Will edit and add conclusion tomorrow.
Halkegenia Online – Arrun Parallel Stories – Melancholy Hearts - Part III
True to her word, Yuuki had been quick to be of help. Saito had explained his business, that he was in possession of her Sensei's lost handbag and that he hoped to return it and retrieve the one belonging to Nanami.
Yuuki had nodded vigorously, taking him by the wrist before practically taking off into a sprint, it had been all Saito could do to keep up as he was led inside. "Irene-sensei should be around here somewhere, I think. She's usually a pretty early riser, but she and the other teachers got in really late last night, so she might just be getting up." The Imp girl told him. "Don't worry though Saito-san, we'll find her."
"Well, that's a relief." Saito answered politely, genuinely thankful for the help, before turning his attention to their surroundings. "So this is how the Children have been living." Saito said as he followed close behind his guide. He'd heard from the other doctors, but this was the first time he'd had an opportunity to see for himself.
Arrun Home had been founded out of one of the larger guild halls, buildings meant to act as bases of operations for large groups of players organized into guilds. The interior was furnished with a multitude of rooms so that each guild member could be provided with a personal, customizable space to keep their equipment or simply hang out with friends.
After the Children had been moved in, it hadn't taken long for those single rooms to be outfitted with basic furniture and the beds to be replaced with bunks so that the children could be dormed two to a room. The better to keep the young Faeries together and at ease in this unfamiliar world, and to give them some sense of connection with one another as a sort of surrogate family.
Peeking through half opened doors, the Sylph youth was able to spot little touches of home in the form of items crafted by the children, colorful curtains, wood carvings hung from ceilings, and hand sewn, stuffed toys piled atop beds. Through one doorway, he even glimpsed a small doll house set up on a windowsill.
The common areas too, entry hall, dining, and living rooms, had been changed by their occupants, decorated cheerfully with colorful banners and drawings made by the children. Shared belongings, books, balls, and board games, were packed tightly onto shelves along the back wall of the living room. Coats hung from hooks in the entry hall and shoes had been stacked neatly in their alcoves. The dining room tables were still half filled with children eating breakfast and talking loudly and happily amongst themselves. Everything looked used, with the small scuffs and scratches that would never have been modeled in game but were to be expected of casual carelessness.
They were making their way back towards the kitchen now, another space changed by the reality of the transition. Kitchens in ALO had been much, much too neat in Saito's opinion. More like models in a demo home, or a children's doll house used to pretend, rather than a functional space that was actually used to prepare food.
Arrun Home's kitchen couldn't have been further from that virtual ideal. It was noisy for one, filled with the clang of metal implements and the slopping -clank- of plates being washed by hand. It was also crowded, cluttered up with pots and pans hung from hooks on the walls, mason jars lining open cabinets, counter tops cluttered with cutting blocks, knives, ladles, spatulas, and all of the other things needed to make a meal. Saito was impressed. He imagined that with what was contained in the kitchen, someone could make almost any sort of food that had been possible in ALO.
Another thing that separated the kitchen from its formerly sterile virtual existence was the smells. Not just one or two simulated scents, a medley all mixing together into something that was impossible to describe. 'Just what had they had for breakfast?' He wondered as his nose scented in on the distinct smells of leafy herbs. Whatever it was, it smelled wonderful and reminded Saito that he'd skipped breakfast.
Mostly though, it was the people. A normal MMO kitchen would have only been home to one person, the NPC or Player chef. Using the game controls, cooking for one person or one hundred made almost no difference. But real cooking was a collaborative effort as much as anything. Terrible as he was in the kitchen, Saito could still wield a knife well enough to cut herbs and vegetables, and here it was no different with over a dozen young Faeries filling the room.
'More of the dorm helpers.' He noted the armbands worn by three of the children and the brightly colored handkerchief tied up in the hair of a grown Puca woman who was supervising.
"Hey Yuki-chan!" One of the helpers, a fiery orange haired salamander boy with bright red eyes, stopped his work long enough to smile and wave. "I didn't see you at breakfast this morning. We've still got some leftovers."
Yuuki returned the boys greeting. "Good morning Jun, and no," shaking her head vigorously, "I'm heading out pretty soon, so I thought I'd get a bite in the market with Shiune and Nori."
"Oy, you get to have all the fun!" The boy pouted.
"That's the life of a courier for you. Full of romance and adventure!" The Imp girl stopped her triumphant grinning, turning serious again. "Say, have you seen Irene-sensei this morning?"
"Irene-sensei?" The boy named Jun gave a small shake of his head. "No . . . wait, I think Tarken was showing her something. I know he was doing something up on the roof of her room yesterday while Takai and Ophelia-sensei kept her busy. I think it was a birthday present from the crafters. I don't know what he needed all that black paint and pipe for though ." The salamander frowned. "Guess it was supposed to be a surprise. Hey", he turned to the Puca woman, "Ophelia-sensei, have you seen Irene-sensei this morning?"
"I think she's still in bed." Turning to face them, Saito recognized the woman from the night before. She was indeed the Puca who had been with Irene at the Dicey Cafe, and now looked on with sleepy hazel eyes. "We got in really late last night. Irene-chan and I had to go back to the restaurant because she lost her handbag . . ." Ophelia explained, pausing as she caught sight of Saito. "Oh . . . you're that Doctor from yesterday. The one who helped out Irene-chan and . . ."
Saito smiled as he held up the purse. "Actually, I just came to return this to its own and get back the one belonging to my friend." He supplied helpfully. "If it's around here, it's best if I just take the other one back right now." No need to bother that young woman. If she was busy running a place like this, her friends had been right last night to urge her to relax a little.
"I see, I see." Ophelia nodded tiredly. "I don't think Irene-sensei put it in the normal lost and found, I think it's up in her room. She was going to take it to the watch HQ while she was out shopping . . ." A quick shake of her head. "You can go up and take a look if you like. Yuki-chan, you still have your key, right?"
The Imp girl replied with a small nod and a pat of her pocket. "Un, the one Irene-sensei had made."
"Then go ahead, I know Irene-sensei trusts you." Ophelia gestured before turning back to her work in the kitchen. "Oh! Gauri-kun, can you make sure the embers are damped out in the bread oven? Then take the ashes out back please. Miska-chan, I'll help you with putting those away!"
"Come on." Yuuki was tugging at Saito's wrist again, setting off for a stairway that led up to the second floor.
"So you're a Doctor, Saito-sensei?" Yuuki asked. "A medical doctor?" There was a small pause as the cheery smile faltered. "Sorry, I'm guessing, you seem like you'd be a doctor of medicine."
"Yes. At the hospital." Saito confirmed. "I'm . . . well I suppose I'm the chief of medicine now. Is something funny about that?" He noticed the change in Yuuki's countenance. Her smile had returned, and also her mirth.
"Sorry. I'm really sorry." Yuuki started to giggle. "I was just thinking, a cute Doctor coming to see Irene-sensei . . . And also a real gentleman." Saito flushed. Cute? It wasn't that he hadn't heard it before, Nanami's kind words and Kiriyu's teasing. But there was a world of difference hearing it from this girl. Yuuki's eyes sparkled. "It's like something out of a manga. I bet Saito-sensei is really popular with girls too."
The Sylph shook his head ruefully. "Not really . . . Just one actually." Just one, very special one, a long time ago.
Saito had entertained the idea a few times. He knew there was no shame in finding someone else, and that it would not have lessened his love for his wife if he'd found someone else. But he hadn't been able to bear the thought of going through that sort of loss again. And besides, even if he had, that time of his life had been long over, even before Musumi had passed away.
"Oh?" Yuuki looked confused, suddenly her eyes went wide. The small Imp stopped so suddenly that Saito nearly slammed into her. "Oh. Oh . . . Saito-sensei, I'm sorry!" Yuuki spun around with the same speed and grace she'd exhibited in the yard, nearly causing Saito to fall back off of the landing, a pained look in her cherry eyes.
"No, not at all." Saito told her gently, steadying himself with a hand on the banister, falling so easily into the old routines, comforting patients, parents, sons and daughters, it was something he had grown very good at.
"It was because of the Transition . . . Wasn't it." Yuuki looked to the side. She appeared almost ashamed. "It took you away from her."
Saito blinked, ah, so she thought . . . "It's nothing like that Yuuki-chan." Saito placed a hand lightly on top of the girl's head. "Actually, she's been gone for a long time before the Transition, so I've cried all my tears already. And besides, you shouldn't feel bad about bringing it up by accident."
Yuuki listened, nodding her head slowly. "But still . . ." She fell silent as quickly as she had begun. The bright sun that was Konno Yuuki seemed to have been veiled by an overcast of gloom. "Hey, Saito-sensei . . ."
"Yes?" He tilted his head.
"How do you . . . ?" Suddenly, the Imp girl lost her nerve and shook her head. "No, never mind. Let's get you to Irene-sensei's room, I have to hurry to Arrun Tower after this."
Yuuki kept moving forward, smile returning, but Saito couldn't exactly say that it was like nothing had happened. She appeared quieter, more subdued, she'd lost her brightness, and there was nothing he could do to bring it back. He wondered who she'd lost, who she'd left behind.
Up to the third floor, and then the fourth, more dormitories. When Saito asked, Yuuki told him that the classrooms were located in one of the out buildings along with the workshops where the children were allowed to practice their trade skills and teach them to others. They were permitted to use their allowance money to buy materials and make goods for sale or they could get permission to join an apprenticeship down in the market. Either way they got to keep their earnings, but they had to save half of their profits for a 'rainy day'.
"Irene-sensei wants to teach us all to be responsible with our money." Yuki explained proudly, the excitement of a young woman earning money for herself for the first time.
"Oh?" Saito smiled politely. "It seems like Irene-san is a very responsible person."
"She's amazing." Yuuki asserted. "After the Transition, Irene-sensei flew to all of the Cities to find the children who didn't have anyone to take care of them. She brought all of us together." The Imp girl said softly. "And she works so hard to keep us that way. We just want to do what we can to help her."
"So that's why everyone seems so well behaved." The Old Doctor inside of Saito chuckled softly. Selflessness was such an easy thing for children to grasp. "That's a very noble sentiment Yuuki-chan." A little bit of her real smile returned shyly to her face.
They came to a stop before a heavy wooden door located in the far northern corner of the Guild Hall. If Saito hadn't got turned around, then they would be just below the stout tower that rose to form a fifth floor. A little placard beside the doorway displayed a caricature of a blue haired Undine wearing a scholars cap with the words [<Irene-Sensei's Charming Suite]> written in hand lettering.
"It used to be the office of the Guild Master." Yuuki said. "Giving it to Irene-sensei was the least we could do."
"And you're sure we can just walk in?" Saito wasn't so confident. Propriety if nothing else demanded he question entering a woman's bedroom without her permission.
Yuuki on the other hand appeared completely confident. "It's alright as long as you're with me, Saito-sensei. If she's not here I have permission to use my key."
Reaching out, Yuuki wrapped gently on the wooden door and then waited, arms behind her back, for an answer. When none was forthcoming, she knocked one more time and again waited. Yuuki dug around in her pocket before retrieving a key. The lock turned with a heavy -click- of its internal mechanisms. "Irene-sensei, if you're here, I'm coming in with a guest!" She called out loud and clear.
The door swung opened smoothly on its hinges with barely a sound, Yuuki almost falling forward in surprise. "Ah! Tarken must have fixed it when he was here. Come on Saito-sensei, this way." Yuuki waved him towards the spiraling staircase that led to the top of the tower.
"I wonder if this building is based on anything?" Saito mused as they climbed the wrought iron steps.
"Like IRL?" Yuuki pondered the question. "Maybe. I heard Shiune and Ophelia-sensei talking about it once. Some of the buildings in Arrun and the other towns are definitely replicas of real world places with an ALfheim facade, but I think Arrun home is its own place." Yuuki grinned. "And even if it wasn't before, it is now thanks to all of us." The Imp girl stepped aside as they reached the summit, gesturing broadly to the room beyond. "And here we are! Pretty neat huh."
"I'll say." Saito breathed in, picking out the faintest trace of perfume spicing the air and bringing to mind the garden that he had tended back in Japan until he'd become too feeble to continue.
It would not have been wrong to call the place a [<Fairy Tale Suite]>, all stone, and glass, and canvas, and fantastical metal work.
The room was big, the symbol of a successful Guild's Leader. The floor was polished stone, and the walls were covered in windows. Housed within a partial solarium. The panes that would have admitted direct sunlight were sheltered beneath movable copper panels, forming a partially opaque roof, and the wall windows were shaded by a three hundred and sixty degree awning. A pair of wide glass double doors were opened out onto a wrought iron landing, admitting a pleasant morning breeze.
Footsteps echoed on the stone as they made their way from the stairs.
The space itself was occupied by a large desk, currently littered with papers, a high backed chair and a pair of couches, stacked high with more papers and random bits of equipment, stationary mostly, and a coffee that was spotlessly clean. They must have been left over from the room's original purpose as an office and meeting place, along with the book shelves that curved along one wall and the now thoroughly useless globe of the Earth sitting beside the desk.
Over beside the doors, a queen sized bed had somehow been wrestled into place, probably with the help of the antique looking pulley system out on the balcony, sharing an improvised bedroom space with a dresser and night stand, a floor ore lamp, plush looking armchair, and a looking glass.
Nor were these the only touches added by the room's new occupant, a Persian carpet was laid out between the bed and dresser, and canvas curtains had been installed around the room's perimeter to provide a degree of privacy. More canvas had been hung from the ceiling to partition off a small alcove near the back of the room, probably as a changing area.
"Looks like she's already left." Yuuki decided, putting hands on hips as she surveyed the cluttered space. "It wasn't this messy last time I was here, just hold on a second. Irene-sensei is usually a really organized person, so I'm sure it's here someplace."
Saito's ears twitches as he made out a noise, familiar, but out of place. "What is that?"
"Hmm?" Yuuki looked over to him. "What's what?"
"That noise?" It sounded like . . . water? Was it coming from outside? No, the distinct -thrum- of water passing through pipes was unmistakable to his ears.
It wasn't hard for him to identify the source. It was indeed a pipe, situated far above their heads where it breached the copper ceiling before making an abrupt turn and following the curve of the one of the supporting beams before plunging down the side of one wall.
"Weird." Yuuki looked up where Saito had pointed. "I never noticed that before. Is it for roof drainage? It's really sloped up there so I wouldn't think you'd need it."
"It wouldn't be out of place." Saito agreed. Things like the drains in the sinks of the hospital almost surely hadn't been modeled with fully functioning plumbing back in ALO. Something had filled in the blanks where the already amazingly detailed environments of ALO had fallen short. But when the devil had it rained recently?
Without much thought, Saito and Yuuki followed the growing noise of flowing water to the windows, from there, it was easy to follow the pipe to where it met with one of the drainage gutters outside. Saito was no plumber, as his children would have been first to attest after a particular incident, but even to his untrained eye, the arrangement was improvised but well made. And in between the roof pipe and the drain . . .
"Weirder and weirder, and that noise . . ." Yuuki muttered, turning to the canvased alcove and the muted gurgling beyond. "I bet Tarken's made a mess in here and hasn't fixed it yet!" The Imp girl looked slightly annoyed just as Saito sluggishly made the last connection. "Oy." Yuuki sighed reluctantly. "Irene-sensei going to be mad. But I guess there's no helping it, I might as well see the how much damage he's . . ." Yuuki grabbed hold of the canvas divider . . .
"Wait!" Saito began, grabbing at Yuuki's wrist . . .
" . . . Done!"
The two Faeries stopped dead. Saito for one was thankful for his new heart, otherwise it might have given out on him.
Back turned, completely oblivious. Eyes closed and lost within an inner bliss as the water poured down from a spigot suspended overhead, falling into an improvised basin constructed from the bottom half of a wine cask, swirling as it drained out through the pipe cut into bottom. All she wore was the lukewarm water showering down on her.
Hair soaked a perfect blue, wetly clung to graceful neck and slim, porcelain shoulders, water dripping in rivulets from the tips of hair before dividing and flowing along the four translucent blue wings that hung limply to follow slender back, the arch of spine, and curve of hips down to . . . down to . . . Well, Saito admitted , the thought coming unbidden and unwelcome to his conscious mind, she was certainly healthy.
And at last observant as long ears perked, something shaking her from her inner reverie. The water Faerie Irene turned around, blinking long, soaking wet lashes in confusion. Their eyes met, both freezing at the same time.
"Uh . . . uhm . . ." Irene squeaked.
"I-rene-sens . . . I – Ur . . ." Yuuki looked between them in sudden vivid surprise.
"Ah . . . I . . ." Words wouldn't come.
Saito swallowed as he tried to think of what to do. Pulse pounding in his ears as his temperature started to spike. It wasn't his first time seeing a woman disrobed in the flesh, nor his first time when that woman wasn't his own wife. A doctor learned early to separate dignity from dress and to take an objective approach to nudity. Experience from eighty years of life told him how to act properly. Yuuki was right beside him, turning red as a tomato, all he had to do was step back, look away, and explain himself and this could all be defused.
The problem was that, while his experiences said he was eighty years old, his body was very urgently insisting that he was fifteen, reminding him that he was a man, that he was a boy, and that the person before him was very definitely a girl. So Saito did the only rational thing he could think of at that fool moment.
The Undine teacher had snapped out of her own shock, throwing arms around her chest, eyes growing wide as her tiny squeaks began to grow into a full lunged scream. Face growing as red as the eyes of the Imp beside him, Saito squeezed his eyes shut and thrust the purse into its owner's wet hands.
As it happened, this simply gave Miss Irene something to hit him with.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So Shoichi-sensei. If that is your real name." The salamander from the night before, looking much more severe and tacit now that he was no longer under the influence of alcohol towered over a seated Saito, making a show of the way that he gripped the scabbard of his katana. "Or you sure you want to keep claiming that you were only here to return Irene-chan's bag?"
"Since it's the truth," Saito said calmly, "Yes."
He'd acted against his own better judgment to enter the room without the permission of its owner. He'd take responsibility for that, but he wasn't going to be accused of being some sort of lecher by this man.
What a situation to find himself in, Saito thought. He really should have tried harder to explain himself, but between a furiously apologizing Yuuki and a naked Undine girl bearing down on him, he . . . well . . . he hadn't been in any condition to offer much resistance or explanation. His one saving grace had been Irene's general lack of coordination, and it showed in her lack of physical strength and the clumsiness with which she used her Faerie body. Mostly she'd just made an effort to bash him in the face over and over again with her hand bag, only stopping when Yuuki had intervened to pull her off of him.
Said Imp was seated beside Irene on Irene's bed, the salamander swordsman Takai standing between them and Saito. Yuuki was presently torn between a look of shy embarrassment and struggling not to laugh, while Irene . . . Irene was . . . Saito shook his head as he tried to banish the image of peach against snow white. The young leader of Arrun Home, dressed hastily in a bathrobe, had carefully averted her eyes from Saito and Takai, holding a hand lightly to her cheek in an effort to hide a blush.
"Uhm, Takai-sensei . . ." Yuuki started up. "Saito-sensei is telling the truth. He brought Irene-sensei's bag back and everything, see?" The Imp girl patted the azure purse.
Takai narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "A likely cover, Yuuki-san. But all that means is that he spotted Irene-chan last night. He was probably already planning to take advantage of her then." Sneering down at Saito. "Men like you that make me sick."
They'd just about had things sorted out when this fellow had arrived, rocketing up onto the balcony from below when he'd heard the screams coming from Irene's room. He seemed to have good intentions, if only he wasn't so frustrating to deal with. 'Ah, now I remember, this throbbing is a migraine.' Saito thought as he rubbed at his temples.
At least the children were being kept out for now, the minders and older dormers watching after the little ones who had been frightened for their beloved Sensei.
"To be honest Takai-sensei, you were there when we met." Irene said softly. "So you should know it couldn't have been something Shoichi-sensei planned. And as a Doctor, shouldn't we at least give him the benefit of the doubt?"
"Hmph. Once Arcadia-can gets back from the hospital and makes sure he is who he says he is. Sorry, but I still don't trust this guy. As defense instructor, I'm responsible for keeping everyone safe, Irene-sensei. And I can't quite buy it. Are you sure we met him last night?"
Saito sighed, Takai didn't remember. He didn't remember because he had been amazingly drunk last night, which was something of a dubious achievement for any Faerie who had the further enhancement of [<Battle Healing]>, as most swordfighters, Salamanders especially, tended to.
"Trust me Takai-sensei," Irene rose up from her bed, "It's him. You can ask Ophelia-chan."
"And Jun." Yuuki added. "They've both seen Saito-sensei and know that I got permission to come in here. Besides, Saito tried to stop me once he realized . . . well . . ." Blushing even more.
Once he'd recognized the sound as a shower spigot. It wasn't a noise he'd given much thought too in the past few months.
ALO had included baths, a luxury made available to players who purchased more expensive homes or stayed at the nicer inns. But showers had been viewed as too mundane to be included in a fantasy game and so had not existed in ALO proper. Those that had come to exist since had been the product of ingenuity on the part of the former players. Ingenuity like the cistern fed shower that had been constructed by the metal crafting dormers to show their appreciation for their Sensei.
A shower seemed like an odd gift, but given what he'd hear of Irene's schedule, having someplace inside of her own home to wash before climbing into bed must have been a tremendous luxury.
"I trust your judgment Takai-sensei." Irene clasped her hands before herself and performed a small bow. "And I appreciate you looking out for suspicious characters." Saito couldn't stop himself from scowling. Saying such things wasn't going to help his reputation. "But this is a case where I know for a fact that you are mistaken. Please go ask Ophelia and Jun if you don't believe me."
It was a sight to behold, the Salamander looking every bit the handsome Samurai, and the demure little Undine standing him down without even batting an eye. At last, Takai relented.
"Hnnn. If you're really sure Irene-sensei."
The Undine girl nodded without hesitation. "Completely."
"Then I have no choice but to accept it." Takai grumbled, but not wanting to look like he was letting Saito off too easily, he shot the Doctor a dark glance. "I'll be keeping my eye on you. If you don't want me to suspect you of something, then try to be less suspicious."
Saito gave a wary nod. Up until now, he'd thought he'd been completely innocuous.
Although they had been at their throats just minutes ago, the trio of young Fae all breathed a sigh of relief as the Salamander departed from the landing, slowing his fall with his wings as he stepped out into empty air. But it wasn't enough to relieve all of the tension in the air. Silence was suspended between them like a fog.
'All because I chose that moment to become conscious of it.' Saito wanted to kick himself, no, Nanami would be plenty able to do that when she heard about this.
In the end it was Yuuki who broke the ice, if only to make her own escape. Her fidgeting growing more energetic, the girl gave a small nod. "Well then, i-if it's alright Irene-sensei . . . erm . . . I have to uhm . . . I have . . . courier duty! Me and Silica-chan . . ."
"O-oh!" Irene perked up, quickly latching onto the change of subject. "The two star dispatches you mentioned last night?"
"Yeah!" Yuuki said quickly as she got up, waving her hands excitedly. "So yeah, I have to go meet with her. Silica's going to be made if I make her sign the forms all by herself again. So I uhm . . ." Peeking out through one eye, the Imp girl saw her opening, a clear path between where she stood and the landing doors. Without a hint of warning, she kicked off into a sprint, wings flashing as she shot out into the sky. "I've got to go! Be back later Irense-sensei!"
Calls fading into the morning noises as Irene and Saito were left alone. Both most likely thinking the same thing. 'She caused us this embarrassment. And now she's run away.'
Irene recovered from her student's sudden escape, placing a hand over her lips as she smiled and then began to giggle. It was a liberating noise, kind, and soft like water chimes. Not at all the sound of someone who was angry. "I really am sorry again Shoichi-sensei, I've cause another mess for you with my clumsiness."
"Not at all." Saito said quickly, accepting a hand up from the floor. "I'm the one who wasn't thinking straight."
"Except when I started hitting you." Irene corrected. The Undine pulled back the cuff of her robe, examining where she'd managed to scratch his cheek. Pleasantly cool fingers examined the stinging little scratch that had barely managed to draw blood. "Please, I'm not a proper doctor, but I can at least help with that. Better than trying to do it for yourself."
"Oh . . . Of course." Saito presented the side of his cheek to Irene, listening to the melodic chanting as she cast a low level, long duration healing spell. The coolness spread from fingertips, dulling the pain and leaving behind only a faint itch as the magic did its work.
"That one was from the recommended spell list." Saito observed, a list of spells that every Faerie needed to know, posted up on the message boards for easy review. Saito had been the one who'd petitioned for its inclusion in point of fact. A healing spell with low demand that didn't require the advanced knowledge of a healer to use to full effect.
"Un." Irene nodded slowly. "It was hard to learn. I only really started playing ALO to fly, you see." Carefully brushing a strand of damp hair from her eyes. "I wasn't really interested in fighting or magic so I hardly bothered to train in either of them." She shook her head. "I'm a little ashamed, but until I met Takai-sensei and then got support from the Faerie Lords, I couldn't even promise the children protection."
"I suppose it's the same for me." Saito agreed, remembering his first day playing. Thank heavens for Nanami, he'd have been lost trying to navigate the game mechanics without her. "Don't be ashamed. We'd all be lost without the help we've given each other. Just be proud that you can help them."
Irene cast her eyes downward, long lashes shading their soft blue. Lips moved softly as she spoke under her breath. "You're right, I know, but it isn't right for a teacher to need to depend on her students." Suddenly, Irene shook her head. "Ah, but you aren't here to listen to my thoughts. I'm sure you need to get to the hospital." She gestured over to her dresser, pulling open the top drawer, she retrieved a second bag, identical to her own.
"[<Nymph Scale Purse]>" Irene said. "I've never seen another one. Mine was a gift from a student of mine who was bowing out of the game, so it has some extra sentimental value." Presenting the bag to Saito with both hands. "That is, when I'm not smacking people with it."
"Not at all. I hope your picture wasn't damaged."
Irene shot him a surprised glance.
Saito stopped and raised his hands quickly. "I didn't mean to pry, I simply couldn't avoid noticing it."
Setting the bag down, Irene opened it swiftly, nimble hands sifting about until she found the small photograph, sighing with relief to discover it was undamaged. "Thank you for this too Saito-san." A smile returning to her lips. "The bag is special, but this is priceless to me." Looking back to the photograph fondly.
"She must be someone very special." Saito said. It was so easy to see, just by looking at the relief writ on Irene's features.
"You're right." Irene answered, only half paying attention. "Very, very special. I was so proud to work with her."
"And now you're continuing that tradition here." Saito said. "I think it's very noble of you Irene-sensei. It must be difficult at times with the children."
Another sweet giggle, Saito's rebellious heart skipping a beat when Irene smiled back. "Actually, the children are the easiest part. It's all the other teachers who can be a handful. They're all rushing ahead, so eager to help, sometimes they don't quite know how to handle kids. I really wish I had some more level heads around here."
"It's the same at the hospital." Saito agreed. "Amazing talent, but they need more experience."
Both Faeries sighed together
"Young people these days are just so over eager." Said in such perfect sync that at first neither realized the other had said anything.
Then, both suddenly realized what had just been said, looking up at each other.
"EH!"
