Friday, 8:00 PM, August 15th. Quitting time as usual, the weekend was officially underway. And with Frankie being put in charge of training a new employee in database designing, and Pyra and Mythra sculpting meticulous models of trees, woodland creatures, and delectable fruits for the library, not one of them could wait to get back home and just decompress. They had finally scoured through their leftovers from the Barbecue restaurant that past Monday, so they were very much ready to change up the palette a little- and with the advent of the little picnic they had organized with Kaito and Miko at the beach that weekend, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
That night, as preparations were being finished, Pyra and Mythra were talking amongst themselves after a quick trip during Frankie's shower.
"But isn't this a waste of money?" Pyra asked.
"But we already bought the darn things, didn't we?" Mythra responded.
"S-sure…I guess…but we could still…I dunno…return them before we wear them…"
"Pyra we already tried them on earlier, there's no way to return them now!"
"Y-you don't know that!"
Frankie walked into the room, causing the two ladies to scramble around and hide the items of their discussion behind their backs.
"What's going on here, why are you two arguing?" Frankie fully entered the room and set down his bag before placing his attention on the two, who sidled around suspiciously.
"...what are you two hiding?" Frankie leaned in like a mother inspecting her son's misplaced homework.
"Uhhhhh…well…" Pyra shifted her shoulders around and tapped her foot, clearly looking for an explanation.
Mythra on the other hand -shakily- stood her ground and announced, "It's a secret, Dummy!"
Frankie simply looked back at them, completely deadpan. Mythra kept her chest puffed out as if she was holding her breath, before finally sighing and admitting defeat.
"Ugh…fine. I guess we can tell you."
"Tell me what? I'm all ears, Mythra."
Mythra motioned to Pyra to begin.
"S-so…well, basically we were having a…disagreement regarding what we were going to wear to the beach…"
"What kind of disagreement?" Frankie responded, obliviously.
"Our…swimwear…"
"Oh."
"You see, we already have something equivalent to swimsuits…similar to our armor…"
"They're called our 'Radiant Beach' attire." Mythra continued. "Meant for maneuvering in water better."
"O h."
"Basically it's just a convenient combat swimsuit, nothing special but it gets the job done. Turn around for a sec."
That comment didn't fully register to Frankie for a second, and he took a moment to process what she asked. It took a directive eyebrow raise from Mythra for him to get it.
"O H."
Frankie turned around as they changed out of their shirts and bottoms.
"Sorry Frankie, these outfits are a bit special, they just appear on our bodies directly, so we can't have any layers on-"
"I UNDERSTAND PYRA IT'S ALRIGHT-"
"Alrighty then!"
As Frankie had his back turned and his hands over his eyes, he took a moment to consider what life choices led him to this exact moment in time, in a scene straight out of a bad shounen anime, perhaps the ones that Kaito could never stop complaining about.
Suddenly a bright light emitted from behind him, normally he'd consider turning around but was firm in his convictions and kept his back to them.
"Okay, you can turn around now!"
At the speed of a drunken sloth, Frankie turned towards the two.
"...And uncover your eyes, you Dummy."
"Mm-mm!" Frankie grunted with a fierce shake of his head, childishly.
"Frankie…" Pyra's more soothing tone calmed him down just a touch.
With even more hesitation, Frankie lowered his hands.
"Oh just open your stupid eyes already!" Mythra's more demanding tone made him panic and had his eyes shoot open.
What appeared before them were Pyra and Mythra, this time in what appeared to be fairly standard swimsuits. Obviously they showed a lot more skin than was likely regulation in most countries, but fairly tame otherwise, they'd blend in well at an average swimming pool minus a few select details.
Pyra's started from around her neck and covered her entire torso, with two ribbon-looking attachments hooked on the front and back of her thighs. Mythra's was a fair bit more overt, starting at her chest and also covering her torso, with cuts right above her stomach and across her hips.
Suddenly Frankie was a lot more calm for some reason.
"Hm? Something up, Frankie?" Pyra asked.
"Huh? Oh-well I just…"
Frankie tried to choose his next words very carefully.
"...this isn't all that different from your armor, honestly. Actually I think these are even more tame in some places. No, I'm not elaborating."
"I told you this was a bad idea…" Pyra whispered.
"Hush- I can breathe again, just be thankful-" Mythra whispered back.
'Lord have mercy, these girls are gonna be the end of me…' Frankie thought as he shook his head in relief. This was far more normal an interaction than he was expecting, he'd never been this familiar with a woman in his life, so he'd anticipated things would be more dramatic in some way. Likely a result of most media out there never really delving into the average every day stages of being a couple-
Frankie caught himself in thought there for a second.
Couple?
How could that thought have entered his head so casually? Sure it was…difficult to deny that was very much what they looked like and it's not like that would be an entirely false assumption…
Frankie shook his head quickly before he had a chance to think about it too much.
"So, what exactly is the issue here, you said you bought new swimsuits?"
"N-no, we uh…yeah…yeah we did." Pyra was extremely flushed as she answered. "I'm sorry…I can't help feeling like we wasted money when we didn't need to…"
"You were the one most insistent on buying them!" Mythra critically pointed at her red-haired self.
"W-well I…but I…"
Frankie put his hands on both of their shoulders.
"It's fine, really you two." He chuckled. "So you went shopping for something you wanted but didn't fully need, where's the harm in that?"
The two of them kind of shuffled in place again, clearly anxious for some reason.
"Did…I say something wrong?"
"No no, not at all Frankie it's just…" Pyra started but trailed off.
"We've…never exactly done this sort of thing before…at least not to this extent." Mythra continued.
Frankie looked on, puzzled. "Never done what before?"
"You know…go out completely by ourselves and just…" It was Mythra's turn to trail off.
"Do things…buy things…completely on our own. With no Driver around to comment on it in the moment… Heh… even the walk to the mall was quite lovely." Pyra finished.
Frankie's expression went from confused to downright befuddled.
"Okay okay okay, I've accepted a lot of weird stuff over the past few weeks, but you've seriously gotta be pulling my ankle on this one. You two have never done stuff without your Driver before?"
"I mean it didn't really occur to us at first, but…no. As the Aegis we were always obligated to stick close to our Drivers, lest we be kidnapped…or worse…" Pyra looked very downtrodden at saying that, clearly recalling an experience of that nature in the past. Mythra held her close.
"O-oh Pyra…Mythra…"
Frankie was very unsure of how to proceed with this. He had half a mind to give their previous Drivers exactly what for for restricting them so much, but he knew he lacked a great deal of context that may have explained their actions, and none of them were exactly ready to open the can of memory worms yet, especially with how thin a line that can stood on already. Not that it made him feel any better about it, but the last thing he wanted to do was upset these ladies any more than they had been.
"Well…just know that as long as you're here, you two have complete freedom to do whatever you want, go wherever you want to go."
The two of them looked at him in some shock.
"You've learned more than enough about how things work here to not have to feel constricted by me, from here on I'm just a source of advice for anything you need help with. Sound good?"
After a moment of pause, the two ladies looked at each other, smiled, and then giggled profusely.
"Oh you Dummy…yeah, that sounds good." Mythra responded with a smile.
"Indeed it does…" Pyra looked over at the new swimsuits they purchased.
She smiled sweetly as she picked what appeared to be hers up off the bed.
"I know this'll sound ridiculous, but these beach outfits represent a lot about…what's changed for the better for us."
Frankie's puzzled expression returned. "I'm…not following you."
"Well, before we only had one swimsuit to pick from, we never bought anything else because it just…never crossed our minds before."
"That's right…" Mythra picked her own swimsuit up. "We were still so caught up in being the Aegis, I guess a part of us thought we didn't deserve to do silly, fun stuff like this..."
They both of them looked back at him.
"But now we can." Mythra continued.
"And it's all thanks to you, Frankie!" Pyra exclaimed happily.
That sent Frankie into a stuttering frenzy.
"N-n-now hold on there, where did that-"
He was cut off by Pyra swiftly hugging him, followed by Mythra.
"I…I…"
Frankie looked at the two ladies. Their smiles were so bright, so filled with relaxed joy. They were smiles you'd typically see on people coming home after a long, arduous journey abroad. And as much as Frankie's anxious heart wouldn't accept the idea that he could ever be a place like that to them…
…he couldn't deny just how at peace they looked in this moment.
"...aye… you dorks…c'mere"
He warmly returned the hug, wrapping his arms tenderly around both of them.
"What'd I ever do to deserve you, huh…?" His warm smile quickly turned into a suspicious scowl as he rolled his eyes towards Pyra. "Wait a second didn't you say there was a month's time you could be allowed to be away from your Driver? You could've left if you really had a choice?"
This was the first time Mythra was hearing about this as well. Her eyes shot open as she quickly darted her eyes in a judging manner toward a blushing Pyra.
"O-oh… did I say that…? Um… w-well… I uh….. your cooking is the best, Frankie, you know that…?"
'Ay dios Mio…….'
—
With the snacks and drinks loaded up, and Kaito and Miko arriving just in time to carpool with the three of them, they were all off; Frankie and Pyra up front, Kaito and Miko in the back with Mythra right in the middle of them all.
Per Pyra and Mythra's request -and Frankie's eagerness- the five of them had nothing but Disney songs to listen to during the trip, of which, Frankie discovered Pyra took particular interest in the Renaissance era- the feeling of rejuvenation and longing and hope amidst a sea of restrictions and expectations littering most every musical number resonated with her strongly he assumed… perhaps a visit from a particularly small seafaring lady would be imminent in the near future. Mythra, on the other hand, preferred the Golden and Silver era songs; and judging by how gleefully she bounced along to the melodies, he knew it had something to do with just how whimsical and lighthearted and just plain… fun a lot of them sounded. Knowing how trying Mythra's life had been up to that point, it only seemed suitable… and the idea that he had started her off proper with his "Three Caballeros" skit wasn't exactly a thought he minded, if only it didn't make him far too flustered.
As they drove closer, the beach itself and all its attractions came into view. It was a typical lively beach, although not astoundingly crowded given the season and location. Normally an August day in California would have folks swarming the sand and walkways in droves, but while it was still certainly packed, this beach in particular was more relaxed than on average.
That said, it was still full of the usual hustle and bustle: lifeguards on duty, fire pits for later in the night, food stands abound, biking folk off to the side as they took a break from their rides, and of course people playing volleyball on set up nets strewn about. In the water, there were swimmers of all ages having a good time, children playing closer to the shore, teenagers swimming around in the somewhat deeper areas, and solo sailboats cruising around in the deep end.
Overall, it was about as perfect a beach as one could ask for. Lively and fun, but not too crowded to get in the way of that fun.
The party finally arrived at the beach site and began to unload and set up. And of course that involved everyone getting into their swimsuit attire. The girls had finished first and were chatting amongst themselves while Frankie and Kaito did the same in the stalls just by each other.
"So… is there any new information you've dug up…?" Frankie asked nervously.
"About what?" Kaito asked back
"Y-you know… about Blades… about Pyra and Mythra… Addam and whoever their last Driver was- anything!"
Kaito sighed.
"Big bro… I'll say this. Whatever we may or may not have found isn't anything we didn't already know. What is new isn't all that big- and besides that, didn't you say you were going to stop treating them as Blades and start treating them like people, like they want to be?"
"W-well, I mean sure, but-"
"No buts. This isn't something you can go back and forth on. Either you do it or you don't. And if I'm wrong, all of you want to do it, is that right?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Okay, Frankie. Then you refocus yourself to these girls and do what you can to not worry so much. They're here with YOU currently. Nobody else. So just keep it up. Okay?"
"Okay…"
"Good. Now then… I do believe we have a few ladies in waiting, if you catch my drift."
"Shit… I was so worried about the snacks I forgot my swimming shirt… what am I gonna do…?"
Kaito smirked from behind his stall.
"Just get out there and let it alllll play out big brother… trust me…"
"…fine…"
"A-and Pooh Bear is just such a precious little bean! He's so wholesome that he makes me cry!" Mythra hollered to Miko and Pyra at her sides. Pyra patted her head sympathetically while Miko just stared on in bemusement
"I take it Mythra found her comfort character, huh?" Miko asked.
"Nights in the den after work are what all of us need sometimes…" Pyra responded with a slight smile. "Mythra takes charge of the remote… all the time"
"Well… it's nice to see you two are adjusting so quickly…!"
"Don't make fun of me, I'm trying my best… I still don't know how to use a concubine…"
"COMPUTER, MYTHRA. IT'S CALLED A COMPUTER. WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS!" Miko hollered as she whacked her over the head lightly with her towel.
"W-watch it you… once the sun turns you're in a whole mess of trouble…!" Mythra sniffled.
"You'll do no such thing you darn diddly banan… nan… nan……… uhhhhhhh……………….." Miko's attention was suddenly taken away from the two older ladies, who were confused at first before following her astounded gaze.
Standing before the both of them were Kaito- trying much, much too hard to strike a cool and attractive pose to show off for Miko, only making himself look more like a dork than he realized… which was absolutely perfect for Miko. Her eyes widened and her gaze was absolutely transfixed on the hairy little man she adored to call her boyfriend every second of the day. Mythra would've had the perfect opportunity to poke fun at her were it not for Frankie… standing there. Awkwardly. Embarrassed beyond belief. He was far from the largest person around, but to call him skinny would be just as much a lie. Without His chest wasn't the most toned and his stomach, while not a beer belly by any stretch of the imagination, wasn't much to look at either. At this point he was silently cursing himself for being so stupid.
Mythra smiled in amusement and just tilted her head slightly as she inspected Frankie.
'Well… he's a nice safeguard, I'll give him that' She thought to herself as she shook her head fondly.
Pyra on the other hand… had to be snapped out by Miko, who had shaken herself out of her funk only to stop and notice Pyra's intense blushing and eerie stillness.
"Pyra… you okay…?" She asked.
Pyra extended a finger and curled it her way for the smaller woman to come closer. Eyes tightly shut, and leaning down so very gingerly, she whispered her thoughts into her ear.
"I… may have a thing for… larger… people………."
Miko chuckled snidely and held her close.
"Well good luck with that…" She said smugly.
"And what are you ladies smiling about?" Kaito pondered as he peered over the three women, still trying to impress Miko.
"Oh, just enjoying the view, dear Kaito-" Mythra stated, her smug look eyeing in Frankie's direction specifically. Pyra simply giggled with an innocent yet knowing tone as she stood back up, trying her very best to remove her blushing. Frankie gulped nervously as he pulled Kaito aside
"Help."
"With what? Things are going great!" Kaito patted his anxious brother on the shoulder.
"They're looking at me… n-not that I mind… but I don't get it either. Like… I'm far from a beach hunk, is all I'm saying."
Kaito simply chuckled.
"Ahhh, big brother. Trust me when I say you're gonna have to get used to this sort of thing when you've got a significant O like you now do…"
"Th-th-that's not…!" Frankie flushed a deep red as he so desperately tried to deny his claim.
"Surrrreee…sure. Have fun, big bro!" Kaito barely responded and Miko grabbed his arm and pulled him off.
Frankie was left to stew in his response, helplessly. It was not common for Kaito to lord his slightly increased experience in relationships over his older brother, but when it did happen it was always meant to send a message.
What that message was in this case was difficult for Frankie to parse, although that might have been on his desire not to listen.
Either way, he looked back over at Pyra and Mythra, looking oh so comfortable under their beach umbrella. This wasn't a place for being so stuffy, he knew that. So he walked over to be with them.
The three of them sat down together, close enough to inform a sense of intimacy, but with enough implied distance to keep things from being too awkward. Frankie seemed a bit anxious about sticking too close to the two ladies, but calmed down when he looked over at them smiling happily as they looked across the joy-filled shore, their eyes practically shimmering. Mythra picking up a few too many snacks and shoving them in her mouth, Pyra giving her a bit of side-eye for being so gluttonous. Only for her to start choking and Pyra to immediately remedy the situation and giving Mythra a disappointing glare as she turned away in an angry fluster
"Oh you two… don't look now, but I think Kaito and Miko have something to show you! Uh… oh………"
The two both shot their glances towards where Frankie -gingerly- gestured. Pyra was doing so simply out of curiosity, while Mythra seemed like she sensed competition.
Kaito and Miko had set their eyes on a volleyball net. With their smiles bright and competitive nature fueled, the two immediately rushed towards the game to demonstrate to Pyra and Mythra, leaving them with Frankie to watch. The two older ladies were intrigued at first and looked on intently while Frankie nervously turned away, already guessing what their reaction to how… active this sport could be.
Kaito jumped up high and spiked the ball towards Miko, who ran back to do the same, the barely noticeable rolls on her stomach jiggled suddenly as she served it back to Kaito, who spiked back to her after running ahead quickly, only for Miko to slap it harder away from the close proximity of the net, sending it flying over Kaito's head, and just barely onto the farthest edge of the court it could, slamming down on the sand and staying in bounds just enough to earn her a point.
"Yeah! That's how it's done!" She cried excitedly.
"Alright, Koko Puff- you did good…" Kaito sneered teasingly as he walked to pick up the ball, "But let's see how you fare against Big Brobro and I!"
"It's three against two on MY side! Don't get too cocky, Kokonut!" The small brunette hollered.
"We'll see… alright, you three, ready to play?!" Kaito squeezed the ball in emphasis before turning towards Frankie, Pyra, and Mythra, who stood back unamused, flustered, and madly embarrassed respectively. Frankie stared a blank stare as he tapped his fingers on his can of soda expectantly, Pyra shifted nervously from side to side with a large blush on her face, looking around sheepishly all the meanwhile, and Mythra simply folded her arms together and sunk into herself as she glared at the shorter couple with just as big of a blush as Pyra, breathing heavily.
"What's wrong? Don't you wanna play?" He asked again.
"I think I know exactly what's wrong with them, Kokonut." Miko said as she walked up to him.
"What? What's the matter?" Miko dropped her head and shifted her half-shut, bemused focus his way, waiting for him to catch on.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…………….oh………."
"I dare you to say it… go on… tell us what you're thinking…" Mythra growled as she tensed herself up even further.
"Welp- I would've said something but you seem to have figured it out yourself, so the floor is the ladies' now." Frankie pointed out as he took a sip of his soda.
"A-and really… it's important to consider what others are feeling in times like these, isn't it? I'm afraid majority rules here, Kaito…" Pyra nervously squeaked out as her blush deepened even further.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I say we head back to the umbrellas and bust out that fried chicken already." Frankie suggested.
"Ha ha! I like the way you think, Big Guy!" Mythra cried out in response, completely shifting her attitude.
'Oh sure… you get all nice and bubbly with HIM, that's real subtle…' Kaito thought with a snicker just before Miko spoke up.
"Ooo! Can we Kokonut? Can we? Can we please? Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaasssse?"
"Guys, we JUST finished snacking, there are other things to do, you know…" Kaito pointed out.
"S-something we can all enjoy?" Pyra asked hopefully, causing Frankie to put a finger to his chin and really ponder on the sidelines.
"Hey, girls, how often have you been to the ocean?" He asked.
"Not much at all. Why do you ask?" Mythra asked in return. That gave Frankie the perfect idea.
"Surfboarding requires a lot of balance and control… balance and control that I'm not afraid to admit I lack… I don't doubt you two might be able to pick it up… but boogyboarding… it's so easy, a child could do it!"
To prove his point, Frankie extended an arm to a nearby family, whose little boy was practicing boogie boarding as well. He was having a grand time and laid flat on his stomach as he paddled toward a wave that was a fair bit too big for him, causing him to get hit face first by the seawater and off the board, forcing his mother to retrieve him, as he immediately started crying. Pyra and Mythra cringed suddenly while Frankie's eyes widened in shock.
"N-not that one…" He excused himself.
"Forgive me for being presumptuous… but these boards take into account… you know… well endowed people, right?" Pyra asked sheepishly.
"Pyra, you did NOT just ask that…" Mythra growled with a furious blush.
"Well, you start off on your belly for sure, but once you find a wave, you lift your upper portion off and direct your position with your hands."
"I see. Sounds simple enough! You've done this plenty of times before, right Frankie?"
Frankie laughed suddenly.
"Nope! Let's go! ¡Vamos, vamos!"
"We're gonna die…" Mythra scowled.
And so the trio left to attempt this boogie boarding for themselves, and despite their respective lack of experience and Mythra's doubt, it went rather swimmingly.
And by "swimmingly", they were swimming a lot due to falling so often.
"Okay! I think I got the hang of it this time! Frankie, Mythra, check this out!" Pyra hollered as she swam towards a wave, hovering just above the board, sticking her tongue out in confidence as she allowed the water to rise her up above the surface. Very carefully, she tried to stand up in an attempt to impress the both of them. She wavered in her balance a bit but stuck the landing…… for a few seconds until the wave suddenly shrunk and tumbled an overexerting Pyra back into the water. She emerged a second later and spit out her salty drink before laughing in a mixture of embarrassment and enjoyment.
"Here, Pyra, try like this!" Frankie demonstrated as he copied her action, but instead of standing on the board completely, he had squatted down on the end of it and allowed the front of it to kick up above the water as he rode the wave decently well enough. He didn't struggle nearly as much as Pyra did, but he was able to ride it all the way back to her without falling off once.
"Hey! Cheater- you didn't use your whole balance!" Pyra cried out as Frankie met with her again.
"That's what we call the dropknee, Homura, it's a real thing, look it up. And besides, I told you using your whole body as a balance was a real tri-hi-hi-iiiiiiiIIIIICK!" As he was talking to her, Frankie absentmindedly stood up on the board, completely losing his own balance and falling off into the water as well. Eyes tightly shut, he emerged and wiped his face clean.
"Oh! Frankie, you're not hurt are you?!" Pyra asked as she swam up to him. Glaring at her in a hushed manner, Frankie took his hand and splashed water her way, causing her to flinch in surprise.
"That's for thinking your point was proven." He said just as he was splashed by Pyra as well.
"And that's for being so mean!" She hollered with puffed cheeks.
"Yeah? Well this is for… being meanER!" Frankie exclaimed as he splashed more water her way.
"And this is for being just as much of a Dummy Mythra says you are!" Pyra then reeled her arms back and pushed Frankie back into the water. "Ohhhhhhh- Frankiieee- you're not hurt arrrrrrre yoooouuuuuuuu?" She asked back in a mocking jovial tone.
"Not at all! Not like you in a second!" Frankie cried as he swam after Pyra in faux rage, getting her to laugh and swim away herself.
"Stay back, you absolute savage!" She giggled.
"You're not getting away that easy, come here!"
Mythra overlooked the two of them and rolled her eyes.
"Kids these days…" She shook her head as she turned to a wave herself and smiled confidently. "You two dummies better pay attention to just how well big sis can adapt!" Mythra immediately swam towards a wave, and to show off, stood up on her hands to steer the board… which she accomplished for all of two seconds.
Her smug confidence was quite literally washed away in the blink of an eye as her sudden scream turned to pathetic gubbels the moment she was struck by the wave. Frankie and Pyra immediately stopped chasing each other and swam to her side to see if she was okay. The older Blonde resurfaced, disheveled as she spat water from her mouth.
"Was it delicious…?" Frankie sheepishly asked to try and alleviate the tension with a nervous chuckle.
"Funny. You've got the time to make jokes but not the time to brush up on your skills." Mythra snapped back.
"Don't be so mean, Mythra… there's no call for that." Frankie stated.
"I understand you're looking for a hobby, Mythra, but don't you think that you're overexerting yourself a little bit here?" Pyra asked.
"Overexerting? Please, I can't very well just sit down and do nothing for the rest of this life! The bigger I go, the quicker the pace picks up!"
"In other words… you're forcing yourself into this to make things go quicker…" Frankie guessed. Mythra blushed suddenly and reeled back. She didn't want to admit he was right on the money, but judging from his cocked brow, he already read straight through her.
"I-I don't have to answer your crazy!" She defended herself.
"Mythra… I'm saying this because I care about you… if you force yourself, you're only gonna make things worse- believe me, there was this one time in high school where I-" Mythra cut Frankie off with a defiant stutter.
"I've had enough of your phony past anecdotes- the minute you actually decide to speak up is the day we'll talk, for now, I'm gonna prove to you that I can do this! Just watch!" Mythra defiantly swam towards another wave, leaving a shocked Frankie by himself as he and Pyra watched her rush towards a wave that was bigger than her.
In an attempt to tame the watery beast, Mythra had practically forced her board to jump with her as she tried her very best to stand on it as she boarded- only to fall off just as fast and get carried right back toward Frankie and Pyra, who both reached over to help, only for Mythra to shake off her shock and try again… and again… and again… and again… and again… too many waves she tried to overtake in sheer spite- only for each other to humble her immediately the moment she even thought of trying to do something cool. What made her call it quits once and for all was a wave she didn't even try to board. But rather, one that caught her off guard.
"I don't need your sympathy! One way or another, I'm conquering these waters or my name isn't Mythra Goodman, you hear! The only thing I should hear coming out of your mouths is your undying support and promise because that's what's going to bring me over the top and beyond the very best!"
Frankie and Pyra listened on intently, allowing Mythra to vent her frustrations as she needed, only for Frankie to look away for a second to notice a wave far in the distance… and the closer it drew, the larger it became.
"Uh oh…" He intoned.
"Um… Mythra…" Pyra tried to warn.
"Just a second I'm not done yet!" She hollered. "And then when I come out on top, I'll show them! I'll show them all that the legendary Aegis herself isn't some gangly weapon to swing around like a rusty old sword! I am woman! Hear me roar!"
"DIVE! DIVE!" Frankie screeched as he and Pyra suddenly dove under the surface to avoid the wave, swimming away from it the meanwhile.
"Hey! Where are you two going?!"
Before Mythra could rant anymore, she finally felt the looming shadow of the surge about to crash down on her. Her eyes shrunk as she very sheepishly turned around to see what was coming her way.
"Oh… Fu-"
Without even a second to react, Mythra was hit and sent tumbling around underneath the water. She didn't even have time to hold her breath as she spun around in utter confusion trying to regain her footing and not be washed away by the torrent. Before she could be taken out to see, Frankie and Pyra each grabbed one of her arms, hoisted her up by the shoulder, and pulled her back up to the surface. Mythra gasped for air and coughed violently as Frankie rubbed her shoulder rapidly, and Pyra patting her back to help her expel some of the salty sea water.
"Mythra, come on- speak to me, niña, speak to me!" Frankie cried only for Mythra to respond by pushing them both off her person and sigh in heavy disgruntlement.
"Mythra…?" Pyra swam closer to her again as she reached out timidly. Mythra sighed yet again and opened her eyes slightly in tired disappointment.
"I did it again, didn't I…?" She asked them. When neither gave her a response, she looked toward Frankie expectantly.
"I-I'm sorry Mythra, I'm just glad you're okay…" He said.
"Thanks, Dummy…" Mythra groaned again as she collected her board and held it close. "Guess that's something else that needs to be worked on, huh…?"
"Paying attention, you mean?" Pyra guessed. Mythra shot a look her way that was a mixture of both disagreement, yet heavy understanding- that that was exactly what she needed.
"Wanna just… hang out here for a bit more?" Frankie suggested.
"You two can… I'm going back to shore… sorry for spoiling your good time…" Mythra swam back to land sadly as Frankie called out to her, only to be completely ignored. He sighed heavily himself as Pyra swam closer.
"What are we going to do with her?" He asked.
"You told her she has a place to stay with you, Frankie. Just keep doing that, I say." Pyra reminded him.
"She worries me a lot…"
"Me too…"
"She's gonna need some alone time, isn't she?"
"Afraid so."
"…"
"…"
"You know what…? She can have that alone time… for now… follow me… I think I know what'll cheer her up."
"Frankie?"
Frankie smiled knowingly and rolled his eyes over to beyond his and Pyra's side… a colorful dock stood proudly in the distance just above the sandy shores. That was their next stop.
…
Mythra shuffled her way out of the water, tossing her board to the side in slight annoyance.
She then peered over the area, watching the various beach goers mill about. Some were playing in the sand, some were sunbathing, some were coming back from failed boogie boarding ventures just like she was.
There was a certain feeling washing over her as she looked on, even in her somber mood, one she couldn't quite describe, yet it felt… oddly potent.
Soon she noticed Kaito sitting off to the side, watching as Miko continued to play volleyball with some other locals, a bucket of fried chicken next to him. She walked over to him, half to find out what he was doing, half to perhaps see if he could explain something about this odd feeling.
She simply sat cross-legged next to him, not saying a word.
Kaito noticed her but similarly said nothing.
"...sup." Mythra started.
"...nothin much." Kaito responded.
"...just sitting here?"
"...yep."
"..."
"..."
"I hate sitting." Mythra sternly stated in annoyance.
"So you hate standing and sitting, sure hope you can fly then."
"I didn't ask for your opinion." Mythra took a piece of chicken and ate it indignantly, letting a bit of skin dangle from her mouth as she worked it back in with her tongue.
"So, you not up to playing with her?" Mythra asked as she chewed.
"Nah, I'm all worn out, but Miko wanted to keep playing King's Court, so there she goes." Kaito gestured over to the game Miko was currently playing, where despite her short and stout stature, she was fairly convincingly outplaying her opponent. She ran swiftly from position to position, hitting the ball back with grace and good technique.
"Huh, she's really into this." Mythra watched in awe. She was fairly confident she was more physically fit and capable than Miko, but seeing the little brunette move so deftly gave her pause.
"Hehe…yeah. She told me that one time, her school had volleyball as part of their curriculum. And not wanting to be outdone by her predecessors, Miko worked like crazy to get good at it by the end of the module."
"Your fancy words confuse me and make me sad. Get to the good part."
"She got made fun of for her height cuz volleyball's typically played by taller peeps. She wanted to prove them wrong, so she got good." Kaito explained.
Right as he said that, Miko spiked the ball into the ground on the other player's side, winning the point. She folded her arms in confidence and breathed out triumphantly.
"Must be nice… being good at something so casually." Mythra intoned.
"Well, you kinda miss the forest for the trees there. She wasn't good off the bat, she had a drive to get skilled…being the people making fun of her initially, as weird as that may sound." Kaito looked into the air, as if to reminisce on something. Mythra hummed thoughtfully in response.
"It's admirable, nevertheless. I told Frankie this before, but as a…….." Mythra caught herself and shook her head to continue "…before this life, it was hard to branch out and do things for myself. Just the Aegis and nothing else, really." Then she sighed. "God, I regret blowing up at him the way I did more and more each day… how and why he forgave me so quickly, I'll never know…"
"Heh, I getcha."
Mythra glared at him.
"I mean it, that feeling of being stuck in one place, being closed off from others, everyone feels that to some extent, really."
The blonde initially seemed poised to argue back, but then took a moment to process what Kaito had just said, and how well he surmised the negative way she felt in such a short phrase. She then looked back up to Miko, taking a swig of her water.
"Even her?"
Kaito looked at Miko as well. He laughed.
"You kidding? Of course!"
"Well excuse me for being so shocked! She…handles her problems…so well."
"That so?" Kaito peered back over as Mythra looked to the ground.
"We…ran into that Irma lady the other day…she was…a lot."
Kaito nodded in understanding. "Ah, yeah. Irma. That's a good way to describe her, I'd say."
"I'm being nice. If there weren't so many kids around, I could go into a whole lot more detail if you really wanted to."
"Heh, nah it's fine." Kaito chuckled. "Though I take it your interaction with her didn't sit well?"
Mythra growled as she turned away.
"She opened up a can of worms with no remorse, threatened the lot of us and had the AUDACITY to call Frankie 'Big Guy' right in front of me!" She explained.
"Yeeep, that's Irma. She's a bit of an instigator, been that way since the day I first met her." Kaito picked up a drink that lay at his side and gave a sip before continuing. "I don't want to just assume things, but I'm pretty sure she's just jealous of Miko cuz she's younger but just about as successful, if not more so."
"Kaito, I hate to be so rude, but if this is gonna be another sob story, I'm afraid I'm not in the mood. The less I hear about Irma, the better. I just wanna know if and how that brat takes her crap"
"Well, that's the thing. Miko's…always dealt with that sort of stuff. She's never been one to keep her opinions under wraps, in fact, she likes to enforce them onto others a lot of the time. Part of what makes her a good lawyer, heh…"
"Th-that's… huh…" Mythra looked down suddenly, lost in thought.
"And, for a while, it really bothered her on the inside, particularly not having anyone to support her when she first came to college. She felt…closed off from the world. Lonely, all that stuff."
"Hah… haven't heard that one before…" Mythra joked solemnly.
"Bet you haven't, definitely don't showcase all the signs." Kaito stated sarcastically. Mythra shot him another annoyed glare, which he returned with a cheeky grin.
"But yeah, for a while she didn't even try to deal with it. She grit her teeth and just pushed through, focusing on what she believed in."
"But…obviously that couldn't last forever, huh?" Mythra looked back downwards.
"Mm…" Kaito took another sip. "What changed was, eventually she stopped trying to carry the burden of those emotions by herself, started relying on others more emotionally. Like she did in high school, but…more so, ya know?"
"Heh… she really does fit you like a glove… 'big brobro' this and 'big sis' that." Mythra chuckled.
"W-w-well I mean I…never said who it was she relied on…" Kaito had a sudden spout of nervous stammering, something Mythra was not used to seeing from him.
It was Mythra's turn to chuckle. "Hah! Finally cracked, didn't ya? You dork!"
"Oh…shut up you…you know you're way worse about it, one compliment from Frankie would get you melting quicker than this slushie right here!" He shook his drink.
"I-I-I-I-I… shut up…"
Kaito laughed at Mythra's subtle admission while she stayed as defiant as ever… and then his mood suddenly shifted and became a bit more intense. Mythra was confused for a moment, before she glanced over at a set of teenage boys eyeing Miko doing warmups.
"Pfft…what's that chick doing, she's way too fat to be showing that much skin, much less running around like that, heh…"
The boys were mocking Miko's appearance, pointing primarily to her weight as if to say she should hide her body more just so they wouldn't have to see it.
"What…those…I'm gonna…"
"No."
"But they-"
"Mythra. Stop. You wanted to stay out of trouble more, right? You ignore stuff like this, it's just dumb teenager nonsense." Kaito snapped the phrase at her with more sharpness. Once again Mythra was caught off guard with how harsh Kaito could sound when he wasn't speaking in his usual, soft and monotone register.
"I…fine…"
Mythra looked at the ground in anger. She'd teased Miko for a variety of reasons, but this…this made her livid. A part of her wanted to punch Kaito for just letting it slide.
The rather sharp sound of breaking cardboard rung from Kaito's hand, drawing Mythra's attention and the attention of the two boys. Kaito had crushed his cup rather violently, the remains of his melted slushie dripping out. The boys didn't look too bothered but notably stopped their name-calling.
Kaito took a breath out and stood.
"Come on, big sis, let's give Miko some company."
"...huh…sure."
Mythra stood up and joined Kaito as they walked over, and she couldn't help but crack a small smile. Something about seeing Kaito care so much for his lady to the point of breaking character so much put her at ease, funnily enough.
"Hm? What's so funny?" Kaito asked, his tense aura gone.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all…little bro."
Mythra now knew what the feeling was. A feeling something meeting Frankie gave her on a level she'd never had before.
Belonging.
