Chapter 9: Build those Social Links!
Hey. So, I got a thing done. 'After you decided to do another chapter with Tehg.' Ssh…They're not supposed to know about that. It was meant to be a surprise. 'Oh, well there hasn't been much of me, so I'm a bit annoyed.' About that…next time? 'Steven…What did you do?' It's not what I did, but what I didn't do. Now, before she retorts, on with the show! 'Hey, what are you-!'
Seeing as how the timeline is off, and it'd be a week before anything happened, I figured I'd go and hang out with people I don't normally get the opportunity to. A good place to start would probably be Lowee. Blanc and Souji have been really busy trying to fix everything Mr. Badd fucked up.
"Going somewhere?" Cynthia asked as I pulled up my extra-long glove. I started wearing it seeing as how it'll hide all my contract symbols.
"Yeah. I wanted to go see if Blanc and Souji were free. We've never really hung out, and they could use a break. I've got to leave now because I can't fly like everyone else we know."
"Johnny can't fly."
"Oh, you know exactly what I mean."
"I can take you, you know? All you have to do is ask."
"I know, but I don't mind the walk and you're probably busy with things too. I wouldn't want to bother you."
"Steven, do you want to go to Lowee?"
"Yes, please." Her face grew a gentle smile.
"Give me a few minutes to go get changed and we can leave." And wait I did, seeing as how she was in mothing but a nightgown. Because plans changed, I put on my duster. Cynthia came back from our room in a long red t-shirt and black tights. "Ready?" She asked, pulling on some red heels.
"Heels? In Lowee?"
"I'll be fine and you know it." She replied putting on a large red furred coat.
"Well excuse me for worrying. I don't want you hurting yourself if one of them broke." Iri and Monika were at their job babysitting, so we had to lock the door as we left. With a burst of flame, Cynthia activated her DGU form. After that, she wrapped her arms around me and took off.
"So…what have you been doing in the woods every night since our exploration of Hecate's temple?" Ah, fuck. I'm busted.
"Training, mostly, but I've been trying to see if I can't forcibly start the twenty-four hour timer. I can do it, but I don't think the area around me cares for the resulting explosion. Magic has also been taking some getting used to." All she did was shake her head. I could tell because the bits of silver hair that hung in front of my face shifted.
"You didn't think to ask anyone for help? You could've hurt yourself."
"I'm fragile, but I'm not THAT fragile. Honestly, that's why I've been doing it. I don't want you guys having to worry about me all the time." I said, telling her about something I've already voiced to her before several times.
"You can be such a hypocrite sometimes. Is hanging out the only thing you wanted to go to Lowee for?"
"No. Lowee is home to all kinds of magic. I was going to ask Souji for help and maybe ask Blanc if I could borrow a book or two. The one we found is a bit too complex for me right now."
"Ah, okay. That makes sense." It didn't take much longer for us to land by the Basilicom. "See how much quicker that was?"
"Obviously. Ready to head in?"
"Whenever you are."
"I'm the one that wanted to come, after all. How come you aren't heading home?"
"I don't have any plans today, and I needed an excuse. You're closer to Blanc than I am, so it makes more sense if you showed up, and Souji is…Souji."
"He does need to lighten up." I agreed. "Hopefully this'll help." Entering the building, we were stopped by the Basilicom desk worker.
"How may I help you?" She asked.
"We're here to see Souji and Blanc." 'Tia answered.
"I see…I'll let them know." She sounded skeptical, but did it anyway. Picking up a phone, she spoke into it quietly. After a few minutes, she hung it up and turned towards us. "They said that you may enter." Seeing as how we've been here before, it wasn't hard to make our way around.
"Hello." Blanc greeted as we entered her room/office thing. It was the same Japanese style that the entire Basilicom had, and had multiple games and bookshelves neatly set up around the room.
"Hey, Blanc. How are you?" I asked.
"Fine. I wasn't expecting the two of you."
"Surprise visits are the most fun." Cynthia responded. "Where's the stick in the mud that we know as Souji?"
"After he heard your descriptions, he went to the library. He said something about finding books on magic."
"He knows you too well, babe."
"It has been a long time since we met, and I know I've said that I'm jealous of his magic."
"What brings you over?" Blanc asked, probably curious on why we decided to visit.
"Just to hang out, really. With how hectic everything has been lately, we haven't had the chance." 'Tia explained.
"I see. Okay, we can do something for a while. We need a break, and a new party game came out recently, if you're willing to try it." The CPU suggested.
"I'm down." I replied, coping a squat on one of those soft pillow things.
"Sounds like fun. It'll be a change from the shooters and platformers that we normally play." Cynthia agreed. By the time the game was set up and ready to go, Souji walked in with five books under his arms.
"Hello Steven, Cynthia. How are you two doing today?"
"Good. Was waiting on you so we could start the game." I said, tossing him the wired controller.
"I'll trade you." He countered, handing me his stack of books. "These are basic and mid-level spells. There is also one about magic theory, and should be useful to you."
"Thanks, Souji, I appreciate it. Can I come to you if I have any questions?"
"Of course."
"Cool. Now, however, is the time to sit back, relax, and kick the shit out of each other in mini-games." After several hours of smack talk, laughing and Blanc having to fetch new controllers, we went out to that ramen place for lunch.
"Neptune told us you two are getting married." Souji stated.
"We are, though we're still planning." Cynthia said.
"Can I see your ring?" Blanc asked.
"Of course." She extended her left hand to the short CPU, allowing her to examine it.
"It's beautiful."
"Truly it is." Souji added, agreeing with his employer.
"Thank you."
"I wish someone would give me a ring like this." Blanc lamented, melancholy in her voice.
"You'll find someone. If I can, then you can too." I said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Are you sure? I'm not exactly…womanly…" Ah, that's what this is about. Makes sense, now that I think about it.
"You're fine. I believe in you." I replied.
"I agree. There are plenty of people that would be honored to be with you." Souji stated.
"Your orders." The shop keep said, handing us our bowls. I looked down to mine and saw that it had a fork in it, just like the last time.
"What else is there to do around here in Lowee? We haven't had the chance to go venturing." Cynthia asked.
"We can show you." Blanc suggested. "I don't go out much for something like that, but there are a few places I know."
"Sounds good. But first, lunch." After we finished our meals, we found out that Blanc would make a really good tour guide if she weren't a CPU. Hell, I'm pretty sure she was severally underestimating just how many places she knew about. There were a bunch of different restaurants and parks, and the Grand Library.
"And this is the Grand Library of Lowee. It has books in it that even the Basilicom cannot get a hold of." Blanc said, beaming with pride. "Research shows that the only place with more information is with the pages of Planeptune's Oracle."
"That's a lot of info." I mutter. The building was huge, and the information must've been just as vast. "I bet there's a lot of old history buried in there somewhere."
"There is. This is where I went whenever I did research for our explorations."
"Yeah, that makes sense. So, what are you and Neptune going to do?" I had to know. It was a tragic story that Shakespeare would be mad that he didn't write it.
"When the Histoire from her dimension opens the portal, I will be going with her."
"Aw…" Cynthia cooed. "So dedicated." While she fawned over the relationship, and he got all embarrassed, I leaned over to Blanc.
"Hey Blanc?"
"Yes?"
"What's up with you and Nepgear?"
"It's nothing."
"You can tell us. We won't say anything, and I really can't judge, now can I?"
"I said it's nothing!" The CPU shouted. "I…I need to go."
"Steven, what did you say to her?" Cynthia asked, and I shrugged.
"I believe it would be unwise to return to the Basilicom. Lady Blanc may surely become violent if you do." Souji said.
"Well, it was nice while it lasted. Maybe we can do this again sometime. It's nice seeing you outside of work and being so casual." Cynthia said, giving the man a hug.
"I will talk to Lady Blanc about it once she's calmed down."
"Seeya later, Souji." I said. With a repeat performance of before we came here, we left.
"So, she absolutely likes Nepgear." Cynthia stated as we flew.
"You heard that?"
"Steven…"
"Right. Stupid question. But yeah, without a doubt, and I'm pretty sure Nepgear likes her too. She gravitated towards her instead of her sister with no hesitation the other day."
"You know, it's funny." Cynthia chuckled. "You can spot the romance between other people no problem, but you were completely oblivious to my love for you."
"There's no need to point that out, 'Tia, and to be fair, for that month that we knew each other I was unconscious for most of it."
"I know, but it's fun to see you all embarrassed."
"We've still got time before the day is over. Is there anyone else you want to hit up?"
"Well, Noire's out. There's no way she isn't still working. Vert is…well, Vert's room scares me, and everyone else is busy with the children."
"With so many people there now, they can spare someone." I stated.
"True…Nepgear could use a trip outside for once."
"Making the call from up here isn't the best idea, given my track record. Maybe when we land."
"If we're landing, it's probably going to be at the Basilicom." As the passenger, I had no reason to argue against the pilot.
"Alright. We'll just pop right in." After the fifteen or so minute flight, we landed on the conveniently placed balcony. "Hey, we're taking Nepgear, bye." I said, grabbing said girl by the wrist and dragging her out the door.
"Have her back before midnight!" Neptune called out before we left, yet didn't sound very concerned. She was feeding Peashy, so…
"Do be sure to have a good time with her." I heard Plutie say from the other side of the door. "She's quite shy and could use some…experience."
"Plutia, it's nothing like that and you know it." Cynthia sighed, clearly not amused by her innuendo.
"I know, but teasing people is so much fun."
"Please let go." Nepgear asked. I did so, and we left for the house.
"Pardon the mess. We're moving tomorrow." Cynthia said to the girl.
"It's okay. I lived with Neptune for most of my life, so I'm used to it. Why did you invite me here?"
"Felt like you could use a break from being at the Basilicom. Plutie called and said you were already acting like a shut-in." I explained. "So, I figured we'd get you out of the house. There's still a bit to do around here, even though we're packing." After a minute of contemplation, it seemed like she made up her mind.
"Can I see some of the things you have found in the temples?"
"Of course. Here, we keep them in the study." Cynthia exclaimed, leading the girl by the hand.
"Wow!" The girl cried, eyes sparkling at the various trophies that we had kept. "This is incredible! So much history…"
"I thought you were a tech nerd?" I asked, honestly surprised by her enthusiasm.
"Without things like this, the technology we know today wouldn't exist."
"That's fair." She asked about various things as she poked around, and we were more than happy to share the stories about how we got them, or explain how the more intact ones used to work.
"Can I take these home with me?" Nepgear asked, carrying an armful of random pieces. "I have an idea about these."
"I don't have a problem with it." 'Tia said.
"Thank you so much! I'll get them back to you as soon as I'm done." Ancient stuff in hand, Nepgear bolted out the door. Not an hour later Iri and Monika came home and we exchanged how our days went. After dinner we finished packing that we could, leaving out things like toothbrushes and pillows.
"Steven, wake up, it's time to get moving."
"…*groan* Five more minutes…"
"We have to finish packing. It's either that, or you get packed in a box."
"You drive a hard bargain." I get up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Is everyone else up?"
"No, I decided to let those two sleep. They look so cute together."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Come on and look for yourself." Entering the room that my adopted daughter and her Servant shared, well, pictures where taken by the unpacked camera of the two snuggled up with each other. "Put that away, the flash might wake them."
"We have to get them now, before the movers get here." Deciding to wake them, I found it funny how much hair I had to move just to get to one of their shoulders so I could shake it. Doing so got me the same response I gave just a few minutes ago. Multiple tries yielded the same result, and Iri might as well have been a corpse.
"'Tia, it's time for drastic measures."
"I'm NOT dumping water on them and ruining the matress."
"I don't need water, just two ice cubes."
"No. Absolutely not. Don't you dare!"
"It'd work."
"…" After our stare down, she sighed, leaving the room. With a twisted smile, I carefully removed their blanket. "I hope you get what you deserve for this."
"Oh, I will, but you fail to realize that I find enjoyment not through acts, but through reactions." Taking the two chucks of frozen water in hand, I very gentle front of their pajama pants before dropping them in. The startled jumps and squeal/scream was so satisfying that I couldn't keep myself from falling over in laughter.
"D-Dad!?"
"Steven…" Oh, I don't like the tone of voice Caster is using. "Not only was that rude, but it was incredibly indecent." I looked up from my fit of laughter to see several large birds.
"Please don't. I tried shaking you both awake, but you wouldn't budge." The Heroic Servant was having none of it, if her look and subtle attempts to shake the cold solid out of her pants was anything to go by.
"Let's save the maiming for later. We have to finish packing." The claw marks on my back were proof that Iri wasn't going to let it go that easily. The packing, which happened after a premade breakfast we got last night, took half an hour. Moving was not the experience I thought it would be, from all the stories I've heard in my life. The movers were awesome, taking great care to get everything in and out of the truck. They were even nice enough to help us set up larger pieces of furniture like the kitchen table. As I unpacked one of the boxes in our new bedroom, I felt something soft and warm settle itself on my shoulders. Turning my head revealed that it was a Calico cat…Okay then…
"Hey Dad…? That's a cat."
"Yeah. What's up?"
"We don't own a cat."
"I'm aware. So, what do you need?" Is the cat really more important than whatever you came to me for?
"*sigh* Mom! We own a cat now!"
"What do you mean we have a cat…How?" Cynthia started, asking her question as she entered the doorway.
"I don't know. I was emptying this out and then…cat."
"Can we keep it?" Monika asked, taking the Calico into her hands. Once I was free of the fuzz burden, I started looking around the room, and saw something out of place.
"We should see if it has an owner first."
"It probably doesn't, because I think it was hanging out in that vent." I said, pointing at the grate that was on the ground.
"…Let's finish unpacking, then we'll talk about the cat."
"We're keeping the cat." I whispered to Monika as her mother left. I also took the opportunity to return the cat to where it wanted to be when it made itself known.
"Yes!" She cheered, fist pumping the air. The unpacking took most of the day, and that was really left to do was get new groceries and talk about the cat, who was currently resting on Iri's lap.
"She is really cute." Cynthia said, looking at the ball of fur.
"A little on the thin side, so she hasn't been a stray for long." With that one line, I pulled a folded up piece of paper from my pocket.
"This is everything we're going to need to take care of a cat. We can get most, if not everything, from the grocery store."
"How did-?"
"For as long as I can remember, I've owned a cat. I know this stuff like the back of my hand."
"Come here, Sayori." Monika cooed. Surprisingly, the cat responded, making itself comfortable. "H-Hey…"
"Hehe…Tiny kitty on a titty…" Ah, memes. Sometimes I'm glad you exist. Only sometimes.
"As comfortable as the cat…er…Sayori, is, we need every hand we can to buy everything we need." Cynthia stated. Sayori wasn't happy being removed from her pillows, but was content to lay on the throw pillow. With the unexpected additions to our list, it took five hours, and that's not counting the break we took for dinner at a nearby diner. There were other options, nicer options, but I'll never give up my love for the little family run places. So, bags in hand, we walked in the door. Have you ever been scaled like a mountain by a cat? No? Well, I hadn't either until Sayori decided to change that, and learned that it was a painful experience.
"Of course. Leave it to a cat to make a simple task harder." I grumbled. Surprisingly, she stayed on my shoulders even as we went outside to get more bags. "This cat is the best." I stated, proud of the bundle of warmth.
"You and that cat are going to drive me insane." Cynthia chuckled.
"I think she's adorable. I wonder if she'll do that with anyone else." Iri pondered.
"'Sup, sluts? What's with the cat?" Johnny asked, just coming in without knocking. I guess he came with Plutie. She did say she wanted to visit once we were all moved in.
"We're still bringing in groceries. Would you like to help?" Monika asked.
"Hell n- Yes." His protest was cut off by Plutie jamming an elbow into his ribs. In her hands was a fairly large brown box. With the two extra sets of hands, the process became that much quicker.
"Nice place." Johnny commented as we all settled down.
"It's really cozy. I'll let Neppy know that he apartment is free." Without a word, she set the box on the coffee table in the living room. Very hesitantly I opened said box. Inside was small plushies like the kind that she normally makes. There were ones for me, Cynthia, Plutie, Iri, Monika, and Tehg. She must've gotten details about him from 'Tia. The detail was impressive, given the fact that 'Tia and I had rings on ours.
"Thanks, Plutie. I'll have to find somewhere where people can see them but can't get them dirty." I said, setting them together on the coffee table before taking care of the box. We all sat around and talked for a while before it got late enough to call it a day. I laid down, curling up with Cynthia and closed my eyes. Not a moment later I felt a heavy softness settle itself on my face before it started to purr. "God dammit Sayori."
"Any plans for today?" Cynthia asked as I hashed out breakfast.
"I was thinking about seeing Dante today. If anyone can teach me how to use an outlandish weapon, it'd be him."
"True, and that works out well for me too. I wanted to go have a girl's day out with all of us."
"Cool. They need to get out more often, and getting together really is something we've got to do more often."
"Do you mean Monika and Iri, or the babies?"
"Yes." Before our conversation could continue any further, there was a frantic knock on the door. "Did you have anyone coming by?"
"No. We were going to meet somewhere else." Shrugging, I walked over and opened the door to reveal a panting, sweaty Nepgear.
"Ha…ha…Hi…"
"Nepgear, why are you here, let alone with how exhausted you look?" I asked the girl as I let her in. I moved into the kitchen, filling a glass with water. "Here, drink this."
"Thank you." After consuming the drink, she answered my previous question. "Remember those pieces I took home with me the other day? Well. With Uni's help I was able to make them into something." From her inventory she retrieved what could only be described as a hand cannon. The entire gun was the length of my elbow to the tip of my middle finger, with the chamber being about two inches long. Its design was the futuristic look that Planeptune was known for. It was white and had purple sections that were glowing with a light from within the gun. There was a button on the grip that deployed a holographic sight when pressed.
"Holy Hell…That's a gun." Taking the gun from her was…an experience. I didn't expect the absurd weight of it and almost dropped it.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot you weren't as strong as a CPU."
"Don't worry, he's fine." 'Tia said, reassuring the girl. "He's been through worse than some muscle strain."
"I have. It sucked."
"Oh, okay." After a few minutes of silence, Cynthia spoke up.
"Shall we get going? It's not often we all of us girls get a free day."
"Of course!" The two girls left, leaving me alone with the behemoth projectile weapon and my loving cat.
"I should give Ragland a heads up. There's no way this isn't gonna fuck me up, and he appreciates it when I left him know when I'm doing something stupid." After letting the good doctor know that I'll be in today, I went to the run down shack that the red coated Devil Hunter called home. On my way there, I bumped into a familiar face.
"G1." Johnny greeted with a nod.
"Johnny." I replied, returning the gesture. "Where are you heading?"
"I heard there was a swordsman around here. Kinda wanted to stop bullshitting and get some real sword skills under my belt."
"Ah, you heard about Dante. I'm going over there now, if you want to tag along. I got a fancy staff I need to learn how to use."
"How fancy?"
"It's got a gun built into each end."
"Really? Why?"
"Unlike almost everyone else, I don't have a sharp pointy thing. I need something to do some real damage."
"Sure, sure." It didn't take long for me to lead Johnny to Dante's place. "This place looks like shit."
"Yeah, but it works." I opened the door and saw the white haired man sleeping at his desk. "Wake up, old timer. You can sleep when you're dead."
"Hey, kid. You brought a friend." He greeted.
"Yeah, this is Johnny. I've mentioned him before."
"Cursed sword guy, right?" Dante asked and Johnny nodded. "Alright. I'm guessing you want to learn how to use the thing?"
"More or less. Improvising is only going to get me so far."
"I'm here for pretty much the same reason." I commented, extending my staff to its full length.
"So that's what trench coat wanted me to use Lucifer for." Dante mused to himself. "Okay, kiddies, let's rock!" With a throw of one of his guns, the jukebox began playing his preferred heavy rock. For hours, the two of us fought and learned the more experienced fighter. Dante was more willing to help me the last time I came for serious training, and we even made a seemingly new style that I could use. It involved combining the defensive nature of hitting weak points with the offensive nature of using different parts of my body to pivot the staff and keep its momentum. Johnny picked up on the swordsmanship that Dante threw at him real quick, even reaching the point where he could switch between the two forms of his sword without a delay.
"You two are picking this u quick, but you should head home. I can't push you as far as I'd push myself."
"Sounds good. Seeya." Johnny said, leaving.
"Sticking around?"
"Yeah. Nepgear came by with a gun that she built from some stuff we had found over the years."
"And you want to give it a whirl. You do remember what happened the last time you shot a gun you've never used before, right?" Dante asked with a smirk.
"I've given Ragland the heads up like he wanted." With that, I drew the gargantuan pistol. "Target please." With a chuckle as he shook his head, the veteran pulled out Cerberus and slammed it into the ground on the other side of the room. From the impact rose a large pillar of ice created by the demonic weapon.
"Go nuts. I'll be right here for when things go bad." Leveling the weapon and activating the sight, I made the same mistake I did the first time with my Colt. I tried shooting it one-handed. So, with everything lined up, I pulled the trigger. Now, I've broken bones before, so when the bones in my forearm snapped, it wasn't as painful as it used to be. The result of this experiment was the shattering of a pillar of ice, my left wrist, radius, and ulna.
"Yup! Need to go to Ragland!" I shouted.
"Hahaha! Man, that's one hell of a gun. I'll have to hit this chick up, see if she can't get me one." After he was done laughing, he hefted my over his shoulder and moved. After just a few minutes, we were in front of the doctor's clinic. "So, this is the guy?" Dante asked as Ragland helped settle me onto a table. "Doesn't look like much."
"I don't have to look like anything in order to do my job right." Ragland countered. "How bad is it this time, Steven?"
"Wrist and both bones in the forearm."
"You really know how to do a number on yourself."
"Not my fault that Nepgear gave me what was essentially a compact sniper rifle."
"Give me the arm. I need to take an x-ray. Do you need anything for this?"
"I should be good."
"Gotta get back to the shop. Come on by when you're all patched up, and we can give it another shot."
"Probably. See you then, Dante." It took several hours for Ragland to deal with the broken bones. He even had to knock me out to do it. And, as per my luck, I found myself in a three-quarter arm cast once more. "God dammit, not one of these again."
"You did it to yourself. Here." Ragland said, handing me a piece of paper. "This is a prescription for a stronger dose than usual for the accelerated regeneration pills. That means the side effects will be worse. Also, nothing involving that arm until a week after the last pill is gone, to be safe."
"I don't think that the side effects will be a problem. 'Tia likes making big meals. How long am I down for?"
"A total of three weeks."
"Not as long as last time. Small blessings, I guess. See you later, Ragland." After going to the pharmacy to get my prescription, I went home. I turned the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. "Hey, I'm home!"
"Welcome ba- What did you do this time?" Cynthia sounded cheerful, but became serious after looking at my arm in a sling.
"Nepgear's gun. I might as well have shot a fifty cal."
"That girl…Why didn't you think about using it like a normal person?"
"Habit, mostly. By the way, Ragland gave me a stronger version of the goods, so I hope you're up for some heavy duty cooking."
"Fine, but you owe me."
"As soon as I get my arm back." As we entered the living room I was assaulted by similar questions from Monika and Iri."
"I could use my Noble Phantasm to heal you." The Caster suggested.
"There's no need for that. Noble Phantasms are meant for more important things."
"*sigh*…If you insist. At least let me heal it a little." She demanded, placing her hands on the cast. The room gained a light green hue as she worked her magic. "There, at least you won't have to worry about them shifting."
"Thanks."
"Hey Monika, would you like to help me make dinner tonight?"
"I'd love to! There's been a recipe I've been meaning to try." The excited girl raced to the kitchen full tilt.
"Slow down, Monika, or you'll trip like last time." Iri teased.
"Man, she can be real excitable when she wants to be." I muttered. "Hey, Iri, got a question for you"
"What is it?"
"Has Monika done any poetry?"
"She has, though not much, and the poems she has written are short and simple."
"Well, she's writing them, that's good. That means that she's at least starting to get over all of that."
"She hasn't been having nightmares nearly as much either."
"You're good for her."
"Are you giving me your blessing?" Iri giggled.
"Are you asking for it?"
"Not yet. It hasn't been long enough for something like that." The rest of the night went by uneventfully. The recipe she wanted to try was for lasagna, so we didn't have to worry about having to make a vegetarian version.
Because of my injury, I decided that it would be a good idea to not head anywhere for a few days, instead helping Monika and Iri babysit.
"You're going to be a good dad." Monika said as I held Compa. "You've been fine for me, but you're different with babies."
"Well yeah, you can't be doing things the same around them, because you have to be a positive influence."
"Well put." Histoire said. "It would be nice if Neptune would do what you said. She may have gotten better after her condition arose, but she still has some terrible habits. With her and Souji moved into the apartment you used to live in, Plutia settled into her role as the children's mother."
"That sounds about right. Speaking of, where is she?"
"Plutia said she wanted to go out and get to know her people better." Monika replied.
"Oh, cool. Hopefully nothing will show up in the paper." Something did, but not what I expected. Actually, the story written about the whole thing was honestly really cute. It even starred a picture of her pushing a little boy on a swing with both of them smiling.
With my recovery well on its way, I decided to head over to Leanbox while Cynthia slept so I wouldn't worry her…as much. The boat that I took got me there around early afternoon.
"Now, where would she be?" I asked myself.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Hey, Noire. I was planning on visiting Vert, but I've never been to Leanbox before."
"You picked a bad day. Vert and I are going out on a date."
"Oh…Damn. Well, at least I get to explore the city."
"What happened to you this time?" Vert asked from behind me.
"New gun." I replied, turning to her. "How do you know this isn't the first time?"
"Noire has shared some stories she's gathered from everyone. May I ask why you're here?"
"A few reasons. I don't know you very well, I don't know Leanbox very well, and you did say you've ran into a temple." I explained. "I would've come sooner, but…"I waved the plastered arm around to prove my point.
"I see. That's reasonable enough."
"I can do some of that later, though. You two are busy."
"We didn't really have anything planned outside of getting lunch. If you would be willing to wait at the Basilicom until we're finished, I would be more than willing to accommodate your request."
"I…guess that's fine with me too. We haven't talked in a while either." Noire hesitantly agreed.
"Okay. Lead the way." After a rather brief tour of the island nation, Vert lead me into her CPU sanctum, and I immediately wanted to leave. "Um…dafuq?"
"Oh, don't worry about all of that." Vert stated, waving off all the BL stuff.
"Don't worry, it threw the rest of us off the first time too." Noire whispered.
"So I've heard."
"I would offer you any of my games, but I don't believe you could if I did."
"It's okay, I can figure something out." After bidding each other goodbye, I did just that. Thankfully I keep a book on me in case of entertainment emergencies. I don't know how much time passed seeing as how I fell asleep reading.
"Comfortable?" Noire asked as I stirred, waking when I heard the door open. I don't blame her for the snarky comment, seeing as how I was thoroughly sprawled out across the couch.
"Yup. Pretty sure I fell asleep at some point."
"It is a very comfortable couch." Vert commented. "It's normally my bed when I'm busy."
"Busy playing games when you should be sleeping." Noire countered, clearly not pleased with the green themed CPU's habit.
"I try, I truly do."
"*sigh*Okay, I'm not going to fight a battle I can't win. Can you get ready to leave soon? Vert and I talked, and after we see the temple we'll go get dinner. You must be hungry."
"Sounds like a plan." Standing up and getting ready, we left. The temple she found was deep within the Halo Forest. Honestly, with how far in it was, I couldn't understand why Vert had even been here.
"This is it." Vert said as we approached the stone structure.
"Hm…This stuff is old…Older than most of the others. Looks Nordic, if the tree above the door is anything to go by."
"The tree?" Noire asked.
"It's Yggdrasil, the world tree. The nine balls represent the nine realms. Midgard is the land of mortals and Asgard is the land of gods."
"You just…knew about this one…How come you can spout all of this without research!?" Oh, Noire's #Triggered.
"Still upset? Sheesh, you hold a grudge. The reason I know about it is because the Marvel Comics were a thing back home, and they had a depiction of the Norse mythology."
"Comics?" Vert asked.
"Think manga, but with a different format. They also tend to stick to the theme of superheroes."
"I see." Before she could continue, a soldier wearing Leanbox's colors ran up.
"Lady Green Heart! It's an emergency! Someone claiming to be one of the Seven Sages is destroying the city!" No…We killed him. I watched the tank dude explode.
"What's this? Destroying Leanbox!? What of our military forces?"
"W-We're completely ineffective…"
"Sounds about right." Noire said. "Normal people don't stand a chance against them." The soldier's shoulders slumped, clearly depressed by Noire's words.
"I cannot stand by as my people are put in danger. Excuse me, Steven, but I must go. Perhaps we can continue this another day."
"You're not doing this on your own." Noire stated. "We're here for you, so let us help."
"I'm down an arm, but I should still be able to help. Magic only needs one hand."
"I…thank you. Both of you." Aw…Do I not get a hug? Then again, we aren't close enough to warrant such a response. With that resolved, we made our way back to the city, led by that soldier. Following the destruction from the place the soldier last saw them, we found the cause in a warehouse.
"Take that! I'll crush everything! Urrrraaaah! Haaaaah!" Arfoire yelled, smashing a piece of equipment used to move large boxes. With her was, as I thought, Copypaste.
"Well done, dear friend! I'll have to try even harder to keep up with you!" He shouted, taking a swing at a computer.
"What do you think you two are doing to my nation?' Vert asked the two, a scowl marring her face.
"Ah, so you have arrived. Reports said you would be alone, but I guess he isn't always right."
"Hey, Arfoire. Remember me? Ah, who cares if you do, I just want to take my pound of flesh for what you did to my shoulder. I didn't get to go as far as I wanted the last time." I stated, letting a savage smile split my face.
"Oh, hey buddy! How are ya!?" Man, I can't keep the sadist thing up when he hits me with the bro.
"Not bad you?"
"Good, good. Is that some new friends of yours I see? That's wonderful! Friends should be treasured above all treasures!"
"Just shut up and fight!" Noire yelled, transforming. "I won't let you keep destroying my girlfriend's city."
"Negotiations have broken down." I muttered, raising my staff to point it at them. Vert fawned over Noire referring to her as her girlfriend before following her lead, leveling the lance at the two.
"No more!" Vert roared, flying at the tank of a man(?). Noire took on Arfoire, and I blasted the two whenever I saw an opening. Between the bladed weapons and the various elemental blasts and spells we wore down the Seven Sages. "Take that!" Vert said, dealing the final hit on Copypaste, dropping him out of the fight. "That's one. Now, to deal with the other." Noire had put Arfoire on her ass, and I couldn't stop myself from slamming the butt of my staff into the bridge of her nose. Oh, the crunch from it breaking was satisfying.
"Ah, that felt good." So glad I did that.
"Why did you get in my way?" Noire asked.
"Someone has to fill in for Plutie when she isn't here. As you said way back when, there IS two of us.
"Right…"
"You'll…You'll pay for this…" The witch said nasally, picking herself up off of the ground. "Come on, you hunk of junk, we're leaving." With a wave from the machine, the two left to who knows where.
"Thank you, both of you." Vert said, deactivating HDD. "I do not believe I would be able to defeat them both on my own." Noire gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Don't worry about it."
"Do I get a hug this time?" I asked, right arm held open.
"Of course." She replied, giving me a hug after separating herself from Noire.
"Now, about that dinner."
"Cynthia was right. You do only think with your stomach." Vert chuckled, though not long after we heard a growl.
"…I'm pretty hungry too…" Noire whispered.
"Well, we can't have both of you walking around scaring everyone with the sounds of your stomachs. Come along, I will be my treat." After the meal that I felt like I was underdressed for, I went home and passed out on the couch.
Ah, there we go. 'Why would you ignore me if this chapter was about talking with everyone?' Because I wanted to give other characters that don't get much screen time some interaction. 'I see. Okay then, but you better make it up to me.' Yes, Monika. Now, for an announcement. After reading through my older chapters to try to find some info for Tehg, I've discovered that there are quite a few mistakes that I missed while editing. So, slowly but surely I'll be fixing those. With that said, seeya!