"Is everything okay, Ragna?" Celica regarded him as if he hadn't been her friend for years.
Quickly putting on a mask to hide his worries, Ragna asked, "Whaddya mean? Do I look funny?" He examined himself just in case and found nothing peculiar about his outfit: jeans, a long-sleeve v-neck shirt, and a coat because the weather had gotten cold. Celica leaned into his personal space and peered deep into his eyes, their noses almost touching. Ragna leaned away from her after a beat.
"You said hi to me," she observed, suspicious.
"Um, what?" Was he not supposed to?
Celica pointed at him with a glint in her eyes like she'd solved the secrets of mankind. "You almost never say hi to me first. That means there's something going on with you that you're not telling me!"
Ragna blanched. He didn't know whether she was perceptive, superstitious, or just plain stupid. "C'mon, I say hi to you all the time," he replied, maintaining his front.
"No, you don't," she stated.
He sweatdropped. "I can't be that much of an asshole." The brunette raised a dubious eyebrow. "Seriously?" You could've pretended to think about it a little. Whether that was true or not, Celica's assessment hit the nail on the head and canceling the plans he'd made with her last minute certainly didn't appeal to his case. Nevertheless, Ragna remained flippant. "You're being ridiculous. If this is about yesterday, I had some things to take care of. That's all. I told you on the phone." That part wasn't a lie.
"Hmm." Celica leaned in again, causing his cheeks to burn up, but not enough to show. She decided not to press him despite being unsatisfied with his explanation. As soon as she realized how their closeness might be perceived by passersby, she backed off, her face flushing in embarrassment.
"Celica! Forgot to ask when you'll be…" Jubei emerged from the doorway, mildly surprised to see Ragna in his front yard before he nodded approvingly. "About time ya made yer move, m'boy." Ragna just frowned. He wasn't putting moves on anyone. "Make sure you're not out too late. Streets're dangerous now," the cat beastman advised.
Celica wore a confident smile. "Ragna is with me, so I'll be okay! Let's go!"
"H-hey, don't pull! Uh, catch ya later!" Ragna called to a grinning Jubei as Celica dragged him off toward the train station. "Where do you wanna go?" he inquired.
Celica glibly replied, "Everywhere!"
"Excuse me? Do you think I'm made of money?" Ragna grumbled. "Show my wallet a little mercy. I said I was sorry."
She held his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. "I guess I can be lenient. After all, you promised to take me to that new ice cream place today! But there's a movie I want to see, so we can go there first!"
"A movie?"
"Yep. I've been getting into a series lately, and they just put out a new movie that will tie everything up from eight seasons which leads into the next! It's out on blu-ray, but there's something about seeing it in theaters—"
"And spending my money," Ragna interjected.
"That too!" Celica ignored his deadpan glare and spoke with a wistful look in her eyes, far more pep in her step. "That really enhances the whole experience! It's a story of love, friendship, and betrayal. I hear that season eight wasn't well received because of what happened to a fan-favorite character, but I think it might've been the best because they not only added way more backstory to him, but his significance in the story, while a bit out of nowhere, was handled well."
"So it's some shitty chick-flick. Great."
Celica pouted. "That's all you got from what I said?!"
"Yeah, yeah, hot guy, love, betrayal, will he, won't he…" Ragna waved a dismissive hand.
"Now you're buying me candy on top of popcorn!" she huffed.
"But it's more expensive in the theater!"
"I don't care!" Celica sounded petulant as she puffed out her cheeks. "Today is my day, and you're going to listen to whatever I say. That's what you promised, right?"
"Me and my big fucking mouth, again." Ragna sighed as they entered the train station. The wait wasn't too long, and he was grateful there were plenty of open seats. The movie theater was only a two-minute walk from their stop, and Ragna noticed a line forming outside. Celica didn't look surprised as they got in line and he thought it a coincidence; there was no way all these people were here to see some tragic romance flick. But he was proven wrong after purchasing their tickets, buying popcorn and snacks, and heading to their designated theater.
"Good! We're early!" Celica cheered.
"Early?" The place is packed! Ragna held all their goodies since Celica was treating him as her personal pack mule today, careful not to bump into anyone. Most of the seats in the back were taken so they had to make due with the middle, finding a spot next to a giddy couple who wore merchandise of the movie they were about to watch. As they sat down, the pair smiled at them.
"Excited?!" the boyfriend asked.
"Super!" Celica practically bounced in her chair. "I heard a rumor that they might replace the protagonist after this movie, so I'm a little worried…"
"I heard about that!" the girlfriend replied, sharing Celica's fear. "I think it's just a rumor though because nothing's been confirmed. I just hope that it doesn't raise any death flags."
All the color drained from Celica's face in an instant. "I'd cry!"
"I would be furious! By the way, what are your ships?" The glint in the girl's eyes put Ragna on high alert.
Celica mulled it over. "Mostly just crackships, protagonist-heroine, that kind of stuff. Season five really sank a lot of ships I had, you know?"
"Oh, I totally get it. It sucked when…"
What the fuck am I listening to? Ragna tuned out the conversation beside him, losing himself in the lore and backstory that predated the movie he was about to watch. He understood a certain level of investment one could have when experiencing a series, but this bordered on insanity for him. More people filed into the theater in droves and promptly took their seats as the advertisements came to a conclusion. All the chatter petered out and everyone's eyes fixated on the massive screen as the anticipated film finally commenced.
"This tastes sooo good! Definitely five stars!" Celica decreed as she took her first bite of ice cream, holding her cheek in sheer bliss. It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was the best scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream she'd ever tasted. Ragna sat across from her, and she realized he hadn't touched his vanilla ice cream yet. There was an odd expression on his face, something between confusion and bafflement like he was struggling to accept something. "What's wrong with you? You've been like this ever since we left the theater. Did you not like it?"
"That… isn't it." Ragna needed to re-evaluate his opinion of the girl sitting in front of him. He expected to slog through two and a half hours of mushy feelings, not some Yakuza blockbuster.
"Ryoga is so cool! I love it when he and his little brother go around roughing people up for money because while the person is scared for their lives, they're just having the most normal conversations. It's hilarious!"
That was a string of words he'd never thought would come from the mouth of Celica A. Mercury. Ragna never imagined he'd catch her shadowboxing and had a mind to send Kokonoe a recording. "I thought the movie was entertaining." It had nice action choreography and fun character dynamics. Some stuff flew over his head, as expected, but not enough that Ragna felt out of place (at least more out of place than he already was).
"But Kyoei… ah, he is sooo cute!" Stars glittered in her eyes as she squealed. "I have every other figure except his because he's so expensive. One day, Kyoei, one day…" Celica sighed longingly.
Ragna shook his head. "I'll never get the value in paying so much for plastic toys."
"Figurines," Celica corrected, indignant.
"Whatever," he groaned. "Anyway, if you keep fan-girling, your ice cream'll melt."
"You don't have to get upset." A sly grin lifted her lips upon a realization. "Ragna, are you jealous?"
His brows twitched. "I ain't jealous."
"That's not how it looks to me," Celica trilled, grinning big.
"I don't give a damn what it looks like to you, I'm not jealous of some movie star you've got a crush on." Her teasing smile remained as she swayed her head side to side, humming a playful tune. Seeing no point in trying to convince a girl so set in her ways, Ragna threw his hands in the air in resignation. "Y'know what? Fine. Think whatever you want." Her face said "I sure will" and it made him more irritated. "Now go on and eat, or do you want your toothpaste to melt?"
It was her turn to be defensive. "Mint chocolate chip does not taste like toothpaste!"
Ragna smirked around his spoon. "You mint chocolate chip fans are so easy to rile up."
"The only reason you say that is because you have no taste buds! That's why your favorite ice cream is vanilla of all things."
The vanilla-enjoyer inside Ragna implored him to refute such slander, but he knew better than to mind such blasphemous remarks against the superior flavor of dairy treats. He ate with a victorious smile plastered on his face while Celica ate with a pout, humming to accentuate how delicious her flavor was in comparison to his. If only he could focus on their inane argument, this typical moment feeling anything but. Ragna sensed those "distortions" all around them, an eerie malaise gnawing at his sanity and testing his mental fortitude.
Although the feeling wasn't as strong as in other places, their unmistakable presence loomed over Ragna like ghastly phantoms. He did his best to repress his shivers, present a stoic disposition, maintain a semblance of normalcy in front of others. How long that would last, he didn't know. It brought Noel to mind at times because she began to perceive them earlier than him, possibly the second they stepped out that fractured hellscape, yet she still carried on. She's tougher than she looks.
"Ah!" A satisfied sigh tore Ragna's focus off his anxiety to the brunette licking her lips. "Treats taste better when you don't pay for them!"
"I'm going to tear you away from Kokonoe, she's rubbing off on you a little too much." One annoying twin-tailed neet was more than enough. Celica had no business imitating her habits of all people. "Where to next?"
"I don't know. Do you want to walk around a bit, do a little window shopping? It's…" Celica took out her phone and read the time. "Oh! It's not even four yet. We still have some time before we have to go home. But you do look a little pale, so I don't want to keep you if you're not feeling well."
"Do I?" Ragna certainly felt like shit, but that was neither here nor there. "I feel fine. Maybe the vanilla isn't sitting well with me?"
"And it's the best flavor, huh?" she gloated.
"That's still a damn fact." Standing up with a deep sigh, he said, "I'll use the bathroom. Wait outside, I won't be long."
"O-oh. O…kay." Celica watched as Ragna spun on his heel toward the back of the store without waiting for her response. "What's gotten into him?" she wondered aloud, putting on her coat and heading outside. She had time to think about what they would do next… a little too much time, given how long he was gone. Just as Celica decided to go check on him, Ragna exited the shop looking better than when he had scurried off.
"Sorry for the wait. Thought about where to go next?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah. I don't have anywhere in particular I want to go, so I was thinking we could just go with the window shopping idea. Is that okay? Again, if you're not feeling well, we can go home. I don't have a problem continuing another time," Celica assured. He raised a hand and promised that everything was alright and there was no need to worry about him, like always. Of course Celica didn't buy it, noticing how hurried and awkward his gait became, but refused to press him further. They walked around the area, poked their heads in a few stores, several incoming sales catching her eye as she made mental notes of them. Ragna made a conscious effort to steer them away from certain areas, as if trying desperately to avoid some unspeakable danger lurking nearby. Ragna hadn't noticed he'd taken her hand until she tugged on him to stop, the look in his eyes like he didn't know where they were.
"Somethin' wrong?" Ragna didn't realize until he stopped how breathless he was. Looking around, they stood in front of a children's playground, the sound of kids having fun and parents calling for them reaching his ears as his heart calmed.
"Yes, with you. You've been acting strange." His behavior the past couple days had been nothing short of irregular, and it all began after his phone call the other night. She wanted to discover why. "Where were you yesterday?"
"I told you, I had some things to do." Pain lanced through his heart at the hurt in her eyes. Ragna wanted to tell her, but what good would that do? If Celica bought the idea he'd spent the entirety of Saturday scouring the city because he began sensing the distortions around him, something he could not do before, and the whole end-of-all-reality business, it would scare the shit out of her. No, she'd be more likely to think he'd gone crazy. He realized how hard he clenched Celica's hand and attempted to relax, but she immediately tightened her grip.
"I'm here for you, you know." Celica brushed a thumb lightly over his knuckles, trying to soothe his tension. "Is it something at home?"
I wish it was. "It's personal. Something I haven't told anyone yet."
"You're not…" Celica cradled Ragna's hand protectively in hers and knitted her brows in concern. "Are you in danger?"
"It's not about me…" Ragna muttered. Truth be told he wasn't scared for his life, not entirely. He feared for the troubled girl in front of him, her crass shut-in of a sister, Jubei, and his brother Jin. Ragna shook away to banish the macabre images. "Just… don't worry about it."
"I can't do that when it's obvious it's bothering you, whatever it is. Tell me so I can help. And if not me—"
"You can't help." Ragna's firm tone held a tinge of fear. After making a brooding gesture and seeing her eyes downcast, Ragna adopted a lighter tone while conveying his seriousness. "This isn't something anybody can help me with, least of all you. You can bite my head off all you want if it'll make you feel better, but I can't say." This is to keep you safe. For some reason he didn't have the nerve to finish his thoughts. The encroaching silence hurt his ears. Ragna couldn't read the expression on Celica's face and it hurt like hell, but there was no way he would embroil her in all this chaos.
"Fine, then!"
"Celica, I'm sorry– oww!"
Ragna prepared for Celica to leave him where he stood and go home. After all, they'd known each other for years; he could always confide in her and vice-versa and it frustrated him that he couldn't talk to her about this. Instead, Ragna was left flabbergasted, confused, surprised, every synonym in the thesaurus. It happened without warning. It was merely a figure of speech, not an invitation to follow through! Celica pounced on him and…
Chomp.
Sank her teeth in his neck.
"H-hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Ragna audibly gasped. Is she actually trying to bite my fucking head off?! Contrary to the shooting pain that should be zipping through him right now, Ragna felt warm, soft lips alleviating his stress like some miracle cure. His cheeks and ears blazed red as they stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Celica pulled away. Ragna rubbed the mark she'd left, staring wide-eyed at the brunette blushing just as fiercely as him. "You… bit me."
Mischief glimmered in her bright pupils. "You told me I could. And you're right, I feel a lot better!"
"You actually bit me…" Ragna repeated while absent-mindedly caressing his neck, his brain having issues rewiring itself back to normal. "That was a figure of speech, what the fuck!?"
"You can bite me if you want," Celica offered, presenting her neck like it was nothing. The tense atmosphere that surrounded them and threatened to suffocate him evaporated as they broke into foolish conversations. Ragna felt everything fall away and the truth of the world retreating to the back of his mind, although he could certainly do without her endless ravings about how hot Kyoei or whoever the other characters from that movie were. It served to further strengthen his resolve on the way back to her house, understanding and internalizing what was at stake for him if it all went to hell.
"Celica." Ragna stopped her before she opened the gate.
"What is it, Ragna? Did you want to bite me after all?" Celica asked, like there was nothing wrong with it.
"What's with you and… No, nevermind." He dismissed her comment; it wasn't important as Rachel's warning drowned it from his memory like a slow poison. "I advise you to keep those whom you cherish close. You never know when they may slip through your fingers." There was something about the way she said it, the heaviness in her tone in spite of her indifference, which made those ominous words gnaw at him. "I'll keep you safe no matter what happens, alright?"
Tilting her head, Celica wondered, "Did I bite too hard?"
He blushed. "You bit hard enough! I just… wanted you to know, that's all."
Her features softened after a beat of confusion from his sudden declaration. "I know that. You've already proven that to me. Then again, it's nice to hear once in a while."
Presenting another award-winning smile before entering her home for the night, Ragna left the premises with his mind made up. He continued past his block toward the park, its walkways lit by buzzing street lamps. Confirming nobody was around, he inhaled all the air he could and called out, "Rachel! I know you're watching! Come out here, dammit!" Heels clacking against concrete resounded through the vacant park a second later. A sweet floral scent of roses and honey filled the area, heralding her arrival. Ragna's shoulders tensed up as he turned around and faced the girl, a pleased, expectant look on her face.
"Might I ask what it is you want from me?"
He scowled. "There's only one reason why I'd call you. Let's cut the bullshit. You know why I'm here."
A knowing grin. "You want to proceed with my deal, do you?"
One corner of his mouth curled in annoyance. "What I want is to have nothing to do with you. I'd be better off mentally that way, but I'm not dumb enough to think I can handle this shit on my own."
"So in other words, you do not want me, you need me. How adorable," Rachel laughed.
Ragna scoffed. "Believe what you want."
"Is it because of that girl?" she inquired after a beat of silence, wearing a taunting grin.
"Bite me," he spat.
"Oh my. Has something dormant awakened within you?" Rachel smiled coyly.
"The hell it has! Wait, you were watching us?!" Ragna regained his poise and cleared his throat; he couldn't afford to waste any time on this, though he made a mental note to be more vigilant going forward. "I'm saying I'll lend you a hand. Is the offer still on the table or not?"
"Of course. The more assistance I have, the better."
"Then let's go! Right now!"
"Now?" That might've been the first time Ragna saw her poise falter. What was she confused about? "I do not think so." Before Ragna could question why, Rachel answered, "As you can see, I was readying myself for bed."
"Huh?" Ragna hadn't noticed until then that she wore a silky nightgown instead of her black dress, her hair freed from its twin tails and longer than he initially presumed, cascading down her back. She looked like a normal girl, almost delicate, and it made him falter. "Oh, uh, sorry. Tomorrow then, right after school."
"Yes. Like I warned the other one, steel yourself. I do not care to mother you if you see something scary."
Stuffing any retort attempting to claw its way out his throat and settling for conveying his ire through his sharpest glare, Ragna watched her vanish into thin air, leaving nothing but the cloying scent of roses and the echo of her mocking giggle. After calming down and resigning himself to reenter that hell he'd escaped once before, something Rachel said circled back in his mind. "Wait… 'other one'?"
An end to another chapter, and an explanation needs to be given.
I meant to complete this chapter last month, keep up my monthly posts to properly pace myself, but things got busy which didn't allot me the time I needed to write what I felt was a completed chapter. I've already started writing the next one, with about half of it done. Well... as done as a first draft can be. Bottom line is: I'm back on my schedule.
Allow a shameless plug-in but I do stream sometimes, once to twice a week. Not gonna lie... it's kinda fun. YT DripGodRagna.
MysticWolf: I will not tell.
Special, special shout out to Wild Blue Sonder; the best beta-reader ever!