Winter is Coming (4)
- Location
- Italia
Chapter 32: Winter is Coming (4)
Beta-Reader: Ant0nius
What is happening?
One moment I had been calmly jogging, the next I started to follow what was clearly the path towards some destructive battlefield. It seemed obvious that I was approaching a still ongoing battle, but I couldn't tell who was fighting who. Only that this was important- I had to be there. Something from within screamed at me to come closer. It was unusual and quite ominous, but I could tell that this fight wasn't going well on those that were stopping the kind of threat behind this much damage. I spotted bodies, making my face lose color and a chilling sensation striking my brain as my pace faltered at the sight. I kept on walking. This was bad, I observed that those were knights. I didn't have little confidence in being able to beat whatever caused this but… perhaps I could still help. I had to. I could tell it was important. And I finally arrived at the escalation that was devastating the park. Two opponents, one being a grinning human that was gloating over his wounded foe and the other being… Geecku? The blue-haired Prime coughed some blood as she had just been struck with a powerful slam from a 'shadow' right on her chest. That hit wasn't anything negligible, and if someone as strong as her was getting thrashed and bruised from this… then the human was not normal. That and the fact he was using some shadow-based magic to attack.
My mind was filled with hesitation. I was provided with a minor advantage, one where the fellow human had yet to pick up the fact I was there and capable of doing something to subvert his current situation and get Geecku out of there. I could fight him, not with how his skills were meant to keep any enemies away from getting too close to him. So, if I wanted to really do something to avoid Geecku's further suffering, I had to distract him and take her away. That was the plan, I had no expectation of starting any skirmishes with someone that was clearly tougher and stronger than I was. But as I finished setting up the simple plan, relying on some rocks I found on the ground and preparing to hit the dangerous young man with a couple of those to break his focus and get the Crest out of there, my eyes widened when I saw something fast and slithering on the ground coming towards me. It had noticed me before I could do much about it, but I managed to shift to the side fast enough to dodge the upcoming hit. The sharp tendril missed, but I used this chance to bolt from my position to one further away from the dangerous element, hearing a loud chuckle from the origin of that strike.
"A human trying to intervene… Now, this is quite odd."
Odd that a human can use this kind of power and not be noticed. Seriously, what kind of magic was it? At first I thought that it was Dark Magic, but as I looked back at the pattern I felt from Vixy's father, which was the Dark Crest, this felt totally different. The Crest's pattern felt less… upsetting. It was still ominous, but not to the point of feeling weirded out by it. Instead, this guy's energy felt tainted, corrupted- filthy in a sense. And I knew that it was either a mutation of Dark Magic or… Chaos. But was that even possible? The Great War which saw Humanity fighting Chaos and the Narakhans together with the Primes- no aspect of history ever highlighted any major traitor capable of using chaos. We weren't able to use chaos as Narakhans would, with the few users that lived beyond the war being those that were able to use it without having to face any issue due to their moral compass easily outmatching the seduction of that dangerous power. But here and now, in front of me, that concept was broken with a human that was using a dense and strong form of Chaos without any limitation. I was… worried. Rightfully so. I threw two rocks forwards, the first one slamming onto his shoulder, while the other was stopped by a thick curtain of darkness before it could strike his forehead. There was silence, and I realized how futile that attempt had been beyond pissing him off.
"Rude."
A scowl appeared on his face, but before he could retaliate at this 'nuisance', some vines formed and pulled me away from the approaching chaos tendril. I was yanked pretty hard by the magical vines, but I managed to safely land right beside Geecku. She had used some of her magic to pull me away from trouble, but now I was there to check better on her situation. The girl stood up but almost fell onto me with how strained her left leg was. This was far from optimal.
"Frankie, you need run!"
"Not without getting you out of here," I remarked sternly, catching her off-guard with that comment as I could tell she couldn't last for too long against this guy. And this was absurd as I knew Crests were meant to be freakishly strong so, what happened here? How did Geecku with her battle-axe and powers tied to Life Magic get beaten this badly? My comment also gained a snort from the guy we were pitted against.
"Truly? A human trying to save a Crest?" He inquired with a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity. "And how precisely do you think to do that?"
If I flare my energy, Professor Aken should be able to feel the issue and rush to help. He should be strong enough to take him and… I don't know what to do to hold against any attack.
Still, I went ahead and started to make use of my Wisdom magic, a blue hue coating my skin and mind as I prepared to actively react to pull Geecku away from trouble. She was healing up, but her stamina had surprisingly suffered a lot due to this attack and I could see her legs weren't exactly capable of allowing her to dart from our current position in case we needed to dodge. I had to somehow stall the bastard until we received some reinforcement. Much to my displeasure, the human didn't seem to care about waiting for a while, maybe even for a monologue or an introduction, as he rushed multiple tendrils towards us. Even if I was to remove Geecku from the equation I doubted I could dodge that many attacks at once. And since I couldn't move from my position as the risks of getting still hit were pretty high, I knew I had to rely on something a bit more strong than just that.
Can I… manifest a barrier?
It was something that Wisdom magic should be able to give me as an option to use. So, I tried to remember what Naerie could tell me about this specific kind of magic. It all required focus, a clear understanding and willpower. It took me a moment to force something out and just in time to present an obstacle between us and the multiple attacks. The barrier was semi-transparent and was big enough to cover for both me and Geecku.
"Wisdom? Now, this is truly entertaining! Show me how much you can withstand~!"
The impact happened and I felt my reserves suddenly drained just the first few seconds at the intense assault. Gritting my teeth I pushed everything into it but… I was faltering. I knew that this was the first time I created a barrier, but I didn't expect it to drain so much out of my available magic. Yet, as I felt like I was scraping the barrel with this effort… I felt something else. Something that wasn't Wisdom. Since I was desperate at this point and unable to find any other solution to the cracking barrier, I opted to start tapping into this energy I didn't know I had and… I could tell something was really wrong about it. The barrier grew from a solid blue into a soft violet and I could feel the strain somewhat lessening as the tendrils slowly stopped their push, red cracks manifesting into the darkness as it spread back to its origin. The baffled human jumped away, detaching himself from his 'shadow' and allowing it to crack and actually crumble underneath him. The shock was so much that he barely saw the small circular blade that struck his back. A large injury was left behind as fast and unforgiving- I think that was a Chakram - quickly turned and returned to its owner and… I frowned to see who it was.
"Xeanica?" I asked in shock, the barrier faltering as I felt the strain of the upkeep catching up to my body. "What is… going on?"
"Oh, hi Frankie~! I didn't see you and… Geecku!"
"Xea?!"
The pinkette bolted to pull the fellow Prime in a hug while I was left clueless on what was going on before my eyes. I could feel Geecku's own energy hum in solidarity with Xeanica, only now noticing how similar both were in terms of intensity and pattern- but that wasn't possible as Xeanica wasn't a Knight and surely not a Crest. But before I could ask anything, I heard a ferocious snarl as the human was about to land when a massive scythe pierce into his body before he could recover from the damage inflicted by the Chakram.
"I believe you have overstayed in the world of the living, abomination."
A loud demonic chuckle met his scowl as spikes formed from the human's back, forcing the Death Crest to pull himself and the scythe away from the sudden counter. "You- you all are amazing. You in particular, little human- You treacherous little but fun fodder!"
The grinning entity fell unceremoniously down to the ground… right where a portal had formed and took him away from the unpleasant situation he had set himself up for. There was silence, the quiet of death keeping things from being too loud as I was finally approached by the teacher while Xeanica took care of Geecku's wounds with her own magic.
"Mr. Parker. Once more pulled into trouble."
"I have an odd luck," I commented nervously and he sighed, his gaze turning at the two women.
"And what a surprise. Geecku and Xeanica, Life and Water."
The comment was quick to gain even more confusion about that way to address the duo. Sure, I knew Geecku was life but… Xeanica couldn't just be-
"I'm sorry for being late, cousin!" The pinkette said to the blue-haired Prime, my jaw dropping at hearing this bizarre exchange in the fullest.
WHAT?!
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"I didn't know that-"
"Kate was feeling particularly interested in seeing how you and Shin were doing. After all, she knows you feel things for her son and that you made some progress~."
Her mother was trying to coax Hope into the idea, but even there the young woman wasn't completely certain of it. She did have some affection for Shin, but she had actually grown against suddenly inviting him and his family for Christmas. It wasn't unusual for this kind of event, but it sure reminded her of the many failures tied to those specific circumstances, plus… it did feel childish to still expect to exploit that kind of situation to her advantage. She did break through a couple of barriers, but she was still far from actually making any real big steps to get him to blush and think. Too early, she thought dryly, this was happening too early. But there wasn't much else to say beyond:
"I see- Is Bengala coming too?"
"Yes. Your father and him have placed some bets on some ice fishing sessions during their stay. Nothing as messy as last time, for they know Kate and I will be more 'upset' if they try to do anything too frustrating."
Hope shuddered a little at the reminder of what happened the last time Bengala visited. While they were good friends, Kayin Ravenhurst and Benagal Aryoko were rivals when it came to fishing. And if there was something that they both hated to experience was losing to one another. So they tended to be quite childish and destructive in these rare occurrences. One of the reasons is also why she didn't want this to happen this year. Too abrupt, too risky. So, in her rightful bout of wisdom, she tried to bring in something she knew could act as an equalizer for any trouble.
"Would it be fine if we invited someone else too?" The Gazelle Prime asked, hoping that her idea would get accepted. "I wanted to ask Frankie and Miles if he could come over for Christmas with their parents. Just to make things… less obvious."
There was a strangely perplexed look on Grace's face.
"Oh, I doubt that's a possibility. Just a few hours ago I was talking with Ambar, and she told me how Naerie had decided to invite Frankie and Miles together with their families to spend the holidays with them."
…What?
"A-Are you sure?"
Why? Why would the Bear Prime do that? Sure, she was a friend to Frankie and Miles, but why beat her to it- Unless-
"Ambar was quite excited about it. She mentioned that Geecku had been nagging her for a while to spend more time with Frankie, so it makes up for the time she feels lonely."
That made her feel awkward, but still, that didn't mean she could just accept it. Not when Hope could tell the real purpose of this slight came from something else. Something that had her currently pissed at Naerie and that urged her to end the call so she could face the fellow Prime on the matter. They were definitely having a serious talk about this.
"I see. Well, thanks for telling me that, mom. I guess I'll have to change a few plans but… it's alright."
"You don't sound that sure about it, dear. Are you truly fine with this situation?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" It felt really difficult to sound convincing, but Hope was glad that they were talking through the phone or things would have been really complicated for her. The call ended pleasantly, but her mind was still a flurry of negative emotions that were all aimed at a single individual. Storming from the dorm room, Hope easily found herself standing in front of the door where Naerie was supposed to be. Two solid and loud knocks and the Bear Prime allowed her to enter. The redhead was sitting by her bed, a tower of four books resting to the other side as she was finishing reading one of those while signing down notes.
"Hope, how may I help you?" Quiet, monotone, distracted- it didn't matter to the girl.
"Why did you invite Frankie for Christmas?"
…
"Why not?"
The nerve!
"Answer my question please."
Blue eyes lifted off from the reading and right at the girl's face. "I don't have to."
…
"So you did it to annoy me."
"I don't recall saying anything of-"
"Spare me the fake innocence, I can tell when you are lying. You're too sloppy to ever convince anyone with that," Hope interrupted, and her words actually lifted within Naerie a very unpleasant emotion. Annoyance.
"Oh, and do you really believe that? Why?"
"Well, that's because..."
Her mind went cold at the realization that this… this is what Naerie had wanted. An indirect confession. In that moment, her eyes widened in shock as she could feel smugness from the fellow woman. She had played right in her hand without knowing, her anger doing everything to mess her current footing just like that.
"You love him," Naerie curtly pointed out. "And yet you prefer to spend time with Shin."
"That's not-"
"I don't blame you, Hope. Love is strange and it makes people do illogical things like you just did, but you still decided to stick by Shin's side even though you feel something stronger from Frankie."
"I'm not in love with him!"
"Then why did you come here, demanding to know why I invited Frankie with a furious tone… but overlooked the fact that Miles was invited too?"
Hope couldn't rationalize that situation without messing up her own cover, but at this point, there wasn't anything to cover anymore with how she dipped down into the truth. So, instead of grasping at any sliver of lies to keep herself sheltered from this attack, she went all in. She had to attack at all costs.
"Because I know you're using him to gain something out of me. And that's cruel to a friend."
"Is it? Just like not being honest with him and Vixy?"
That sharp comment had her flinch. It was another mess to face at its adequate time, but it was still something that required her to make an effort. A serious effort. Not to break them, but perhaps drive Vixy onto Tiggs and eventually break any serious connection with Frankie. He wouldn't suffer, she knew deep within that he wouldn't, but the entire operation was immensely risky and… and she had to keep at least that a secret.
"She is-"
"His girlfriend. Someone that he is in a serious relationship with and that I have already told she could visit whenever she wanted to stay with her boyfriend," The redhead calmly interjected. "Hence why I am no bad person in trying to make things right."
A snarl, Hope felt her anger bubble at that forceful approach. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything from you, Hope. But I think the time of being honest is here and now. Why didn't you confess when you could? What held you back?"
"Why would it matter?"
"Let me say that it would. Not only for yourself, of course."
…
"You're afraid this will happen to you."
"I don't think I-"
"You could have just chided me about staying with Shin and you would have been fine if it wasn't the case. And yet you're now asking me for advice while forcing my hand like this."
"… I will handle Shin better than you currently are. He doesn't deserve someone that spent so much time on efforts that only prove you and him are not a viable couple."
"And yet you still think of me as a threat."
"That's because you're stubborn, Hope. If you want to come back to someone, you will do stupid things. Some of which I can't condone and I will react accordingly," Naerie proclaimed tensely. "You are problematic when you feel upset, you act on impulse, and you miss most of the times when it comes to gain the desired effect. Which is why I know you will say or do something with Shin which you will definitely live to regret."
...Did the room's temperature drop?
"A-Are you asking me to-"
"Not do anything stupid with Shin. It's a simple request, and one that wouldn't be difficult for you to keep up to," The Bear Prime interjected. "In fact, I'm willing to help you handle the situation with Frankie in a way that nobody gets hurt. But you will have to first comply with this simple command."
The deal sounded too good to be true and yet she didn't like being treated this way. To be forced to cut any projects tied with Shin, all that hard work put to rest just like that. Hope was angry, but most of her fury was not aimed back at herself in a case of self-loathing. She should have acted before this much happened, and now she was reaping what she sowed. And the girl didn't like it at all.
"I… I will do my best."
"That's not what I am asking for."
…
"Fine, I'll do it. But you have to swear you will help."
"I will. The less trouble around us, the less the chances of any escalation unfolding at any mistake I might make."
It was an idyllic scenario, but Hope didn't tell her that. Love was, after all, a crazy thing and there was no way her logical approach was going to prevail against it. Still, the Gazelle Prime left after this conversation was over, unsure of what to do or think as she reached back to the dorm room. Much to her surprise, Vixy was there, looking through her things and retrieving some new clothes to put on before leaving and getting in the city.
"Vix."
Her voice had the girl pause as she took a moment to recognize her. "Hope? Hello."
Jovial and happy, she was really enjoying the fact life was going so well on her. It almost made Hope feel upset for some reason, which was quite odd considering how much emphasis she put in making sure that her friends were able to feel as great as the Fox Prime was.
"Hello. Are you in a hurry?"
The question gained a hum from the fellow girl. "Kind of. I had plans with Frankie to go to a new bar, get some snacks and then sneak back in school. Not a big date, but it is a nice day to waste without a proper date."
"I'm glad to hear that," Hope replied, unsure what to really say at this moment. So, her current emotions took over and had her ask something from deep within her heart. "Is your relationship going well with Frankie?"
"Uh? What about?"
"Well, it just feels odd that… you know, he isn't being more careless about it."
Vixy seemed to think about her words, but then shook her head. "That's because it's not his first relationship, plus, I think I'm the one that is being too excited about it at times. He is so nice."
Yes, I know. You repeated it many times now.
"But no issues at all?"
"Nope! Things are actually going great, and we already planned to spend a few hours on our own during Christmas."
"So, you're fine he is going to be staying at Naerie's home?"
The Fox Prime frowned. "Well, I don't want to sound too lax on it, but he is with Miles. I think he will have to be more worried about the 'womanizer' making a mess around with the maids and I know Naerie's father is going to be there too. Which means Lady Ambar will not try anything funny with him. Geecku? I think she will not do anything just because it's too cold and she would just cuddle up with him."
"You really made a big plan about it," Hope pointed out and Vixy shrugged.
"Better safe than sorry. Plus, I have in mind a little Christmas gift for him he will never forget. It will be… awesome~."
Well, that sounds like a foolproof relationship.
"What about you? Did you get anyone interested in your talents at the club?"
The redirection of the conversation felt nice, and so Hope felt happier to not think about this for the time being. She had a lot to think and plan about the recent events.
"Two contractors, but they want to hear from me properly in January. Since Christmas is just there, they prefer to let me have the holiday so I can go in there without any issues."
"That's awfully nice of them," The cheerleader commented. "Still, I'm happy to hear that. You really deserve to be given that spotlight. Pretty voice, pretty body- I mean, you're definitely gorgeous."
Hope opened her mouth in surprise at the sudden compliment but… decided to not press about it. "Thank you."
Yes, that would suffice.
The same didn't extend to the overall crappy situation she was stuck with. Christmas needed to give her a miracle to fix it all.
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AN
Be careful what you wish for, Hope~. Not all wishes end up being solutions to your problems.
Beta-Reader: Ant0nius
What is happening?
One moment I had been calmly jogging, the next I started to follow what was clearly the path towards some destructive battlefield. It seemed obvious that I was approaching a still ongoing battle, but I couldn't tell who was fighting who. Only that this was important- I had to be there. Something from within screamed at me to come closer. It was unusual and quite ominous, but I could tell that this fight wasn't going well on those that were stopping the kind of threat behind this much damage. I spotted bodies, making my face lose color and a chilling sensation striking my brain as my pace faltered at the sight. I kept on walking. This was bad, I observed that those were knights. I didn't have little confidence in being able to beat whatever caused this but… perhaps I could still help. I had to. I could tell it was important. And I finally arrived at the escalation that was devastating the park. Two opponents, one being a grinning human that was gloating over his wounded foe and the other being… Geecku? The blue-haired Prime coughed some blood as she had just been struck with a powerful slam from a 'shadow' right on her chest. That hit wasn't anything negligible, and if someone as strong as her was getting thrashed and bruised from this… then the human was not normal. That and the fact he was using some shadow-based magic to attack.
My mind was filled with hesitation. I was provided with a minor advantage, one where the fellow human had yet to pick up the fact I was there and capable of doing something to subvert his current situation and get Geecku out of there. I could fight him, not with how his skills were meant to keep any enemies away from getting too close to him. So, if I wanted to really do something to avoid Geecku's further suffering, I had to distract him and take her away. That was the plan, I had no expectation of starting any skirmishes with someone that was clearly tougher and stronger than I was. But as I finished setting up the simple plan, relying on some rocks I found on the ground and preparing to hit the dangerous young man with a couple of those to break his focus and get the Crest out of there, my eyes widened when I saw something fast and slithering on the ground coming towards me. It had noticed me before I could do much about it, but I managed to shift to the side fast enough to dodge the upcoming hit. The sharp tendril missed, but I used this chance to bolt from my position to one further away from the dangerous element, hearing a loud chuckle from the origin of that strike.
"A human trying to intervene… Now, this is quite odd."
Odd that a human can use this kind of power and not be noticed. Seriously, what kind of magic was it? At first I thought that it was Dark Magic, but as I looked back at the pattern I felt from Vixy's father, which was the Dark Crest, this felt totally different. The Crest's pattern felt less… upsetting. It was still ominous, but not to the point of feeling weirded out by it. Instead, this guy's energy felt tainted, corrupted- filthy in a sense. And I knew that it was either a mutation of Dark Magic or… Chaos. But was that even possible? The Great War which saw Humanity fighting Chaos and the Narakhans together with the Primes- no aspect of history ever highlighted any major traitor capable of using chaos. We weren't able to use chaos as Narakhans would, with the few users that lived beyond the war being those that were able to use it without having to face any issue due to their moral compass easily outmatching the seduction of that dangerous power. But here and now, in front of me, that concept was broken with a human that was using a dense and strong form of Chaos without any limitation. I was… worried. Rightfully so. I threw two rocks forwards, the first one slamming onto his shoulder, while the other was stopped by a thick curtain of darkness before it could strike his forehead. There was silence, and I realized how futile that attempt had been beyond pissing him off.
"Rude."
A scowl appeared on his face, but before he could retaliate at this 'nuisance', some vines formed and pulled me away from the approaching chaos tendril. I was yanked pretty hard by the magical vines, but I managed to safely land right beside Geecku. She had used some of her magic to pull me away from trouble, but now I was there to check better on her situation. The girl stood up but almost fell onto me with how strained her left leg was. This was far from optimal.
"Frankie, you need run!"
"Not without getting you out of here," I remarked sternly, catching her off-guard with that comment as I could tell she couldn't last for too long against this guy. And this was absurd as I knew Crests were meant to be freakishly strong so, what happened here? How did Geecku with her battle-axe and powers tied to Life Magic get beaten this badly? My comment also gained a snort from the guy we were pitted against.
"Truly? A human trying to save a Crest?" He inquired with a mixture of amusement and genuine curiosity. "And how precisely do you think to do that?"
If I flare my energy, Professor Aken should be able to feel the issue and rush to help. He should be strong enough to take him and… I don't know what to do to hold against any attack.
Still, I went ahead and started to make use of my Wisdom magic, a blue hue coating my skin and mind as I prepared to actively react to pull Geecku away from trouble. She was healing up, but her stamina had surprisingly suffered a lot due to this attack and I could see her legs weren't exactly capable of allowing her to dart from our current position in case we needed to dodge. I had to somehow stall the bastard until we received some reinforcement. Much to my displeasure, the human didn't seem to care about waiting for a while, maybe even for a monologue or an introduction, as he rushed multiple tendrils towards us. Even if I was to remove Geecku from the equation I doubted I could dodge that many attacks at once. And since I couldn't move from my position as the risks of getting still hit were pretty high, I knew I had to rely on something a bit more strong than just that.
Can I… manifest a barrier?
It was something that Wisdom magic should be able to give me as an option to use. So, I tried to remember what Naerie could tell me about this specific kind of magic. It all required focus, a clear understanding and willpower. It took me a moment to force something out and just in time to present an obstacle between us and the multiple attacks. The barrier was semi-transparent and was big enough to cover for both me and Geecku.
"Wisdom? Now, this is truly entertaining! Show me how much you can withstand~!"
The impact happened and I felt my reserves suddenly drained just the first few seconds at the intense assault. Gritting my teeth I pushed everything into it but… I was faltering. I knew that this was the first time I created a barrier, but I didn't expect it to drain so much out of my available magic. Yet, as I felt like I was scraping the barrel with this effort… I felt something else. Something that wasn't Wisdom. Since I was desperate at this point and unable to find any other solution to the cracking barrier, I opted to start tapping into this energy I didn't know I had and… I could tell something was really wrong about it. The barrier grew from a solid blue into a soft violet and I could feel the strain somewhat lessening as the tendrils slowly stopped their push, red cracks manifesting into the darkness as it spread back to its origin. The baffled human jumped away, detaching himself from his 'shadow' and allowing it to crack and actually crumble underneath him. The shock was so much that he barely saw the small circular blade that struck his back. A large injury was left behind as fast and unforgiving- I think that was a Chakram - quickly turned and returned to its owner and… I frowned to see who it was.
"Xeanica?" I asked in shock, the barrier faltering as I felt the strain of the upkeep catching up to my body. "What is… going on?"
"Oh, hi Frankie~! I didn't see you and… Geecku!"
"Xea?!"
The pinkette bolted to pull the fellow Prime in a hug while I was left clueless on what was going on before my eyes. I could feel Geecku's own energy hum in solidarity with Xeanica, only now noticing how similar both were in terms of intensity and pattern- but that wasn't possible as Xeanica wasn't a Knight and surely not a Crest. But before I could ask anything, I heard a ferocious snarl as the human was about to land when a massive scythe pierce into his body before he could recover from the damage inflicted by the Chakram.
"I believe you have overstayed in the world of the living, abomination."
A loud demonic chuckle met his scowl as spikes formed from the human's back, forcing the Death Crest to pull himself and the scythe away from the sudden counter. "You- you all are amazing. You in particular, little human- You treacherous little but fun fodder!"
The grinning entity fell unceremoniously down to the ground… right where a portal had formed and took him away from the unpleasant situation he had set himself up for. There was silence, the quiet of death keeping things from being too loud as I was finally approached by the teacher while Xeanica took care of Geecku's wounds with her own magic.
"Mr. Parker. Once more pulled into trouble."
"I have an odd luck," I commented nervously and he sighed, his gaze turning at the two women.
"And what a surprise. Geecku and Xeanica, Life and Water."
The comment was quick to gain even more confusion about that way to address the duo. Sure, I knew Geecku was life but… Xeanica couldn't just be-
"I'm sorry for being late, cousin!" The pinkette said to the blue-haired Prime, my jaw dropping at hearing this bizarre exchange in the fullest.
WHAT?!
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"I didn't know that-"
"Kate was feeling particularly interested in seeing how you and Shin were doing. After all, she knows you feel things for her son and that you made some progress~."
Her mother was trying to coax Hope into the idea, but even there the young woman wasn't completely certain of it. She did have some affection for Shin, but she had actually grown against suddenly inviting him and his family for Christmas. It wasn't unusual for this kind of event, but it sure reminded her of the many failures tied to those specific circumstances, plus… it did feel childish to still expect to exploit that kind of situation to her advantage. She did break through a couple of barriers, but she was still far from actually making any real big steps to get him to blush and think. Too early, she thought dryly, this was happening too early. But there wasn't much else to say beyond:
"I see- Is Bengala coming too?"
"Yes. Your father and him have placed some bets on some ice fishing sessions during their stay. Nothing as messy as last time, for they know Kate and I will be more 'upset' if they try to do anything too frustrating."
Hope shuddered a little at the reminder of what happened the last time Bengala visited. While they were good friends, Kayin Ravenhurst and Benagal Aryoko were rivals when it came to fishing. And if there was something that they both hated to experience was losing to one another. So they tended to be quite childish and destructive in these rare occurrences. One of the reasons is also why she didn't want this to happen this year. Too abrupt, too risky. So, in her rightful bout of wisdom, she tried to bring in something she knew could act as an equalizer for any trouble.
"Would it be fine if we invited someone else too?" The Gazelle Prime asked, hoping that her idea would get accepted. "I wanted to ask Frankie and Miles if he could come over for Christmas with their parents. Just to make things… less obvious."
There was a strangely perplexed look on Grace's face.
"Oh, I doubt that's a possibility. Just a few hours ago I was talking with Ambar, and she told me how Naerie had decided to invite Frankie and Miles together with their families to spend the holidays with them."
…What?
"A-Are you sure?"
Why? Why would the Bear Prime do that? Sure, she was a friend to Frankie and Miles, but why beat her to it- Unless-
"Ambar was quite excited about it. She mentioned that Geecku had been nagging her for a while to spend more time with Frankie, so it makes up for the time she feels lonely."
That made her feel awkward, but still, that didn't mean she could just accept it. Not when Hope could tell the real purpose of this slight came from something else. Something that had her currently pissed at Naerie and that urged her to end the call so she could face the fellow Prime on the matter. They were definitely having a serious talk about this.
"I see. Well, thanks for telling me that, mom. I guess I'll have to change a few plans but… it's alright."
"You don't sound that sure about it, dear. Are you truly fine with this situation?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" It felt really difficult to sound convincing, but Hope was glad that they were talking through the phone or things would have been really complicated for her. The call ended pleasantly, but her mind was still a flurry of negative emotions that were all aimed at a single individual. Storming from the dorm room, Hope easily found herself standing in front of the door where Naerie was supposed to be. Two solid and loud knocks and the Bear Prime allowed her to enter. The redhead was sitting by her bed, a tower of four books resting to the other side as she was finishing reading one of those while signing down notes.
"Hope, how may I help you?" Quiet, monotone, distracted- it didn't matter to the girl.
"Why did you invite Frankie for Christmas?"
…
"Why not?"
The nerve!
"Answer my question please."
Blue eyes lifted off from the reading and right at the girl's face. "I don't have to."
…
"So you did it to annoy me."
"I don't recall saying anything of-"
"Spare me the fake innocence, I can tell when you are lying. You're too sloppy to ever convince anyone with that," Hope interrupted, and her words actually lifted within Naerie a very unpleasant emotion. Annoyance.
"Oh, and do you really believe that? Why?"
"Well, that's because..."
Her mind went cold at the realization that this… this is what Naerie had wanted. An indirect confession. In that moment, her eyes widened in shock as she could feel smugness from the fellow woman. She had played right in her hand without knowing, her anger doing everything to mess her current footing just like that.
"You love him," Naerie curtly pointed out. "And yet you prefer to spend time with Shin."
"That's not-"
"I don't blame you, Hope. Love is strange and it makes people do illogical things like you just did, but you still decided to stick by Shin's side even though you feel something stronger from Frankie."
"I'm not in love with him!"
"Then why did you come here, demanding to know why I invited Frankie with a furious tone… but overlooked the fact that Miles was invited too?"
Hope couldn't rationalize that situation without messing up her own cover, but at this point, there wasn't anything to cover anymore with how she dipped down into the truth. So, instead of grasping at any sliver of lies to keep herself sheltered from this attack, she went all in. She had to attack at all costs.
"Because I know you're using him to gain something out of me. And that's cruel to a friend."
"Is it? Just like not being honest with him and Vixy?"
That sharp comment had her flinch. It was another mess to face at its adequate time, but it was still something that required her to make an effort. A serious effort. Not to break them, but perhaps drive Vixy onto Tiggs and eventually break any serious connection with Frankie. He wouldn't suffer, she knew deep within that he wouldn't, but the entire operation was immensely risky and… and she had to keep at least that a secret.
"She is-"
"His girlfriend. Someone that he is in a serious relationship with and that I have already told she could visit whenever she wanted to stay with her boyfriend," The redhead calmly interjected. "Hence why I am no bad person in trying to make things right."
A snarl, Hope felt her anger bubble at that forceful approach. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything from you, Hope. But I think the time of being honest is here and now. Why didn't you confess when you could? What held you back?"
"Why would it matter?"
"Let me say that it would. Not only for yourself, of course."
…
"You're afraid this will happen to you."
"I don't think I-"
"You could have just chided me about staying with Shin and you would have been fine if it wasn't the case. And yet you're now asking me for advice while forcing my hand like this."
"… I will handle Shin better than you currently are. He doesn't deserve someone that spent so much time on efforts that only prove you and him are not a viable couple."
"And yet you still think of me as a threat."
"That's because you're stubborn, Hope. If you want to come back to someone, you will do stupid things. Some of which I can't condone and I will react accordingly," Naerie proclaimed tensely. "You are problematic when you feel upset, you act on impulse, and you miss most of the times when it comes to gain the desired effect. Which is why I know you will say or do something with Shin which you will definitely live to regret."
...Did the room's temperature drop?
"A-Are you asking me to-"
"Not do anything stupid with Shin. It's a simple request, and one that wouldn't be difficult for you to keep up to," The Bear Prime interjected. "In fact, I'm willing to help you handle the situation with Frankie in a way that nobody gets hurt. But you will have to first comply with this simple command."
The deal sounded too good to be true and yet she didn't like being treated this way. To be forced to cut any projects tied with Shin, all that hard work put to rest just like that. Hope was angry, but most of her fury was not aimed back at herself in a case of self-loathing. She should have acted before this much happened, and now she was reaping what she sowed. And the girl didn't like it at all.
"I… I will do my best."
"That's not what I am asking for."
…
"Fine, I'll do it. But you have to swear you will help."
"I will. The less trouble around us, the less the chances of any escalation unfolding at any mistake I might make."
It was an idyllic scenario, but Hope didn't tell her that. Love was, after all, a crazy thing and there was no way her logical approach was going to prevail against it. Still, the Gazelle Prime left after this conversation was over, unsure of what to do or think as she reached back to the dorm room. Much to her surprise, Vixy was there, looking through her things and retrieving some new clothes to put on before leaving and getting in the city.
"Vix."
Her voice had the girl pause as she took a moment to recognize her. "Hope? Hello."
Jovial and happy, she was really enjoying the fact life was going so well on her. It almost made Hope feel upset for some reason, which was quite odd considering how much emphasis she put in making sure that her friends were able to feel as great as the Fox Prime was.
"Hello. Are you in a hurry?"
The question gained a hum from the fellow girl. "Kind of. I had plans with Frankie to go to a new bar, get some snacks and then sneak back in school. Not a big date, but it is a nice day to waste without a proper date."
"I'm glad to hear that," Hope replied, unsure what to really say at this moment. So, her current emotions took over and had her ask something from deep within her heart. "Is your relationship going well with Frankie?"
"Uh? What about?"
"Well, it just feels odd that… you know, he isn't being more careless about it."
Vixy seemed to think about her words, but then shook her head. "That's because it's not his first relationship, plus, I think I'm the one that is being too excited about it at times. He is so nice."
Yes, I know. You repeated it many times now.
"But no issues at all?"
"Nope! Things are actually going great, and we already planned to spend a few hours on our own during Christmas."
"So, you're fine he is going to be staying at Naerie's home?"
The Fox Prime frowned. "Well, I don't want to sound too lax on it, but he is with Miles. I think he will have to be more worried about the 'womanizer' making a mess around with the maids and I know Naerie's father is going to be there too. Which means Lady Ambar will not try anything funny with him. Geecku? I think she will not do anything just because it's too cold and she would just cuddle up with him."
"You really made a big plan about it," Hope pointed out and Vixy shrugged.
"Better safe than sorry. Plus, I have in mind a little Christmas gift for him he will never forget. It will be… awesome~."
Well, that sounds like a foolproof relationship.
"What about you? Did you get anyone interested in your talents at the club?"
The redirection of the conversation felt nice, and so Hope felt happier to not think about this for the time being. She had a lot to think and plan about the recent events.
"Two contractors, but they want to hear from me properly in January. Since Christmas is just there, they prefer to let me have the holiday so I can go in there without any issues."
"That's awfully nice of them," The cheerleader commented. "Still, I'm happy to hear that. You really deserve to be given that spotlight. Pretty voice, pretty body- I mean, you're definitely gorgeous."
Hope opened her mouth in surprise at the sudden compliment but… decided to not press about it. "Thank you."
Yes, that would suffice.
The same didn't extend to the overall crappy situation she was stuck with. Christmas needed to give her a miracle to fix it all.
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AN
Be careful what you wish for, Hope~. Not all wishes end up being solutions to your problems.
