This Seppuku Tale is categorized as a 'Part 3.5/3' era episode, and thus, should not be read unless the entire saga has been read.
This Tale focuses on a time ensuing the Dark Million attack on Mute City, where Chiya and Abigail once again live together—both carrying their children. This is not a Tale where either of the two give labor; just one that centers on their pregnant lives.
== New Flowers =
On television, patriotic music of the Mysterian Empire played alongside clips of marching females of the Mysterian People's Army. A brief montage of militaristic events continued until soon changing to the state approved news station. There, a female anchor sat straight with a proud smirk.
"Long live the Mysterian Empire and her majesty! Welcome to MPTV in the Afternoon and what a what a wonderful day it is today for a walk in the park." The lady put on a bright smile and folded her hands together. "Effective today, Queen Beckins has declared the nullification of the draft for any female with a grade of 3.75 or higher in post-secondary education."
Sitting in the living room together were Fiona and Abigail Flower. Fiona turned her head toward Abigail and offered a very strong nod.
"Mhm, this is your chance, dear. Keep getting good grades and you can avoid military conscription altogether."
Abigail breathed in and placed a hand over her large pregnant belly, her exhale was strong and emotional, "So far I'm a 4.0 student. I sure hope things stay that way, I'm way too soft of a person to become a soldier..."
After a few more moments of political speaking, the anchor went on to talk about a more relevant topic, "Traitors of the Galactic Space Federation have reportedly been spreading false and random suspicions that Mysteria's very own Chiya Flower is carrying the child of a stranger, and not Earl Bendek—now deceased Champion of Honor." Abigail and Fiona both sighed at this news. "The Mysterian ruling party offered a strong response to these farcical accusations, rightfully listing any who dare question the father of Chiya's child as a traitor."
As the mother and youngest daughter continued watching, Chiya had walked into the living room beyond their knowledge. Likewise with Abigail, Chiya now had a very extended stomach. Both Chiya and Abigail were expected to give birth anywhere from one to two months. Chiya watched the news report from behind Abigail's chair. While the Mysterian was in a much better state since Earl's death, her depression remained strong. One thing the universal population had yet to become accustomed to was Chiya's blonde head—as Earl had taken her green beanie hat into his departure.
The news anchor concluded this topic by explaining, "Since arriving on Mysteria, Chiya has remained isolated and unwilling to speak to fans. She did, however, explain early on that she will not be participating in the upcoming Grand Prix. Disappointing for fans, but a champion of virtue in the eyes of mothers."
Chiya announced her presence by gritting her teeth and letting out a growl, both Abigail and Fiona turned their heads. "I'm getting real sick of being in the news all the time..."
"Dear, don't you like the publicity?"
This was answered with a half glare, "Publicity? Yeah, I love publicity—positive publicity," Fiona and Abigail exchanged quick glances. "I hate this. I'm carrying Earl's child and all the universe can think about right now is who the father is. I don't get what's so hard to believe about my pregnancy. Unfortunately, I have the extreme burden of knowing that thousands if not millions of dirty men are now hopeful that I'm some slut they have a shot with."
"Chiya..." Abigail smiled at the tempered sister. "Who cares what they think. Once you have your baby everyone will know just by his or her face that Earl is the father."
"You have it easy, Abby-"
"That's not true!" Abigail retorted. "Mysteria is dominantly white, and my lover is one of the only black people on this entire planet. Azhul and I get lots of strange looks. Not to mention, our child will almost certainly have darker skin. My entire family is going to struggle fitting in on this planet for awhile."
Fiona chimed in by nodding, "Abigail's right, dear. Mysteria's closed border policy makes this a very discriminatory planet to live on. Michael has plenty of issues with the populace because of skin color."
Chiya sat on the shoulder of Abigail's chair and groaned, "Alright, alright..."
Anger and discontent was visible on Chiya's person. Abigail sympathized on Chiya's struggle to a great extent, but Fiona was a bit more conservative on the situation. While stressing, Chiya caught the solid gaze of her mother and sensed a negative attitude.
"Honey, you've been living here months now for free. Don't you think it's about time to search for a job?"
Abigail gulped and looked up at her older sister, who took immediate offense to this, "A job? Are you kidding me? I'm pregnant and still mourning over the death of my husband."
The younger sister, with a biased opinion on the matter, found herself nodding at Chiya's responsive argument. Fiona crossed her arms with a retained half glare, "Poor Azhul is working for you, me, Abigail, himself, and soon two infants. It would be so helpful to all of us if you could find a job." She turned her gaze onto Abigail, "Abigail mustn't work. She is pursuing her own dream and most importantly trying to stay out of the draft."
Chiya clenched her fists and growled, "We're doing okay!"
"We're doing 'adequate' for our situation."
Abigail chimed in with a cute smile, "Um, well, Azhul is okay with the workload. He claims that it's beyond difficult, but worth it if-"
"Mom! I am in no mood or condition for work!" Chiya's eyes proceeded to water up, "I- I have enough on my mind as it is. A mother and a widow, bollocks, finding a job is the last thing I want to do right now!" Fiona opened her eyes to speak, but Chiya silenced her with a stomp, "I am an F-Zero legend! I shouldn't be working behind a counter in the first place!"
Fiona's face became more desperate, "Then find a way to make income off of that. Blimey, I don't know. Help the family in some way!"
The face of the older sister began to glow red, however, she was more so distressed than furious. Chiya looked back and forth between her mother and sister, finding one supportive and one submissive. If asked, Abigail would jump to Chiya's side like a servant; but even at this age, both girls found Fiona to be the wiser and more authoritative figure of the three. Chiya was at a loss.
Spinning around, Chiya covered her face and shook, "Oh my God, just leave me alone! Not even Seppuku would make such demands!"
With this insult made, Chiya stormed away from the living room and went for her bedroom. Abigail and Fiona watched together, then both ladies made eye contact. With a somewhat guilty face, Abigail coughed and swallowed before speaking her mind.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh? She is depressed."
Fiona closed her eyes, "I'm not telling her to get a job, I'm suggesting she does. Doesn't it bother you that Azhul is only home for about four hours a day? Often times you only see him for three considering your bedtime." Abigail rolled her eyes down and nodded. "Azhul has worked all of these jobs long enough. Chiya needs to share the responsibility and give the man a break."
"I sometimes fear, though, that Chiya doesn't like Azhul anymore. I'm sure seeing he and I together is the last thing she wants to see, given that she no longer has Earl here with us."
"Earl exists within her blood; the fact she has become such a savvy mechanic is evidence enough that he is giving her guidance from beyond." Abigail licked her lips and nodded, "Would you please try and convince Chiya to consider a job, dear?"
Abigail remained still in deep thought. While she did support the concept of giving Azhul a break, she accepted that Chiya was the least happy of the two, and thus deserved the benefits. Her general thinking was that the heavy workload Azhul did was necessary in Chiya's road to full recovery. Even so, she was willing to make a simple lie to get out of this predicament.
"Sure, okay, I will."
"Good."
Later on that day, Chiya remained still on her bed staring at the ceiling. Fiona had now installed additional stress onto the woman with her pressuring push to have Chiya employed. The simple fact was that aside from Good Odds and working in the Falcon House for a brief time, she had no work experience to go off of. This did a fair toll to her desire to seek a job, and so, she would continue using the depression card to remain unemployed.
The silence continued up until Abigail's appearance at the door. She slid into the bedroom with a smile and waved at Chiya.
"Hiya, sis!"
Chiya quirked her mouth, "Yeah?"
Abigail sat on the new bed that was adjacent from Chiya's. Due to a limited amount of rooms, Abigail and Azhul shared this small bed much like Chiya and Earl did in Fiona's house.
"Don't feel bad about what Mom said, she's just trying to keep everyone happy."
"I really do feel bad for Azhul," Chiya spoke with wide eyes. "It would seem that from the day I've met him he has done nothing but work on my behalf. I could understand if he works all day on your behalf, but not mine."
Though there was truth to this, Abigail declined to accept it as so, "You needn't worry about that. Azhul has told me countless times that he's okay doing all of this. You should be concerning yourself about your baby, no one else."
Chiya gazed down at her stomach and gulped, "I pray to God that I'm having a daughter. I can't even begin to fathom how I would go about raising a boy."
Abigail bit her lip and nodded, "Do you have a name prepared for if you have a boy?"
"Duke."
"Duke?"
Chiya nodded, "Earl picked the girl name 'Clover' to honor my annexed last name, 'Flower'. I picked 'Duke' because, you know..." She looked Abigail in the eyes, but found confusion. "Count, Earl, King, Emperor... Duke..."
"Ah, okay, I see."
Chiya's immediate action after explaining this was to lay on her left side and grasp her pillow, "I'm just in a bad mood right now. Maybe I'll consider Mom's advice after spending some time with Earl and Rose."
"I see. Well, I won't keep you away from Earl." Chiya closed her eyes, but Abigail still revealed a smile. "Don't you worry, sis. We'll think of something, soon."
That night, Chiya sat in the homestead of Dark Rose alongside her husband, Earl. The Rose household was much better decorated ever since Earl made his entrance into Chiya's inner realm. With Earl's general purpose expertise in engineering and design, Rose's small cabin had been upgraded with two more rooms, each with marble flooring and wide space. She turned down the offer to add lights, for she preferred the use of candles and fireplaces for lighting.
With a warm fire in front of them, Chiya and Earl sat together on Rose's couch. Both lovers had their hands on Chiya's bloated belly. Though Chiya could enter this world with her usual fit body, she felt it wrong to exclude their child by doing so. The Mysterian lowered her eyelids and sighed, and to this, Earl shook her shoulder.
"You needn't worry, Chi'. It's like you were told, soon you'll give birth and there'll be no doubting that the child belongs to you and I. He or she will carry Korean traits, I'm sure."
Chiya crossed her bare legs together and shrugged, "But why can't things be easier?" Earl swallowed with a quirked mouth of uncertainty. "I don't want to work and I don't want to face the horrors of being a single parent. I'm scared."
The Korean grabbed her by the palm and shook in disagreement, "You're not going to be a single parent. I'm going to help you from beyond. If our child needs advice on something pertaining to men, I'll tell you everything you need to know at night. Then, you tell him or her what I said."
"I guess..." she muttered. "This is all just so scary, you have to understand. What if I do something wrong? I'm so scared now that we're coming so close to birth!"
This was a predicament for sure, one that Earl had no straight answer to offer. Chiya's fears of parenthood could only be resolved with experience and theories, and as of right now, theories could only be provided. After scratching his chin for a few moments, Earl turned his head to the other side of the living room.
"Hey, Rose." The black-haired woman set down her pencil and book and offered her attention. "You're much more of an intellectual than us. What do you think about this?"
Rose gazed at Chiya, who stared back at her with a ponderous face; then at Earl, who appeared just as skeptical. Though Rose was an intellectual, she lacked the needed experience that a mother had—and thus she could only offer thoughts and not advice.
"Well, I would start off by suggesting you go to the more insightful individual—Mother, as she has mothered two children."
Chiya groaned and dipped her head down, "Mom just lectures me about something whenever I see her. I don't want her to keep pestering me about work..."
The blood sister rolled her eyes up and hummed, "Then, perhaps consider that life demands risks. One cannot survive without taking risks—or at least they cannot live a happy life. Yes, baby Duke or Clover will face constant risks; but so did you, Abigail, Earl, and even I."
"Blimey, but..." Chiya breathed in and exhaled, "I couldn't bear with myself if I let our only child die..."
"Watch your child, learn from him or her, and ask as many questions about children as needed. And above all, try and stay happy until birth—Dark Million's gone, you're home with family, you still get to see Earl and I, you're still a famous F-Zero racer, and you're with child. There's plenty to be happy about."
Moments ensued as Chiya and Earl sat together, Rose returned to writing her next book and licked her lips in constant patterns while doing so. Chiya and Earl both gazed at the former Dark Million spawn as she wrote with the usual level of concentration.
Rose proceeded to answer the silence, "I'm writing about the differentiation of happiness between Seppuku and Blood Falcon."
Earl grinned and nodded, "Chiya and I were going to go for a walk in the woods. Want to come?"
"Another time. I'm very invested into this."
Chiya puckered her lips and lectured, "Rose..."
"Enjoy your walk, I wish to enjoy writing for now."
The pregnant Mysteria was left with two lowered eyes of concern for her blood sister, but Earl tugged on her arm and brought her up from the couch.
"Come on, let's go."
The following morning, Chiya awoke as Abigail shouted, "Chiya!"
The older sister opened her eyes and looked up, spotting Abigail in front of her, "What's wrong? Did your water-"
Chiya stopped herself after noticing the glee on her younger sister's face, she was also surprised to find her in sandals, rather than white tennis shoes. Azhul had already left for work again, Chiya never saw him come home nor did she see him leave; this was how very busy the man was.
"Get up, Chiya. I'm going to take you to see my college!"
"O- Oh," Chiya quirked her mouth back, "Okay."
'New Edinburgensian People's University', the place at which Abigail Flower studied—and the predicted university Chiya would have played soccer for after high school. Chiya and Abigail later passed a statue of the first Mysterian monarch and moved toward the large and populated facility.
While Abigail was attired in a more summer fashion, Chiya remained in her everyday clothing. Chiya wasn't gaining much attention because of the mass amount of students in the area, those who did recognize her pointed in awe. Abigail was considered a rare sight as well, but of much lesser significance. As Abigail had hoped, Chiya's glum expression faded into mere awe at the sight of the university. Even having lived in Mute City for a few years, this educational facility was phenomenal to her, understanding that Abigail studied here made this all the more interesting.
The two walked into the building, Chiya soon made verbal representation of her awe, "I can't believe you study here. I get why Azhul has to work day in and day out..."
Abigail rolled her eyes away with a broken smile at the mentioning of this, "Mhm, well..." She breathed in and exhaled, "Azhul is working so that I can get a great job. Heck, maybe I'll repay the favor and help him go to college afterwards."
"You think they'll take someone who has no record of existence and once lived the bum life?"
The younger sister stopped by a trophy case and gave Chiya a very rare threatening gaze, the stare sent a shock down Chiya's spine. "They will if you and I recommend him." Chiya blinked with wide eyes, surprised to hear her much weaker sister almost threaten her. Nevertheless, Abigail smiled again and continued forward.
"This wa—ay!"
Chiya followed her sister through several large hallways, explaining the location of each of her classrooms in the process. Soon, the two came out the back of the university and faced a soccer field. Chiya dropped her jaw a slight bit at the sight of this field.
"This is where you would have played if you had gone on to be a striker for this team," Abigail gave Chiya a slight shove. "But that doesn't compare to Mist Flow, I'm sure."
"Not in the slightest bit."
The tour was short and almost pointless, aside from the fact that it got Chiya outside and a bit more relaxed. Both sisters were now walking along the main courtyard, where most of the students convened.
While walking, Abigail turned her head and pointed a finger up, "So, as part of my final project for a class, I'm raising the argument to have this university renamed to 'Chiya Flower University'."
Chiya blushed and smiled, "You're kidding, right?"
"Well, it's just a mock debate, not a real petition. You'd be surprised how many people have supported my idea, though."
"Nah, nah..." Chiya chuckled, "What's wrong with the current name?"
Abigail sent back an almost offended face, "You kidding me? 'New Edinburgensian People's University' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue."
"True..." Chiya lowered her eyelids and sighed, "But I'm not the one who deserves a university, Earl does." She added onto the argument by half glaring, "And what's with 'Chiya Flower University'? I thought I was clear on-"
"Face it, sis. Everyone may legally recognize you as Chiya Bendek, but you'll always be a Flower to the Mysterian people."
The two moved past a fountain and statue surrounded by rocks. Before getting too far, however, Abigail took notice of something that left her puzzled. She moved back with puckered lips. Chiya continued walking before stopping to look back.
"What is it?"
Abigail tilted her head while staring at the rocks, then raised both her eyebrows. "I don't know..."
Before Chiya could move, she had been alarmed to find her sister now climbing over the fountain and onto the base of the statue. Chiya objected to Abigail's action by reaching forward with wide eyes.
"U—uh, l- let's step down from there, yeah? I don't want you to get in trouble."
Abigail lifted up two rocks and grabbed onto some navy blue fabric, then proceeded to pull out a bag. She did so with wide eyes of interest. Chiya became all the more alarmed by this bag. Abigail came back down and sat by the fountain, Chiya joined her and looked down at the bag.
"Abby, maybe you should put that back..."
Without regard for Chiya's concerns, Abigail pulled out a plastic bag full of colorful sand. Both girls widened their eyes at the very decorative material. Abigail raised the bag up and examined it with her sister.
"Huh..."
Chiya scratched her chin, "Does it belong to the school?"
"This wasn't here before..."
The sand was of varying color, without a doubt done through manual coloring. Mixed together, the sand had a decorative rainbow appearance. While Chiya continued to observe the sand, Abigail searched the bag for an owner. There was no identification tag to be found, only many more plastic bags of sand.
Chiya opened the plastic bag and scooped some sand into her palm, curious to know what this was. Abigail leaned over her shoulder and looked down at the sound.
"What does it smell like? A beach? Paint?" she asked.
The older sister placed her nose above the sand and sniffed, "I don't smell anything."
"Well... what does it taste like?"
Chiya half glared, "Taste? It's sand."
Abigail responded with a cute smirk, "Maybe it's actually candy."
"Hm, good point."
Chiya dropped her mouth to get a taste of the powdered substance, but just before he could, the two had been approached by a male student. Both looked up at the man, Chiya did so with her tongue still out. The man was attired in a very casual way, but had the look of someone who likes to party.
"Say, I couldn't help but notice that stuff you're holding..."
Chiya lowered her eyebrows in a challenging way, "Yea—ah..?"
"Are you selling bags for Dez?"
The two sisters exchanged glances, "Dez? Who's Dez?"
"Well, Dez is a friend of mine—but he was just sent to prison a few days back..."
Again, Chiya half glared, "Sounds like you need better friends."
The student cleared his throat and pulled out his wallet, "So—o, I'll pay a hundred Mysterops for a bag."
Both Chiya and Abigail gritted their teeth in shock. Abigail slapped the side of her cheek in absolute shock and awe.
"You'll pay us a hundred Mysterops for a bag of decorative sand!?"
"Heh... 'decorative sand', nice..." The man handed the promised money over and took the plastic bag out of Chiya's hand. "So I take it you are working for Dez. It's alright, I'm cool."
Again, the two sisters exchanged glances. Chiya smirked and raised a finger to object, "U—uh..."
The student backed away and pointed at the two, "Alright, I know some people who might want some decorative sand, if you can wait."
Before Chiya could respond, Abigail bumped into her and whispered, "If we can get nine more people to buy this sand, we'll have made more than Azhul makes in three days!"
Chiya responded with glee, "Then maybe Mom will bugger off for a bit about getting a job!"
With both girls aboard with the idea, they faced forward with bright smiles.
"Send them our way!"
Hours later, Chiya and Abigail ran into their bedroom and tossed the bag of decorative sand on the floor. Both women dropped down with the bag and began tossing Mysterops around with glee.
"Chiya, we just made nine days worth of money selling sand!"
Chiya snickered, "What suckers..." She raised her finger up with a bright smile, "And imagine, we still have about fifty bags left in here to sell! We can still make a little more than four days worth of money, tomorrow."
Abigail nodded, "I have class, but I can help you outside after that."
The older sister exhaled in joy and clapped, "And the best part of this is that I'm helping our family while also helping others by giving them cool sand."
The two sisters beat their fists together in preparation for another day of selling.
The following day, a lecturer paced around a classroom where Abigail watched with full attention.
"When thinking critically, it is important to have an understanding of the opposing side of your argument. The opposing side is arguing against you for a reason—because they believe in what they say. If you are to properly counter this, you must understand why they stand on the other side."
Abigail nodded with her hands together, then looked up at the clock. Though she was trying hard to pay attention, she couldn't help but desire to get out of class and help her sister sell sand. The lecturer stopped near his desk and looked at Abigail.
"Mrs. Flower, name a natural leader."
"A leader? Anyone?"
The teacher nodded, "When you think of a leader, who comes to mind?"
Abigail swallowed, fearing that she may say something inept. But she spoke her mind in all truthfulness. "My big sister, Chiya. She's smart, a good person, and a great ally to other racers."
A third of the class muttered words of agreement to Abigail, the teacher nodded and tapped his chin. "Chiya, she's a good leader..." He snapped his fingers and nodded, "But on that note, Earl Bendek—her husband—was an even better leader..."
The lecturer pulled up a large touchscreen and began to draw up a matrix of attributes Earl held, many of the attributes being ranked high. Abigail offered her full attention as he put the matrix together.
"Earl Bendek taught our very own F-Zero racer how to race and fix machines. Along with this, he let himself die so that many others could live. He understood that there were two sides to the conflict on the day of his death; him and us. He could have chosen to save himself and leave everyone else, but he knew that the universe, namely the Mysterians, had suffered enough under Black Shadow's wrath. So, he chose us over himself."
Abigail swallowed and nodded, then glanced up at the clock again.
Chiya was struggling to get through her many customers, she remained seated by the fountain with the bag of sand beside her. Every person she worked with was impatient, rude, and often times ill in appearance. The lack of friendliness made this all the more of a struggle for Chiya.
A man with watery eyes handed Chiya the large amount of currency in exchange for a bag, "Thanks."
Chiya stuck the money in the same bag and held up another bag for a female customer. The woman took off right after making the exchange. The fact that so many customers had frantic expressions and lack of social desire brought concern to Chiya, no one seemed to regard her as the F-Zero legend, as though they were to fixated on the product.
"Have a... good day..?"
Very similar patterns of exchanged continued all throughout the afternoon. So many customers but not a single word spoken about F-Zero. Those who did greet her as Chiya Flower the racer was lectured by impatient customers. All went swell, nonetheless, up until she had been left with the last bag of sand.
Her surge of profit had been cut short as she reached into the bag and found nothing left to give, aside from the bag she left for herself. Looking up at the impatient crowd, she gulped and shook her head.
"Um, sorry, but we're all out of decorative sand..." Very hostile looks were opened upon her, leaving Chiya suppressed and forced back toward the fountain, "B- But we'll have more tomorrow!"
A scrawny man forced himself forward and shot his finger forth, "I've been waiting in line-"
"I'll have more to sell tomorrow, and my sister will help me deal so we'll work twice as fast!"
Disappointment was visible throughout the crowd, but at the same time, acceptance. With negative attitudes, everyone dispersed from the area and went about their day. The pregnant Mysterian remained on the ground trembling before letting out a heavy exhale of relief.
It was later that night Chiya, Abigail, Azhul, Fiona, and a visiting Michael Chain convened together at the kitchen table. Abigail had missed out on assisting Chiya on this day, but promised to help sell the following day—where she would be free of classes.
While eating, Fiona raised her eyebrows at Chiya, "So, you two have been making a lot of money..."
Both sisters were very proud of their accomplishment, but even so, both Azhul and Fiona were skeptical of how the two brought in such a large quantity of Mysterops. Chain didn't regard the situation as suspicious.
Before Chiya could resume eating, she turned and asked her sister, "Oh, did the sand in the backyard work?"
"Yep! Nail paint and juice worked well for coloring."
Fiona lowered her eyebrows, "Come again?"
Chiya beamed at her mother, "Oh, we ran out of decorative sand, so I had Abigail go get some sand from the backyard and color it with... stuff."
Fiona's look of confusion remained, both Azhul and Chain chimed in with skeptical looks. To answer their confusion, Chiya brought up the remaining bag of decorative sand that she saved and put it on the table.
"This is our product."
Everyone gazed at the colorful bag of sand with puzzled faces, everyone but Chiya and Abigail appeared startled to some level of shock. Azhul appeared more confused than shocked, and looked back and forth between the two sisters.
"O- Oh, wait a minute..." he spoke. "We are selling cocaine, now?" he asked.
Chiya and Abigail dropped their smiles and exchanged quick glances, Abigail looked back at her husband and shook negatively, "Cocaine? No, no, this is decorative sand..."
The two sisters nodded in mutual agreement, but Azhul and Fiona shot back negative shakes. This left both sisters again exchanging glances, this time with more fright. Azhul rubbed his chin and looked up at Chiya.
"This looks like cocaine."
Chiya gulped, "I- It's not cocaine! How could it be? I don't even know what cocaine looks like!"
Fiona lowered her eyelids at Chiya's terrible argument. Michael Chain hummed and swiped the bag off the table, "Gimme that..." The ex-gangster took some of the substance out of the bag and studied it closely, but came to an immediate conclusion. "Oh yeah, this is coke for sure. 'Zhul and I both came from the Lower City, we would know."
Abigail glared at her husband, "Azhul! You eat- err... sniff- taste..?" She shook her head and continued, "You do cocaine!?"
The man widened his eyes and shook, "No—o, but Upper City men always came down to the Lower City selling cocaine. I know what it looks like."
Chiya struck both her fists down, "We're not selling cocaine! It's not cocaine!" Her eyes then became desperate, "Mom..?"
Fiona sighed, "It's coke, dear."
Chiya and Abigail exchanged glances again, this time both ladies had wide eyes.
"C- Coke!?" Chiya yelped.
Abigail gritted her teeth and responded, "I didn't know!"
"We were selling cocaine, Abby! That's a crime!"
Fiona nodded with a stressed face, "And Mysteria is not the planet to be a criminal..."
With full frustration, Chiya slammed her hands down, "Bloody Hell! Are we gonna have to flee from this planet again!?"
Abigail puckered her lips, "You know, we could probably work together in that Sand Ocean restaurant..."
"S- Sand Ocean- no thank you! I'm going to go live with Bart if it comes down to it."
Chiya and Abigail continued to stare at each other, with the other three staring at the back of colored cocaine. Through much though, Chiya entered a state of denial and made her thoughts heard.
"Oh, come on. Maybe it's cocaine, but there's no way those people knew that. Cocaine destroys lives and I doubt that many students on campus would risk ruining their lives that fast." Chiya brought her finger down and smirked, "It's just a misunderstanding, really. We were selling cocaine on accident, but everyone was buying decorative sand, right?"
Abigail took to Chiya's side on this theory, Azhul and Chain were skeptical, and Fiona remained on the opposing side. Before anyone could speak, Abigail clapped her hands together with a determined face.
"Yeah, you'll all see. Now we've got many bags of regular colored sand—not drugs. When we sell those tomorrow, I bet we'll get the same amount of sales. It won't be illegal since we're selling legitimate sand."
Fiona sighed again and shrugged, "Fine, that'll settle this matter."
Chiya nodded with a nervous smile, "The plan will work... you'll see..."
The following day, Chiya and Abigail convened at the same spot near the fountain. They set up their bags of real sand, which were almost identical to the bags of cocaine aside from a darker color. Both pregnant sisters were nervous but confident that the money train would continue through the selling of regular sand. The colors mixed well and would serve as an excellent product, regardless of whether it could be consumed or not.
Chiya bumped her shoulder against Abigail's and smirked, "Liven up, we've got customers..."
A fair amount of students approached the two with their money ready, with great hesitance, both girls raised their products up. Enlisted skepticism was found on the faces of the buyers, who picked up the darker saturation of the sand. Nevertheless, both made complete exchanges.
The two continued to deal the bags of sand to customers as they normally would; some walked off content, others walked off examining their bags. All was going well until their seventh customer—who was the same person they had just dealt with.
"Hey! What is this!?" he shouted.
Chiya and Abigail both dropped their lips in fright, "Ch- Chiya and Abby's Decorative Sand?"
The man fake laughed, "I just took a taste of this 'sand', and I can tell you that this is just dirt!"
An anvil dropped down the throats of both women, but then a surprise came from the man's right. Another man narrowed his eyes at the complaining customer.
"Taste the- what is wrong with you?" Both men faced each other with glares, "It's décor, not a consumable."
Chiya gasped and looked at the other customers, there were conflicted faces but also many nods. Chiya swallowed and shook her head. There really are people buying this sand for decoration...
The complaining man snickered, "Call it what you want, I demand my money back!"
Chiya refused to do so, but Abigail already reached down for the money. Before they could start handing out refunds, an even more shocking face appeared in front of them. Shocking to Abigail, but not to Chiya. A balding man with glasses and a black toothbrush mustache pushed aside the customers and looked down at Abigail.
"Abigail Flower..." he spoke in a stern voice.
Abigail gulped and dropped her shoulders in fear, but Chiya misunderstood who this was, "Hey, buddy, there's a line..."
The man dismissed Chiya's lecture and looked deep into Abigail's soul, "Abigail, you are not allowed to sell products on school grounds without a permit."
Chiya widened her eyes as well, recognizing this as a teacher of some sort—the dean. The students once surrounding the two scrambled away, both drug users and seekers of décor wanted nothing to do with the brewing conflict.
Abigail cleared her throat, "I- I- I apologize. I thought selling decorative sand would be okay because of the product's lack of value..."
The dean shook his head, "You can't sell anything on school grounds. If we did, we risk drug dealers sneaking-"
Chiya interrupted the man, "Of course. Abby, give the man all of the money we just earned."
Without question, Abigail brought up the six hundred Mysterops they had just made. The dean appeared surprised by the quantity, but took it nevertheless.
"Hm, good. To your credit, this money will work well toward our investment for a new computer room." Before leaving, he turned and grinned at Chiya, "Good luck in your F-Zero endeavors, Mrs. Bendek."
Both girls had rapid beating hearts, relieved that they escaped this predicament without prison time. In the end, they had learned that there were two consumers—those who wished to destroy their health, and others who desired colorful sand. Nevertheless, the two had likely caused great damage to the health of several students, and thus they would cease selling pronto.
The two took off from campus while they still could, and while walking, Chiya exhaled and shook her head.
"You kno—ow... I think..." Abigail looked at Chiya with silent interest. "I think I'll just try and get a job at the Bloody Chain..."
Abigail's eyes widened, "Work for the Bloody Chain?"
"Michael and his men do build F-Zero parts, and I know how to work around an engine. Besides, Earl can teach me how to do other stuff. I think I'll try and work for Chain to get some cash..."
The idea sounded somewhat far-fetched, but Abigail supported her decision and demonstrated her support with a smile.
"Okay, that's a good idea!"
"Plus, given that he's a family friend, he'll go easy on me when I have my child."
The two sisters walked toward their car while holding each other. A future for Abigail and a less pressuring life for Azhul, all to be found with Bloody Chain employment. It was a good plan to follow through on during the days leading up to Chiya's labor.
Meanwhile, in the jungles of Green Plant, a very frustrated Lieutenant Seppuku remained seated around a campfire alongside several tribesmen.
While roasting a fish, the Man of Darkness raised his head up and grunted, "I... feel a disturbance... I feel as though Flower just concluded doing something really damn stupid, again..."
