It has been over five months since the arrival of two strangers in Jane and Nino's life, bringing more experience in life than they already have.
In that span of months they were together, a lot of things has to be re-established from the ground up. It was a hectic situation for all of them, but in the end, they knew it would be worth it.
At first, they were a bit shy interacting with each other, especially since they are technically talking to new people. However, the more time they got to spend with each other, the more they piece together one's personality.
As hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, the four of them gradually grew closer with the exception of Alpha, who still liked to keep things short and discreet. Lee's aloofness slowly changed overtime, since he was being infected by the radiating friendliness of Jane and Nino.
The first month was the most exciting one. They have had to re organize the entirety of the house to make sure everyone is comfortable while living in it. Furnitures were moved, and the things that they deem unnecessary was either thrown away, or was sold in a yard sale.
The greatest concern was where Lee would sleep, since technically, he was the only male resident inside the would be lodging house of the four of them. It's now common sense that he's not allowed to sleep in a room with the others.
Yet.
In the following weeks, Nino decided to make a few rules regarding his stay on the house. He was given the vacant room that was in the second floor, in which Jane's room was the nearest. The first and foremost rule was that he was to be the first one to take a bath everyday for the rest of eternity so that he would be off to doing things inside the house.
The second was to help her sort some things out in their old family barn, and what she meant by sorting things out was driving a tractor to plow the fields and helping her plant new vegetables. She also wanted help in rebuilding it, since the frame of the shack barn was already old in state.
Lee tried countering her argument by dragging in Alpha's existence in the house, but was shut down instantly after receiving a barrage of logical explanations as to why he was better suited at the role. Even though he had no prior experience in doing farming, he didn't filed a single complaint afterwards.
And lastly, the third was...
"STRICTLY. NO. PEEKING. You got that?" Nino asked- no, demanded for him to answer while pointing a stick at him.
Lee opened his mouth a few times as he stopped drilling the wall, before ultimately sighing. He felt like he was being held gunpoint right now.
"Now why the hell would I do that? How would it benefit me, huh?"
They were busy laying the groundwork regarding the reconstruction of the front end of the house, which Jeanne said that she was planning to open up a business. He was in charge with the bulk of the work and planning as per his suggestion, while Nino assisted him by preparing light meals.
"I don't know, maybe because you're a boy? Y-You know what I'm talking about!" She yelled back at him, before placing his packed lunch in a nearby table. "Here, you better eat that."
"That's low-key sexist." Lee commented as he washed his hands. Nino ignored him with a 'hmph' and picked up the vacuum cleaner, before proceeding to suck in every dust she could see.
"Follow that rule and we won't have a problem, got it?"
"Crystal clear ma'am." Lee smiled and saluted, before continuing his work.
Whenever they are finished with house work or are in a break, Jane uses the opportunity to teach Lee and Alpha about the names of countries that are in Terra in their free time. Lee was extremely attentive whenever they discuss this sort of topic, while Alpha just listens from the sidelines.
To Jane, it was important for them to learn about Terran culture and just about everything else. After all, they need to have citizenship in certain countries, especially those that are economically stable and offer more jobs. That way, they can have more options.
"So, the country we're in right now is Victoria... Anything important we should know?" Lee asked as he studied an old world map.
They were in County Hillock's library, since Jane convinced them that absorbing sunlight from time to time was good for their health. She inched closer to him and pointed in the far edge of the map.
"Victoria sometimes have border disputes between the neighboring country, which is Leithania. Sometimes, infected refugees cross the border while being chased by the Leithanien Gendarmerie. This would sometimes result in a tense standoff with the Royal Army."
Lee frowned after hearing that. "Infected? Is there some sort of virus here too?"
He hasn't seen anyone going around wearing masks or protective equipment though, but the thought that another virus was present in this world made him...uneasy. Jane lets out a disdainful sigh, before looking out to the window.
"It's called Oripathy, and it's a very dangerous disease. You see, there's this mineral called Originium, and it's where the disease is contracted. No one knows where or when it was first founded, but when they discovered it could be used as means of energy, they started mining it."
"And...the first of the miners got too much exposure to this Originium?" Lee asked.
"Yes, and then it went on and on, until it spread. It's extremely agonizing, since lumps of crystals would form in the infected person's organs, even in their skin. And when it gets worse...the person would be entirely crystalized, before..." Jane's sentence trailed off, as if she was reluctant to say it.
"Before what? What happens then?"
She glances at him with a sad look on her face. "The person explodes, making them even more dangerous. If the particles would be inhaled by another person, he or she would catch Oripathy."
Lee slowly leaned his back on the couch, before blankly staring ahead of him. He thought that this world was like a paradise, turns out it was just a miscalculation in his mind. A mineral, mined to provide energy is the source of the disease, yet the countries still don't ban them. Are all human minds go through its callous phase?
Just thinking about it makes his core shake a bit. Of course he feels fear, since he was born in a world that was ravaged by their own doing. Technological advancements that surpass the morality of humankind caused mass deaths and near extinction of the human race.
Had humans not played gods by inventing and creating sentient machines, the current situation in Earth would not have worsen. Sure, a lot of humans would still die from the disease, but the probability of finding a cure to it wasn't totally non-existent. Of course, that didn't happen due to the corrupted's existence.
Now, he's in the middle of it again. A world rife with death and a killer of a virus. Outside of this country, heck, even this small county, who knows whatever inhuman crimes are happening right now.
Lee sighed and shook his head. "But, there's gotta be a cure for it right? Countries are making an effort to cure Oripathy right?"
His question was left hanging in the air, before Jane shook her head.
"There have been efforts in stopping the disease, but nothing's changed. Everyday, hundreds or even thousands of people are dying around the world. I don't know what they are going through, since I'm not an infected. Even Nino isn't."
"...Is that so. Sounds like most countries are useless huh?" Lee sighed and thought hard about what he just learned.
"Yeah...there is also a civil war in Kazdel, the country I mentioned before. You two certainly cannot pass as a Vouivre nor a Draco...but you might be able to fool everyone that you're a Sarkaz." She said while eyeing his horns.
"Sarkaz huh? Guess I can't be choosy then. Luckily for Alpha, her inver-device is removable like a headset." Lee chuckles and takes the map once more.
"So back to Victoria, any other details I might know?"
Jane wore a soft smile on her lips.
"You really are a curious one. Well, I think the most important one is the current state of the country. You see, the one thing that really threatens Victoria is about politics."
She adds and stands up from her seat, before picking a certain book from the bookshelf. It was about the races that live in Victoria.
"Is it about internal infighting?" Lee queried. He glanced towards Alpha, who was sitting across them and saw that she was reading a book called 'Frog catching 101'. He cringed slightly after seeing that.
"Well, you are correct my dear." Jane uttered while smiling as she opened the book she was holding.
She then flipped a couple of pages, before noticing that someone was staring at her. Glancing up, she saw that it was Nino, and she was glancing at her with a dubious look. Her brain immediately remembered what she just said, causing her cheeks to blush.
"D-Dear student, I mean. Err...w-where was I again..?" She immediately averted her eyes from Lee and half assingly covers her face with the book.
"Oh yeah... about the internal fighting and stuff..." Lee murmured while blankly staring at the map, still trying to comprehend the fact she called him
'dear'.
'Even though I was student-zoned just now...why the hell am I feeling light-headed..?' He thought to himself.
"A-As I was saying, Victoria is a monarchy, which means it's being ruled by a royal family. However, it's been a long time since the throne is empty due to complications with the Dracos and Aslans..." Jane explained, before lowering her voice into a whisper. She motioned for Lee to come closer.
"It's just a rumor, okay? But before I graduated from the academy, there's this story that a conspiracy is brewing from behind the scenes. Nobody has solid evidence to back it up, but if you have lived here for a long time, you'll soon notice that your country is changing." she whispers close to his ear, causing him to nod several times.
The fact that she had to lower her voice proved that the topic was considered a taboo. Lee surmised that some people are agreeing to it, but can't voice it out due to concerns about what would happen to them. After all, no one wants to die from a strange arrow-to-the-head disease.
"You do know we are still here right? Stop flirting you two." Nino jokingly said, causing Lee and Jane to flinch. They immediately moved away from each other at an arms length.
"W-We were certainly not flirting!" She closed her eyes in embarrassment before exclaiming.
Nino only laughed aloud, while Alpha sighed heavily as her immersion in reading was interrupted due to the loud ruckus. The noise was so loud that they were quickly scolded by the local librarian, before being sent back home.
///
Fast forward two months later, they have managed to fully reconstruct the front of the house into a full fledged food establishment. They all voted to name the place 'Friendship Diner' in hopes to attract a lot of customers, especially the younger generations. After all, their street was always a busy one.
It was a simple bakery with a little bit of everything, ranging from cold desserts like ice cream and brownies, to varying types of bread and cookies. They would also be serving drinks and beverages, but nothing that contains alcohol. Nino also spent quite a lot of money acquiring groceries before putting it and segregating them into shelves.
This way, any customers could come and buy whatever they have in mind. This was also an effective strategy to make customers feel that they are in a unique place than other food establishments, which would lead them to spread the word out among their neighbors.
Their final setup was that Lee and Jane would be in charge of making, preparing and baking the bread, while Nino would be the one serving ice creams and such. Lee had to teach her multiple times how to use the ice cream machine they bought, since she was admittedly bad at those things.
Lastly, it was Alpha's turn to have a job. She declined the offer and told them that she was bad at cooking, to which they thought she was being shy and humble. The two women learned the hard truth when they finally convinced Alpha to try her sleight of hand in cooking.
The results was, on the outside, utterly jaw-dropping. The icing, all the way to the food design was nothing Nino and Jane has ever seen, which made them believe that since its appearance was top notch, the taste would be great too. That dream was instantly shattered when they took the first bite. Let's just say it wasn't the best day for them.
After the two girls recovered from stomach trauma, Alpha decided to pick the most surprising job they could ever think of, and that is-
"Waitress. I'll be serving the customers." Alpha said with a blank expression as she held two small trays in both hands. The store was still closed, but they have already made the preparations in the opening day.
"Are you serious? What's your proof that you won't kill anyone that might demand to see the manager?" Lee asked while he was busy installing LED lights. This was supposed to be Nino's task for today, but since Lee knew that she was utterly clueless when it comes to fiddling with electronics, he offered to take her place.
Alpha merely scoffed at his statement and kept practicing her movements around the tables. Her moves was fluid and graceful, to the point that she would look good in a maid outfit.
"I don't prey on weak foes. I'll let you handle those, since you can't even beat a Musashi droid with no fire support."
After hearing those words, Lee flinched and suddenly tripped on the chair he was standing in, causing him to fall and crash on the ground with a loud thud. The working tools that he had in hand also landed on top of him.
"Lee!? Oh my goodness, are you alright?" Jane, who was busy experimenting new side dishes on the kitchen, shouted and immediately ran to help him.
Lee grunted and sat upright, before grimacing as he massaged his backside. "I'm alright Jane, better than being shot and sliced up." he stands up and thanks her, before taking the cup of water in her hands.
"Oh, then uhm...are you hurt anywhere?" She asked while picking up the tools that were littered on the ground.
"Nothing too serious." Lee faked a smile and patted her shoulder.
"I see. Then, are you done with the lights?"
"Yeah, it's all done. I just refitted the light bulb with a higher quality originium crystal. It'll probably work for a year without needing maintenance." He responds before neatly stacking the tools on a nearby closet.
"Hoh...you really are good with that kind of stuff huh? Can you teach me how they work? I-If it's not too much trouble..." Jane averted her eyes to the floor and fiddled with her fingers.
"Really? Aw, I would love to. I wish Nino had the same enthusiasm as you." Lee smiled a bit and pats her head. He immediately retracted his hand after seeing the flustered look on her face.
"Lee? Are you free right now!?"
‘Shit.’
Nino's voice came from the hallway leading towards the main house. The locked door opened to the side, revealing Nino in a...a set of...fuck.
"What in the hell are you wearing right now?" Lee asked with a shaded look on his face as he eyed the salmon haired Vouivre up and down.
"Eh? Oh this? Hmmu hmmu, it's my farming clothes." Nino puts both hands on her waist and smiles with a smug look on her face. Lee mentally sighs and shakes his head.
He thought that she was only clueless when it comes to modern and electronic stuff, turns out even her sense of fashion is off the grid. She was wearing the baggiest pants he had ever seen his entire life. Her topwear was a pristine white sleeveless turtleneck which was too big for her. Was she so heartless that she would wear white while working in the farm?
"*sigh*. So, what do you need me for?" Lee asks and goes to sit near the counter.
"Don't sound so disappointed, I need help with the farm. We have plenty of potatoes to harvest!" She beamed with an excruciating amount of blinding energy that made Lee question why he wasn't happy.
"Really? We can now add fries to our menu then!" Jane exclaimed too.
Lee watched the two girls jump in excitement while deepening the topic about potatoes. What is it with potatoes that make them this happy? He does not know, for he wasn't a country boy. He turns his attention towards Alpha, who was busy stretching her limbs as she sat on a nearby chair.
"Psst, hey. Got any of those mint gums?"
"Bog off you. It's mine." Alpha scoffed at him, before standing up. She then began walking towards the exit.
"Oi, where are you going?" Lee asked.
Alpha stopped walking, before glancing at him. Her expression was unreadable due to her stoic nature, but he couldn't help but feel she was...
"Just going for a walk."
Sad.
And just like that, Alpha went outside to who knows where, leaving Lee in a state of confusion. He decides to stand up and chase after her, since he was worried what she might do. However, before he could take two steps from the chair, a hand as strong as a man grabs him by the hand.
"Ah, ah. Where do you think you're going mister? I need help in the farm remember?" Nino came up from behind and kubrick stared the crap out of him.
'Crap, Alpha could handle anyone that swindles her. Snap out if it Lee!' he screams at himself internally.
Why was he so worried about her? Was it because she could go and kill anyone? No, he knows that Alpha isn't like that. It's like she said, she doesn't prey on weak foes, especially unarmed and untrained civilians. Even if she was a former enemy, and Ascendant too, he knows that she won't murder innocent civilians.
So the question is, why was he so worried about her? What was the actual reason? That, he can't pinpoint. It could be the fact that she's unstable due to being separated with her sister, or that he now cares for her as a friend. Either way, Nino snaps him out of his reverie by grabbing him by the collar and shaking him repeatedly.
"aAaAhH I uUh got Auwdhdgsh it!" Lee answered gibberishly before being let off the hook. He gives her a piercing glare before straightening his clothes.
"I'll get the car started, you go change your clothes." Lee took the car keys from Nino's hands before gesturing towards Jane.
"Please help her change to proper farming clothes, alright?" He forces a smile, causing Jane to nod and laugh aloud. Nino only chuckled awkwardly while scratching her head.
Lee grabs a toolbox and exits the store from the side entrance. He then goes into the storage room and examines which type of wood should he use for the barn. He rolls the sleeves of his sweater and grabs a pile of roanoke wood and carries it towards Nino's car. It was a large pick-up truck, so he puts it on the spacious backside.
But just as he was about to get in and start the vehicle, a sports car with blue and white paint job pulls up and stops beside the car. Since the driver's side was on the left, he immediately got a good view on the person's ass-, I mean figure as they got up from the seat.
"Huh, I thought this was supposed to be Nino's place..? Wait, it is Yorktown street." The girl said as she craned her neck while glancing around her.
Lee saw that her horns were surprisingly pointing a bit upwards, which was different than that of Nino and Jeanne's horns. Her seemingly purplish and deep blue hair was tied up in a ponytail. She wore a uniform with a rank strapped on her sleeves, which Lee surmised was the uniforms of the cadets in the Victorian Royal Academy.
"You-" The girl calls out to him. "Why are you in Nino's truck? Are you a carjacker?" She walked up to the vehicle, her long strides filled with confidence.
"Stop staring. I asked you a question." The girl asks again as she pulled out a badge.
"Easy there lady. If I was indeed a carjacker, I would have been long gone by now." Lee responds with a hint of displeasure and gestures towards the back of the truck.
"Besides, can't you see them materials on the back? I'm helping with reconstructing Nino's farmhouse, so it's a lil' bit rude to be judged that I'm carjacking. Now I gotta ask. Who the hell are you?" He leans close by the car window and matches her stare.
"Hmph. I'm Ch'en, a former classmate of Nino. Who're you?"
"Lee. A friend of hers." He answers back, forming an awkward silence hanging between the two of them. They just stared at each other, unblinking until a cheerful and enthusiastic voice comes from behind.
"Ch'en-Ch'en!? You actually remembered me!" Nino, who was now wearing decent clothes for farming, ran up to her old classmate and embraced her.
"...Right, I sure do." Ch'en responds in a rather bleak tone, before taking a medium sized box from her car. "Here, I'm just here to return these. It's all the clothes you lended me while we were in the dorms. They're all washed now so don't worry about it." she hands the box to Nino, who passed it towards Lee.
"What the f-"
"Wah! I've missed you! I didn't know that you were still in Victoria! I thought you already went back to Lungmen." Nino said as she led her friend into a shade.
It was currently past 1 pm, so the sun was literally on top of them. Lee decides not to eavesdrop anymore and rolls the window up, before savouring the coldness of the a/c. He places the box on the back seat and waits for Nino.
"Well, I just took an advanced class for tactics and strategies. It's useful for my job." Ch'en answered and spared a glance towards the blonde boy in Nino's car. She didn't expect that Nino would let someone, let alone a boy, get close to her.
"Heh... You really are a stubborn one huh? Well, I have no right to stop you, but still...applying in the Lungmen Guard Department? That's Ch'en for you." Nino smiled and giggles.
Ch'en sighed while smiling a little before glancing behind her. She saw that the front of the house was now a fully renovated food establishment. She was surprised that Nino, who was in the military, would still have time to do such things.
"I thought you're in the military right now? What's with the diner?" Ch'en asked.
Nino made a sideway glance towards her car and saw that Lee was now sleeping soundly with a handkerchief resting on top of his eyes. Ch'en noticed that her stare was a bit different, but didn't voiced this out.
"It's a long story, but Jane was the one that decided to do it. She wanted to help some of her new friends..."
"You mean that guy over there? Lee?" Ch'en gestured towards the pickup.
Nino's eyes widened in surprise.
"You met him already? Haha, yeah. He was a great help with the electronics and whatnot you know? Now he's gonna help with the farm too..." she trailed off, before looking down on the ground.
"What's wrong?" Ch'en asked, surprised that Nino had a conflicted look on her face.
"It's just... he's doing so much of the work, and it's a good thing but...I don't know how to repay his kindness." Nino said and chuckled.
"I just met him today, so I don't know what he's like." Ch'en said and pats her in the shoulder. "But I do know that you'll be able to thank him. It's the thought that counts Nino."
"Thanks Ch'en-Ch'en. I forgot you can be quite cheesy too sometimes." Nino responded with a smile, lifting the gloomy atmosphere that was beginning to settle.
"*sigh*, alright, I'm off to leave the country tonight. It's been a good run right Nino?" Ch'en said as they headed towards her car.
"Yeah, it's been a good one. Here's to hoping we'll see each other in the future."
Ch'en goes inside her car and starts it, before rolling down the window. She smiles at her friend, since she wasn't returning to Victoria anymore. Who knows if this was the last time they'll see each other?
"Goodbye Nino. Hope the business would pull through."
"Yes, yes, future chief superintendent." She responded while sticking her tongue out.
Ch'en steps down on the gas, before driving off in the distance. She glances back one last time and saw Nino waving goodbye. She lets out a sigh, before thinking about her future job in Lungmen.
Back to Nino, she briefly checks her watch and saw that about 30 minutes had already pass. She hops into the passenger seat and closed the door, before removing the handkerchief Lee put into his eyes. He was sleeping soundly like a soldier would be, hinting that he really was a veteran on their homeworld.
She leans close to him and tries to poke him in the cheek several times. He gave no response and still slept like a log, making her pout.
'Should I just drive? But then that means I'll be sitting in his lap- Wait no!' Nino repeatedly shook her head to the sides while closing her eyes. She decides to just do it the old fashioned way.
The Victorian way.
"Lee~, wake up."
A sweet voice enters his ears, making him open his eyes. He blinks a couple of times so that the grogginess and disorientation right after waking up would dissipate. However, what he first saw wasn't the car ceiling, but instead it was Nino's face.
'Huh?'
"Did you sleep well? Sorry about earlier, Ch'en already left a while ago." Nino's voice resounded inside his head. But that wasn't important right now. What's important is the soft pillow that his head was resting at.
"Why...am I resting in your lap..?" Lee uttered, before slowly sitting up. He saw that she pulled both chairs all the way to the very back seat so that he was able to rest his body.
"E-Eh? N-Nothing, I just thought that, y'know, you'll feel more comfortable." Nino responded while hiding the redness that was forming on her cheeks.
"A-Anyway, let's head to the farm now."
Lee grunted and stretched his limbs, before setting the chair back to its original spot. "Well, thank you for that. It was comfortable, but it would be more comfortable if you slept beside me." He added with a roguish grin.
"Mouu~ just drive already!" Nino exclaimed loudly while closing her eyes, causing Lee to laugh loudly. They then drive off towards Nino's farm in hopes that they would harvest the goddamn potatoes in time while bickering with each other.
«‹⟨ TO BE CONTINUED ⟩›»
Published: March 18, 2022
Words: 4688