next anniversary? You weren't serious about that canvas art, were you?" – This question prompted the puce-haired witch to just roll her eyes in exasperation and add: "Of course I wasn't. I know you're not the type of person for such morbid gifts. You still owe me that bottomless pouch, though."
"Come on, you know they're way out of my gift price range…" – Akko retorted, pouting once again.
Sucy just couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her wife's silly pout, remarking: "Got you a second time today. Anyway, we're nearing the exit, so hold on tight and don't drop the bags. If at least one falls off, no foot massage for you when we get home! "
Akko couldn't help but snicker as Sucy said that, and just kept her hands wrapped around the violette.
She knew that beneath all that sarcasm and occasional mischievousness and messing with her, Sucy still loved her more than anything in the entire world.
Maybe I'll write a one-shot that takes place within the third academy year that explains how Diana and Constanze ended up together. Or scratch that, an entire Buuut not now – I've got too much work on my shoulders, and too little time! The next chapter's probably going to be more of a "relaxing lesbo witch fluff" chapter, with just Akko and Sucy and no outsiders involved. Also, sorry for leaving the whole thing with Diana and Constanze on a slight cliffhanger.
And with all that said...
Darky Out!