A little early Valentine's Day event. Better now than late, and yet another side story finished for now so I can focus on Mon Nepu some more. Hope you enjoy.
"Pleeeeeease Cave?"
"Out of the question."
"Without it I'd lack what makes it what is! That's like, his signature feature or something." Cave has been real stubborn about letting me borrow one of her weapons for the sake of my little Valentine project. "I know you must have at least a bow somewhere in that room of yours." Maybe it was me showing up so early on her day off unannounced that's the cause of her being like this, but I can't help it when the Goddesses themselves asked for my help. Well, just Lady Vert and surprisingly Lady Noire, it was hard to tell with her stuttering. If she's ill she probably shouldn't do this...
"You would be wrong in assuming I have such a primitive weapon in my room." Cave responded as we walked around in her, with telling me that my idea is outdated and would be ineffective in this day and age. "If you insist on the use of a ranged weapon, I'll provide you with one." Oh, we're at her room? It's amazing how sly she can be with when she's in control.
"Sure thing, I can wait. I think I'm going to head to Vert's place first since I'm sure she's been up all night with Chika trying to get her outfit ready." I just hope the design turns out as great as it did on paper. Cave slipped into her room while I was lost in my thoughts and was very...audible while she was rummaging around in there. A few loud clacks later there was a loud and a sigh. "C-Cave! Are you alright?"
The door opened slightly with and she backed out of her room...with a large, pink and white sniper rifle in hand. "I believe this will accommodate your needs."
"I-I'm not trying to hurt anyone! I just want to look like a cute cupid, this is seri-" Before I could finish my sentence she casually tossed it towards me, as if I had the strength to carry something so big. "Ca-! Oh?" It's...not as heavy as it looks actually. After checking it out it's like a toy gun or something.
"I know full well you don't intend on harming anybody. That's why I...it's why you're getting this particular gun. It's mostly harmless and it's appropriate for the occasion."
We moved back into the main room so I could practice holding the sniper and I have to admit...I feel kind of cool aiming at the various things displayed around the room. The...aiming reticule, or whatever Cave calls it, was heart-shaped and gave me a new view of whatever it was pointing at. My last aim test was towards her, and she didn't budge in the slightest, although thanks to this zoom function I could see she was blushing ever so slightly. "So...do you think I look cool holding this thing?"
This is the first time in a while I've seen her at a loss for words. "...aren't you going to be late for your meeting with Vert? It would be unwise to keep her, and by extent keep her target waiting." She held her arm and looked down in an attempt to hide her face for some reason muttered something under her breath. "When you're done, be sure to bring it back tonight. No sooner, I'll be busy...with things..."
Her request was a little strange, but I guess today was going to be a busy day for her as well. I wish I had enough time to sing her a song or something, but having to wait for Vert's guest to arrive, and then traveling to Lastation might take longer than expected. Not to mention getting caught by fans who might want an autographed card or something, and I can't say no to them, I like all of them. "Oh, ok then. Wish me luck!" I slung the sniper on my back and made my way to the basilicom, where I'm sure things will get out hand. With a final wave I turned my thoughts to how exactly this was going to turn out.
It's been a while since I've had a chance to speak with Vert and Chika, so maybe if they're not too busy after this little event I can catch up with them before heading to Lastation. The basilicom doors swung open with ease and I took a step inside, with not a soul in sight. "Hello?" That's no good, how does Vert expect to impress her guest if she doesn't even show up? "Helloooooo!" That echo...that's not a good sign.
"It's about time someone showed up." Blanc came from one of the hallways with an extremely aggravated look on her face. "Thunder Tits has a lot of nerve inviting me over and then not showing up at her own damn place." She walked over to me and looked me up and down until she caught a glimpse of my fake gun. "...you have something to do with this, don't you?"
"I...I..." My heart started racing, I don't have idea where Vert is and I don't want to risk ruining the surprise. "Well, you see..."
"Have no fear, my petite pretty, your delectable Sweet Heart is here!" With a grand entrance Green Heart came flying down in a gentle spiral, giggling and spinning on the way down. Well, I wouldn't exactly say she was green, thanks to the Valentine designs we came up with. Thanks to her unique hair color and style, it was easy to give her a festive design without altering her plugsuit too much. Her white suit had been mostly recolored to pink, with traces of white textures bordering her skin in some areas, and a slight modification has been made to her chest in the form of a cute, heart shaped window to her...um... "What's wrong Blanc?"
"I'm out." She didn't even grant her a second look before heading off to the basilicom door, until Chika appeared from the outside and closed the door with a smile and spiteful wave towards Blanc. "Vert..." She growled with a raised fist as she slowly turned around, her face slowly being covered up by a dark aura that only revealed a single, red dot. I...I'm afraid to move. One wrong move and my career could be over...
"Awww...did I take you away from your precious books?" Vert floated over to her with no fear or caution whatsoever and hovered behind her and rubbing her faces on Blanc's. "Come now, I now what will cheer you up!" She lifted Blanc off her feet and floated around happily while hugging and nuzzling her from behind.
"Argh! Dammit, Vert! I didn't come here to screw around!" She started throwing a childish tantrum and flailed around until Vert whispered something into her ear that made her calm in nearly an instant. "...go on."
"Well, after that we can..." I couldn't hear exactly what was going on between them, and I don't think I should know. Blanc was doing her best to hide a smile but I think I heard something about chocolate. "...and then after that we..." Th-this isn't something I should even be looking at it, I don't want to have the slightest idea of what they planned.
"Uh...um..." That's right, I've got this gun, might as well look the part and distract myself. I just have to make some changes to the poses I practice since this is an actual firearm-er, shaped like an actual firearm. Maybe if I kneel a little and point it right at them...liiiike this... "Bang~"
They stopped what they were doing and gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks for helping me set this up 5pb. I think she's ready for the rest of our surprise."
Phew, things were starting to get uncomfortable for a moment with the way things were going. "Alright, one lovely little song with the help yours truly and Leanboxes own Marathon Queen of Games!"
"Whoohoo, that was pretty fun!" I said as I got off the Terraportation vessel that went from Leanbox to Lastation. Looks like everyone nearby is caught up in the Valentine craze to notice me, so I think I can quickly make it to the basilicom here with time to spare. I should probably pick up the pace, I might have enough time to visit Nisa.
"Is that an idol I spy with my keen eye? Ho!" If I know Nisa she'll be approaching from some odd angle, more than likely...the sky. Sure enough I heard a loud thud behind and the voice that followed didn't belong to her.
"What the hell's wrong with you!? You tryin' to give me a heart attack?" I turned to see Under...Linda, with a bandaged leg, cradled in Nisa's arms. "If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be banged up like this in the first place. Why are you even doing this for me?"
"Did I...did I miss something?" I stood there dumbfounded that these are two are so close to each other, especially after all the trouble we've been through each other. It's just...wow.
"I was on patrol a while ago and caught our favorite delinquent being up to no good. Needless to say I didn't hesitate in dispensing justice and we had a grand chase bounding from building to building. Unfortunately-"
"What in the world we you two doing jumping from building to building?" That sounds a little extreme, even for Nisa. Cool...but still extreme and pretty reckless.
"That isn't important. Unfortunately for her our game of cat and mouse came to an end as she ran out of places to jump. It was a matter of dealing with me or taking a leap of faith in an attempt to continue her unjust way of life."
Such a...grand tale of chasing down one person. I almost can't believe it, but Nisa is crazy enough to actually do these kind of things. I'm afraid to ask but I'm too curious to leave myself hanging, and she looks so excited to be telling someone about her heroism. "So what happened next?"
"She jumped." Wh...what? I don't think Linda is crazy enough to jump off a building, even if she was being chased by someone with an extreme code of justice.
"I FELL you idiot!" Ah, that makes more sense than actually taking the jump. "You kept on pressuring me, even when I said I surrendered. I backed up a little too much from your constant advances-I mean advancing, and I tripped and hurt my ankle." Her focus was entirely on Nisa as she hit her, but not hard enough for her to lose her grip, although when she mentioned her injury she looked at me through the corner of her eye. Could she be...lying about the pain?
"Anyway, I think I've taken up enough of your time. I would've let Linda stay behind to rest at my place, but she insisted on joining me for a breath of fresh air."
"Sh-shut your hole, you freakin' justice...freak!" This is the first time I've seen someone as tough as Linda get worked up. "Gah! Just take me back already!"
"Will do." Nisa freed up a hand to wave good-bye, but was quickly struck gently up the back of her head by the frightened Linda she almost dropped. "Good luck on your hunt, 5pb. Hope you bag a big one!"
My hunt...right, she's talking about Lovely Sniper. As I knelt down to take aim at the Nisa I couldn't help but think that my name for the gun sounded pretty nice. Or maybe I should refer to myself as the Lovely Sniper? I bet after a few lessons from Cave I'll be able to do that name...justice. Ehehe...hm? Linda was signaling me with her hand and the moment I locked onto her with my lovely sight I noticed she had a finger over her mouth, as if to shush me, and was blushing bit...I think, it's hard to tell with her complexion.
"Bang~"
After a minor distraction, and a snack, I finally arrived at the Lastation basilicom and was immediately greeted by Kei.
"You're approximately twenty-three minutes late. Even though Noire is undergoing a minor panic attack I do hope you have a good excuse for being tardy." Maybe greeted wasn't the right word.
"I was held up by Nisa and...an acquaintance of hers. Wait, what's this about Noire panicking?" I hope it isn't because I was late, I did my best to rush but Nisa was being...herself and it would've been rude had I left a friend like that. That and I was in such a rush to get to Cave's place early I didn't eat much.
"My Lady got a call from Neptune being incredibly indecisive about what would transpire here. She also shot down all of my Lady's ideas for this little...shindig, is it? Whatever it's called she sounded disappointed when she hung up and ever since things have been sour."
"That doesn't sound like Lady Neptune at all..." Oh no, maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.
"The rest is up to you. I wish you the best of luck."
"Huh?"
"This idea was made in conjunction with you, Lady Noire and Lady Vert. I was instructed to do as I please after things get started, and since work has slowed to crawl I've taken it upon myself to take a visit to Lowee. The other oracles and I have decided to meet there for a small break with chocolates and other festive delights, since the twins have decided that having each other is enough for them...quite mature for their age actually."
There has to be something up here...other than Noire freaking out somewhere in here. Kei gave me far too much information for no good reason. "Why are you telling me all this?"
She was already well on her way towards the door and she paused to give me a blunt answer. "Future reference in case things get tough. It's up to you, and only you, to talk to some sense into Noire and get the CPUs together." With that she left without looking back and the basilicom doors closed with a somewhat loud bang.
"Kei? Kei!?" That sounds like Noire, but she sounds like she's on the verge of tears. I didn't get very far in before she came stumbling into the same room I was in while looking around frantically for her oracle. "Kei! Where are you? I need you!" Oh...she's on the verge alright.
"What's wrong Noire?" As if I had to ask, but maybe it would be enough to make her focus her attention towards me. "I can help you out if-"
"Neptune is on the way and she sounded bored with me!" Noire bolted towards me and fiercely grabbed me by the shoulders. "What do I do? I gave her all my best ideas and she said 'they like, suck'! I don't have anything left!"
Wait, that doesn't sound like Neptune at all. Well, that might something she'd say but if she didn't like something she'd say so in a more polite way, especially when friends are concerned. "Hey now, she didn't mean it like that. I bet she just had something on her mind and she was thinking out loud." That makes the most sense to me, so I can only hope Noire is willing to give this possibility a chance.
"Yeah...maybe she was just thinking of some generic pudding brand and had a bad cup or something...yeah." Phew, dodged a bullet there. "No no no, that's what she'd want me to think!" Well...I didn't dodge it for long.
"Ok, Noire, I'm going to need you to keep your cool. What would Neptune think if she saw the Lastation CPU flipping out like this?"
"Did someone call little ol' me?"
I turned my head and couldn't believe our luck. "O-oh, hey Neptune! We were just getting ready, right Noire?"
She must not have heard Neptune entering, which is a little shocking considering she came in with a plastic bag that looked like it was going to burst. "Waaaah, N-N-N-Neptune!?" Like a frightened cat Noire made a break for the nearest hallway and peeked around the corned. "I-I thought you said my ideas sucked!" This is no good, if she keeps this up she'll end up making herself angry and everything will fall apart, but there's nothing I can do since Neptune is here. I hope she clears the air once and for all...
"What? No, why would I ever say that?"
"Earlier. During our call you said 'they all suck'..."
"Oh that? Nepgear found some pudding cups I had forgotten to throw out because they were some blech-tasting nameless brand that she decided to pick out in order to save some credits." Aha! I knew Neptune was talking about pudding...although I shouldn't be surprised by this. It feels like I almost had a close encounter with her and snacks at one point but I can't remember when...oh well.
"Really?" That seemed to get Noire to simmer instantly and she started wiping away her tears and started smiling.
"Really really." Neptune replied with a grin. "Now come on, Uni is in Planeptune because little Gear had some crazy idea for them and this would be a complete waste if they outdid us. Luckily, I dropped by the store and did some shopping, but before that...show me the goods!"
Noire and I both looked at each other before responding the Neptune's surprising comment with a flat, "What?"
"You heard me. Today is a special day and I know the two of you have a surprise waiting for me and I'm an impatient girl~" The look on Neptune's face, combined with the way she said, had me getting a little wobbly in the knees and I had to shake my head to regain my composure. Noire, on the other hand, lost control of herself and involuntarily went into HDD mode, complete with her modified pink plugsuit. There really wasn't any need to add white to due to her other form's hair color, so she decided to spend her spare time on practicing her routine.
"What's gotten into me?" Noire said as she gave her face a couple of gentle claps. She immediately flew in front of Neptune and grabbed hold of both of her hands, paying no attention to the shopping bag was slowly stretching to uncomfortable levels. Clearing her throat, she said her piece with new found confidence. "You chose yours truly, that's quite smart. Now relax and enjoy your Sweet Heart."
Such a calm and collected way of going about it, as expected from Lady Noire. She flew over to me and we got ready to sing our little duet for Neptune, when the bag she was holding gave way and tore open from the sheer amount of weight it was struggling to hold. A variety of fruit, candy, and desserts came spewing out of the remains of the bag...maybe Neptune got really hungry on the way here. Shopping when you're hungry is always a huge mistake and you often end up with food you don't need.
"Wh-what's all this for?" Noire was already losing her cool, and Neptune's amorous attitude isn't helping either.
Neptune expertly navigated throughout the mess she just caused with her eyes completely locked onto Noire. I...I think it might just be for the day but this is a completely different Neptune from what I'm used to. She's become...rather blunt about what she wants and...I can't think about it anymore, I need to leave. "What do you think this stuff is for, Noire?"
"Um...ok you two have fun! I'll be seeing myself out, don't mind me!" After nearly tripping over a small bunch of grapes and a can of whipped cream I immediately excused myself and started heading outside before remembering I need to take my shot. "I wouldn't be worthy of the title Lovely Sniper if I didn't at least attempt to...oh..." Without a second thought I gently and swiftly shut the door and started making my way back to Cave's place to return this toy. I think I just saw the beginning of something I shouldn't have seen...
"Caaaaave! I'm back! Where do you want your toy gun?" Turns out today was quite a long day after all. The encounter with Vert and Blanc nearly gave me a heart attack, Nisa and Linda was a little jarring but was a nice distraction, and the crisis at Lastation was averted thanks to...well no, I don't think it's over quite yet, but it's none of my business anymore. Not to mention that there were some people that noticed me and asked signatures, and I just couldn't resist chatting with them a little while on the way back. "Cave?"
"I'm in my room! Give me a few more moments to tidy up..." Has she been in her room cleaning all day? That's such a waste of a good day like today, though I wonder why she decided to stay back.
There was a loud crash coming from her room and I raced forward to see if Cave was ok. "Don't worry Cave, the Lovely Sniper is on way!" My hand landed on the knob and before I could turn it she called out for me to stop.
"N-no, Lyrica! This doesn't concern you, don't come in!"
"Of course it concerns me, you could be hurt!" With a twist of the knob and a firm shoulder tackle, I barge into her rarely seen room and am struck with shock and awe.
Cave was down on all fours, doing her best shove a massive collection of guns under her bed, but doing a poor job of it. "L-Lyrica!" Not only that but was wearing a very...roomy pink and white variant of her pajamas, and had cover some of her backside due to my intrusion.
"Cave?" Why is she hiding her guns away from me? It's not as if I don't like them or anything, I'm just not fan of using them unless they're toys and look the part. I guess I should make an exception for this because it was for the sake of our CPU friends. I suppose I should actually ask her instead of standing here awkwardly staring at her. "Have you been getting rid of your guns this whole time."
She got up and slowly nodded her head, and turned her back to me. "You're correct." She looked at me from the corner of her eye and sniffled a little. "I've failed my mission...and you..."
"Mission? What are talking about?"
"I wanted to spend today with you, but I had a feeling you were planning on playing cupid so I refrained from mentioning it to you...I didn't want to be selfish and keep you away from making others happy."
I put the sniper that I had all day and rushed to Cave and gave her a reassuring hug from behind. "Is that all? What makes you think I could do both and make everyone happy?" Maybe a little shoulder massage will help loosen her up a bit.
"The whole day..."
"...Huh?"
She slowly turned around and placed her hands on my to stop my attempt at helping her relax. "I wanted you to stay here for the entire day. Just you, me, and my collection of Silvergun Port that I have saved from popular little place in Planeptune. Your decision today would've boiled down to either them or me."
The entire day? Well there's an easy way around that. "Hey, Cave. Mind if I borrow a set of pajamas?" Not that I'd need her permission for the idea I have planned, and I pulled away to rummage through her dressers until I found something more...my size to squeeze into. "Nevermind, I got just the thing." Oops, on second thought this might be a little too revealing...but since Cave is the only one here, I'll have to make an exception. Don't want to keep her waiting after all, even if this night attire is a little breezier than what I'm used to.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Oh my, Lyrica, are you changing right here? L-Lyrica!" I did everything in my power to ignore her pleas and to go on for her sake. We've seen not only each other, but several other girls in nothing but a towel, on one occasion at a hot spring trip a while ago. I was facing away from her so thankfully the change went by fast.
"T-tada!" I feel really constricted right now...no, that's not the right word. I feel as if taking a wrong step would cause something disastrous to happen to this outfit. I could've sworn I thought I could fit this when I looked at it...how does Cave manage to keep them in check all the time?
"S-so bold! But...why?" I don't she's realized that hope isn't lost for her...or rather us. I walked carefully towards and noticed that she had that bottle of Silvergun in a small bucket of ice on her night stand.
"We may not have all day, but..." Keep it together 5pb, this is your time to impress Cave. "...the night is still young. You can stand to be a little late tomorrow as well." Ooh, go me!
"Lyrica..." I went ahead and took my spot on the bed and waited for her to follow. Fortunately it wasn't a long walk and the clothes I've borrowed stayed intact. "...you had me from the moment you held my gun."
I pointed at her with my finger and decided this would be my final shot. It was nice being the girl with gun for once, so maybe I will ask Cave for some help with them one day. "Ba-mmf?"
In the blink of an eye I tried to fire at Cave, but she dodged my imaginary bullet and was already crawling towards me on the bed, with a tiny glass of Silvergun in hand. "Now now, you've had your fun." She took a little sip and smiled as she advanced. "I've got you in my sights now..."