Short term plans, long term plans…
Nick: "Ouch… You guys were heavy."
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
Nick: "Oh, don’t look at me like that; you too
know it’s true."
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
Still rubbing his hands, the mercenary kept silently
staring at the girls, waiting for an answer, but for no avail. The twins seemed
completely out of it after the match, and hardly ever spoke since they switched
back to their real forms. In fact, he could have sworn that they didn’t utter a
single word ever since they returned to their quarters twenty minutes ago,
which was especially unusual in light of their recent bickering. Of course, he
had a vague idea of the reason why they were under the weather, but bringing up
the issue was harder than it seemed.
Nick: "*sigh* I don’t get your problem. All
things considered, we did well. For example, no one died! That’s a good start,
don’t you think?
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
With still no response in sight, the man let out an
exhausted groan and dropped onto his bed while rubbing his hands. He wasn’t
lying when he said that his hands hurt, nor when he said the two were heavy. It
was a peculiar thing, but their weight apparently didn’t change when they
switched forms. In fact they almost felt heavier when in their alternate form,
courtesy of the fact that they were smaller and weighted on his hands in an
unexpected way. It was not a serious issue though, as he was more than able to
bear with it while he had their mana channeled into him, but the weight
combined with the shock of Zara’s strikes in the battle still wrecked havoc
with his hands.
Nick: "*sigh* Still, I hope the old man leaves me
off the hook. This test of theirs was more than enough for one day."
Veevan: "… Nick, I’m…"
Nick: "Hm? Yes?"
Finally getting a reaction, Nicolai immediately
latched onto it. However, just as Veevan was about to open her mouth once
again, the loud, metallic sound of someone knocking on their door cut her
short.
Technician: "Excuse me, sir?"
Surprised, Nicolai stood up and let in the familiar
man through the half-open door. He knew his face well; he was the one the
archbishop always sent over when he needed him. Which could mean only one
thing…
Nick: "*sigh* The old man already needs me again?
It’s only been half an hour!"
Technician: "No. I mean, yes…
His Excellency was asking for you, but not for research purposes. Or… at least
that’s what I think he meant."
Nick: "Oh?"
The new information made the man tilt
his head in puzzlement.
Nick: "Okay. So, why does he
need me if not for poking me with electrodes?"
Technician: "Actually, His Excellency
sent me to ask you if you had the time to accompany him for a while."
Nick: "Accompany…?"
Technician: "I… don’t know the
details, but he seemed be in a good mood."
Nick: "…"
Visibly pondering for a second,
Nicolai quickly tried to take all the possible reasons the old man could ask
for him into account. Truth to be told, he had a few questions for the
archbishop that he was itching to ask for a while, so the opportunity actually
seemed quite attractive. However, there was another side to the coin.
Nick: "Veevan, Veetu?"
Hearing their names, the two looked
up to him in unison.
Nick: "I’ll go and see what the
old man wants from me. Please be good and rest up. We’ll talk once I’m back."
For a moment it seemed like the two
wanted to say something, but in the end they just meekly nodded at the man’s
words.
Nick: "All right then. I
promise I won’t be out for long. See you."
Like that, the mercenary and his
guide turned heel and left the room and started walking down the hallway side
by side. At first it seemed like the technician wanted to say something, but he
was cut off my Nicolai before he could open his mouth.
Nick: "Say, did the old man
really not say why he wanted to see me?"
The man slowly shook his head at the
mercenary’s question.
Technician: "No. Nothing concrete."
Nick: "Really? Hmm… I hope he’s
not out to scold me. Again."
Technician: "He… didn’t specify
the reason, but he seemed to be in a good mood."
Nick: "Yeah, you said that
already."
Technician: "…"
Nick: "*sigh* Whatever. I’ll
just cross my fingers and hope for the best… Say, the old man’s office was this
way, right?"
Technician: "Actually, he was
waiting for you in his chambers in the cathedral."
Hearing these words, Nicolai stopped
and sharply turned towards the man.
Nick: "Wait, you mean up on the
surface? Wow, now I’m really curious why he needs me…"
Just as he finished said sentence,
they arrived at the main elevator of the complex. They both entered the lift,
but as the technician was about to reach for the keypad under the buttons,
Nicolai took the lead and typed in the long code before he could even move. As
he pushed the enter key, the car slightly shook and they began their ride
upwards.
Technician: "…"
Noticing the baffled expression on
the man’s face, Nicolai’s eyes opened wide in revelation.
Nick: "Oh yeah… I was not
supposed to do that… Hehe. Sorry, force of habit."
Technician: "But… how?"
The code for the elevator was
supposed to be undisclosed; only the staff would know it, and they changed it
every week. The man’s surprise was more than understandable.
Nick: "You know what? Let’s
just forget about this, okay? You are going to keep this a secret, right?"
Technician: "But…"
Nick: "I insist."
Technician: "Ugh…"
Even though the mercenary’s demeanor
wasn’t intimidating at all, everyone on the staff knew that the man was someone
you did not want to get on the bad
side of. As such, it didn’t take much more than that to convince the man, and
he immediately nodded in panic.
Nick: "Great! Now then, we
should be there in three… two… one…"
Just as he reached the end of his
countdown, the elevator really did reach its destination, much to the
technician’s further bafflement.
Nick: "Punctual as always. Now
then, if I remember right, the old man’s place was… ah, over there."
Technician: "Yes…"
Nick: "All right, I can guide
myself from this point. Thanks for coming with me this far."
Like that, Nicolai hopped out of the
cabin and strode over to Baran’s office without the smallest of reservations. The
other man also stepped out of the cabin, but by the time he did so, the
mercenary was already at the entrance of the archbishop’s office.
Nick: "Okay, here goes
nothing."
After taking a deep breath, the man
raised his hand and forcefully knocked on the door, like he wanted to break it
down. After the second knock, however, the old man’s familiar voice already
stopped him on his track.
Baran: "It’s open, Wolf. Come
in."
Nick: "Oh?"
Hearing the reply, Nicolai pushed
without further ado. The well-oiled hinges of the heavy wooden door turned
without a sound, revealing the familiar chamber on the other side. It was the
same posh, wastefully spacious room as he remembered, except for one small
detail; the unfamiliar scent of alcohol in the air. It didn’t take long for the
mercenary to find the source of said smell.
Nick: "Oh? Whiskey?"
Baran: "Come on in."
The old man, sitting behind his
oversized mahogany desk, casually gestured towards the chair in front of said
desk while holding a glass in his other hand. Still a little suspicious, the mercenary
nevertheless followed the old man’s lead and sat down.
Baran: "Care for a drink?"
Nick: "…"
Looking over at the bottle on the
desk, it turned out that he was right; it was, in fact, whiskey, and judging by
the label, it wasn’t a cheap knockoff either.
Nick: "Wow. What are we celebrating?"
Baran: "Wrong question, my
friend."
Nick: "Friend? Again?"
Completely disregarding his words,
the archbishop rose to his feet, and walked over to the other side of his table
while absentmindedly sloshing his drink in his hand.
Baran: "Believe it or not, your
performance today propelled my research to heights I didn’t even think
possible. As such, the right question is:"
With a surprisingly amiable smile on
his face, the old man finally pointed at the empty glass on the tray by the
bottle of whiskey with just a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Baran: "Why aren’t you drinking
yet?"
Nick: "…"
For a moment, the mercenary was
seemingly pondering, but to the old man’s delight, he finally reached for the
bottle and poured for himself.
Nick: "Fine, but only a little.
I still have things to do today, I can’t get wasted."
Baran: "I never asked for that."
Nick: "Where did you even get
this, anyway?"
Baran: "I’m an archbishop,
remember? This kind of luxury is acceptable for my status."
Nick: "Oh? Getting full of yourself
already, eh? You are a bad drinker."
Baran: "Hahaha. Maybe."
Seeing this side of the old man was
an entirely new experience for the mercenary. He still had some of the
high-and-mighty attitude he normally had, but at the same time he was surprisingly
cheerful and laidback.
Nick: "So? Did you only ask for
me to have a drinking-partner?"
Baran: "No, not quite. I keep
Zara around for those occasions. Actually, we have a lot of things to
discuss."
Nick: "Indeed. Speaking of
which, where is he?"
Baran: "You mean Zara? He’s
getting patched up after your mock battle."
Nick: "Oh?"
Baran: "Haha. I thought you
would be pleased by that."
Nick: "Am I?"
Baran: "It’s practically
written all over your face."
Nick: "Hmm… Then I guess you
must be right."
Baran: "Hahaha."
Still a little baffled about the
archbishop’s demeanor, Nicolai took a cautious sip from his glass while the old
man returned to his seat.
Baran: "But enough about that.
The actual reason I called you here is because I wanted to talk about your
future."
Nick: "My future…?"
The mercenary slightly wagged his
head at the old man’s words and slowly put his glass back onto the desk.
Nick: "Listen, I know I called
you pops before, but that’s just a figure of words, you don’t need to actually act like my father…"
Baran: "Nothing so
melodramatic. I was wondering if you had any future plans. For example, you
mentioned a pending contract when you came here…"
Nick: "Ah, that… It’s actually
kind of a tricky subject. It’s… sort of a side-project I’m doing at the moment,
not even a real job to talk of."
Baran: "Oh? I hope it’s not
espionage."
Nick: "What? Heaven forbid, no!
Do you think I have a death-wish!?"
Baran: "Haha. Thought so. So,
does that mean you have no ties after these experiments are over?"
Nick: "No, nothing solid at
least. Well, you agreed to erase my history, so I guess I might start a new
life. You know? Wife, kids, house by the seaside? Something ordinary."
Baran: "…"
Nick: "…"
The two men kept staring at each
other in silence for a few seconds, but suddenly both of them burst out in
laughter.
Nick: "Hehehe… No, seriously,
no plans whatsoever."
Baran: "Haha. Thought so. A
life like that wouldn’t suit you anyway."
Nick: "Oh really? Then what do
you think would suit me?"
Just as he uttered these words, the
old man’s eyes narrowed in response.
Baran: "Actually, I have an
idea."
Nick: "Oh really?"
Baran: "I’m not going to be
around the bush; I want you to stay here and work for me."
Nick: "…"
The mercenary was more or less
expecting such an offer, but it apparently still baffled him for a moment.
Nick: "As in? Test
subject?"
Baran: "I’m going to be frank:
What I offer you is a job as a Walker. You are to be pardoned of all your
previous crimes and become part of the Order under my command."
Nick: "That is… an extremely
generous offer, but-"
Baran: "In addition to
that…"
Cutting him short, the archbishop’s
eyes were seemingly sparkling as he was about to reveal his trump-card.
Baran: "If you accept my offer,
I will grant you ownership of the prototypes."
Nick: "… Pardon?"
Baran: "Why so surprised? It’s
obvious that you are the only one who can use them properly, so you might as
well be their permanent partner. Like that, they would not be Order property anymore, but yours by all
meanings of the word."
Nick: "…"
This was a twist Nicolai didn’t
anticipate. He more or less already figured it out that taking the girls to the
surface was only the beginning, but as things stood, he was just offered the
opportunity of a lifetime that was about to solve more or less all of his problems
in one fell swoop. It was simply too good to be true.
Nick: "What’s the catch?"
Baran: "There’s no catch."
Nick: "…"
Baran: "I understand your reservations.
After all, this would mean you had to sacrifice your independence, right?"
Nick: "Well, that’s one thing,
sure…"
Suddenly, the archbishop knit his
brows and let out a small sigh.
Baran: "There is one thing you
have to understand."
All of a sudden, the old man’s
presence grew huge while the tone of his voice gained a domineering tone,
directly contrasting his previous easygoing demeanor.
Baran: "In this world, the only
way you can truly be free is on my side."
Nick: "Oooookay. You are kind
of losing me here… again."
Standing up again, Baran forcefully
put his glass down and once again walked to the side of his desk while staring
at the complicated schedule-diagram on his wall, then sharply turned to Nicolai
and gazed right into his eyes.
Baran: "This world is governed
by a plan, a plan that was set into
motion hundreds of years ago by the Order. A plan only the highest authorities within the Order know about. As
long as you live under the rule of the Order, your fate is governed by this
plan and you can never really be free."
Nick: "… All right, theatrics
aside; you are telling me that the only way to avoid this grand conspiracy of
the Order is to join the Order? Am I missing a step here?"
Baran: "No. I want you to join me."
Nick: "…"
Baran: "I have dedicated the
last two decades of my life to the fight against this plan, and soon I will have the means to succeed within my grasp…
thanks to you. As such, I want you to become my ally in this fight."
Nick: "… Call me paranoid, but
this is starting to sound like you are planning some sort of revolution."
Baran: "Am I?"
Nick: "How should I know? At
least that’s what it sounds like."
Baran: "Hmm. Considering the
semantics, I could say you are right."
Nick: "*cough* Correct me if
I’m wrong, but… if you want to take on this plan
or whatever, wouldn’t that mean you had to go against the interest of the Order?"
Baran: "Eventually."
For a second, Nicolai couldn’t find
the words.
Nick: "… You know how crazy
that sounds, right?"
Baran: "It might, but it’s the
truth."
Nick: "…"
Baran: "I see. You need
evidence, am I right?"
Nick: "Well, it would most
certainly help."
Baran: "Figured as much."
Like that, the old man reached into
the drawer of his desk and handed a thick dossier to the mercenary.
Nick: "What is this?"
Baran: "An excerpt of said
Plan. With other words, evidence."
For a few moments, the mercenary’s
eyes kept questioningly jumping between the dossier and the old man.
Nick: "Wait, so when you said plan, you actually meant a real, written
plan, not just some obscure goal or something?"
Baran: "No. Like a manual, our
history had been planned out in advance, including the rise of the Order, the
rebuilding process, the role of every notable person that lived and to come,
even you and me. It’s all in there."
Still baffled, Nicolai kept on
staring at the bundle of documents in his hands.
Nick: "You know, there is
crazy, but this… this is a whole new category of what the fuck…"
Baran: "Not the choice of words
I would have used, but I agree."
Nick: "… Okay, let’s presume
that all you have told me is confirmed by this and there really is a huge,
world-spanning conspiracy that is secretly controlling every aspect of it. Why
are you telling me about it now?"
Baran: "Isn’t it obvious? I’m
telling you this because I want you to help me destroy it."
Nick: "Whoa! Now we are talking
about destroying this
super-conspiracy that might or might not exist? If what you say is true, then
that would mean you want to destroy the Order!"
Baran: "If necessary."
For a moment, Nicolai could only
blink in shock at the old man’s nonchalant words.
Nick: "… And now we are talking
about overthrowing the Order. Old man, should really stop drinking right now!
You are really starting to get out of hand!"
Baran: "Does it really sound
that far-fetched to you?"
Nick: "Yes, yes it does!
Overthrowing the Order? Ah, yes, all too easy! Why don’t we try to dodge
raindrops in a hurricane if we are at that?"
Baran: "We?"
Nick: "I mean… Whatever! The
point is that this is crazy! Even if this “plan”
is real and you want to do something about it, you do not pick a fight with the Order! Like, ever! Well, unless you
want to find Walkers under your pillows every night, ready to strangle you.
Trust me, I’m speaking of experience."
Baran: "You are
misunderstanding something. Unlike your case, I’m not planning on making myself
a public enemy on my own."
Nick: "Great, so you want to
drag others into your little rebellion as well. Which would be a non-issue,
really, but one of them is me!"
Baran: "Of course. The plan is not something I can overthrow by
myself."
Nick: "Thought so, but still
no. You do not have nearly enough resources to take on the Order."
Baran: "Not yet, but by the end
of these experiments, I will."
Nick: "Wait… That’s the goal of
the experiments…?"
Baran: "Indeed."
For a few moments, the two kept
staring each other in the eye, until Nicolai suddenly shrugged his shoulders
with a huge sigh.
Nick: "… Holy crap… Just… Just
what am I doing right now!?"
Baran: "?"
Nick: "I’m in an archbishop’s
office, talking about some vague plans about some nondescript revolution against
the world’s ruling government because of an Orwellian conspiracy! Just… just what
the hell?!"
Baran: "Orwellian?"
Nick: "George Orwell? 1984? …
Wait, that’s not the point here! You have literally given me an opportunity of
a lifetime and let me in on an insane conspiracy in the span of ten minutes.
Just what the hell do you expect me to say to this?!"
Baran: "… Nothing."
Nick: "…?"
Baran: "I want you to think
about my offer. I also want you to read that dossier I gave you, and then
decide for yourself."
Nick: "… You are being awfully
trusting, you know? What keeps me from simply telling this to some loyal Order executives and run away from
all this mess?"
Baran: "…"
For a moment, the old man seemed to
be deep in thought, but then an unexpectedly nonchalant smile conquered his
face, much to the mercenary’s surprise.
Baran: "Because I believe in
you."
Nick: "… Excuse me?"
Baran: "Because I believe in
your judgment, that you would see eye-to-eye with me, and that you would not
betray the trust we put in you."
Nick: "That’s… all?"
Baran: "Indeed. I believe that
our goals are the same, even if you can’t see them yet."
Nick: "Old man, I hate to
disappoint you, but I have no such lofty goals,
much less ones that could coincide with yours in any way."
Baran: "Oh, is that right? Do
you really not have a single goal in mind?"
Nick: "…"
Baran: "I doubt it. Otherwise,
you wouldn’t even be here. After all, your Innate
Ability is not only about dodging bullets, it also lets you choose the path
most beneficial to you."
Nick: "So what you are getting
at is that…?"
Baran: "Your presence alone
signifies the fact that you have already on the path to become my ally. You
just can’t see it yet. I am your
goal."
Nick: "Huh… So you are telling
me I have already made the decision about a question I never heard and am on a
path to a goal I didn’t even know about until just now… because of my intuition?"
Baran: "Yes."
The mercenary once again fell
silent, but then he quietly stood up while clutching the dossier under his arm.
Nick: "With all due respect, I
would like to point out that you are full of shit. Now if you excuse me, I have
to go, I promised the girls I wouldn’t be out for long."
Baran: "I understand. I am not
unreasonable. Take your time. I’m hoping for a favorable answer."
Nick: "We will see."
Baran: "Yes. We will."
With that, Nicolai briskly turned
around and walked over to the door. However, just as he was about to reach for
the doorknob, the old man’s voice stopped him.
Baran: "Wait!"
Nick: "?"
Baran: "Before you leave, there
is the issue of the request you made three days ago…"
Nick: "…"
----------
Veevan: "*sigh*"
Veetu: "…"
Veevan: "Hey, sis…"
Veetu: "……"
Veetu obviously disregarded her
sister’s voice, but it didn’t stop Veevan from trying again.
Veevan: "Sis?"
Veetu: "………"
Veevan: "Sis…?"
Veetu: "… What?"
Finally breaking her composure,
Veetu turned towards her sister with a stern expression.
Veevan: "… I’m… sorry."
The girl’s brows involuntarily rose
at her sister’s words, but she showed no reaction beyond another sigh.
Veevan: "Sis..."
After another couple of seconds,
Veetu finally opened her mouth.
Veetu: "You better be."
Veevan: "…"
Those were cruel words, but all too
right. Veevan slowly shrunk back and hugged her knees while her sister was
still staring at the door without as much as blinking.
Veevan: "Do you think… he is
angry at me too?"
Veetu: "I have no idea, but I
hope he is."
Veevan: "…"
Veetu’s voice was
uncharacteristically cold and distant, and her words made Veevan’s shrink back
even more in shame.
Veetu: "After all, you almost
killed him."
Veevan: "But I…!"
Veetu: "Didn’t want to? It
doesn’t change that fact that you nearly melted his brain because of your
stupid bet."
Veevan: "But… but you were
competing too!"
Veetu: "I was competing!?"
For the first time since Nicolai
left the room, Veetu faced her sister, with a frightening visage. Laid bare in
front of her scorning eyes, Veevan couldn’t help but shrink back even more,
even if it seemed almost paradoxical at the moment.
Veetu: "Of course I was
competing! You have been practically taunting
me twenty-four hours a day during the last three days! What did you expect me
to do?!"
Veevan: "…"
Veetu: "But even if you try to
blame me-"
Veevan: "But I…"
It was a barely audible whisper to
begin with, but it was still enough to make Veetu raise her voice in response.
Veetu: "As I said, even if you tried to blame me, there was one huge difference
here: unlike you, I knew when to stop!"
Once she finished, both of them fell
silent. Veetu didn’t say any more, she apparently didn’t want to escalate
things any further. In fact, she felt somewhat sorry for her sister and her
plight, but she decided to steel her heart. It was her impatience and
competitive streak that caused this whole mess, and she decided there was no
point in sugarcoating the issue any longer. Her sister also fell silent, not
that she had spoken that much to begin with, but mainly because she had no
comeback on her own.
Veevan: "… *sniff*"
She knew all too well that her
sister was right. It was her fault. Ever since their fight three days ago, she
created a contest all by herself. She decided to overcome her sister by any
means possible. Even she had little idea why she was so adamant about it. Was
it a sudden flash of sibling rivalry? Or maybe she really was jealous of the
attention Nicolai gave to her sister? Either way, because of that silly
competition, instead of making up the next day like usual, their fight began
escalating and quickly got out of control until it almost turned into a
disaster.
It happened during their
cross-synchronization. She was so eager to prove herself that she became
careless. It wasn’t a big mistake, she only channeled a fraction more mana than
her sister, she only tried to reach a single percent higher synchronization
ratio than her, but at that critical moment, it was more than enough to cause a
disaster. It happened way too fast to remember, but she knew it was her fault.
She pushed the synchronization too far, and the small error in the balance of
the flows started a chain-reaction. She remembered that she was the first to
notice the imbalance, and she panicked. She tried to make it right, but instead
she overcompensated, removed more mana from the flow than necessary, and it
ended up putting a sudden strain on her sister, completely knocking their
synchronization off-balance. And finally, the thing that truly terrified her
was Nicolai’s reaction…
She could feel his unmasked
surprise, the sudden burst of horror flashing through his mind, and finally,
the pure, uncontrolled anger he felt… and that scared her beyond belief.
Veevan: "…"
In the end she was stuck. She knew
that she was at fault, but had no idea how to deal with it, and worst of all,
she couldn’t even turn to her sister for advice. After all, she was mad as her
as well. At this moment, all she could do was to wait and ready herself for the
return of the mercenary. And for that, she didn’t have to wait for long.
*creak*
Nick: "… I really have to get
some oil the next time I’m on the surface…"
Nonchalant as ever, the man stepped
through the creaky doorway and looked over the twins.
Nick: "Hi girls, I’m back. It
took a little longer than expected…"
Saying so, he casually threw the
unfamiliar, fat dossier in his hand onto his bed and sat down with a difficult
expression on his face.
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
Once again, the room fell into
silence. The twin’s eyes were fixated on Nicolai, however, his gaze seemed to
be unfocused and looking into the distance while pondering. That alone was
enough to make Veevan shudder. As far as she knew, there was only one reason
why the normally upbeat man would act like that, and it made the guilt she felt
grow even more painful in her chest. Finally, after a few seconds of
hesitation, she finally decided to raise her voice.
Veevan: "Umm… N-Nick?"
Nick: "Hm?"
Suddenly shaken from his daze, the
man raised his eyes upon the girl while blinking in surprise.
Nick: "Ah, yes? Sorry, my head
is kind of in a major mess right now. Is there something you wanted to
ask?"
Veevan: "Not really… I mean,
not asking… I just…"
Nick: "…"
Waiting patiently for the girl to
collect her thoughts, Nicolai straightened himself while a faint light of
concern appeared in his eyes.
Veevan: "I just… I’m
sorry."
Slightly stuttering, Veevan managed
to squeeze the words out, but immediately after that she averted her eyes and
wilted down. At first, Nicolai could only tilt his head in surprise, but then
the realization finally hit him.
Nick: "Ah, you are talking about that thing
during the match, right?"
Veevan: "…"
The girl weakly nodded, but to her surprise, Nicolai
immediately shrugged his shoulders the moment she did so.
Nick: "I figured there would be something like
this. *sigh* Listen, it’s no big deal-"
Veetu: "…?"
Suddenly cutting himself short, the mercenary raised
his hand and swiftly pointed at Veetu, cutting her short as well just as she
was about to raise her voice in objection.
Nick: "I know
what you want to say, but no, it really wasn’t a big deal."
Veetu: "But-!"
Nick: "She nearly blew me up? Not a big deal, I
was aware of the dangers from the beginning. Well, not this particular one, but
that’s kind of my fault and not hers."
Veetu: "You are just-!"
Nick: "No, I’m not spoiling her."
Veetu: "Stop-!"
Nick: "I’m not reading your mind; I just know how
you are thinking."
Veetu: "I’m not-!"
Nick: "Sure princess, sure…"
Veetu: "Stop that already!!!"
Veevan: "*giggle*"
Veetu: "…?"
The small, muffled giggle made Veetu stop in her
tracks and raise her eyes on her sister. Veevan was still in the middle of
wiping the last traces of her tears from her eyes, but the relieved smile on
her face immediately started eroding the wall of anger around her sister’s
heart.
Veevan: "I’m sorry."
Nick: "I just told you not to. I’m not mad at
all."
Veetu: "You say that, but you were frowning just
a few seconds ago."
Nick: "Huh?"
Raising his brow, the man glanced over Veetu, who was
apparently still a little peevish because of his previous teasing.
Nick: "That’s an unrelated matter. The old coot
just dropped a pretty insane anvil on me, that’s all."
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
Nick: "Case in point, I’m not angry at you. Not
even at Veetu, if we are at that."
Veetu: "Hey!"
Still trying hard to muffle her giggling, Veevan
finally let out a relieved breath as he looked upon the mercenary.
Veevan: "Thank you."
Nick: "Thank me? For what? I haven’t even told
you the good news…"
Veetu: "Good news?"
Nick: "Yup. Oh, if we are at that, come
closer."
Veevan & Veetu: "…?"
Nick: "Come on! Don’t look at me like that! Just
come over here!"
Vigorously gesturing, the man pointed at his sides on
the edge of his bed. Still confused, the girls found themselves obeying him
without further question, and the two of them were soon sitting on his sides.
Nick: "There we go!"
Veevan & Veetu: "?"
Suddenly wrapping his arms around the two’s shoulders,
the man pulled the two closer with a huge grin on his face, and after a moment
of slightly awkward silence he finally spoke up.
Nick: "Okay girls, here’s the deal: considering
how hard you worked recently and our great progress…"
Veevan: "But we just-"
Nick: "Oh, forget about that blaze-stuff already!
… But back on topic, do you know what day this Sunday is going to be?"
Veevan: "It’s… the Anniversary?"
Nick: "Bingo! The biggest fair of the year! There
will be thousands of people flocking to the town. Families, merchants,
artisans, even the damn circus!"
Veetu: "… So?"
Nick: "Guess who else is going?"
It took a second for the question to sink in, but the
moment it did, the two looked together in disbelief, then raised their eyes on
the mercenary once again.
Veetu: "You can’t mean…?"
Nick: "But I do."
Veevan: "But… His Excellency?"
Nick: "I got permission from him already."
Veetu: "You can’t be serious…"
Nick: "Oh, yes I am."
It took a few more second for them to finally believe
what they just heard, but the moment they did, their smiles were already enough
to satisfy Nicolai. Well, almost…
Nick: "*cough* Well, I believe someone deserves a big hug, don’t you
agree?"
Veevan & Veetu: "…"
*SQUEEEEEZE*
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