Volk may have been the technological capital of the continent, but its advancements had slowly been bleeding out to its sister kingdoms as well. Joilant especially had been enjoying its utilisation in upgrading and improving upon their amusements and festivities. Oftentimes these products were dripping with hubris and ego, serving no purpose other than looking flashy, but the denizens cared none, for it was their want in life to be the flashiest around.
One of their latest projects was the construction of a massive movie theatre that dwarfed all those that had been built previously (which is to say, very few; the Empire Of Jillius was the only place thus far to get its foot properly in the door in this rapidly growing industry, Lunatea having never experienced such an attraction until now). At least 10 different screens for watching the latest releases had been installed, and there was enough floor space left on the plot that more were sure to come later down the line.
And it was here that Klonoa took Guntz and Lolo on what was to be their first official "date" as a polycule. The three were familiar with movies, which had grown in popularity in recent years, but until the opening of this theatre it was extremely difficult for the average Lunatean to be able to see one.
They had not arrived with a specific movie in mind, but one that quickly popped out to them was stuck front and centre on the outside marquee: Over The Moon featuring Lephise in a starring role. Apparently it was some sort of attempt at a "prestige" picture which Lephise was using to jumpstart her acting career alongside her well-established role as a music diva. Not quite up the three's alley, but it looked more interesting than more low-budget selections such as Night Of The Living Moo and Attack Of The Outer Space Dream Eaters, so they ended up buying some tickets for it.
Once they'd sat down in their seats with assorted confectionary items to get them through the film, they tried to get settled in, but found it quite difficult. Truth be told, Guntz and Lolo were still feeling rather uncertain about this polycule arrangement, and both of them felt a little awkward, as if this was something they weren't supposed to be doing. Even so, they were willing to try it for Klonoa's sake.
Then, the lights grew dim, the projector kicked on, and the movie began.
It was, all things considered, not a bad flick. The plot, as far as they could tell, involved a group of priests and priestesses attempting to build a tower that could reach the Moon so they could meet their creators, against the wishes of their fellow countrymen. Lephise played the role of a conflicted member of the group who often sang about their religious struggles, whether they were doing the right thing, and what she believed they may find at the end of their journey. It was a musical too, with a number of musical numbers, which explained why they had likely taken her on.
It had to be said, she nailed the singing parts impeccably, but the more muted scenes where she had to deliver dialogue were not as seamless, and she seemed to struggle against her fellow actors who were clearly much more experienced. Whether she would be able to make this a full career in the field of moviemaking remained to be seen.
As the movie went on, the three began to slowly get more comfortable around each other. Klonoa's more unflappable demeanour rubbed off on the others, and soon both Guntz and Lolo had begun to forget their anxieties in favour of enjoying the movie, albeit for different reasons. Lolo was genuinely able to relate to the characters looking for an answer to their beliefs and found it intensely moving. Guntz, on the other hand, found it all rather sappy, and had a good chuckle more than once at some of the more overt attempts at melodrama.
For his part, Klonoa was just enjoying spending time with two of his favourite people on the planet, and towards the end of the film, sat in the middle between them both, he wrapped his arms around their shoulders and pulled them closer. There was a moment of surprise between them before they relaxed and leaned into his embrace. Despite their differing temperaments, they were much the same when it came to how much they cared for Klonoa's presence.
Soon, the movie was over, the confectionary was long since eaten, and it was time to ship out. The three walked out of the theatre discussing everything they had seen, when they were almost knocked over by Balue overtaking them, dressed to the nines in Lephise merchandise and his teary-eyed face distorted with emotion. He walked over to the ticket booths, promptly purchased another ticket for the next showing, and walked back inside without a word.
This bizarre event aside, all three had wholly enjoyed their time together, perhaps moreso than they had initially believed they would, and they quickly began making plans to meet up like this again soon, though Guntz silently regretted not having gone to see Night Of The Living Moo instead.
…
A few weeks passed, and the three continued to do things together, whether it be visiting restaurants, going on walks, or going to different landmarks and taking in the sites and sounds of the world around them. Lolo, wanting to find more for the three to do together, had mentioned the prospect of her tagging along on a hero mission with Guntz and Klonoa, but Guntz had asked that such a thing be postponed until he could be sure that Lolo wouldn't be put in too much danger in the process. Likewise, Lolo had also suggested the three do something together at the Claire Moa Temple, so she could show them what being a priestess entailed. Despite Guntz's clear lack of enthusiasm to that idea, he had acquiesced when it became clear how into the idea Klonoa was.
People had begun to take notice of their polycule over those few weeks, as well they might, and reactions in their inner circle were somewhat varied. There were those like Popka, who was especially happy for Lolo seeming happier now than she had been before, though he threatened Klonoa and Guntz with grievous bodily harm should they dare to break her heart. Then there was both the High Priestess and Guntz's dad Batz, both of whom were slightly bemused by the turn of events but gave their blessing for it if it made them happy. The rest of their friends and acquaintances were mostly positive, though some did mention that the idea of the three in a polycule would take some getting used to, even if they ultimately gave their support.
There was some gossip drifting around by some of their peers about it, some of it just curious chit-chat, others slightly more venomous. Lolo had been somewhat shaken by some of her fellow priestesses approaching her with their concerns, not just out of a fear that Claire would disapprove but also because of Guntz's occupation as a bounty hunter potentially being a risk. Still, considering how Leorina had been returned to their fold, they ultimately decided it wasn't their place to cast judgement, and simply told Lolo to be careful.
Guntz, meanwhile, didn't give a damn what people thought of him. There were some in the bounty hunting circuit who thought he'd gone soft for entering a relationship with a girl (though Batz stepping in thusly stamped out any of them giving him a hard time for it). Guntz was quick to retort that he was only in the relationship for Klonoa's sake to try and keep his tough-guy image intact, but every time he said those words his stomach tightened, and a wave of guilt came over him.
It felt wrong saying something like that. It wasn't just about him, after all… It didn't seem fair to try and just remove Lolo from the equation now…
…
One day, Guntz walked up to Klonoa's house with a bundle under his arm. Inside was Klonoa's set of bounty-hunting clothes which were an exact replica of Guntz's own. He'd had them properly cleaned and pressed pressed at his house and wanted to surprise Klonoa with them when he returned from lending Pango a hand with this odd situation at his demolition workshop.
As he walked to the door, finding it unlocked, he opened it to see Lolo sitting on Klonoa's couch. A pair of flower bouquets was placed in water on a nearby table.
"Um… hello." Guntz said in a surprised voice. "I didn't think you had a key."
"Oh, I don't." Lolo replied brightly. "Klonoa's Grandpa let me in before he went out for the day. I thought I'd wait for Klonoa here so I could give him these flowers."
Shrugging, Guntz stepped inside and placed the package on the table next to the flowers. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of them. "Two bundles, eh? You must really want to liven up his pad, then."
"Actually, only one of these is for Klonoa." Lolo said as she picked up one of the bouquets and presented it to Guntz. "These are for you."
"Me?!" Guntz asked bewildered, staring at the flowers with confusion.
"Well, yes! I wanted to give you something to show how much I've enjoyed spending time with you and Klonoa!" Lolo beamed at him. "They're Moon Orchids. I've been cultivating them in the temple garden for a little while now. What do you think?"
Guntz blushed hard, slowly talking the bouquet from Lolo. "Um… thank you… they're… nice…" he mumbled as he sat down on the couch, his face all red.
There was a moment of silence between them. Despite them both spending so much time with Klonoa, this was the first time that they had both really been alone together in a while, and Guntz was clearly not coping well, gripped with indecision, unable to look at Lolo.
The silence was finally broken by Lolo's voice. "Guntz, what's wrong?"
Guntz stammered as he tried to dismiss her concerns. "Oh, um, nothing, don't worry about it… I'm just being… um…"
He turned to look at her, and stopped as he was taken aback by how steely her gaze was. He had never seen her like this before, but she was looking upon him with a hard stare, one which had an almost scolding look, but which was also filled with an aura of compassion.
"Guntz, come on. Just from your demeanour I can tell you're not doing well. And you're not going to feel any better by bottling it all up. Now come on, tell me what's bothering you."
Guntz didn't want to say… but something about her gaze left him unable to stay quiet. There was just something about it that almost… coaxed him into opening up. He slowly placed the bouquet back on the table, and sighed.
"Are we doing the right thing?"
Lolo cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, with Klonoa." Guntz said, getting up and beginning to pace around the room in an agitated manner. "We've been going out with him for a little while now, and sure it's been fun, but I can't help but feel like it's all one sided. Y'know, like we're only doing this for him.
Lolo cleared her throat sheepishly. "Well, I know that was the original intention… that we'd both get to be in a relationship with him and all…"
"But that's the thing, something about that arrangement just feels wrong!" Guntz said, still seeming too agitated to settle down. "It feels like he's the only reason we've been placed together, when we might not even like each other all that much—"
"I like you." Lolo said in a small voice that nonetheless cut through Guntz's anxious rant. It made him turn around in surprise.
"What?"
"I like you, Guntz." Lolo said, her cheeks burning. "I don't know why you'd think I didn't."
This only served to make Guntz even more confused. "But… but I'm an outlaw! A bounty hunter! A tough emotionless wall! We're basically nothing alike!"
"Once upon a time, I might have agreed with you." Lolo replied with a patient tone. "But over the time we've spent with Klonoa, I've realised that you really are good at heart. Underneath that tough exterior you're really caring and sweet. After all, you fell in love with Klonoa, you've always treated me well, and it's that more sensitive side that I've really grown to love spending time with as well. I'm not just in this for Klonoa anymore, Guntz. I'm in this relationship for you as well."
Guntz said nothing in reply, having nothing that sprang to mind that he could reply with. Somewhat cowed, he slowly walked over and sat back down in the couch beside her. His tough shell had been cracked and the figure that sat beside her betrayed a more vulnerable side, one that very few people had ever been allowed to see, and yet she had been able to coax it out.
"I'm sorry." He said quietly, his voice wavering as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I didn't mean…"
Lolo reached over and took his hand in hers. "It's ok, Guntz. I know you didn't mean anything by it."
Her expression turned slightly shrewd at this point. "As it happens, I'm quite curious… what do you see in me? I find it hard to believe we have nothing in common."
Guntz blushed, stammering as he tried to dredge up the words. "Promise you won't laugh?"
Lolo smiled and crossed her heart. "I promise."
Guntz let out a slow breath. "I… admire you, Lolo. I know you might not hear it a lot, but I think you're really brave. You'll leap into danger to protect those you care about, even if you're really scared. You've got a… tenacity that even some of the most hardened people I've ever known lack. I have… a great deal of respect for you… almost as much as I do with Klonoa…"
There was a short silence, during which Guntz started to become worried, before he looked over at Lolo and saw that she was tearing up, but with a touched smile on her face.
"It means a lot to hear you say that Guntz… more than you could know…"
She tried to dry her eyes and gave a little chuckle.
"Heh. Look at us. You know, there's no reason we need to keep doing this just for Klonoa… we could see how we like each other as well through it…"
Guntz looked at his shoes with a little guilt… "I dunno… I've never been very good with girls, you know that…"
Lolo smiled. "That's ok… I don't mind taking you as you are… if you'd like to take me as I am."
Guntz slowly turned his head at her, before closing his eyes and turning away, nodding slowly.
Lolo's smile grew, and she slowly leaned in, gently entering his personal bubble, before planting a brief kiss on his cheek.
Guntz gasped at the sensation, placing a hand on his cheek which was now burning like crazy. He turned back to her, and saw she had a fond expression on her face, her arms outstretched inviting him for a hug.
He almost didn't… but he found himself leaning towards her, into her embrace…
Tears began to roll down his cheeks again. He was crying, but it wasn't due to sadness now…
…
Some time later, Klonoa finally arrived home, worn out like nobody's business from working with Pango all day. It was good work, and he was glad to do it, but he was more than ready to put his feet up.
As he stepped through his front door, however, he was surprised to see both Guntz and Lolo lying on his couch, cuddled up against each other with the most content looks on her face.
Klonoa's surprise quickly gave way to a great feeling of happiness. He had been worried about whether they would both get along, and it now seemed like they were more than doing so now.
Lolo looked over at him, smiling warmly, and invited him to join them.
Klonoa was only too happy to oblige…
THE END