“Doo doo doo…mmm yeah…show me what you got…on the dancefloor…”

“Julia?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s my limited edition Waygone Wailing mug? With the teeth marks on the handle?”

“It’s in the sink.” Julia called out, working at a stew on the stove, as Sola emerged from the study hurriedly.

“Thanks. I thought I’d lost it.” Sola said, grabbing it out, before staring up at Julia. “Hey, what do you think Team Vanguard does all day?”

Julia blinked. “What made you think of that?”

“Well, when I was searching for the mug, I found this old DVD I brought from home for the movie ‘Marry Me, I’m Choking,’ then I started thinking about a funny joke from the movie.” Sola explained, as Julia let go of the ladle to focus on Sola, but continued to let it stir using her Whil. “Then I thought, ‘Hey, Chops is pretty funny.’ And THEN I thought, ‘Hey, what’s she doing when she isn’t being funny?’”

Julia blinked again, before grabbing the ladle. “Okay…I’d probably guess the same as us.”

“Hmm.” Sola replied, as the dorm room filled with a noticeable silence.

“…”

“…”

“…yeah, probably.”

———

“…but you rock that body…like it ain’t no thing…show me how to love…tonight!”

Joleicia struck a dynamic pose at the end of the song, before laughing into her hand and gently singing to herself. She grabbed her controller again and unpaused her game, as she lay on her team’s couch.

“Man, grinding sucks…” She let out, pouting as she wailed on a few low-level enemies. “I always skip out on the early game rare drops, and now I’m paying for it…”

She eventually headed back to the village in game, before coming across an NPC, who bowed politely to her with an elegant dress and gestured to their home.

“May I offer you some tea back at my abode?”

Joleicia freaked out, before shooting up in her seat.

“No way!” She exclaimed. “The event’s already happening!”

She frantically grabbed for her tablet and typed ‘Last Remembrance Eveneer romance path,’ before finding a walkthrough and leaving it open as she played.

“Oh boy. Eveneer’s actually talking to me.” Joleicia squeed, fortunate that none of her other teammates were there with her. “Don’t screw this up…follow the guide…just give her the butterfly taxidermy…”

Joleicia quickly hovered over it, double checking she had the right item, before accepting, only for Eveneer to reject the gift outright.

“Whatever made you think I would like that?”

“Wha-“ Joleicia let out, checking the walkthrough again, only to notice most of the information listed was incorrect.

“Sandra doesn’t like vases!” Joleicia yelled out. “What kinda stupid walkthrou-“

Joleicia was interrupted by Eveneer leaving, as she grabbed the controller again. “No, wait, come back!...dammit!“

“Heyo, Jojo.” Chops greeted, stepping through the door, as Joleicia frantically paused the game, trying to look natural.

“O-Oh, hey there.” Joleicia greeted, leaning on the controller uncomfortably, as Chops glanced at the screen and whistled.

“Use some fire magic.” She remarked, as Joleicia turned her attention back to the game.

“It’s not that kind of game. You can’t use magic in town.” Joleicia explained, unpausing it.

“Oh. Use some water magic then.” Chops replied, miming the action, as Joleicia just ignored her and played out the rest of the cutscene.

“Bye Eveneer…maybe next time…” Joleicia moped, with Chops leaning over the couch next to her.

“Damn, she’s cute.” Chops remarked.

“Yeah. Stupid guide.” Joleicia said, as Chops went to grab some art supplies from her room. “I should have just given her the book on hotel management. Back to the single life for me…”

“Good thing real dating isn’t like that.” Chops pointed out, bringing out a sketchbook and sitting next to Joleicia.

Joleicia nodded in agreement. “Don’t I know it. Could you imagine Baron being so fickle about something like that?”

Very easily. Chops thought, as Joleicia laughed at her notion.

“I feel so silly. I keep bringing him up like some lovesick schoolgirl.” Joleicia joked, blushing in embarrassment. “I get a boyfriend after all this time, and now I can’t stop yapping on about him.”

Chops just went about illustrating, mostly ignoring what Joleicia was saying, until she started patting Chops’ leg.

“Sorry if it sounds like I’m bragging.” Joleicia apologised. “I’m just really excited for our upcoming dinner…”

Chops lifted her head. “Dinner? With Baron?”

“Yeah! He invited me out tomorrow.” Joleicia explained. “I’ve still got to get an outfit ready, but…”

Joleicia leaned in. “…between you and me, I’m thinking of just wearing my formal dress.”

Joleicia giggled, as Chops couldn’t help but pick up on how genuinely happy she was.

Baron can’t be treating her that well… Chops wondered, half-heartedly smiling back at Joleicia.

“I still have to get it fitted, though, so that’ll be a whole trip.” Joleicia pointed out, as Chops perked up.

“I could, uhh, help you with that.” Chops offered, with Joleicia’s eyes lighting up. “You know, make sure the night goes well for you.”

“Aww, Chops.” Joleicia said, hugging her. “You’re too kind.”

“I sure am.” Chops bragged, just as the dorm door opened up again, with Saxin, Lenin and Nathaniel entering soon after.

“Hey guys! How was Detu City?” Joleicia asked, as Saxin waved a shopping bag around.

“Wonderful. Lenin and I had a lovely time, and we bought these great pairs o-“ Saxin started, before Lenin quickly interrupted her, reminding her of the sensitive nature of the items. “W-Well, let’s just say they’re meant for me and Lenin’s private...use.”

“Phew…” Lenin sighed to himself, as Chops got up to greet Nathaniel.

“Get anything interesting?” Chops asked, slinging an arm around Nathaniel, who just frantically shook his head.

“I-I didn’t feel like buying anything.” Nathaniel admitted. “And there were way too many people at the HyperMall for me…”

“You big scaredy cat.” Chops teased, as Saxin joined Joleicia on the couch, with Lenin sitting on his bed and opening up a book.

“Oh, I know this one! Use your fire magic.” Saxin remarked, as Joleicia rolled her eyes.

“It’s water magic.” Lenin interjected, speaking to Joleicia. “Use it on the town fountain to get an extra bag of gold.”

Joleicia perked up. “Really?”

She tried it out for curiosities sake, and was surprised that it actually worked, as Lenin leaned back proudly.

“Hot dog.” Joleicia let out joyously. “I never knew that was a thing. I’m gonna get my baby Wyvern Prince a snack.”

Lenin eyed the screen quickly, as Saxin cocked her head.

“Baby Wyvern Prince?” Saxin let out, before an adorable creature appeared on screen, with Joleicia handing it a bag of worms to eat. “Aww, that’s absolutely precious! If only I could have one in real life!”

Lenin shuffled awkwardly on his bed, unsure if he heard her correctly, as Saxin quickly noticed and turned her head.

“What is it, dear?”

“O-Oh, n-nothing.” Lenin replied, trying to hide his nervousness, which Saxin didn’t seem to notice.

“Look at those two.” Chops muttered, leaning against the team’s kitchen counter, accompanied by Nathaniel. “I want that so bad…”

Nathaniel watched on curiously, as Chops sat back up. “Ever since Harley, I’ve been a big single mess. Come on, universe, throw me a bone already…”

“Don’t get too down. You’ll find someone.” Nathaniel assured. “P-Probably.”

“…wow, a probably. You’ve inspired some real hope in me.” Chops remarked, as Nathaniel tried to hide his nervous sweating.

“O-Oh, s-sorry. If it helps, I-I’m just as single as you are…” Nathaniel admitted, getting a sigh from Chops.

“It doesn’t. Want to help me with Joleicia’s date and make it up to me?” Chops offered, with Nathaniel offering a weak head nod in response, just as Joleicia joyously called out again.

“It worked again! Hoo baby!” Joleicia cheered, as Lenin continued his stirring, before quickly getting up from the bed.

“I-I’m gonna head out for a bit. Don’t wait up.” Lenin quickly announced, leaving and shutting the dorm door behind him, as the room went weirdly silent.

“Odd.” Saxin let out. “Why did he decide to leave…?”

“Ooo, trouble in paradise.” Chops called out. “I guess the honeymoon phase had to end at some point.”

Saxin turned to her in frustration. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It can’t all be sex and pet names. Things have to get serious at some point.” Chops pointed out. “Don’t you think it was a weird coincidence he kept freaking out at the word baby?”

Saxin’s eyes widened, before she went into deep thought. “That can’t…no, it couldn’t...”

“But you guys have only been together for a year.” Joleicia rationalised. “It’s a bit soon to be thinking about that.”

“Can’t hurt to plan ahead.” Chops said, before noticing Saxin start to mumble to herself. “You good there, Saxin?”

“…y-yes, yes, I’m fine. Just a lot to consider.” Saxin excused. “I guess I never really gave it that much thought until now. I don’t even know if he wants to get married…do we even know each other that well?”

“Chops! Look what you did!” Joleicia yelled, as Chops threw her hands up.

“I pointed out the obvious! Don’t go finger wagging at me!” Chops complained, only freaking out Nathaniel beside her. “They’re not about to break up!”

“B-Break up?!” Nathaniel let out.

Saxin rested a hand on Joleicia. “We’re not breaking up. Chops is right. I just need some clarification on his end. That’s all.”

Saxin was clearly still thinking to herself, as Joleicia tried to focus back on the game, with Chops staring on and Nathaniel wondering where he fit into all of this.

Lenin hurried down the hall, avoiding looking at too many people passing by, before coming across Julia going the opposite way.

“Hey Lenin.” She greeted, waving. “Got any plans for the semester break coming up?”

“Yep, all good.” Lenin replied, quickly rushing past her, leaving Julia thoroughly confused, as Lenin found a quiet part of the campus where he could breathe.

“…I have to tell her…” He muttered, feeling his heart race, before slapping himself in the face. “Idiot!”

He stroked his chin to help think. “Maybe she doesn’t know yet…could I be so lucky…?”

He slapped his face again, before charging back down the hall. “This sucks so hard…”

———

Nathaniel.

A lot could be said about him.

And paradoxically, a lot couldn’t be said too.

While he was well respected by most, and seen as a genuinely nice boy, that was as far as most people’s opinions went. People remember liking him but didn’t remember him as much.

Of course, Nathaniel went out of his way to go against this notion, but there was only so much he could do, what with being so forgotten.

It didn’t help that even the mere thought of talking to people scared him like the dickens.

“Oh boy…”

For instance…

Nathaniel cowered around a corner, just outside the academy Spire, as a few members of Team Ferocity had gathered nearby, shooting the shit amongst themselves.

And Nathaniel needed to walk past them.

“J-Just move already…” He hoped, waiting for his opportunity which never seemed to come.

M-Maybe I can circle the Spire. He rationalised, before throwing the thought away. They’d just see me walk away from them and think I’m being weird!

He tried to hide his nerves, mostly to convince himself he could handle this, before all his nervous energy came out in his legs.

I-I know! I’ll use my Whil on them and knock them onto the ground! Then they’ll think it’s a ghost or something! He…didn’t rationalise, before throwing the thought away too. They know ghosts aren’t real!

Fortunately, and not soon enough, they started to clear out, leaving just as suddenly as they’d arrived, as Nathaniel let out a huge relieved sigh.

“Fina-“

“Hey.”

Nathaniel jumped away, falling to the ground, only to turn back and spot Baron, standing straight up, then leaning down to greet him.

“You spying on my team?”

“N-N-N-N-No-o-o-o-o-“ Nathaniel tried to reply, as Baron sneered, before blowing on his face, freaking Nathaniel out again.

“Relax.” Baron said, standing back up. “I’m not about to wail on you.”

“Y-Y-Yeah, o-of course.” Nathaniel excused, standing back up. “Y-Y-You’re way too nice to do that.”

Baron lifted his nose up. “Am I?”

Nathaniel didn’t know how to respond, as Baron quickly pushed past him, going to follow the rest of his team.

“I wouldn’t beat you up for no reason.” Baron pointed out, before stopping and turning back. “How about you find me when I’m in a bad mood?”

Baron shot him a quick grin, before rounding the corner, leaving Nathaniel with his rapidly increased heart rate.

What the hell does Joleicia see in him?! Nathaniel thought, only to remember why he wanted to leave in the first place, as he hurried out of the main building and toward the train station.

“Yo, Nath!” Chops called out, getting his attention. “We’re over here!”

Nathaniel trotted over and caught his breath, as Joleicia grabbed his shoulders.

“Ready for some clothes fitting?”

“I-I am!” Nathaniel replied, as the trio headed onto the Flash-Rail and into Detu City.

The trio quickly arrived at the tailor, as Joleicia struggled to hold back her energy.

“I’m gonna go check on my dress. Be right back!” Joleicia exclaimed, hurrying to the front desk.

Chops and Nathaniel waited patiently, sitting on the sidelines, as Chops slung a friendly arm around Nathaniel, before pulling him in suddenly and quickly.

“Alright, listen. We aren’t just here to get Joleicia’s dress ready.” Chops whispered, freaking Nathaniel out. “I’m gonna try to stop her going on this date with Baron.”

“W-Wait, really?” Nathaniel realised, as Chops nodded back.

“We both know how much he sucks. I can’t stand the idea of him treating Joleicia that bad.” Chops pointed out. “But I’m gonna need your back on this. She’s a tough one to crack.”

“Yes!” Nathaniel immediately replied. “Baron sucks! Let’s save her from his wicked grasp!”

Chops grinned proudly. “You may have only joined the team this year, but you’re already killer in my books. For Jojo!”

“Let’s do it!” Nathaniel cheered, high fiving Chops, just as Joleicia came back, skipping happily.

“The dress is rea-dy!” Joleicia sang. “I’ve just got to make sure it fits. Come on, I need some second opinions on how it looks.”

“Of course.” Chops said, following behind her with Nathaniel, as they entered the changing area. Joleicia took a few minutes to change privately, before coming out in a modest green dress, with a floral pattern running down its lower half.

“Whoa!” Chops let out, taking a second to take it in. “That looks great on you!”

“Aww, thanks…” Joleicia blushed, trying not to look too embarrassed. “It’s not too big?”

“No, the bigness works. The moment you step into the formal, all eyes are gonna be on you.” Chops clarified, before turning to Nathaniel with an idea. “In fact, it seems like kind of a waste to be using it for a date.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Joleicia spun around to face Chops. “Really?”

Chops nodded, before elbowing Nathaniel’s side, who immediately sprung to action. “O-Oh, yeah! You don’t want to show it off too early. I-It’ll…spoil the surprise for the big day.”

Nathaniel looked pretty proud of himself, as Joleicia thought over their critiques.

“…I guess that could be a problem.” Joleicia acknowledged, only to wave it off. “But I don’t really care. What’s wrong with looking nice for two different nights?”

Chops went to argue, but came up empty, as Joleicia checked herself out in the mirror. “And Baron’s a bigshot in Northern nobility, so he’s sure to dress really well. I like my t-shirts and jeans, but if I’m being honest, this is the nicest thing I own.”

Chops felt a bit defeated, before Nathaniel sat up in his seat. “H-Hey, what’s Baron like? When you guys are together?”

Joleicia visibly thought the question over and smiled. “He’s pretty great. We don’t get a lot of time together, since we’re both leading our own teams, but we have some great conversations over our dates. And…”

Joleicia started laughing to herself, before trying to continue. “He has this one joke about a croissant and a waiter…I can’t remember how it goes, but it’s really good.”

Chops raised an incredulous eyebrow, as Joleicia fiddled with the collar on her dress. “And even when he wanted to…go a bit further, I politely declined, and he hasn’t brought it up since. That was pretty refreshing.”

Joleicia focused back on cleaning up her outfit, as Chops and Nathaniel looked to each other in doubt.

“Has he ever been…like, shitty on a date?” Chops blatantly said, as Joleicia rolled her eyes.

“No, of course not.” She replied, before stopping herself suddenly. “Well…there was that one time we were out on a picnic.”

She tried to draw her attention back to the dress, but instinctively looked to the floor. “It was pretty nice at first, but then this bird nearby started squawking really loud. I said it would just go away at some point, but he got really mad and tried to chase it off. He almost cut the tree down...”

She took a second to herself, before going back to fixing up her hair. “He insisted it had ruined the mood, but frankly, he was the one doing that. We were pretty silent for the rest of the picnic afterwards.”

Joleicia finished up her hair, before twirling on the spot joyously. “Hopefully, this next date goes a bit better than that. I’m not dressing up this nice for nothing.”

After the anecdote, Chops gave her a cautious smile, and Nathaniel followed it up with two thumbs up, as Joleicia heading back into the private changing room, letting Chops and Nathaniel share a worried glance.

———

Ahh...what a calm atmosphere...no more awkward moments with Saxi...

Lenin enjoyed himself in the study area, spending a bit of private time with a coffee and good book, as the day started to disappear just outside the window. He didn’t care for the book that much, but it passed the time.

Admittedly, he’d rather be with Saxin, sightseeing, love making, or just enjoying each other’s company, bu-

“Hello, dear.”

Lenin jumped out of his seat, hitting the floor hard, as Saxin rested a hand on her hip, watching as he pulled himself up.

“You’ve been awfully squirrely today.” Saxin remarked. “I guess those comments this morning really did get to you.”

Lenin tried to fix up his appearance, while still trying to come off as ignorant. “Comments?”

“You know the ones.” Saxin replied, sighing out, before sitting next to him. “…it got me thinking…about us.”

Lenin tried to settle himself, before bumping Saxin’s side playfully. “Those lines rarely precede anything good.”

Saxin chuckled, before reaching out to grab his hand. “It’s just…it finally occurred to me that we’ve been together for over a year now, and I still don’t know you very well.”

Lenin’s eyes widened, as he instinctively pulled his hand away. “What’re you talking about? We know each other plenty.”

Lenin raised a finger. “I know your favourite colour’s amaranth red, you love beaches, but only when it’s about to rain, and that you like being called names when w-“

“Public, public.” Saxin quickly interrupted, reminding Lenin where they were, as Lenin used the opportunity to grab her hand.

“And I know that I love you.” Lenin said. “And I’m hoping it’s reciprocated.”

Saxin gave a good-natured laugh. “It definitely is. And I could say the same about you.” Saxin admitted. “But that’s surface level. What about you? What do you want to do after graduating? Are you staying with the team or going solo? What about marriage?”

“M-Marriage?” Lenin reiterated, starting to sweat. “I haven’t even thought about that…”

Saxin smiled warmly to him. “I don’t need an answer straight away. But we should have one at some point.”

Saxin rubbed their hands together. “I love what we have, but I want it to be a bit more…which means no secrets between us.”

Shit. Lenin thought, as Saxin stared off into the distance.

“…I want to clear the air, since there’s something I’ve yet to tell you.” Saxin let out. “But not here. It’s important to me, so we’ll make it something important.”

Lenin went to complain but could tell how much effort Saxin was putting in, before deciding to put in just as much.

“…yeah. I think I need to clear something up too.” Lenin admitted, surprising Saxin. “We can…do it together, if you want. Just get it all out in one big go.”

“Rip off the bandage, as it were.” Saxin smiled. “I’d like that.”

Saxin leaned in and kissed him, reassuring him of what they were doing, as Saxin got up to leave, letting Lenin wallow in the promise he now had to keep.

———

“…but you rock that body…like it…like it ain’t no thing…show me how to love…show me how…show me how to…”

Chops laid her bass guitar down and sighed out, stretching out on the team’s couch.

“It just doesn’t work in a minor chord…” She accepted, running her hands over her face, before picking it back up again.

She plucked at a few more strings tiredly, before the dorm door opened to Joleicia, wiping a bit of sweat off her brow.

“Man, I don’t know what it is about training right before going out somewhere, but it really works for me.” Joleicia remarked, before noticing Chops with her new guitar. “I thought you played regular guitar.”

“Well, considering our last bassist left due to creative differences, I wanted to try my hand at it. I figured we’d need at least one bass in our band.” Chops excused, looking up over the couch arm. “Are…you leaving soon?”

“Yeah, just came back to get changed. Shouldn’t leave him waiting too long.” Joleicia replied. “Don’t want him getting all cranky again.”

She laughed and played it off, heading into the team study, as Chops watched on, silently practicing to herself, just as the door opened again to Nathaniel coming in, looking at Chops worriedly.

“I-Is she…?”

“She’s in there.” Chops said, indicating to the study.

Nathaniel looked between it and Chops skittishly. “A-Are we still going th-through with it?”

“…it’s better late than never.” Chops sighed, getting up from the couch and joining Nathaniel’s side, as they waited for Joleicia to finish getting changed.

It took a few minutes until she re-emerged, visibly excited. “Oh yeah! What do you guys th…”

Quickly, she noticed the serious expressions on Chops and Nathaniel’s faces and took a more reserved approach.

“What happened?”

Chops did her best to gather enough confidence, before finally admitting her feelings.

“We don’t think you should see Baron anymore.”

Joleicia’s face tried to look shocked, but the best she could manage was confusion. “W-What are you saying? Chops, this is pretty weird to jus-“

“Jojo, I’m serious.” Chops interrupted. “Baron’s not a good person. And…we’re sick of watching on the sidelines, waiting for him to improve.”

Joleicia struggled to form words, as she looked to Nathaniel for some kind of comfort, only to get the same reaction.

“I wouldn’t be saying this if I didn’t think it was the right thing to do.” Chops argued, pushing through despite her guilt. “I know he’s usually been good with you, but he’s a terrible guy, and I’m worried he’s gonna…hurt you in the future.”

“I-I don’t want to force a-anything…” Nathaniel excused, hiding himself while he spoke. “B-But every time we’ve spoken, h-he’s pushed me around and b-belittled me. I d-don’t feel safe with him around…”

Joleicia’s left her mouth open, before consciously closing it and taking it all in.

“W-Why d-didn’t you tell me s-sooner…?”

Chops looked to Nathaniel for a shared glance. “…because you seemed so happy with him, and we thought he’d changed. But…he hasn’t. At least around us.”

“A-And you just waited u-until right before a date?” Joleicia let out.

“It was gonna happen eventually!” Chops pointed out. “It’s not easy for me either. But, frankly, ever since you started dating him, I’ve had doubts…”

Joleicia shook her head impatiently, as Chops went to grab her hand.

“If you can prove me wrong, go ahe-“

“Y-You didn’t know what it was like…”

Chops gave another frantic glance to Nathaniel. “What?”

“L-Last year…” Joleicia struggled to say, pulling her hand away. “Y-You didn’t…”

Chops huffed up. “Jojo, what’s wrong?”

“I…I missed him…” Joleicia let out, scrunching up her fist, as Chops leaned in.

“Who?”

“…Florey.” Joleicia confessed. “I missed Florey.”

Joleicia tried to shake away some tears. “H-He just left…out of nowhere…he didn’t even come back and say goodbye…or apologise…a-and I did all I could to stop him from leaving forever…”

Chops held herself back, as Joleicia poured her heart out. “…a-and I needed something…someone I knew w-wasn’t going to leave…”

Joleicia shook her head. “Of course he’s not perfect! He’s got problems, a-and might have some anger issues…but for what little it matters, he makes me happy.”

Joleicia scowled back at Chops, before wiping her eyes. “So…I’m sorry if I was looking for some comfort. And I’m sorry if that comfort wasn’t according to your standards. So stop trying to protect me already. Just because you had a bad experience with him doesn’t mean you get to ruin it for me.”

Chops wanted to speak up, but Joleicia made her intentions clear and walked out, leaving without another word in a clear fit of emotion.

Chops sat back down on the couch in a quiet frustration, as Nathaniel finally decided to speak up again. “S-she didn’t mean it. She’s just angry right now.”

“…no…she’s right.” Chops admitted, running her hand over her face. “I fucked up…”

“B-But we both know how much Baron sucks!” Nathaniel expressed, standing upright. “You were in the right!”

“No, I wasn’t! And I shouldn’t have yelled at her!” Chops pointed out, waving her hand. “Whether Baron’s good for her or not, she’s the team leader, and I should trust her judgement. If she says he’s good, then I should believe her. We shouldn’t force these things.”

Nathaniel huffed out, before shaking his head. “That’s not enough for me. I won’t know that he makes her happy until I see it myself.”

Nathanial grabbed his jacket, as Chops lifted up her head. “You’ll just piss her off more if you get in her way.”

“That’s not my plan.” Nathaniel clarified, tying up his shoes. “But if he’s good for her, then I’ll prove it.”

Nathaniel left the dorm and hurried after Joleicia, as Chops leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“Reun’s speed, Nath…” Chops let out.

———

It had been a pretty silent day between the two, but it was finally time to clear the air.

Just as the day was winding down, Saxin and Lenin had walked wordless through the academy, as they headed to the centre of the campus by Saxin’s direction and climbed up the academy Spire, standing atop its viewing platform in a continued silence, which Lenin finally decided to break.

“…the Spire.” Lenin said.

Saxin sighed out. “It seemed fitting. This is where we had our first date, after all.”

“Good call.” Lenin said, trying to balance on his toes, as Saxin mustered up the courage and turned back to him.

“You needn’t be nervous. This isn’t…” Saxin started, before abandoning it and taking a breath. “Alright, I’m just going to do it…clear the air…you’ve got this…”

Lenin pretended not to hear her hyping herself up, before Saxin turned to properly address him.

“I…know why you were upset yesterday.” Saxin started, immediately stunning Lenin. “It was pretty obvious after Chops explained, and frankly, I’m surprised it’s never come up before.”

Shit shit shit shit… Lenin panicked.

“And...well, we should talk about it if we’re going to go any further...”

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit... Lenin continued.

“…you want to talk about having kids.” Saxin stated.

Lenin froze again, but more out of confusion, before the realisation hit.

She doesn’t know? He realised. Oh, thank Whilit!

“Obviously, we’d get there at some point, if…we both feel like it.” Saxin said, not noticing the now much calmer Lenin in front of her. “And, really the question is if we do…”

“Yeah, yeah, totally.” Lenin said, relieved. “I th-“

“Hold on. I’m not finished.” Saxin stated. “Just…a bit longer.”

Lenin held his tongue, as Saxin finally readied herself, trying to work out her worry through her legs.

“I’m…intersex.” She admitted. “And while I won’t go completely into detail…my…v-variation means…I can’t have children.”

Lenin needed a second to process, as Saxin worried she might have gone too far and stepped back, trying not to look too desperate for approval.

“…okay.” Lenin started. “…can you go a little into detail?”

Saxin took another needed breath. “Well, as far as…genitalia goes, it works fine. I mean, you of all people should know that.”

Lenin gave a thumbs up, as Saxin felt a bit more at ease. “…but the…ovaries are…well, they don’t work like they should, and even with medical assistance, the chances would be insultingly low, so…if we ever wanted to raise children…”

Saxin let the sentence end there, feeling she’d explained herself enough, even if she wasn’t all that comfortable with where she’d left it. She watched as Lenin noticed how uncomfortable she looked, as he closed the distance between them and hugged her warmly.

He held her head against his chest and caressed her hair, before letting out a relieved breath.

“Okay.” Lenin assured. “You had me a bit worried.”

Saxin looked back up at him, as Lenin smiled back at her.

“I hope you’re not feeling down on yourself cause of it. It doesn’t make you any less Saxin to me.” Lenin confessed, causing Saxin’s heart to race. “…I didn’t know you were gonna confess that…but I’m happy you trusted me to know.”

Lenin looked a bit embarrassed now. “I’m...sorry it can’t be how you wanted...but…if it comes to that at some point, that doesn’t mean we can’t have kids together. We can adopt, or, like, do that surrogate parent thing. I-If you felt comfortable with that...”

“…you’re being too nice.” She giggled, letting herself be held. “Why aren’t you being a dick about this?”

“I’m just too cool for that.” Lenin joked, getting a laugh out of Saxin.

“…I wouldn’t mind.” Saxin admitted. “If we had one later down the line…maybe two, if we could handle that sort of thing.”

“We’ll just get the rest of the team to babysit for us.” Lenin reasoned. “We’ll make it their problem, then treat ourselves to a night of strawberries and chocolate.”

“How sweet of you.” She giggled. “I’m glad that’s out there. You seemed so agitated about the thought of having kids yesterday…”

Lenin’s memory hit him like a truck, as he’d remembered his part of the deal and why he’d come up in the first place, before breaking off the hug with Saxin.

“A-Actually, I’ve still got something to confess.” Lenin admitted. “U-Unrelated to the baby thing…”

Unrelated? Saxin wondered.

Lenin tried to ready himself, but just couldn’t manage it like Saxin had.

“Alright, I’m just gonna…” Lenin started, before backing out. “…can we…make a small promise first?”

Saxin nodded curiously, as Lenin stood up. “Just let’s…not make things weird, okay? I don’t want anything to change.”

Saxin blinked. “I think that depends on what it is.”

Lenin conceded her point, before forcing himself to grab the brim of his hat. “So, uhh…you know about the Northern Monarchy, right?”

“I should hope so. They’ve been around for centuries.” Saxin said. “Well, before disbanding a few years back.”

“Okay, just making sure.” Lenin said, slowly taking his hat off. “And do you know anything about the last two kings?”

Saxin slowly squinted, before shaking her head. “They were fairly…private. I know they had a son, and that they helped bridge the cultural gap betwe…”

Saxin slowly stopped talking, as Lenin faced her again, hat in his hands, before he gave a well-meaning smile.

“Surprise.” Lenin said, as it took Saxin a second.

“…oh, okay, very funny, Lenin.” Saxin remarked. “You know, it took a lot of effort to bare my heart earlier, and I don’t appreciate being made fu-“

Saxin locked eyes with Lenin again, before properly taking in his earnest appearance and gasping.

“Juslue, help me!” She cried, having trouble standing. “Y-You’re actually…I…”

She nearly went to bow out of instinct, before managing to stay up, even if her face made her look far less composed. “B-But, i-it’s not possible. Th-The prince should be in the Northern Wayside, and y-your eyes should be green.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d react like this.” Lenin said, before popping out one of his contacts. “Let’s be honest, you would have noticed immediately otherwise.”

“Still!” Saxin exclaimed, trying to calm down. “How on Daysend did this happen?”

“Yeah. It’s not every day you get to say you’re dating a former prince.” Lenin joked, trying to clear the air, as Saxin shook her head.

“How didn’t I notice sooner? You’re the spitting image of…well, yourself. My mother even had a plate with your face on it.” Saxin pointed out, walking up to him and holding her hand out. “It’s actually…”

Lenin lowered her hands. “You can stop saying that now.”

“Oh…right.” Saxin said, lowering it again. “But…why are you studying to become a Venator? What sort of life is that for the prince?”

“The one he wanted, actually.” Lenin answered. “I asked their majesties if I could, and they insisted I should go for it. It’s better than me being cooped up in Louileon clinging to the former monarchy.”

Lenin waved his hand. “Of course, I needed a fake name and stuff, you know, to avoid…this conversation every other day.”

Saxin nodded along. “…to be honest, I always had my suspicions about the name. I mean, a man named Lenin Diggs whose Whil lets him dig through the ground…”

“Yeah, I’m not great with that stuff.” Lenin excused, letting out a large breath. “Wow. That was a lot.”

“You’re telling me. I don’t know which of our confessions was more surprising.” Saxin said, as Lenin casually stroked her hair.

“So, you’re actually fine with it?”

Saxin looked up at him and chuckled. “I fell in love with Lenin. Whether he’s a former prince or a random shmuck, that won’t change anything for me.”

Lenin tried not to look embarrassed, but couldn’t help himself, as the rush of excitement got to him, causing him to lean in and kiss her passionately.

“Alright, come on.” Lenin said, jokingly picking up an excited Saxin bridal-style. “Someone’s been feeling insecure about their body, so now it’s my job to give it the royal loving it deserves.”

“Oh my.” Saxin said, fanning herself off. “Who could this lucky someone be?”

“The most gorgeous woman in all of Daysend.” Lenin flirted.

“Oh, you sweet talker!” Saxin proclaimed, laughing with him as she let him carry her before they rushed back to their dorm room to consummate their confessions.

———

Joleicia did her best to clean herself up.

Since she left in such a huff, Joleicia hadn’t managed to finish applying makeup, as she made an effort while trudging to her date. A bit of her foundation smudged due to a couple tears, but she cleaned it quickly after and hurried down to the train station.

Baron tapped his foot impatiently, straightening his suit while he waited, before spotting Joleicia rounding the corner, brandishing a somewhat forced smile as she ran.

“You took your time.” He remarked.

Joleicia waved her hand. “Sorry about that. Getting ready took longer than I thought it would.”

Baron gave her a once-over. “Well, it paid off.”

“O-Oh, thanks…” Joleicia blushed, before spotting a figure running from where she’d just emerged and quickly recognising it as Nathaniel.

She grabbed Baron’s arm. “H-How about we hurry along to the restaurant? I’m starving!”

“Uhh, sure, that’s…” Baron started, before spotting Nathaniel running toward them, waving his arms.

“Wait!”

Joleicia regrettably turned back around, as Nathaniel leaned against his knees, catching his breath from his frantic sprint.

“Give me…one reason…”

Joleicia cocked her head, as Baron leaned down to him.

“Who the hell’s this?”

Nathaniel raised a finger. “Give me…one reason why he’s worth it…one reason why he deserves...to make you happy...”

Joleicia was about to drag him away, but found herself hesitating at his question, only to berate herself for even questioning it.

Baron stepped forward and leaned over Nathaniel, as Nathaniel just caught his breath again. “Mind telling us why you’re here?”

Nathaniel found himself unable to speak, but started to step away, indicating for Joleicia to follow.

“Is he a friend of yours?” Baron asked suddenly, getting no response from Joleicia, who was still trapped in her own head with Nathaniel’s query.

“A-A-Actually, I’m he-“ Nathaniel went to answer, only for Baron to grab his collar.

“What kinda weirdo follows people to a train station and starts asking random questions?” Baron wondered aloud, as Nathaniel tried to loosen his grip.

Joleicia finally noticed what was going on around her and snapped to attention. “B-Baron! What are you doing?”

“Teaching the kid some manners.” Baron insisted, as Nathaniel tried to pry his hand apart, only for Baron to pin him to the nearby wall, now grabbing him by the neck. “Hey, dipshit, leave the lady alone.”

“Baron, let him go!” Joleicia insisted, as Baron turned to her suddenly, considering dropping him for a second, before sharing a glance with Nathaniel again.

“Hold on…you were that weirdo spying on my team the other day.” Baron said, tightening his grip. “And now you’re getting in my business. What, are you stalking us? Trying to steal her away from me?”

“…n…n-no…” Nathaniel managed, feeling his neck tighten, as Joleicia stepped in and pulled Baron off of him, letting him finally catch a breath.

“He’s my teammate, you jerk!” Joleicia yelled, pulling Nathaniel to his feet. “He was just worried about me!”

Joleicia turned to check on Nathaniel. “Are you okay?”

Nathaniel weakly nodded, as Baron reached out to rest a hand on Joleicia’s shoulder.

“I didn’t know he wa-“

“That shouldn’t matter!” Joleicia insisted, swatting his arm off. “You were way too violent!”

“Well, what did you expect? For all I knew, this guy was following me around and harassing us on our way to our date, so yeah, I got violent.” Baron excused. “If he’d bothered to explain himse-“

“You didn’t let him!” Joleicia pointed out, taking a focused breath. “You just started choking him, no questions asked.”

Baron scoffed. “Oh, don’t get high and mighty. This is a Venator school. If someone steps to me, I make them hurt. Next time something like this happens, they may not be so meek and fragile.”

Joleicia went to reply, but held herself back, as she helped Nathaniel hold himself up. Just as the air started to clear, the Flash-Rail pulled into the station, opening up beside Baron.

Baron went to step on, only to realise Joleicia was staying behind, glaring at him as he left.

“Oh, come on. Don’t…” He let out, trying to collect himself. “…this is the picnic all over again…I’m sorry. I fucked up. This won’t happen again.”

Joleicia folded her arms. “Can you promise that?”

Baron shrugged. “Yeah. Of course I can.”

Joleicia huffed out, before stepping up to him and joining him on the Flash-Rail, only to start pointing in his face.

“I don’t think you can. I turned a blind eye to this kind of stuff before…but I don’t want to do that anymore.” Joleicia said, as Baron just stood there. “This is not okay, especially for a team leader. And this isn’t just because you picked on my team. I told you to stop, and you kept going. That is NEVER going to be okay with me.”

Joleicia stepped back off the Flash-Rail.

“You’re here to be a hero. Start acting like one.”

Joleicia watched as the doors closed on him and his stunned expression, with the Flash-Rail slowly pulling out, then shooting down the track toward Detu City, leaving Baron in the compartment on his own once again.

Joleicia let go of the breath she was holding, only for Nathaniel to tap her shoulder tentatively, then bow profusely to her.

“What I did was wrong, but I don’t regret doing it!” Nathaniel stated. “I’m sorry…kind of!”

Joleicia smiled a little and lifted him up, before playfully bonking him on the head. “That’s for interrupting my date.”

Then she hugged him. “And that’s for stopping me from doing something stupid.”

Joleicia broke the hug and sniffled a little, as Nathaniel helped her back toward the academy dorms, holding her hand as they walked.

“…he really sucked, didn’t he?” Joleicia admitted. “Why didn’t I want to admit that?”

“…maybe because it was easier.” Nathaniel offered, staring at the ground. “Love can feel really simple in the moment. But sometimes, we force it so that we can feel happy instead…”

Joleicia laughed. “And I guess that was enough for me.”

“But that’s not a bad thing.” Nathaniel admitted. “Love has a lot of trial and error. My mum used to say you’ve got to kiss a couple frogs before you find a prince.”

“Huh.” Joleicia said. “She sounds smart.”

Joleicia and Nathaniel swung their hands back and forth, as the crisp evening air started to hit.

“…hey…” Nathaniel started. “…I-I didn’t know Florey, but I don’t think he’d want you dating that guy. If he was ever your teammate, then he’d probably want you to find happiness somewhere else.”

Joleicia stared down as Nathaniel, who broke a sweat and put some distance between him and her. “B-But that might just be me projecting…I’m still new, a-after all…”

Joleicia grinned back at him. “At least you’re fitting in.”

———

“How about Orville?”

“No. I hate that.”

“Rosetta?”

“That sounds like too much. Like those parents that name their kids after gemstones.”

“I don’t hear you offering any good names.”

“...Jango.”

“I thought we said no J names.”

“Yeah, I panicked...”

Saxin chuckled, as she rested on Lenin’s chest. “We’ve still got time.”

“What about Alma?” Lenin offered, getting comfortable under the sheets with Saxin. “That’s a cool name. They could be, like, an adventurer or something.”

“An adventurer?” Saxin asked, sitting up slightly. “What, are we deciding their career now?”

“No.” Lenin said, before pouting. “Shut up. It sounds cool.”

Saxin sighed out and rested on him again. “Give me a few years. I might warm up to it.”

“Then there’s still a chance.” Lenin teased, as Saxin laughed to herself, only for the duo to hear a knock at the door.

“Hey, it’s Chops!” Chops called out. “Are you two decent?”

“Yes, dear, we’re finished!” Saxin called out, as Chops opened the door to find Saxin and Lenin sharing what looked to be a double bed.

“What happened to the bunk bed?” Chops asked.

“Apparently, you can take the top bed off and join it to the bottom one.” Lenin explained, grabbing a shirt, as Saxin did the same. “Frankly, we found that out way too late.”

“Cool, cool. Have you guys seen Jojo or Nath?” Chops asked, frantically checking in the team’s study. “Nath went to convince her to break up with Baron, but I’m starting to worry about them.”

Saxin perked up. “That was awfully bold of him.”

Lenin finished getting dressed and stood up. “We can help look.”

“Thanks. If we split up, we mi-” Chops suggested, heading out the door, before running into Joleicia and Nathaniel, just returning from their walk from the train station.

“There you are.” Chops sighed. “We were worried about you.”

“I thought that brute Baron had done something to you.” Saxin casually said while walking over to them, before realising the obvious. “W-What I meant t-“

Joleicia raised her hand. “It’s fine…we broke it off, for good…”

“Oh.” Lenin added. “How’re you doing then?”

“…well, even though he sucked, I still feel bad…” Joleicia admitted. “…back to the single life for me…”

“At least it’s not all bad.” Chops said, hugging Joleicia to her side. “You can always try again with Eveneer.”

Joleicia giggled a little, as Lenin stretched out a hand toward her, beckoning her to grab it.

“It’d be a shame to waste that dress on a night like this.” Lenin encouraged, holding out his hand.

Joleicia looked a bit stunned, but graciously took it. The rest of the team sat on the sidelines and watched as he started to lead her in a slow dance. Lenin let Joleicia rest her head on his shoulder, bearing the weight of her last few months, as she let herself feel the quiet sadness that accompanied the night sky peering through the team’s window.

Chops leaned behind the couch and pulled out her bass guitar, before playing a gentle tune for the two to dance to.

“She’s going to be okay.” Nathaniel assured, as Saxin leaned over and wrapped an arm around him.

“We’ll make sure of it.” She insisted.