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If you thought that Siesta was a beautiful sunny beachside city, then Bolivar is the embodiment of the sun itself.
The grand city held the Dossoles Warrior Champion event which you eagerly accepted for the sake of your operators to relax (and definitely not to fool around without Kal’tsit admonishing you from a distance). After the C.C. Spectrum, you took almost all of the Rhodes Island working staff to Bolivar just for them to unwind. Majority of your newer recruits, most specifically Mudrock and Surtr, tend to stray away from large crowds but you did notice them in a swimsuit minding their own business alongside the glittering beach.
The previous operators who had jobs around the beach were also manning the same jobs. Ifrit was burning up the barbecue place as per usual, other onlookers watching a tiny girl char slabs of meat using an unnecessarily large flamethrower. Though that doesn’t hold a candle to Sora, eagerly interviewing beachgoers for the sake of Penguin Logistics. Anyone who knows Sora immediately started a line, practically flocking her like a group of ducklings.
Meanwhile, you were wearing airy clothes that definitely weren’t your heavy doctor’s coat, as you toured a certain spot with a certain Perro. You were sure that Kal’tsit would have your head because you were alone with someone like Tequila but holy shit you just wanted to relax after such hectic work months.
“Tequila, how did you come to have such a huge store under your name?” You asked him, peering at his tinted sunglasses.
He tilted his head back in mock exasperation before turning his head to you. He raised a hand to lift his sunglasses atop his head, showing you a pouty expression akin to a kicked puppy. “How many times must I tell you, Doctor? Just call me Ernesto!”
You chuckled. “Okay, fine, Ernesto. How do you have such a huge store under your name?”
He smirked, hands going to the back of his head as he closed his eyes. “I have my connections, dear Doctor. It wouldn’t feel right for a person such as my status to not have one such as this!”
He leaned in closer, eyes slanting with mirth. “And it wouldn’t be fair for our illustrious Doctor now, would it?”
You rolled your eyes, pushing his shoulder good-naturedly. “That won’t work on me, Ernesto.”
He sighed out before giving you a cheeky smile. “Can you blame me for trying?”
Ernesto wasn’t the type to be touchy but for you, he would wrap his arm around your shoulders and dragged you to the nearest sorbet stall. You were definitely sure that Kal’tsit would kill you but this was your vacation. You deserve this!
“I’ll treat you, Doctor!” He said, his tail wagging behind him. “Wouldn’t feel like a true Bolivar greeting without our prize-winning sorbets!”
Before you could say anything, a voice from behind stopped you two. “Sorbets? I want some!”
Behind you two, Ceobe stood, a wide smile on her face. Her short overalls and sports bra were a cute look on her but you were surprised that she managed to spot you.
Not noticing how Ernesto’s ear’s dropped, you regarded her. “Kay? What are you doing here?”
She cocked her head to the side and hummed. “That scary doctor told me!”
Goddamnit Kal’tsit.
“So sorbets, right?” She asked once more, hopping closer to you and Ernesto as he growled. “This guy’s gonna give us free sorbets, right?!”
From the corner of your eye, you could see Ernesto slightly bare his fang. Quickly wanting to defuse the situation, you patted Ernesto’s hair, making him drop his guarded face and turned it into a surprised face.
“Sorry about this, Ernesto.” You apologized, preparing yourself for the headache that Ceobe would bring. “I hope you’re aren’t too displeased?”
Like a snap, he smiled at you, ears propped up and eyes so earnest. “Of course not, Doctor! I wouldn’t mind giving our sorbets to your fellow staff!”
And despite the forced grin on his face as Ceobe skipped next to you, the two Perros surrounding you truly screamed ‘summer’.
Unsurprisingly, Ceobe immediately dipped once she has five cups of sorbets in her arms as she comically tried to eat them all. In which she did, but it ultimately led her to having brain freeze. But for some reason, when Ceobe had that brain freeze, she immediately sprinted and jumped across the food street like a bouncy ball before hightailing it to the next food stall. You could only imagine her indigestion afterwards.
Now, with a cup of sorbet in hand, you and Ernesto walked alongside the beachside. With you two finally alone, Ernesto has his glowing smile etched on his face as he toured you. Many beachgoers loitered around the beach but not that it made the beach too overcrowded. It was a perfect paradise that couldn’t be stopped even if someone tried.
That is, until someone tried.
“Eh? Aren’t you the Doctor of Rhodes Island?” The Aegir spoke to you. “What are you doing here?”
Mizuki stood in front of you two with a curious smile on his face. The seemingly innocent civilian-turned logistics staff-turned operator of Rhodes Island was part of the new recruits after the riots. He didn’t seem to hold any malicious intent (even though many warned you to never place him next to other Aegir operators) towards Rhodes Island and he seemed to hold you in some regard.
You couldn’t say the same for your growling Perro friend. “What do you want?”
Mizuki tilted his head to the side, twirling his umbrella. “Can I not greet my saviors without any backlash?”
“Ernesto, please.” You said to him, lightly glaring. You turned back to Mizuki, ignoring the kicked puppy look that Ernesto sent your way. “Sorry, Mizuki. Erensto is touring me around Bolivar.”
Mizuki smiled wide. “Can I join then? I know much more niche places compared to golden boy here.”
His snarky nature was not lost on you as you could feel the animosity Tequila is emitting but you can’t help but want to tease the Perro further. “Of course! We would love to have you!”
He smiled even wider skipping towards your side and grabbing your hand. “I’ll lead the way!”
Before he could tug you away, another hand shot out and grabbed Mizuki’s wrist. Ernesto glared at Mizuki, fangs poking out from his lip. “They’re with me, Mizuki.”
Mizuki stuck out his tongue. “You can join too. I don’t mind.”
His glare worsened. “You--”
“After all, I have to thank my savior in some way, right?” Mizuki continued, shaking off Ernesto’s grip as he looped his arm around yours. The Aegir was short but he showed a surprising amount of strength as he tugged you towards the streets. “Don’t be so sour. I’ll even buy you some snacks as repercussions for ruining your date!”
Oh fuck, now Mizuki is putting gas into the fire. You were now thinking that maybe this was a horrible idea as Ernesto inched his hand towards his sword. Before you could even try to diffuse the situation, a small voice made you freeze.
“Why don’t you guys just go to the beach?” The Liberi operator suggested. “Ch’en is currently fighting Jaye with fish and knives.”
You whipped around to La Pluma-real name Raphaella-as your savior as you broke free from Mizuki and Ernesto to hold your hand. “Raphaella! Of course all of us can go! This is our vacation after all!”
The soft-spoken girl blushed at your contact but didn’t stop you as you dragged her to the beach. You barely gave heed towards the two men, instead waving them behind your shoulder. “You two are welcome to join us!”
You didn’t look back at them, not wanting to incur more violence as Raphaella continued to be flustered.
You didn’t think that Raphaella was serious when she said Ch’en, an ex-Lungmen Official, was fighting Jaye in a fish deboning contest. But here you are, watching Ch’en and Jaye debone large tunas and sending them off to the seafood vendors. Both of them were neck and neck, ignoring the crowd of onlookers as they watched them.
“How long have they been going at this, Raphaella?” You asked her.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. As far as I know, they might debone every fish in Bolivar.”
You hummed, watching Ch’en flick the meat away and into a bowl of rising fish meat. “Who are you betting?”
She hummed. “Not sure... they’re both scary with sharp knives.”
You giggled, patting her arm and not noticing her blush. “Well, my money’s on Jaye. He knows how to handle sushi.”
She nodded, not even watching the competition as she glanced at your hand on her arm. “Right...”
Before you knew it, the timer soon rang out, the two competitors stabbing their knives on the cutting board. When looking at the bowls, it was inherently clear that Ch’en’s bowl was larger and more heavier even though Jaye’s bowl was already spilling fish meat. Everyone congratulated the choppers, as all of the seafood vendors picked up the bowls with much struggle. You saw some people exchange money as they must’ve betted on the experienced fish vendor.
You sighed out. “Ah, well I lost the bet.”
Raphaella blinked at you. “Were you betting something, Doctor?”
You giggled at her. “Just the satisfaction on being right. Don’t worry about it too much, Raphaella.”
She furrowed her brow. “S-Satisfaction?”
“Ah, Doctor.” Ch’en stated, her hands now clean from the fishy smell. You let go of Raphaella to clap your hands at her as she huffed amusedly at your display.
“Congrats on the win, Ch’en!” You congratulated. “I’m surprised you won against Jaye of all people!”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t really a competition. We just wanted to promote the seafood business.”
“Still, it’s surprising for you to accept it.” You remarked. You looked at her summer clothes, which is honestly just her jacket hiding her swimsuit underneath and her cap. She had gone so far from being a high-ranking Lungmen officer to fighting with Rhodes Island for her ideals to getting the most notorious Reunion member there was and now being another operator enjoying her vacation. The growth that Ch'en had gone through made you prouder than you realized, knowing that she abandoned her anti-Infected ideas for the sake of the truth.
She really has grown.
"What's with that face, Doctor?" Ch'en teased, pointing at your dopey smile. "Are you that fascinated with my knife skills?"
And with her growth definitely comes her more lax persona. You rolled your eyes. "Oh yes, I am incredibly swayed by how effortlessly you slashed the meat off the bones."
It was now her turn to roll her eyes. "Remind me to take Jaye's spot as resident sushi chef, then."
As you were teasing with Ch'en, you nearly didn't notice Raphaella's crestfallen expression. You immediately looked at her, concern in your eyes. "Raphaella? Are you okay?"
She immediately perked back up, shaking her head with a blush on her cheeks. "Y-Yes, I'm fine...!"
You raised a brow. Sure, Raphaella was a bit lost in the head but never this flighty. "Are you sure? Is the sun getting to you?"
She shook her head quickly. "I'm fine! P-Please enjoy your vacation!"
Before you could stop her, she quickly sidestepped from your touch and ran away. She went out of your sight so fast that you gawked at how fast she ran.
Ch'en grabbed your shoulder, turning you away from where Raphaella ran as she grinned. "C'mon. There's a huge bonfire lighting up soon and Amiya wants us there."
You raised a brow. "Bonfire? Are you sure Ifrit or Eyja aren't around the vicinity?"
She huffed amusedly, rubbing the back of your head amicably. "Amiya's got it handled. After all, we won't have a lot of vacations after this, so we should make the most of it."
You rolled your eyes but letting her lead you to where the bonfire was. "Easy for you to say. I'm always holed up in my office waiting for the next exciting thing to happen to me."
"Then consider this party the best exciting thing that's been given to you." Ch'en said. You stared at her, not expecting those words to come out from her mouth. This is your serious elite operator, looking down on her enemies as if they aren't worth showing her blade. And yet, here she was, laughing and joking as if she didn't commit a nationwide attack on a city.
The setting sun casted its lasting light on the beach, painting the sky with orange and purple as stars soon speckled the sky. The light highlighted Ch’en’s features, almost as if the sun itself was basking in the growth of Ch’en. The sight of her being so carefree and unguarded further made you happier.
“Lead the way.” You said with a smile and you couldn’t be any more happier when Ch’en smiled back.
As night fell and the stars blanketed the sky, the orange light of the gigantic bonfire met your vision. Familiar faces of Rhodes Island surrounded the bonfire, eating and socializing with others without anything stopping them. Ifrit was still manning the barbecue but this time, Magallan was with her. Her drones shaved the ice into bowls as another drone squirted syrup. One drone also had a can of tuna and sprinkled the canned fish on the ice.
Seeing the rest of the Bolivar operators hanging about (and no longer acting strangely), you sighed out in relief. Feeling a hand poke your back, you turned to see Amiya with a small smile on her face.
“Doctor, here’s some shaved ice.” She said, holding a cup of shaved ice that thankfully was normal. “You look like you’re having fun.”
“I could say the same to you.” You replied, looking at how relaxed she looks. Her summer clothes fitted her nicely as her straw hat covered her head with her ears poking out from the holes. You took the cup from her, thanking her as the both of you looked at the bonfire.
“We’ve truly gone so far, have we, Amiya?” You muttered amidst the fire crackling and people chattering.
She nodded. “Indeed. I never would have thought enjoying the beach with you after everything we’ve done.”
You hummed, fiddling with the cup. “Feels like we don’t deserve it, don’t we?”
Amiya didn’t say anything, opting to mull her words for the bittersweet conversation. “It’s not the matter that we deserve this vacation, Doctor. It’s the matter that we’ve only earned this brief respite after everything that we’ve been through.”
You turned to her, watching her eyes light up against the fire. Despite her being so small, she was just as mature as any other adult. “There is no guarantee that our fight will be over soon, just the same as there will be no guarantee that we will live to see when it will end.”
“But I believe that we should enjoy this moment right now.” She said with a tone of finality, looking at you with a smile on her face. “After all, none of this would’ve happened if it wasn’t for you.”
“So thank you, Doctor.”
Your smile was practically too wide now, almost wobbling from the onslaught of emotions Amiya’s words were. You looked away from her, shoving shaved ice into your mouth. “You...! Stop using your empath powers on me!”
She giggled. “I’m not, Doctor. You’re just too sentimental.”
You huffed, swallowing the rest of the shaved ice as you lightly glared at her. “No I’m not.”
She giggled once more, stepping closer to you that she could bump her shoulder against you. “Whatever you say.”
A sharp whistle stopped you two. Looking up, you saw the telltale signs of fireworks shooting up in the air before exploding in a colorful array of colors. The onlookers stood in awe at the sight, cheering once more from the celebration of Dossoles Warrior Champion event. The rest of your operators stood and watched, while the others raised their own sparklers to join in on the celebration.
“Happy Second Anniversary, Doctor!”