My Last Dive [Made in Abyss Fanfiction]

17| Return to the Unknown

Despite her reclusive and antisocial tendencies, it was never difficult to find Melva when she wasn't delving. When she wasn't at the Central District marketplace, she was at the bar near her home. That was where I found her after I had talked with Llyr.

We decided to try and get the four of us together that night, especially since I knew Vio was home at the time. The only reason why Llyr hadn't come with me was because he had to close up the shop. Llyr would then go get Vio while I made sure Melva was where I expected her to be. It was better to be safe than sorry, after all. Like I thought, there she was at her corner table, an empty tankard sitting next to her while she indulged in a second. I waved to get her attention, and she looked surprised to see me.

"Oh. Hey, kid." She gestured for me to sit down, and I sat beside her. "What the hell are ya doin' 'ere?" she asked.

I didn't blame her confusion; this really was a strange situation. After the day I got my moon whistle, I avoided bars unless we were specifically meeting at one. "To put it simply, Llyr and I were hoping to get together with you and Vio tonight to talk about something," I said.

"An' that is..?" She purposefully trailed off, arching a brow. With that, I told her. It didn't take her long to go from curious to surprised. Oddly enough, she didn't smile, just looked contemplative. As I finished explaining, she took a long swig of her ale. "So you're really goin'?" she asked.

I nodded. "It's my choice, after all, and I've made it."

"It was 'bout time ya said that." She tilted her tankard back to finish it off, purposefully slamming it down onto the table once she was finished. "Surprised that stick was the one who asked ya," she then said. "Guess he has more guts than I thought. Does he really want ya to bring back plants?"

"Yes, but I don't mind too much. As long as I can still bring back what I want, I'm happy to help," I said.

Melva got a strange glint in her eyes then, like she knew something I didn't. "So that's it, huh?"

I was confused by her response. "What's wrong with that? He said he wants to spend more time with me, but it's clearly because he sees me as a closer friend than I do." I frowned, concerned. "You're not envious, are you?"

A chuckle slipped from Melva as she shook her head. "Oh, I ain't," she said. "I'm glad you've been able to get to know more Delvers, even if I've been holding ya up all these years."

She honestly had, but I wasn't about to say that. She had a reason, and my staying with her had led to me adopting it as well. But what mattered more to me was what this decision meant for us. "I know you said you would when Vio offered, but do you really want to come with me as well?" I asked. "Disregarding what happened on the Third Layer before, aren't you afraid of—"