Chapter LIII
There is something warm and familiar about travelling with someone other than Chrollo.
They have a minivan, Uvogin in the driver's seat and the Danchou in the passenger seat. The six-hour drive is bearable despite the silence. Valtiel is occupied with her books in the backseat while Danchou is napping more often than not. Sometimes, Uvogin would grab a burger from their grocery bag, stuff his mouth full, and continue driving across deserted lands and noisy cities.
Throughout the journey, her phone keeps dinging with every message. It goes on for more than an hour that the ringtone is gradually annoying Uvogin.
15:34 Hisoka-san: My hair is a mess. This city is too damp.
15:34 Valtiel: Just cut it off. Even better, just shave your head.
15:35 Hisoka-san: No way!
15:35 Valtiel: Why not? It's the most logical step.
15:35 Hisoka-san: You and Machi won't find me attractive with a bald head.
Nose buried in her phone, she puts her books aside to entertain the magician more. He is probably bored—Hisoka never really texts her this much unless he is bored out of his mind.
15:37 Valtiel: Since when did I find you attractive?
15:37 Hisoka-san: When you kissed me? In Heavens Arena? You could barely keep your hands off me. I was so shy. (*^_^*)
Her cheeks flush. From the passenger seat, Chrollo opens his eyes from his nap and finds her gaze through the rearview mirror. She flushes even more and curls up on her seat.
15:38 Valtiel: I did no such thing.
15:39 Hisoka-san: Yes, you did. Now Danchou knows all about our amorous affair and warned me about it. I'm not allowed near you in the next six months.
She flinches then, almost dropping her phone. Ever since Lord Viper's invitation three days ago, Chrollo and Hisoka have been at odds. The Danchou had given one whispered command and Hisoka was effectively dismissed from the mission, without so much as a goodbye to Valtiel.
She had spent the night attempting to sense his presence, but it seemed Hisoka had been long gone before her match with Cobra even began.
15:42 Valtiel: I'm sorry, Hisoka-san. You know how Danchou is. I warned you, didn't I?
15:42 Hisoka-san: Oh, don't fret, sweetest. I'd be jealous of myself too. Have you seen me?
Chrollo sighs and twists in his seat, turning to her. "Val, when we get to Meteor City, we're practicing Nen once more. Alright?"
Her phone becomes quite forgotten in her hand. She furrows her brows. "More Nen training? Why is that? I thought I'm finished with Nen training?"
Uvogin throws his head back and cackles. "If you think Nen training ever ends, then you're far too green, Val. Training never stops, unless you want to die a pathetic death."
"We'll start as soon as we get settled," Chrollo ends it at that.
Finally, after three more hours of relentless driving and sore arms for Uvogin and a crick in the neck from Danchou's napping, they arrive at their destination.
The sunset throws a reddening glow across the wasteland, and throws longer shadows behind buildings and mountains of garbage. Their van rounds towards the back, not heading straight to the church as expected, so that Valtiel could see the fruit of all the troubles and finances all those months in Heavens Arena, across countries where she could raise enough money for the construction and maintenance and everything else.
Chrollo wakes in time to see her face light up as they approach closer. He watches her face as her eyes widen in awe, her smile always the brightest. With the reddish tint of sunset drowning in her golden eyes, to him, she looks more than beautiful.
The school is finished. There is much more work to do for the equipment and other items, but whatever is done now is perfect. Valtiel bursts out of the vehicle and runs like an excited child towards the short flight of steps that leads to the entrance doors.
She cranes her neck upwards, drinking in the entire view of the building from top to bottom, from the turrets that flank either side of the entrance. The entrance itself is not at all grand: made of white stones, an old-fashioned architectural style according to the main engineer. The building is longer than it is higher: only three-stories tall, with tiled roofs and simple paneled windows. The walls are painted light gray against the bright sepia of the roofs, so as not to attract too unwanted attention from the Mafia, despite Viper's promise.
Climbing the stairs, she pries one of the double doors open and peeks inside. The doors open to a middle-sized foyer with another flight of stairs that branch into two, leading to the second and third floors. The windows do not have glasses yet, and the red sunset glow is cast onto the wide and empty expanse of the floor.
She feels a hand on her shoulder and turns around.
Chrollo expects her to smile, to pounce in his arms for this extreme triumph—but she has tears in her eyes, glassy and threatening to fall any moment. He softens and takes her into his arms.
"Now, my love, why the tears? This is your triumph. You worked days and nights, and I heard from others how distressed you were for the financing." He embraces her tighter and buries her face in his chest.
"I am so happy," Valtiel murmurs, nestling her cheek over his shirt. "Those children can finally have the right and privilege to learn and be educated. They no longer have to play with weapons and obey the Mafia community thoughtlessly." She draws back and smiles, all tears. "Don't you see? This is a better future, a future none of them could have imagined."
"I see it," he whispers. He takes her face in his big hands and kisses her deeply. Uvogin remains with the van anyway, not here to watch their intimacy. "You are brilliant," he breathes against her smiling mouth. "I see that I have chosen a revolutionist. I am proud."
"Revolutionist." She rolls her eyes at the term and he laughs. She nestles under his arm, wrapping her own around his waist. "What do you think? Good enough?"
"The best thing that ever happened in Meteor City."
"We should celebrate," she says exuberantly, and Chrollo twirls her around as if in a dance. She is wearing another one of her dresses with ankle-length skirts, pale lavender, and it billows outwards as she spins. She stands on her tiptoes, kissing him on the forehead. "And we should invite everybody in the church! This is their triumph, too!"
"Everybody?" He chuckles and leads her by the hand down the stairs, like a prince leading his princess. He lets her go as she pounces towards Uvogin next. "If we invite everybody, we won't have enough space inside. At least invite Julia and Warren, they would have to be present now that you're back."
"Good idea!" She throws herself towards Uvogin, who readily catches her and spins her around.
When he sets her back to the ground, she draws him down to her and kisses him on the cheek. Just like that, she runs back and goes inside the van again.
Uvogin pats his cheek. "Man, I never knew she's this energetic," he mumbles.
Chrollo offers a gentle smile. "Small wonder Feitan barely tolerates her."
They drive around the city once more, stopping at the front of the church. A small group has already gathered, half of the Elders and their odd-looking supporters.
Uvogin slams the door shut and watches from the sidelines. Chrollo even steps back to allow Valtiel bask in her moment of triumph.
She smiles at everyone present, most of them she does not know by name or face, and greets the Elders first, rubbing smiles into their faces because they once thought this was unattainable. Well, here it is now: the school looms in the background, silhouetted against the reddening horizon.
She makes a point of greeting her grandfather first. "How are you, Grandpa?" She bends to kiss the old man on both cheeks.
"Better than most," Ryence answers, observing the other Elders.
"Don't be a braggart now," Koran snaps at her, arms folded over his chest, tapping his foot.
"I haven't said anything yet," Valtiel replies. "But it's nice to be back home."
"We have more things to discuss than pleasantries," Koran says. "Building a school is one thing, but keeping its maintenance is another. I expect that you have plans for this, young lady! You are jeopardizing our way of life here!"
In the back of her mind, there is another old man nagging to her about preserving their way of life. She scans the gathered crowd, but her hazy memories recognize none of them.
Chrollo interrupts, before the storm of her temper breaks over their heads. He puts a hand on the small of her back and feels her relax at his gentle touch. "And I will be with her every step of the way. If there's anything you can do to help, that would be nice. Now—" He rubs her back to soothe her further. "Shall we go inside?"
"By all means." Ryence gestures his wooden cane towards the church's entrance.
"That's one way to escape this inevitable discussion," Koran mumbles under his breath and catches the young woman shooting a quick glare in his direction. He glares back, the two of them like children in a playground. He notices Chrollo's thoughtful gaze and Uvogin's annoyed one. Against two Spiders, flanking the woman in between, Koran decides to back off for now.
Entering the church, two children race neck-and-neck against each other to greet them.
"Chrollo!" Julia gasps, golden curls bouncing over her shoulders. "Valtiel!"
At once, the sneer in Valtiel's face melts away. She steps away from the Spiders and opens her arms for the young girl—but Julia rushes past her and jumps into Chrollo's arms instead. She blinks and turns around to watch them.
The Troupe leader has a gracious smile at the ready. He admits Julia into his arms, offering a lazy hug. He pats her head, calming her down as he would an excited puppy.
Then he turns for the other child. He is not even a child anymore. A teenager, sixteen years old. His usually wild black hair has grown wilder over his shoulders, and his build is leaner than muscular. Warren stands taller than her now. Perhaps in a few years, he'd be as tall as Phinks.
"Welcome back!" Julia's brown eyes are shining at Chrollo.
"Hi," says Warren.
"Someone's grumpy." Valtiel laughs.
"The school's finished," the boy says. "Does that mean you and the Spiders will stay here for so long?" His dark eyes flicker back and forth from Chrollo and Uvogin. Despite talking to her, he doesn't look at her once.
"We will stay here for as long as we want," Chrollo answers. He reaches for Valtiel's waist, pulling her flush against him. "For now, Val and I need to settle down in our room. Let's all meet up here again for dinner."
The couple smiles at everyone who has gathered to watch them arrive, and then disappear in the corner that leads to the staircase. Uvogin scratches the back of his neck and yawns, while Warren purses his lips at the strange display of affection, the young boy in him utterly curious and confused. He snorts and looks up at the taller Spider.
"So, what's up with them?"
"Who?"
"Chrollo and Valtiel," the boy answers impatiently.
"What about them?"
"Since when did this happen?"
"Nothing's happening," Uvogin answers, very weary of the topic.
"What? You don't know?"
"I know nothing."
Warren squints his eyes at him. The Spider shifts from one foot to another. "You're lying."
Uvo throws up his hands, exasperated. "If you're so smart, why are you asking me, you little punk?! Think whatever you want to think! Leave me alone!" He turns on his heels, aiming for the entrance, but Julia steps in to block the pathway. The Spider grimaces at her.
"Why don't you know?" she asks with the excitement of a young girl. "Can't you see? Can't you? It's like a fairytale come true!"
Feeling like an old man faced with such brightness of the little girl, Uvo sighs in defeat, crosses his arms, and lets the child babble about fairytales, knights, and princesses, and shit. Really, a six-hour drive from across cities and this is what he gets—a seven-year-old whipping a book from nowhere and pinpointing pictures of a princess in a beautiful white gown and her knight in his golden armor. He yawns, big and loud, and still the girl keeps insisting that this is a fairytale.
He looks over his shoulder to beg for help from Warren. The boy just shrugs. This punk.
Julia holds up her book and Uvo blinks down at it. An image of a princess in a tower. "She's like a lady locked up in a tower, and then the prince comes to save her! But first, he has to defeat the mean dragon that's keeping her locked in!"
"Dragon, eh?" Now that sounds interesting. "I bet the prince dies from the dragon's flames?"
"No, no!" Julia exclaims, quite aghast. "He kills the dragon and marries the princess!" She flips to the last part of the book where the picture shows the two characters getting married in a cathedral. "Just like Chrollo will save Valtiel from a dragon, and then they'd get married!"
"Is that so?" he mumbles. He could not, for the life of him, imagine Valtiel getting kidnapped and guarded by the dragon—because there is no way in hell someone's kidnapping her in the first place. Uvogin's blood boils at the mere thought of it. Over my dead fucking body.
But now, he is tired. He has had enough of this childlike enthusiasm from Valtiel since so early this morning. Why does he always get the energetic ones? Shalnark is a menace enough as it is. Nobunaga—sometimes. Valtiel? Very high in the list. Kids? Ugh.
"You know what, kiddo?" The Spider ruffles Julia's hair and sidesteps her. "You should probably show that book to Danchou later. I bet he'd be thrilled."
Upstairs, the subjects of their discussion are entering their room for the first time since last year. The small room remains furnished; aside from the twin-sized bed and the desk, there is a new dresser pressed against the left wall and a small bookshelf parallel to the bed. Valtiel notices the increase of books, added to the ones she left behind, and wonders if they belong to the Danchou. The window to the right has a curtain now, and a glass paneling to ward off the constant stench of the city.
Chrollo tosses their duffel bag to the bed and shuts the door behind him. "Are you tired?"
"Oh, no." She approaches the window and studies the view of the city. Mountains of garbage is nothing new to the eyes. What's new is the building on the horizon. It makes her smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside, the same feeling whenever she is with Chrollo.
"Well, I am," he sighs, unbuttoning his shirt.
"You were napping all day."
"All this travelling and talking within a span of a few hours can be exhausting. I am surprised you're not tired at all."
"Because there's so much to do," she beams. "There's the first school established in Meteor City. That means we will have to work harder for its maintenance, and the support of the teachers and staff. There's also the need to provide for tables and chairs, books and shelves. And of course the children would need materials to work with—pens, paper, all of those things!"
Chrollo feels warm all over to see her so happy. He opens his arms for her, and she nuzzles against him, smoothing her cheek against his chest. He kisses her forehead.
"A year ago, it was impossible to have a school. Now we have one." He cradles her in his arms, humming a lullaby. They both stare at the building. "And perhaps we will build more."
"But the funds? We both of us hardly have credible work that pays us money."
"Who says anything about credible works?" Dark eyes gleam at her, and he has the audacity to wink. "We built this school on stolen money. We can continue its maintenance with stolen money." He laughs at the look of revulsion in her face. "Which means you can keep your conscience clear if you let the Troupe and I handle the finances. I already informed Shal and Paku to keep raising funds until such time that we need the money."
"Well, that is both helpful and disconcerting."
"Speak for yourself, sweetheart."
"To what do I owe this generosity?" She cranes her head, peeping up at him.
"Like I said, you're undergoing more Nen training." He chuckles when she wrinkles her nose. He squeezes her a little tighter in his arms. She is so small that even him, an almost average-sized young adult, could easily engulf her. "You did well in your last fight, but with more practice, it can be better."
She nods, twisting away from his embrace. He lets her go and leans against the window, his back turned to the scenery. She turns her back to him as well, pointing at the ribbons of her blouse. Chrollo and his expert fingers work on them without much effort.
The straps slip off her shoulders. She feels the entire dress slipping from her torso. She holds it up against her chest. He starts undoing her half-ponytail next, removing the black pins that keep the braid up. The platinum blonde locks tumble down through his fingers, tangled once more, and Valtiel is already frowning at him at the inevitable event of him pulling roughly at the tangles. He laughs, holds up his hands, but doesn't step backwards. He pulls her again toward him, her back to his chest, and presses his warm lips on her shoulder.
"I still have the Toryuhun paper to worry about," she reminds him.
"I know," he mumbles, working through the tangles in earnest. When he ends up pulling, she hisses and shoves an elbow to his stomach. He grunts. "That wasn't very nice."
"Then stop pulling," she retorts.
"Anyway, you can train in the mornings and do your research in the evenings," he says reasonably. "And the school shall be in-between. Really, Val, you'll have so much on your plate you would have to be busy for another year or so."
"I don't mind." She steps away and rummages through his duffel bag.
"Why are you going through my stuff?" he complains.
She finds a grey-green sweater and shuffles into it, the sleeves too long and the hem reaching all the way to her thighs. She makes a show of twirling for him, the sleeves swaying like an inflatable tube man that one often sees in grocery stores.
He grins at her comical appearance. "Sometimes you are beyond me."
She scoffs. "Wipe that grin off your face. You look ridiculous."
"Ridiculous?" His eyebrow raises slightly. "I always assumed you love this face of mine."
"It's ridiculous," she confirms, fetching a pair of white leggings from her bag. She puts them on despite him watching. "Your face, and your smug smile, and that weird tattoo on your forehead."
"That is a very unromantic way to compliment your significant other."
"Shall I try poetry then? Or speak in another language? Norden, perhaps?"
"I would like to hear you talk of romances in an ancient tongue," he agrees.
She wrinkles her nose at that. "You have very strange tastes, Danchou."
He smiles and pecks her on the nose. He gathers her in his arms and feels the soft, woolen surface of his own sweater.
"I choose only the best," he whispers. "And you, min jerlit, are the best of the best."
"It's min jærlit, Danchou. Norden: there's a difference in pronunciations between e and æ."
"Is that so?" he muses, smiling in amusement.
"If you're going to flirt with me, do it correctly." She walks off, swaying her hips with a teasing smirk over her shoulder, before running out of the room.
"Wow," he breathes sarcastically and follows her out. "I feel like I should be offended."
Downstairs, a dinner has been prepared for them. There is a long wooden table in the backroom for their dinner: the seven Elders, the Spiders, Valtiel and the two children, and finally, Healer Atara who is always in-charge of the infirmary. Dinner consists of an egg fried rice, a modest stew of potatoes and carrots, baked beans, and some baked potato biscuits. The Spiders contribute to dinner the chocolate brownies that Uvogin had stolen from the airport.
Everyone takes their seats, Chrollo at the very center with Valtiel to his right and Uvo to his left. The others are scattered throughout the table.
"And who will pay for all these?" Elder Koran grumbles from his place at the farthest end. "How much will this dinner for thirteen people benefit our brethren who are starving outside?"
Uvogin, in the middle of chomping down on the potatoes, opens his mouth to bark out a comment—but Danchou holds up his hand. His other hand is on Valtiel's sleeve, keeping her from the possibility of her diving across the table to wrangle this old man.
"You worry so much over very little things, Elder Koran," the Danchou answers smoothly. "This is nothing but a celebratory dinner for the school's completion. You can expect that Valtiel and I would compensate for the resources lost in the kitchens."
"And when can we expect this so-called compensation, Lucilfer?"
"As soon as you want," Chrollo says. "Is money your only concern in the world, Koran?"
"You know damn well it is not." The old man's beady eyes glare at Valtiel's direction.
Uvogin is increasingly wanting to punch the old man in the throat.
Elder Meinerth, the scarred man with droopy eyes, sighs from his seat beside Elder Ryence.
"This is something we can discuss in another time and place. This is supposed to be a pleasant dinner. And there are children present, Koran. A little grace would be appreciated, no?"
Koran growls as both Warren and Julia stare at him in wonder. Even Healer Atara, in the middle of serving the children their dinner, looks disappointed. Koran backs down, deflating in his seat. He grabs a bottle of red wine, another Spider contribution.
"Fine," he says, defeated for now.
Uvogin also backs down, but whispers in Chrollo's ear, "Give me the order. I'll fight him anytime."
Chrollo chuckles heartily. "Not yet, Uvo-san."
Author's Notes: Welcome back! Apologies for the rather short chapter. Giving the characters a small break from everything before shit life starts happening again ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
We finally have Val's school *throws confetti 🎉* Good job, Val! Hisoka's effectively (and temporarily) banned from Troupe activities, but good job Val! *throws confetti 🎉*
*ScarletEyedChainUser - Omg, thank you so much for binge-reading the story! Kudos to you (I'm sorry to your sleeping schedule though, lol)! I'm glad that you love Chrollo and Valtiel together, and that you like Val as a character. And you're one of the few people who have noticed the connection between Valtiel and Rhanion. That means so much to me! I really love writing her with the rest of the Troupe, and Hisoka, most definitely. Thank you again and I hope you're doing well!
*yewduyou - Chrollo follows his own set of twisted philosophy towards in life, and perhaps we could see it in some instances here. Thank you for leaving a review!
Thank you all for stopping by and taking the time to read! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. If you have any suggestions, for better or for worse for Chrollo and Valtiel, lemme know! Have a great week, everybody! ️💕