Bae, Irys and Gura returned to the Bread Dog office that afternoon. There, they were welcomed by the entire, two-dozen strong company like big damn heroes.
Party poppers heralded their arrival once the elevator doors opened, going off like it was the Canada Day fireworks. Fauna and Mumei promptly offered them Tim Hortons coffee, donuts and Timbits donut holes of every flavor. Kaela was also helping Ina set up the conference hall - furnishing the desks with boxes of freshly baked Tako Eats pizza and other refreshments.
All this happened while Sana hugged them and cheered for them wholeheartedly. The giantess CEO paraded her heroes through the Bread Dog office hallways as if they were Nova Scotian hockey superstar Sidney Crosby himself!
Of course, Irys and Bae didn't understand half of what was going on, but they couldn't help but smile.
"You girls did good." Gura spoke wholeheartedly. Her shark's tail wagged happily behind her, "We couldn't have done this without you booking it the way you did." Then, she grinned toothily at the new hires, "You're freaking rock stars!"
"Rock stars, huh…?" Bae mused.
She watched the adoring crowd of her colleagues in the halls of Bread Dog together with Irys. That fanfare brought back memories for Bae. She could only see her partner's profile from the side, but the small smile on Irys' lips told Bae enough.
You remember it too, don't you?
Satisfied, Bae basked in the warm welcome with Irys a little longer. The impromptu pizza-coffee-and-donut party came and went and the rest of Bae's workday carried on like normal.
She sat through Insurance lectures from Gura, got more homework from Sana, clocked out with Kaela on her way out and rode the same elevator as Irys. The routine that she had built throughout the week played out with impeccable rhythm.
Then, when she stepped out of their office building's doors, Bae turned to the Nephilim.
"See you next week!" Bae called out to her.
Suddenly, Irys chuckled.
"It's Saturday tomorrow, dummy." Irys chuckled.
"Is it!?" Bae gasped.
She fished out her smartphone to confirm.
Damn, she's right.
Bae's eyes shot back to Irys. The Nephilim snickered, absolutely delighted to see the haggard Bae.
"What. You're gonna miss me over the weekend?" Irys teased playfully.
"I-I'm not." Bae scrambled to save face, "W-we're just colleagues, right?"
Irys snorted.
"Yeah." Irys smiled at her 'colleague' with unusual warmth. Then, she beamed, "See you around, rockstar!"
Suddenly, Bae blushed.
She does remember it!
Bae's heart knotted up. A myriad of burning questions popped up in her heart, begging her to ask the Nephilim to stay a while. Was this, perhaps, her chance to ask them?
Seeing Irys' back turned to her filled Bae with a certain sourness on her tongue. This was a familiarly bittersweet sight that she couldn't bear.
So, Bae took a deep breath and called out to her 'colleague'.
"Hey, Irys!"
Irys stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"What's up?" Irys asked casually.
The Nephilim's two-colored eyes, however, shimmered ever so slightly - a faint, expectant shimmer that Bae had seen before too. Bae clenched her fists and shot her shot.
"Could I hitch a ride with you to the ferry terminal?" Bae asked.
Silence fell between them. Then, Bae clammed up.
Crap…
A torrent of realizations dawned upon her all at once.
The ferry terminal was within walking distance.
The road off Purdy's Wharf, Lower Water Street, was a one-way road too, so the Vespa would have had to take a lot of detours.
That, and Bae had already intruded on the personal space of her 'colleague' during their grand delivery mission already.
Bae gulped, waiting for divine retribution. She heard the sloshing of the water of the Halifax harbor and the blowing of the warm, summertime sea breeze filling her ears. The sea, the sun, the wind and the American tourists going to and fro would have borne witness to her thermonuclear flop.
But then, Irys gave her answer.
"Sure."
"I'm sorry to have bothered you." Bae spat out immediately, 'I'll just walk and…"
Then, Bae paused. She turned to Irys and looked her in the eyes.
"Wait. Did you just…" Bae gasped.
"I'll give you a lift." Irys reaffirmed with a small smile. Then she gave Bae a peace sign, "The more favors you owe me, the better!"
"Wha…!" Bae croaked.
Irys broke out into laughter.
"Just kidding!" Irys clarified, "C'mon, Bae. Let's go for a ride."
At a loss for words, Bae had to stop herself from leaping up with joy. Instead, she cleared her throat and spoke bluntly.
"I'll be in your care." Bae muttered.
You always did pamper me back in the day.
On that note, Irys and Bae went back into the parking lot of Purdy's Wharf together. They retrieved Irys' Vespa and went on their long-winded series of detours to the Halifax ferry terminal.
Like before, they wore their helmets. Irys drove and Bae sat on the seat behind her. She embraced the Nephilim from behind and held on to keep her balance. This time around, without the stress of an impending business deal falling through, Bae relished in the feeling of Irys' back on her chest and Irys' waist around her arms.
I missed this more than I thought.
When Bae thought of this, another question popped up in her mind. At the first red stoplight, Bae spoke her mind.
"This is the same Vespa that you bought back in 'Straya, right?" Bae asked.
"The exact same one." Irys confirmed while she waited for the lights to change, "It's got a Nova Scotia plate now - and I've had the battery changed once too, but everything else is still the same."
"Even the helmets." Bae commented, "You kept mine."
"It'd be a waste to throw it away." Irys replied, "You know how much one of those things cost."
Irys spoke plainly and practically like she did in the office, but Bae could hear the slightest tinge of tenderness there. She couldn't see Irys' face from the back seat, though, so all Bae could do was guess and wonder what sort of face Irys was making.
The light turned green, though, and Irys continued their pleasant drive. All the while, Irys drove through the streets of Halifax with ease. That led Bae to speak up once more.
"You know this place like the back of your hand!" Bae praised.
"I told you I arrived in Halifax way before you did." Irys reminded.
"How long ago was that?" Bae asked.
"Three months ago." Irys answered.
"Right after graduation!?" Bae gasped.
"I'm not as passive as a certain someone I know." Irys teased.
"Oy." Bae grumbled.
"Plus, I had this scooter shipped to Vancouver - the West coast." Irys added, "I spent another month driving here to Halifax - took in all the sights and sounds along the way." She laughed, "I even passed through Vermont in the US because I took a wrong turn somewhere."
Bae chuckled too.
Then Irys paused.
"I wanted to take my mind off some things before I started work here with Bread Dog." Irys started speaking again, muttering beneath her breath, "But then, some of those 'some things' followed me to work."
"Did you say something?" Bae asked.
"Nope." Irys revved her Vespa and carried on with her drive, "Was probably just the wind."
"Is that so?" Bae hummed.
Without another word, Irys drove on and reached the Halifax ferry terminal. She dropped Bae off, took back the spare helmet and bid her colleague adieu. Bae, meanwhile, hopped off the scooter and moved to retrieve her suitcase from the Vespa's back storage.
While Bae did so, however, she saw a pair of busker musicians who had set up shop nearby - just outside the ferry terminal. It was a two-girl combo: one with an acoustic guitar and another who sang lively Maritime songs: hearty Celtic tunes with the twang of Atlantic Canadian sea shanties.
Bae caught herself watching while she got her briefcase. She was going to apologize to Irys for keeping her, but the Nephilim took off her helmet and watched the buskers too.
Irys was enthralled.
Her two-colored eyes were sparkling like the waters of Halifax harbor under the setting sun. To Bae, the Nephilim looked absolutely radiant.
But then, Irys shook her head and put her helmet back on.
"I can't stay here or I'll get a ticket." Irys sighed. She shooed Bae and urged her to go, "Your ferry's almost here. You don't want to miss it."
"Y-yeah." Bae stammered.
She got her briefcase and watched Irys drive away from the ferry terminal. Then, the foghorn of the incoming ferry grabbed her attention once more.
"Damn it." Bae cursed.
The rat-girl gripped her suitcase handle tightly and fished out the fare for her ferry ride home. Before she zipped into the ferry terminal, though, Bae pulled out a five-dollar bill and set it down in the open guitar case of the busker girls performing outside.
"Keep rocking, girls!" Bae cheered for them, "Don't stop chasing your dreams."
Bae paused.
Don't be like me.
The buskers smiled innocently and appreciatively at Bae and wished her a safe trip home. When Bae passed through the ferry terminal door, however, she thought she saw something through the glass.
For a brief moment, the two busker girls performing on the boardwalk looked like her and Irys.
A small, longing smile grew on Bae's lips.
Maybe I should dust off that old guitar of mine too.
Spurred by that thought, Bae rushed to ride her ferry home. All the while, she looked forward to seeing the Nephilim at work after the weekend.
Little did Bae know, however, that she was going to see Irys again much sooner than she thought.
…
Nowhere With You
Rock Star
…
Epilogue
FROM: "Ceres Fauna"
TO: "Baelz Hakos" and 27 others
RE: "Health and Wellness Event"
Good evening, and happy weekend to everyone!
I'm pleased to announce that we will be having our next Health and Wellness event at the Halifax YMCA at Sackville Street this Sunday after lunch. Please bring active wear and prepare for a pleasant afternoon with me and your fellow Bread Dog employees. Sana and I hope to see you there!
Warm regards,
Fauna Ceres
PS: The YMCA has a pool. Bring your swimsuits if you wish!
To Be Continued