Chapter 21: An encounter that interrupts progress.
Noah POV
...
...
...
(I wonder what Neptune is up too?) I thought curiously. She wasn't normally one to split off from the group, so for her to do so sporadically was quite strange. (Not to mention how long she's taking...) She had been gone for well over an hour, so I was beginning to get pretty bored of waiting.
"Heeeeyyy Zeddy!" (Oh thank fuck.) Turning to look at the origin of the voice, I noticed that my dear Neptune had returned. Something I was infinitely grateful for, considering my boredom. "It's good to see you, my dear." I spoke honestly, getting a bright smile from my girlfriend. "Heheh, just wait and see what I got for ya!" She replied, making me notice how she held her hands behind her back. (A gift then? Dammit, I don't have anything for her.)
"Hey, I know that look. Don't feel bad Zeddy, I got you something because I wanted to, not because I wanted something back." (What? How can she-) "I'm your future wife! Of course I can tell what you're thinkin'!" She never ceased to amaze me. Walking over to her, I gave her a peck on the forehead. "So, mind telling me what you were up to? Don't get me wrong, I'd stay here waiting for centuries if that's what it took, but waiting an hour got me pretty bored."
She placed her hands in front of her, revealing a small black box. "Tahdahhhh!" Neptune spoke, opening the small container, revealing a ring. Said ring was a silvery-white with circuit board-like patterns, with a purple gem at its center. (Is this...an engagement ring?) "Weeelll, what are ya waitin' for, try it on!" Faced with such a command from my beloved, I could not help but comply. Reaching towards the small box, I plucked the ring from its container and put it on.
I immediately felt something odd.
"What the hell?" I felt an aura of familiar warmth envelope me. As if I was experiencing a hug from my beloved. The feeling quickly increased as I physically felt the woman in front of me do the same. "Surprise! I'm sure you're all confuzzled right now, but trust me, It's allll cool! Ask Blanny if you don't believe me!" I looked closer at my bride-to-be, peering closer than any mortal could, using an ability I didn't know I had.
In doing so, I bore witness to something truly horrifying.
Neptune, my beloved, my precious soulmate.
Had a part of her soul missing.
And the thing that held the missing piece, was the ring on my finger.
"What in the actual fuck did you do!?" I shouted in pure horror, separating myself from my beloved in order to look her over. (Is she feeling alright? Is she in pain? Would this harm her eventually?) So many questions, for this was something that no one could have predicted. "Geez Zeddy, calm down! I'm totally fine, see!" She gave a bright smile, something that calmed me down, if barely. "Maybe so, but still, what the hell did you do? Why is there a piece of your soul missing, and why is it in this ring!?" I asked.
"You can tell, huh? Well, my dearly beloved, it's simple!" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm being serious here! It was an accident, but in my opinion, a happy one!" She spoke, causing me to look at her with great disturb. "Why?" How could something like this be happy? "Well duh, this way there will always be a part of me that's always with you!" Neptune spoke simply, as if her statement wasn't absurd.
Though, that being said, a small part of me was touched by her actions.
I sighed. "Look Neptune, I appreciate the gesture, I really do. But what you did was so incredibly stupid." I spoke, bringing the woman in for another hug, squeezing her tighter than before. "You didn't have to split your soul apart to make sure you could always be with me. Trust me on this, as long as you want me by your side, absolutely nothing will ever keep us apart. Be it God, Demon, or anything else!" Her existence as a Goddess mattered not.
"Aww, that's really sweet of ya, Zeddy...Now would ya mind loosening up a little? You're kinda' huggin' me a little too tightly there..." (Oh, shit.) Upon realising how tightly I was holding her; I loosened my grip. "My apologies, I was not aware how tight my grip was." I spoke, letting go of her completely, and watching her grasp for breath. "Holy pudding! I really thought I was a goner there... You owe me some top-quality pudding. Mister!"
"Of course, though do you understand why I reacted the way I did?" I spoke, getting a shake of the head from my beloved. "Naw, you just crazy..." I gave her a blank stare. "Oh geez, not you too! Fine, I get it!" Neptune relented, forgoing any mischief. The young woman then took my hand in her own. "So, where the heck are Iffy and Compa?" She asked. Shaking my head, I replied. "The two of them went up to the surface to help with the reconstruction."
"Huh, neat...Wanna go join them?" Neptune suggested. I nodded my head. "Sure, why not?"
Location change: Surface of Lowee.
"Move it you damn maggots! We got alota' shit to do!" The voice of everyone's' favourite midget spoke. Her choice of words meaning to be supportive and motivational.
"Ooooooh more~"
"Step on me, Lady White Heart!"
"Call me trash!"
(What is 'trash'?) I thought. (Wait, that's not the issue!) What the hell was with her construction team? It was if they got off on the insults or something...
Oh.
Oh no...
"IF, COVER COMPA'S EARS, I GOT NEPTUNES!"
"TOO LATE ZED, WE'VE BEEN HEARING IT FOR THE PAST HOUR!"
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKK!"
I swear if those weirdo's managed to corrupt any one of my companions, I'd have their fucking heads.
(Wait, no, no that's too much.) I shook of the sudden murderous feelings.
"Whatever these strange people say, ignore them, both of you." I spoke, directing my words to my peach-haired sister, and purple-haired girlfriend. The both of them nodded at a speed so great that I was surprised that their heads didn't fall off.
"uh-huh!"
"Roger that!"
The four of us decided to go help the locals instead, choosing to ignore any and all of those grouped together with the main construction force. (Hmm, it's strange, but thinking of how those construction workers acted reminds me of one of my wives, specifically Sistine. She always had this strange fixation with being punished...) Rex suddenly spoke, making me feel very uncomfortable. (Stop that.) I responded. (Seriously, I don't need to hear about your complicated and disturbing love life.)
I was not a man who kink-shamed, but that did not mean I was comfortable having things like that discussed so openly within my own head.
Shaking off the disturbed feeling, I focused on the actions of my companions. Compa was putting her nursing skills to the fullest by healing any of the injured, even, to my horror, healing the peculiar construction workers with their work-related injuries. IF was using her wind abilities to blow away rubble and in general clear the area, providing a specticle for the adults to witness as a bonus. And finally, Neptune was playing with the children, currently running around and playing a game of tag.
"Tag, your it, Zeddy!" The purple-haired girl spoke, suddenly including me in her childish game and running away the second she touched me. "Oh, it's like that, is it?" I spoke mischievously. If that's how she wish to play, then I'd play.
Summoning one of my tags, I quickly willed it to go in Neptune's direction, the golden-orange object colliding with her form within an instant. "Too slow, my love." with an unnecessary snap of my fingers, I was right next to my beloved. "I do believe you are 'it'." I spoke, gently placing my hand on her shoulder.
"Hey! That's cheating" Neptune shouted indignantly. I turned my head towards the large group of children that just witnessed my teleportation. "What do you all think?" I asked. Every single one of the children looked at me with starry eyes, clearly impressed with my demonstration of power.
"Woaaaah!"
"That was awesome!"
"Can you teach me how to do that, um, please?"
I smugly looked at the purple-haired girl, who pouted. "Awww, well, if that's allowed, then this is too!" She suddenly spoke, before starting to glow. (Ah, shit.) Knowing that the glow indicated her transformation into her Goddess form, I interrupted, kissing my beloved on the lips. "Mhm, Zeddy, why'd ya do that!?" Ignoring the strange looks the children were giving us, I whispered in Neptune's ear. "You were just about to reveal your identity to a crowd of children, what if they told their parents? They could easily bring that information to Planeptune, what would you do then?"
If the people of Planeptune knew of Neptune's identity, they'd obviously ask for her return. Being who she was, I knew that Neptune would have went with it. But that didn't mean she would be able to handle the sudden responsibility. She needed to return at her own pace, when she was truly ready.
"Uh, oops?" I let out a laugh. "Of course that's how you'd take it." Her response was very...Neptune-y "Uh, tag, you're it!" The purple-haired girl spoke, suddenly continuing the game by tagging one of the children.
"Hey, that's not fair, I was totally distracted!"
"Ya snooze, ya lose!"
The next few hours was spent playing. I, decided to take it easy on the young ones, limiting myself by not using my abilities to instantly tag others, including Neptune. The purple-haired girl was surprisingly good at handling the large group of young children, always making sure to hold back her strength and slowing herself down to be around their speed.
"Haah, Y'know for a pair of gross grown-ups, you two are pretty cool." One of the children spoke. "Yeah...uh, wait a minute, aren't you the guy that totally kick the bum of that meanie, Blade?" Another child asked, somehow only now realising who he had just played tag with.
"Yeah, he's Liberator Zed!" A boy with short blonde hair answered. "Really? That's sooooo cool!" Spoke another boy, this one with long brown hair. "Can I have an autograph?" A girl with mid-length, black hair asked. Neptune, who was smirking mischievously at all the attention suddenly being on me, butted in. "Yeah, my future huzzy is super cool. Didya' know he also saved Lastation too? Oh! And he also rescued the Goddess of Leanbox!"
(What the hell is she trying to d-) I thought, being interrupted by a sudden realisation.
I was being pranked.
"Woah!"
"That's super cool!"
"Er, can I have two autographs? I'm sure my mummy would like one."
I loved Neptune, I really did.
But why would she do such a thing!?
"Your pudding privileges are revoked." I whispered to my beloved, smirking smugly at her look of complete horror. "Why?" She whispered back. I chose not to respond. (Now then.) I thought, looking at the large gathering of children. (How am I going to deal with them?) I could handle short conversations, heck, even longer ones as long as they were with a singular person. But answering all of the questions that every child around me had was far beyond my abilities.
"John, say goodbye to your friends, it's time to go."
"Chris, your mother wants you to come back now, so say goodbye."
"Lily, come back to mama. papa has made dinner."
Thankfully, it appeared that the children's parents had come to pick them up. So one by one, the crowd of children thinned out, almost completely doing so. Though strangely, one was left. A singular child sat on their own, literally twiddling their thumbs.
The strange thing was, I don't remember seeing the child in the group Neptune and I played with.
"Heya kiddo. Your mum and dad late or somethin'?" Neptune asked the child, momentarily forgetting her puddingless despair, and walking up to them chipperly. The child, a little girl with long blonde hair and blood-red eyes, merely tilted her head. "Um, no. Mama and Papa have been gone for a long time already." The child spoke not with sadness, but with a resolute coldness. As if the fact of her long-gone parents was nothing new, but merely an unfortunate fact of life.
"Oh..." Neptune replied. It was clear she was out of her element. Walking over to where my beloved was, I leaned close to her ear. "Let me handle this." I whispered. The purple-haired girl nodded, though stayed by my side. "What is your name, little one?" I asked. The little girl looked at me, her empty eyes surprisingly making me actually feel something.
"...Freya..." The hollow-eyed child answered, her brittle voice chipping away at my heart.
...
"That's a very lovely name. Who gave it to you? If you don't mind me asking." I spoke. Hoping to learn more about the child. My own words shocked me, as I didn't think I would care, especially with how I regarded all those people back during the celebration. (No, don't think about it. What matters is ensuring the little one is okay) I thought, setting my priorities straight.
Was this what they called 'Fatherly instinct'?
"...No one did. That's just what big sis says my name is." Oh, so she had family? "You have a big sister then? What's she like?" I asked. The blonde girl shook her head. "We all call her big sis, but she isn't our sister." 'We'? (So there's more than just her?) Then it clicked. (She's from an orphanage!) I chose my next words carefully. "Do you have many friends where you live? I bet an adorable girl such as yourself, has plenty." Maybe I could get her to open up?
"Um, not really." The girl began. "I try to play with them, but it doesn't last long. I always get told to leave." (That's...What the hell?) I was sufficiently intrigued, and more than a little worried. What could possibly cause her to be excluded? "Why do they tell you to leave?" I asked. Freya seemed to suddenly get nervous. "U-um, well..." (Is she afraid to tell me?) It was understandable. Children her age were explicitly told not to talk to strangers.
Fortunately, I wasn't just any stranger. (Best put that damn title to good use then...) "You can trust me. I am Lowee's 'Liberator', am I not?" The little girl shuffled around a bit, as if nervously thinking. "...I hear a voice in my head. When the others heard me talking to them, they called me weird."
(...What!?)
In my experience, having a voice in your head meant one of two things. You were either crazy, or you were the descendant of a Godslayer. Considering the young girl showed no other signs of being schizophrenic, I presumed it was the latter. "Hmm, ah, so you are like me then. I also have a voice in my head. His name is Rex. What's the name of yours?" I responded, revealing one of my secrets. After all, if I wanted the child to elaborate, I would need to reveal something as well.
The child went quiet for a moment, mumbling something akin to 'Can I tell him?' She was presumably asking for permission from her 'tenant'. Eventually the young girl nodded her head. "Um, her name is Arti...Arti...Arti...Um, I can't say it, but I call her Arti. Um...She tells me to tell you 'Hello, God Eater'." The girl spoke, shuffling nervously and acting more like the child she was then when we first spoke.
I will admit, I was very surprised at first, not expecting that someone would recognise that I held Akos's power. But compared to everything else that had happened so far, it was nothing. It helped that the girl appeared to lighten up. Presumably because I kept trying to talk rather than run away.
"Does 'Arti' talk to you frequently? Is she nice at all?" I asked, hoping to understand the motive and alignment of 'Arti'. "She talks to me a lot, and she's very nice. She is kind of like a big sister." Freya answered, a small smile on her face. "Does 'Arti' ever tell you about herself?" I was curious on just how much 'Arti' had told the young girl. (If she's smart, nothing at all.) "She doesn't talk about herself much. I only know her name. She did tell me that she didn't like who she was, though."
(Ah I see, so she appears to be regretful then, perhaps she's no threat after all.) I was initially worried that 'Arti' might have been evil, and just using the young girl. But that did not appear to be the case. Now understanding the true intentions of the Goddess, I decided to interact more normally. (Though I should probably bring her to Blanc later, just to make sure she stays safe.) After all, what if the wrong kind of person came to know that this mere child held such a power? I doubt they'd be very gentle in extracting the deity from the young girl.
"Would you like to be friends?" I asked, before gesturing to my beloved. "And if you want, Neptune here can be your friend too." A child like her, especially with those kinds of eyes, deserved people they can call friends. Freya looked taken aback from my offer. (what kind of life has she lived up till now?)
"Um...I'd like that very much." The little girl answered, shuffling in place. Looking at my beloved, I could see the inkling of an idea form behind her eyes. "Heck yeah! Frey-Frey, you're my new bestie!" Neptune shouted, quickly wrapping Freya into a hug. The little girl, bless her soul, looked very confused. "My apologies for her actions, little Freya, Neptune is very affectionate. Especially to those she thinks are worthy." Despite my words, I smiled widely. (Neptune can be surprisingly smart.)
The young girl was seemingly devoid of friends, and by extension, affection. Neptune saw that, and attempted to change it. (Such a thoughtful partner I have. Perhaps I might reinstate her pudding privileges.) Looking at the sky, and seeing that the sun wasn't too low, I decided on something. "Little Freya, would you like to play a game?" I asked. After all, every child deserved some time to play around, right?
"...Yes please."
"Sweet! We're gonna' play hide-and-seek, okay?" Neptune spoke. Freya nodded. "Alrighty then! Amma' gonna hide first, okay? You and Zeddy then gotta' find me. Give me ten seconds, okay?" Freya and I nodded. "Okay cool, heeeerrreee I go!" Neptune finished, running off afterwards, while Freya and I counted to ten.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
""...Nine, Ten! Ready or not, here I come!"" The little girl and I spoke, finishing our counting.
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles 2-torna the golden country OST- Battle!)
...
...
In truth, I already knew where Neptune had hidden. She had chosen a large tree to hide in, and wasn't exactly being subtle about it.
"Freya, would you like to go on my shoulders? I can't see the top of those trees over there, but maybe with your extra height, we just might." I spoke, causing Freya's small smile to widen massively. Taking the young girl upon my shoulders, I pointed over to a large tree in the distance. "Do you think she might be over there?" I questioned rhetorically. "Yes, I can see her!" I walked us over to said tree.
"Found you Miss Nep...Nep...Um, can I call you Nep!? I can't say your name properly!" Freya shouted. The far older, and purple-haired girl, spoke up. "Aw dangit'! And here I thought I found a really cool place to hide! And uh, totally! You can call me whatever ya like!" Neptune gave me a wink as she descended the tree. "So, awesome boyfriend of mine, isn't it your turn to hide now?" I gave Neptune a smile. "Oh, of course." I began, kneeling down. "Freya, be a good girl and get down, I've got to go hide now."
Freya slid off my back, landing soundly on her feet. "Um...Can I go your shoulders, Nep?" She asked, giving Neptune a serious case of puppy eyes. Neptune, being the biggest softie I knew, caved in immediately. "Sure thing Frey-Frey!" Once Freya was on top of Neptune's shoulders, I ran to find a place to hide. Considering the lack of cover, I eventually decided on going up a tree, just as Neptune had.
(Brr, that's freezing!) I thought, the coldness of the trees' branches being felt as I climbed. Eventually however, I was able to find a particularly thick branch to perch myself on. Unlike Neptune, the tree chose had thick layers of leaves, making it so that I was far better hidden.
That didn't stop me from sticking my foot out though. Didn't want to be too hidden now, did I?
...
...
(Huh, they're taking their time.) I thought, noticing how long I had been hidden for. Neptune had been found rather easily, and it wasn't as if I was hiding myself too much.
(I wonder what's keeping them?)
Neptune POV
I could see Zeddy. Like me, he also chose to hide in a tree. (I see what you did there, mister!) "Um..." Hold the neppin' phone, Frey-Frey is talkin'! "Are you and Mr Zed married?" Hmm, luckily this isn't some crappy harem anime, otherwise I'd be a blushing mess! "Not right now, but we will be. We're just waiting for the right time." Huh, I wonder why she asked? "Do you...Um...Have any..." Huh? "'Have any' what? C'mon kiddo, don't be afraid to spit it out!" I could feel Frey-Frey shuffle around a bit, was she nervous?
"...Children...Um, do you and Mr Zed have any?"
I picked Frey-Frey from the top of my shoulders, holding her in front of me.
"Nah, not yet. Why are you asking?" Wait a minute... "Holy pudding, do you want me and Zeddy to adopt you!? Is that why you asked?" I wasn't against it, not nearly as much as I thought I would be at least. Zeddy handled Frey-Frey awesomely, and I could easily learn how to parent. (Besides, at least if we adopt her, I won't have to deal with changing dirty nappies!) Maybe hanging out with Frey-Frey awakened my maternal instincts or something, but I was definitely okay with adopting her if I could.
"...Yes. Mr Zed is a lot like me. A-and you're, um, really nice, Miss Nep. So, Um, if you don't mind, please adopt me!" (Awww...) She was so cute I couldn't help but give her a biiiiiig hug! (I don't care if Zeddy says no, we're keeping her!) "Sure thing, Frey-Frey!" I shouted, giving the little tyke a nice warm hug afterwards. "Welcome to the Ordinarius family! Now then, let's go find Zeddy, and tell him the good news!"
Noah POV
(Are they okay? Did something happen?) I thought. Even though I had moved to the far edges of the big branch I was sat on, and thus basically revealed myself completely. Freya and Neptune still hadn't found me.
...
...
..
""Found you Zeddy/papa!""
(Huh, they took their ti-wait, did Freya just call me 'papa'!?) I thought, jumping off the branch and onto the ground. "What did you say to her, Neptune?" She wouldn't have started to call me that unless the purple-haired girl said something already. Said girl at least had enough shame to look bashful.
"Er, surprise, it's a girl?" What the hell was that supposed to mean? "Um, papa?" I heard Freya ask. (Is she gonna keep calling me that?) "What is it, little Freya? And why do you keep calling me 'papa'?" I asked, keeping my voice as gentle as possible. "Um, mama said I could call you papa. She said she would adopt me."
(DAMN IT NEPTUNE!)
It wasn't as if I was against the idea of adopting Freya, at least not entirely. The issue was that we were a busy bunch who were probably going to encounter many dangerous people. It simply wasn't safe for us to adopt her right now. (But then Neptune had to get her hopes up.) I couldn't blame Neptune, not really, despite my frustration, this was just who she was. (But then what do I do?) I didn't want to bring Freya with us, I would not endanger the life of a child. But I also didn't want to break her heart, especially knowing what I saw of her earlier.
...
...
(a compromise, then?)
"How about this, Freya. Neptune and I can't adopt you right now, or bring you with us. But we will later on." It hurt to tell her, but it had to be done. (Damn it, why did she have to start crying?) I thought, noticing how quickly Freya was brought to tears "Now don't be upset. It's not your fault." I spoke, kneeling down and giving Freya a hug. "Neptune and myself, as well as our sisters, we're very busy at the moment, and we will end up fighting some very bad people who could hurt you." I patted her head, still keeping my other arm wrapped around her.
"We just want to make sure we can give you our full attention, and make sure you are kept safe, just as you deserve to." I spoke.
*RIIIIING**RIIIING*
Suddenly, my phone rang.
"Neptune, can you please deal with it?" I asked the purple-haired girl, giving her my phone. "Anyway, as I was saying, little Freya. It's just too dangerous for us to adopt you right now." I continued, gently stroking the little girl's hair. It hurt far more than I thought it would, but I had to say it.
"...Promise me." Freya spoke suddenly. "Promise what?" I asked, curious on what the young child was talking about. "Promise that you will come back. I don't mind if you don't want to adopt me right now, mama already said I was a part of the family. Just...please come back." I felt a sudden urge to kill. (Who the fuck did this to her?) the desperation in her voice wasn't normal, not in the slightest. (No...no, calm down...)
I held out the pinkie of my unused hand. Understanding what I was doing, Freya took out hers and wrapped it around mine. "Pinkie promise!" She said, well, more like shouted. "Pinkie promise." I repeated. "Yaaaay, you're the best, papa!" Freya replied, giving me a tight hug.
The situation suddenly dawned on me.
(Wait, what did I just get myself in to?)
I looked at little Freya's face, seeing the brightest smile I had ever seen.
(..No, never mind, I'll deal with it.) I would not ruin a little girl's chance at happiness.
"Iffy called again. She wanted to know what we were doing. She and Compa are currently with Blanny at the central Basilicom." Neptune spoke, walking over to Freya and I, presumably after she was finished with the phone call. Hearing the Goddess of Lowee's name, a plan began forming. (Hmm, I do need someone to look after Freya while Neptune and I get on with our own thing.) While foul-mouthed, and with questionable construction workers, Blanc was the strongest person in Lowee, that and she was its Goddess...
Realising my situation, I couldn't help but internally sigh. (What the hell is my life right now...) It was barely a few days, if even that, after Neptune and I had got together, and already we somehow had a kid. Granted, she was adopted, or soon-to-be, but the point still stood.
Did I care about Freya? Yes, far more than I realistically should. I didn't know why, but something did draw me to the young girl, otherwise I wouldn't have cared nearly as much. Maybe it was the wrongfulness of her initially hollow and cold gaze, or the desperation that bled into her voice when she told us to adopt her, I didn't know.
(But that doesn't matter now, I already promised her.) And I would be damned before I went back on my word. (Whether or not I'll be a good parent doesn't matter, I'll have to try my best regardless.)
"...apa...PAPA!" Recognising the loud voice as belonging to my now kind of-daughter, I halted my train of thought. "Yes, little Freya? What is it?" I responded. Though it was more of a question. The blonde tilted her head. "Um, after mama told you about auntie Iffy and auntie Compa, you went all quiet." Neptune came over and lifted Freya onto her shoulders. "Yeah! For a second, I thought we had broken you or something." I shook my head at Neptunes' words.
"No you didn't 'break' me in the slightest. I was merely thinking of the near future." I began, before turning to look at Freya. "Little Freya, how would you like to live with your auntie Blanc?" I asked. Of course I had no way of knowing If Blanc could actually count as the young girls' aunt, but I knew that she'd be more likely to accept living with the Goddess of Lowee if that were the case. "I have more aunties?! Is this true, mama?" The young girl shouted excitedly, clearly accepting of the idea of more family. I gave Neptune a wink.
"Uh...Suuure. Though don't be surprised if Blanny denies it, she's a right tsun-tsun, just like your other auntie Nowa-I mean Noire." In response to the purple-haired girl's words, Freya almost vibrated in excitement. "Can I meet auntie Blanny, auntie Iffy and auntie Compa now?" Freya asked. Jumping on the spot, clearly impatient. I nodded. "Of course little Freya, please go along with your mama, your papa has to make a few very important calls." I answered the young girl, motioning her to go to her now-mother.
By Neptune, did it feel weird to call my beloved a mother, and myself, a father.
Said purple-haired girl gave me a hug. "See you soon, honey." I smiled. "Indeed." Mother and child then began to walk away.
10 seconds
20 seconds
30 seconds
(Wait a minute...) "Hey! Do you even know where you're going!?" I shouted to the duo. "Do you even know where you're going!?" I asked, the question only popping into my mind half a minute after they had already departed. "Uh, maybe!? We'll just have to wing it! Besides, there must be a place that sells pudding here somewhere!" another half of a minute passed by, before I fully understood what she said. (Wait...) "Didn't I take away her pudding privileges?" The sly woman had managed to one-up me.
I rolled my eyes, before deciding to get on with my task. Taking my phone from my...
(Neptune still has my phone, doesn't she?)
I was planning on calling IF to make sure she knew the situation, hoping to avoid the brown-haired girl going through another breakdown. (Well, that and find out where the hell I can find the central Basilicom.) out of all the things that were repaired, the signs were apparently not one of them.
(This is going to take a while.)
And take a while it did.
END OF CHAPTER
An: I somehow manged to slow down the plot once again, sorry about that. I was planning on extending the chapter to fit in Histoire's release from her prison, but I found where I stopped to be perfect. At least this way I can focus on the next chapter more easily, and hopefully complete it quick enough to give you all something resembling consistent updates.
Oh, and adding Freya was a spur of the moment. Not something that will change the final outcome of the story. But definitely something I won't just forget about and leave out. Also I have no idea if words such as 'auntie' or 'mama and papa' are capitalised or not, just saying.
Question for the audience: Do you like Freya's inclusion? She may seem haphazardly forced into the story, but I can promise I won't squander her potential. More details of about her (Such as the orphanage she used to live in until now.) will be revealed next chapter.