A/N: Tadah, next chapter is here~
Something a bit fluffy and a bit plotty~
Do enjoy~
Light
Chapter 2: Preserving Happiness
Caelus woke up slowly.
His head was heavy and lethargy made his eyelids heavy, but over the course of seconds he stirred more and more from his deep sleep, his body compelling him awake. He shifted slightly and grunted, acknowledging then his dry throat and dimly remembering he hadn't had anything to drink before going to bed, the thought rolled around his mind as he shifted his face into the pillow more.
But the pillow had a heartbeat. The oddity stirred him more and when he opened his eyes he realised he'd been sleeping on his side... and that the 'pillow' was actually a pair of boobs. Plump, perky and unquestionably comfy, he found himself startled – until memories of the night prior came rushing back in. The Something Unto Death. The walk around Golden Hour. Changing out of their clothes and sleeping in the same bed, listening to one another's heart beat. The last thing he could remember was resting his face in Firefly's bust.
Right. Firefly.
Warmth flooded his cheeks as his sleepy mind connected the dots and he pulled back slowly, eyes flitting up and relaxing only when he noticed she was still fast asleep; her breathing slow and her eyelids gently shut. It was that assurance though that compelled his eyes back to her bust, his blush darkening as he just... looked. It wasn't necessarily a perverse desire that compelled his eyes to trace the swell of her breasts, nor was it lust that made him shift back in close; gently retuning his head to her chest and just enjoying the feeling.
Firefly was right. The sound of one's heart beating was strangely soothing. Coupled with the muffled music eternally playing outside and he was at peace, his arms winding their way around her waist as he slipped back into a doze – content, really, to stay there for hours if he had the option.
Alas it wasn't long until Firefly herself started to shift, her mumbles slight as she came out of her deep sleep. He was half-tempted to pull away but decided to feign sleep instead, his eyes remaining gently shut as he just cosied into his dear companion, hearing her stretch with an adorable groan – when she stopped, squeaking. A few moments of silence, then a hand on his head, followed by fingers that ran through his hair tentatively.
''...Caelus, are you awake?'' Firefly whispered to him.
He was half-tempted to feign sleep further, but in the end decided not to. ''Yep.''
''O-Oh... did you have a nice sleep?''
Caelus hummed na agreement and, with some reluctance, withdrew his head from her bosom; shifting back to the pillow instead. In an instant he was treated to Firefly's rosy face, her smile small but embarrassment self-evident. He couldn't deny the embarrassment that simmered through him either, really, only then cognizant of how intimate their hold had been. Should he have pulled back sooner? Or was it fine to be all flustered like this?
He didn't know but Firefly didn't seem to mind too much, though she did fumble about beneath the quilt until she found her bra; slipping it back on with some effort. Seeing that he turned away to give her a modicum of privacy, eyes tracing the still-open curtains and pondering their purpose when it was perpetually the moment before midnight. Like seriously, what was even the point of them?
Such thoughts perished as a pair of arms slid around his chest from behind and a bra squished into his back. The sudden closeness was surprising but he didn't mind it at all; his hands laying over her own as she tucked her chin over his right shoulder. No words were said and none really needed to be, their intimacy quiet and cosy under the thick quilt.
At least it was so until his phone, still stuck in his jacket pocket, buzzed.
Caelus sighed as Firefly withdrew, allowing him to clamber out of bed over to the corner where he left his clothes. They didn't look any different, thankfully – no evil memetic mould or any visible erosion, so he supposed it was safe to touch. It didn't do anything when he poked the purple stains at least; encouraging him to pat his pockets down until he found his phone and pulling it out... and discovering he had dozens of messages.
Ah. He'd forgotten to message his friends before going to bed.
Sighing he made his way back to bed and eased himself beneath the quilt once more; a smile quick to work its way onto his face as Firefly cuddled up into his right side once more. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close, not protesting as she laid her head on him while he idly typed in his password and checked his messages. He had a few miscellaneous ones from the likes of Seele or Gepard, mostly just chatting, but it was the Astral Express crew ones that held his eye.
Welt asking where he was. Himeko concerned but a bit jokey, wondering if he got stuck in a trash can again. March sent the most texts of them all, and when he clicked on them he was entertained by the progress – starting with annoyed then progressing to worried and then outright panicked that something had happened to him since he never was this late to reply. It was only the last few messages that eased off the worry; telling him that Black Swan had 'told them about the situation' and that 'they were all glad he was safe, but please get in contact ASAP'.
''Are these your friends?'' Firefly inquired softly.
He glanced down at her. ''Mm. Astral Express crew members, though not all of them – Dan Heng decided to stay on the train and Pom-Pom, the conductor, didn't wanna leave it.''
Firefly made an interested noise and when he showed her a picture she, predictably, gushed over how cute Pom-Pom was. He didn't blame her, he was tempted to pick up the bunny-eared conductor more than once. The only thing stopping him being it was also that conductor that prepared the Express's special three-course dessert meal, and he had a sneaking suspicion picking up Pom-Pom would lead him to losing dessert privileges.
Opening his texts once more he fired a message back to March telling him that he was safe and had just been sleeping. To her credit, it didn't take her long to reply.
[That's a relief! We were all so worried about you especially after what that Memokeeper told us. I want the full story next time we meet K?]
He smiled wryly, typing out a reply. [Sure. Can we all meet up soon in Golden Hour? Near the front entrance?]
A long pause, presumably as she was talking with the others, before he got a reply. [Sounds good! See you soon!]
A deluge of emojis followed and he chuckled, turning his messages off. That sorted that, at least.
''We should probably get up huh.'' Firefly noted softly, her hand running absentmindedly over his chest.
He found himself liking the feeling. ''Mm.''
Despite that neither made any effort to immediately get up, the fact apparent to them both as they shared a sheepish smile. With some effort Caelus shifted up on his elbows and Firefly sighed as she got up as well, the quilt pushed off so she could swing her legs over the edge of the bed, stumbling as she got to her feet.
''There's a bathroom just beyond that door.'' Firefly pointed out to him as he stood. ''There's also a machine in the kitchen that washes and dries your clothes in minutes – I could do that for you while you're inside?''
''Thanks, it'd be a great help.'' Caelus smiled warmly.
Firefly chirped an agreement and, gathering up both of their clothes meandered over to the machine whilst he dipped into the bathroom; offering his underwear through the gap and promising to not walk out unexpectedly, if only because she'd be naked in the hotel room proper until the machine finished its cycle. The thought of seeing her in such little clothing was tempting, but he managed to reign in his embarrassing desire, focusing instead on the shower.
Though as he stepped under the spray of the shower and rinsed the sweat off of himself, a thought couldn't help but come to him.
'She's wife material.'
He quenched the intrusive thought. Not that it dimmed his burning blush any.
X-x-X
Twenty minutes later and the duo were washed and in freshened clothes; the faint scent of lavender clinging to the material pleasantly.
Caelus idly tugged on the collar of his jacket, bringing it to his nose and just savouring the clean scent – something that earned him a giggle from Firefly, much to his embarrassment. The bright-eyed girl walked alongside him, her steps near a skip as she matched his longer strides, neither in much of a rush to meet the Astral Express crew – they'd been waiting on an explanation for many hours, they could wait an extra minute or two, after all.
Still his gaze flitted down to their hands as they brushed together once more, the motion unconscious, before on a whim he slipped his right into her left. Firefly's cheeks dusted pink at the act and her giggle tapered off, embarrassment in her eyes... before with a small smile she squeezed his hand back and held it in return. Even though it was just hand-holding it was enough to bring a blush to his cheeks, faint as it was, and he looked away lest it be obvious. Her giggle told him she noticed.
Huffing softly he looked ahead, peering past two cars driving by before focusing on the distant figures by the front of the Golden Hour area, all clustered together chatting. March, Himeko and Welt; the former impatiently pacing about whilst the latter two looked on with fond smiles – and as one might expect it was Welt who spotted them first, the only indication being the slight rise of his chin and nod his way.
''I'm kinda nervous.'' Firefly sheepishly said then. ''Isn't this like the equivalent of meeting your family?''
He hadn't thought of it like that way before. ''It'll be fine; you'll like March, I'm willing to bet on that.''
Firefly hummed and squeezed his hand one last time for reassurance; a reassurance he gave readily as they neared the meeting point. The crowds had thinned somewhat and as they crossed the street there was no cars to hide them from the Express crew.
''There you are.'' Himeko called out with a smile. ''You had us all terribly worried you know when you didn't get back in contact with us.''
''Yeah! I sent you so many texts and everything.'' March pouted at him, though was quick to refocus on Firefly. ''Oh, who's this?''
''I'm Firefly.'' His companion offered a warm if slightly shy smile, one hand on her chest as she did a little curtsy. ''It's an honour to meet more members of the Astral Express.''
''Well-mannered.'' Himeko noted with a teasing smile, her eyes sliding over to him. ''You could learn a thing or two Caelus.''
He had the decency to flush, remembering past incidents when intrusive thoughts won out. Telling March the reasons her photos got corrupted was due to a skill issue chief among them.
''Black Swan filled us in on the basics of what happened.'' Welt spoke up as March introduced herself to Firefly; the two separating from the group a little so they weren't talking over one another. ''But personally I'd much rather hear your own account of things.''
The reminder of what happened brought his embarrassment under control, the memory of the meme still sour in his mind. So he told them of it; of racing to find Firefly, of encountering the Something Unto Death and struggling against it, even with a Galaxy Ranger and a Memokeeper by his side. Until he hit it with his flaming lance and suddenly the fight took a turn in their favour – and eventually led to Acheron finishing off the entity.
By the end of his tale Himeko had a soft frown on her face while Welt looked contemplative, his fingers massaging his chin. ''I see... this is quite troubling. To think an entity like that would be lurking in Penacony is... not unexpected, but definitely worrisome.''
''Indeed.'' Himeko agreed quietly, looking around as if watching for listeners. ''It's natural that the fear of death would leak into a place like this, it's just an inevitability, but the fact it took the form of a malicious entity capable of pressing you three... that's dangerous. Very dangerous.''
Welt hummed his agreement, expression contemplative. ''What caught my attention the most was what you said about defeating it – that the Preservation was key to it?''
Caelus nodded. ''It started thrashing and trying to rip it out. Black Swan suggested it might be because of 'opposing concepts'.''
''That is indeed the most likely answer. If being bashed and cut didn't inflict that much agony onto it, then that only leaves aetheric damage, which only opposing Paths could possibly inflict.'' Welt affirmed. ''However, that does not answer which Path this creature followed.''
''Nihility?'' Himeko offered.
Welt rolled the thought around before shaking his head. ''No, I don't believe so. 'Nihility' does not conflict with the 'Preservation' in any way, and there have been little to no history between the two Aeons.''
''We can rule out the Preservation itself.'' Caelus added his two cents. ''Same goes for the Trailblaze, right?''
''Considering Akivili's whereabouts are unknown and it's possible they perished, yes, we can rule them out.'' Welt nodded along. ''Fuli can also be ruled out – the Remembrance and Preservation are aligned, not opposed. The same goes for the Harmony, Equilibrium, Permanence and Order, the latter two mostly due to be absorbed into other Paths.''
''What about the Beauty?'' Caelus piped up, reminded of Argenti as he spoke.
''There's no conflict between Paths there either.'' Himeko shot that down. ''Hm... what about the Abundance?''
Welt hummed. ''While it's possible, the chances are too low to consider it. The Abundance focuses more on lifeforms, not memetic entities. The Propagation, however...''
Caelus grimaced at the memory of the Swarm Disaster. Even if it had been just a simulation, running through those trials over and over again, having to fight those insects... yeah, he'd stick to fighting humanoids, thank you very much. ''Isn't the Propagation more about bugs?''
''Not strictly. It is just about the propagation of life – or, potentially, of death.'' Welt corrected. ''Think of it like 'lust'. Lust could mean the obvious, that being romantically-inclined things – but it could also be a 'lust' for knowledge, or a 'lust' for attention. Likewise the Propagation, though most famously related to the propagation of life, could also mean the propagation of death – especially with Tayzzyronth themselves having been slain. The Path could have been corrupted to some extent, especially after being absorbed by the Abundance.''
Caelus grimaced at the idea. The Something Unto Death didn't give off the vibe of the Propagation... but then again, the Preservation was directly adverse to that Path, so it wasn't outside the scope of possibilities.
''Could the same be said of the Voracity?'' Himeko posed then.
''Possibly.'' Welt mulled it over. ''Much like the Propagation it's possible, but I wouldn't say likely. That said we should not cross them off the list yet until we have more information.''
''The Elation?'' Caelus mused.
''I want to say no, but given how whimsical Aha is known to be...'' Himeko trailed off, grimacing.
Welt nodded. ''Another we can't rule out just yet.''
''The Hunt? Given that thing was hunting Firefly.'' Caelus noted with a frown. ''Especially since Lan is all about bringing death to the Abundance.''
''Had Firefly here been a follower of Abundance, that would be possible, but Lan isn't known to hunt other Paths, and has little collision with Qlipoth.'' Himeko dismissed the possibility. ''Though speaking of Lan... what about Nanook?''
Welt pursed his lips. ''That... is a grave possibility. Death and Destruction are closely intertwined and is the direct counterpart to the Preservation. While the Destruction tends to take on a more volatile form than a predator stalking its prey, we cannot rule the Destruction out. No, I'd even say it'd be one of the prime suspects.''
''Could it be an experiment of Nous?'' Caelus wondered. ''I don't know much about it, but Herta and the others speak highly of it.''
''A creator. It's possible, but unlikely. We should keep the possibility in mind, but otherwise we can put it into the 'low chance' category.'' Welt decided. ''That leaves just two more known Paths. Enigmata and Finality.''
Caelus frowned. ''I... don't know much about them.''
''Unsurprising. Few follow them and the Aeons that preside over them are very unusual.'' Welt informed with a complicated expression, as if unsure whether to grimace or sigh. ''The Enigmata is a high possibility, due to the fact Mythus and followers of them are the counterpart to Nous – rather than understand the universe, they seek to plunge it back into the unknown. They are antithetical to knowledge and desire the unknown.''
''And you think there's a chance this entity is a follower of that Path, knowingly or not.'' Himeko mused.
''Correct. An entity that can traverse Penacony virtually undetected until it strikes, that can kill important or knowledgable people, who can evade detection and inspire fear in the populous...'' Welt tapped his foot emphatically. ''That would allow it to inspire fear – fear of the unknown, one that only gets worse as panic sets in. I imagine that's part of the reason The Family hasn't made public mention of this entity, assuming they are even aware of it in the first place.''
''Then... there is the Finality, heralded by Terminus.'' Welt went quiet for a second, a distant look in his eyes. ''An Aeon constantly moving towards The End while speaking ceaseless of a prophecy. A Path directly opposite of the Preservation, much like Nanook and the Destruction. I would rank the Finality alongside the Destruction as the most likely suspects.''
Caelus nodded along. ''Right. So now that we know which Path it's most likely affiliated with...''
''...we can both identify the best way to combat them, and as to their potential origin.'' Himeko nodded with an encouraging smile. ''Assuming it's the Destruction, it is likely an entity acting on its own or in legion with others like it, seeking to cause death and destruction in Nanook's name. If it's the Finality, then it might be a by-product of Terminus seeking to bring an 'end' to things – life, the festivities, perhaps even Penacony itself.''
''I doubt one of these things could go so far.'' Welt noted with the slightest tinge of doubt.
''Perhaps.'' Himeko gave a small shrug. ''But with it dead we cannot ascertain how intelligent it was – whether it was closer to a beast stalking prey or an intelligence with a methodical plan.''
''The prospect of it being one of many is also a troublesome idea.'' Welt murmured, looking to Caelus then. ''Did you see any indication it wasn't the only one? That, perhaps the one that attacked you and Miss Firefly wasn't the same one that attacked you the first time?''
Caelus hesitated at that. ''I'm... not sure. You'd have to ask Black Swan that – she was the one that subdued it the first time.''
''I see... well, for the time being we'll assume it's working alone. Considering its memetic status and being the 'death' that a dream like Penacony shouldn't have, it's possible it's just a manifestation, rather than something intentionally created.'' Himeko suggested.
''But if it could manifest once, then it could manifest again.'' Welt cautioned. ''There's no telling whether it would be the same one that came back similar to it regenerating, or whether it'd be an entirely different entity, or even how long it would take...''
''...but so long as the underlying root causes remain, that thing will continue to come back.'' Himeko finished grimly.
''And finding out those root causes no doubt means digging into The Family's business.'' Caelus observed with similar grimness.
For all they knew the Something Unto Death could take years to return. Or maybe it only took hours and it was already out there, hunting for its next victim. They didn't know, and he had a sneaking suspicion The Family wouldn't tell them much either, least of all with the Charmony Festival just around the corner. They probably had their hands full with that as it was.
''So what's the plan?'' Caelus remarked, glancing left as Firefly and March giggled about something. ''I... don't want to leave her here alone, considering everything.''
Himeko smiled teasingly and even Welt gained a small smirk, the act enough to darken his cheeks, but the gentleman answered all the same. ''I suggest you remain by Miss Firefly's side then for the foreseeable future – we will handle anything in reality, and you should be safe in your Dreampool. Just make sure to keep in regular contact so we know if something is wrong.''
''I'll continue to look for clues from The Family and see if I can't work out a few secrets from them.'' Himeko volunteered.
Welt nodded immediately. ''I'll go with you – March, are you comfortable with staying with these two for the time being?''
The ice archer, stirred out of her conversation with Firefly, chirped an agreement back.
''Then that settles that.'' Welt sighed as he looked about. ''I think we've lingered here long enough. Himeko and I will return to reality to ask around, you three should focus your efforts here. If you need us, we're just a message away.''
''Understood Mr. Yang!'' March saluted with a grin.
Welt smiled and gave them both a nod of good luck before disappearing, a slight blue tint preluding the 'awakening' that carried him back to the waking world. Himeko vanished a moment later, leaving Caelus with one extra party member than before.
''So.'' He remarked, turning to look at the two girls with him. ''Where to now?''
''Hm...'' Firefly looked about. ''I'm not sure who we could even ask, really... and if we poke around too much we're at risk of drawing attention to ourselves.''
''Hm... oh! What about that guy we met in the lobby?'' March chirped. ''The guy with the wings on his head with Robin.''
''Sunday?'' Caelus tilted his head. ''He might be around here, or someone might know him. Why don't we go ask about?''
''I know he normally likes to hang out near the viewing platform at the other end of Golden Hour.'' Firefly noted, looking between them. ''Should we check there first?''
''Sounds good!'' March chirped, grinning. ''C'mon, let's go explore!''
Caelus shook his head and set off, walking alongside Firefly as March matched their stride – easily making conversation about her time in Penacony thus far and asking ceaseless questions of Firefly.
It was as they set off, however, that Caelus got the odd impression of being watched.
Yet when he looked over his shoulder he couldn't see anyone staring at him in particular – his eyes flitting up to the rooftops, but finding nothing either.
''Caelus?'' Firefly's gentle query drew his gaze back onto her; noting her concerned expression. ''Is something the matter?''
''...nah. Just admiring the scenery.'' The young man answered sheepishly.
''Just don't go walking into any lampposts~'' March teased him.
Caelus rolled his eyes at that much to Firefly's amusement, her giggle drawing a laugh from him too – leading the group ahead.
Unaware of the mechanical figure atop a rooftop behind them, green visor glinting in the warm city lights.
X-x-X
Far away from Penacony, within a room lit only by blue lights, a man sat alone.
Dim as the room was little could be seen, the darkness stretching out from the corners and broken apart solely by the blocks of blue that lit the air. One spot the darkness did not reach was the table before the silent man, hand hovering over a hardlight projection reminiscent of a chess board, albeit stretched out to accommodate the entire length of the desk, the edges blurred as if more could be viewed beyond the borders allotted.
Numerous icons floated above squares. Some were shaped as planets, be they whole or shattered. Others were banners or flags, indicative of allegiance or faction. Others, however, took the form of items.
A mask.
A hammer.
A shield.
A tree.
An eyeball.
A statue of a woman.
And last but ever far from least, a fist.
''Mm...'' A voice, partially muffled by the microphone's muffler, hummed. ''The board certainly looks quite crowded today huh.''
The man raised his head slightly but didn't move his hand, eyes open but unseeing – the mask on his face obscuring his exact emotions. ''Indeed...''
''Well you'll be happy to know everything went smoothly on our end.'' The woman continued with a hint of mirth, her tone slow and almost seductive by nature. ''So... wanna tell me what's up, Elio?''
Elio didn't so much as twitch, but he did answer all the same. ''Something... has gone wrong, Kafka. The future that should have passed, has not.''
There was a moment of silence.
''Well... how bad we talkin'?''
''I do not know for certain yet.'' Elio said slowly, his fingers twitching. ''Perceiving the Aeons and their futures is... no easy task. But what I know is that the ones on the board should be the only ones that will intervene.''
''Hm... that's quite a lot.'' Kafka mused aloud, peering through the screen. ''Let me guess, you want us to go help out a certain someone.''
A slight nod. ''He is still the key to Nanook's destruction. If he perishes, so too will most hope the universe has... and, there is the chance his decision in saving one life will lead to an even brighter future.''
''Assuming he can survive long enough to see it.''
''Correct.'' Elio exhaled slowly – and when his hand twitched the mask floated closer to one planet in particular. ''Kafka. You're to go to Penacony as soon as possible, and enter the dream there. Protect him at all costs and in any way you see fit. There will come a time when your help is required to avert disaster.''
''Understood Elio.'' Kafka drawled; a short, amused chuckle fleeing her lips a moment later. ''Looks like we'll be seeing each other again sooner than you thought, huh...''
No answer came, not that either were expecting it – and without so much as a goodbye the screen flickered black.
Elio though said nothing, barely breathing, his focus on other matters.
On the future.
On destiny.
And how one Trailblazer managed to change the course of it.
[END]