My Last Dive [Made in Abyss Fanfiction]

24| Overflowing Blessings

Thankfully, Llyr's parents also approved of me, more than approved, really. After all, it was apparently thanks to me that Llyr actually interacted with other Delvers now, emphasized all the more by how the next delve we were going on was a guild-sanctioned one. I'd grown more used to delving with strangers, and at least I had my friends to fall back on.

In the last few days leading up to the delve, I met at the usual bar with Llyr, Melva, and Vio. On a rare occasion, we had no reason to meet up like this. We were simply enjoying each others' company, already planning what we hoped to accomplish on the delve.

"This time, we're goin' to that field of Eternal Fortunes,'' Melva said. "I don't care what the leader or whatever says, I've heard too much 'bout it to not see it myself. I'm sick of all the gloom, I want some sun down there, dammit."

Vio tried to give Melva a reassuring look. "It honestly is safer with a group, even if all of us would rather go off alone." Melva rolled her eyes as she took a swig from her tankard.

"You said it'll be a field study delve this time, so there really isn't an excuse why we wouldn't go to the field. The same plants can grow differently on each layer, so there could be something different worth studying with the Eternal Fortunes growing there," Llyr pointed out, and Vio nodded.

"If we don't, I'll make sure we get there. I know the way there since it's pretty difficult to miss," he said. "I don't need to say yet again that it's amazing there, do I? It's nothing like you've ever seen, a true wonder of the Abyss."

"If you say any more, I'm going to lose it," I said jokingly. "It's literally all you talked about when you told us about your Fourth Layer delves."

Vio smiled sheepishly. "Because I love it so much. Syele has definitely gotten me to appreciate flowers and gardening since we got married."

"Even if I've never seen ya do it?" Melva said.

"I help her out... sometimes," Vio muttered, frowning. "I can still like the product and not the process."

Melva grinned, pulling Vio into a playful headlock. Llyr let out a gasp when Vio almost spilled his drink. "I know, I'm just jokin' with ya," Melva laughed, tousling Vio's hair. As he complained and freed himself from her grasp, she looked at me and Llyr. "An' don't laugh, neither of ya, or you'll be next. I can reach ya both just fine."

"I wasn't planning on it, believe me!" I said, holding my hands up in mock defense as Llyr sank down in his chair, his face white as a sheet.

"P-please, no," he laughed nervously.

"Glad ya can take a joke now," Melva said, and Llyr smiled, even though his face flushed pink in the process. Melva's grin somehow stretched wider, and she roughly seized the handle of her tankard, sloshing a bit of ale down its side and onto the table. "Let's make a toast for ol' times' sake, yeah? To the Fourth Layer! We're gonna kick your ass yet again!"

"To the Fourth Layer!" we all echoed, toasting with our drinks.

The morning of the delve soon came, to my eager anticipation. After exchanging another worry-tinged goodbye with Aedia, I met with the others, and we met up at the gateway with the other members of the delving party. I saw a few familiar faces, though none were as familiar as Shiro's—who was again leading the group—and somebody else.

"Len!" Gwyden greeted me as he approached my small subgroup. "And hello everyone else," he added more nervously. He definitely still wasn't the most comfortable around the others, even though Vio had long since accepted his apology. "I was wondering if you would allow me into your group this time? If we already split the larger group now, we won't have to worry about it later."