Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“No…”

Robin couldn’t even say it. The words were utterly foreign to her. The sentence felt wrong somehow, in a way she hardly ever imagined.

“No… work…?”

She half-expected Amiya to pull the rug out from under her. To tell the Anaty that she was only joking, and then send her off to do another assignment.

But then something even worse happened.

Amiya actually nodded.

“That’s right,” said Amiya, who smiled warmly as she tapped away at her terminal. “There’s no work assigned for you today. So, feel free to unwind however you like.”

Robin wrung her paws together, unable to shake the frown from her face, or the sinking feeling from her bosom. “I don’t understand… why don’t I have work today? I have work every day,” she explained, and she suddenly felt strange having to explain to Amiya of all people what her own schedule was like. “Am I in trouble, or…?”

“Trouble? No, no!” Amiya laughed nervously, and she rubbed the back of her neck. “There’s a note from the Doctor that today’s your birthday? I had almost completely forgotten… ah, happy birthday, Robin!”

“A-ah…” The raccoon girl shuffled with visible discomfort. “Th-thank you, Amiya, b-but…”

“So yes, feel free to enjoy your day off,” the Cautus told her, “you’ve been on Rhodes Island for quite some time now, isn’t that right? Gosh, how time flies… We’re grateful to have you and likewise grateful that you’ve stayed with us for as long as you have.”

Robin said nothing. She simply stared straight ahead. It was a long-enough lull that Amiya felt compelled to ask about it.

“Is everything alright?”

Robin took a deep breath. “I’ve never had a day off before.”

Amiya blinked. “...eh?”

“Mm…” Robin simply nodded. “Never. So… I don’t know. It feels strange to just… be told I don’t have anything to do, or that needs doing…”

“Hang on a moment,” said Amiya, “you’ve been working every single day since you’ve been on the ship?”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin gave a wobbly, anxious smile. “And before coming to Rhodes Island, I would work all sorts of jobs… every single day. You know why,” she went on to say. “And if I wasn’t actively working, I was trying to find work, or helping someone, or researching something, or…” The Anaty trailed off before clearing her throat. “So, this is a little new to me. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” Amiya winced, feeling a pang of sympathy run through her smaller frame. “Robin, what do you want to do today?”

Robin’s answer was immediate. “Work?”

“Besides work.”

“Do you need me to do anything for you today?” Her responses were downright automatic, almost robotic. “Or does Doctor need a task to be completed? Maybe… Dr. Kal’tsit needs—”

“No, no, no!” Amiya made a big X with her arms, crossing them over her chest. “Robin, take the day off!”

“But what am I supposed to do?”

“Anything that you want! It’s your birthday!”

“What if I want to work?” Robin retorted.

“Denied!”

“Wha…? But you just said…!”

“Come on, Robin, don’t overthink it! Isn’t there something you’ve always wanted to do? Anything at all?”

Robin tapped a dark digit against her chin, looking introspective. She searched deep within herself. Something she’d always wanted to do? Something she’d always wanted to do…

She supposed she’d better come up with a few ideas…

Chapter Text

Special accommodations had to be made for operator Mountain — real name Anthony Simon — on account of the man’s sheer size. He was bigger than big: he was huge, he was hulking, he was mountainous like his namesake.

Much to Closure’s chagrin, it was Mountain’s dorm room door that oftentimes gave her the most trouble: it broke down constantly on account of it being double the size of all the other pneumatic doors aboard the landship. Eventually, she’d opted to scrap the entire “goddamned automatic door thing” and she just gave Mountain a normal door unlike the others on the ship. It had a knob, a peephole, and even a custom-made knocker that looked like a fist.

Honestly, that was his favorite part of the entire ordeal.

Robin reached up and grabbed the knocker, firmly and steadily tapping it against the plain door before her. After a few seconds, Mountain’s voice fills her ears and the rest of the hallway to her sides.

“One moment, please.”

Robin smiled anxiously, and she shuffled in place while the heavy footsteps came closer and closer. Eventually, her waiting was rewarded, and the door opened to reveal about eighty percent of the man she’d come to know as Anthony Simon, prior to her tenure here with Rhodes Island. Almost immediately, Mountain crouched down beneath the door frame, and he looked at Robin with equal parts interest and worry.

“Good morning, Robin.” For a man as big as he was, his voice could be soft and steady. Powerful, but not stifling. Not unless he needed it to be. Robin rubbed her arm; the anxiousness didn’t fade when Mountain approached her. In fact, like his door, it nearly doubled.

“Hi Anthony,” Robin mumbled, “sorry to bother you.”

“It’s not a bother at all. It’s never a bother,” he assured her, raising his hand in greeting. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh. Umm… I was wondering—”

“Are you alright?”

“—if you—huh? Oh, yeah, I’m—”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t—did I interrupt? It was not my intent to—”

“I’m fine, I just—what did you say?”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” he repeated.

“Oh. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I just thought…”

“You don’t have to apologize, Robin.”

“Was there something you wanted to say?”

“Did you want to go first?” Robin gulped.

“No, no, you can go ahead.”

“Okay.” Robin held her hands together. “Are you busy tonight?”

“This evening? No, I’ve got no plans. My schedule is clear if you’ve got something in mind…” He raised his eyebrow; he almost looked at her sternly.

“Ah. Good…!” She perked up slightly. “I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie together tonight.”

“A movie?” Mountain perked up himself, almost smacking his forehead into the top of the door frame. “Which movie?”

“One of my favorites,” Robin told him, “it’s an action movie. There are some sad parts too, but… well, it’s not a sad movie. There’s a lot of fighting…~”

Mountain smirked. “You sound eager. Well, it’s been so long since I’ve sat down to watch a film. And I do like fighting.”

“I know.” Robin wrung her hands together, gulping down her worries. “Maybe… eleven o’clock? I could come back here, and bring the movie myself…”

“Eleven?” Mountain hummed. “That’s a little later than I expected.”

“Sorry. I’m—should I change the time?”

“No, no… eleven o’clock is perfectly fine with me if you’d like it to be.”

“Okay. Good. Great…!” Robin sighed with relief. “Thank goodness…”

“Are you certain that nothing is wrong,” Mountain asked her, “you seem a little distracted? Or perhaps busy is the right word here.”

“Ah, it’s just… I’m trying to fit as much into today as I possibly can,” she explained, “and I’d like to do everything I’ve wanted to do… but just haven’t had the time.”

“How responsible!” Mountain chuckled. “So I’m the last thing you want to do today?”

“H-huh…? Oh… ah…”

Her cheeks grew red, and she looked down at the floor in silence. Mountain was compelled to speak in the lull between them.

“Robin? Are you okay? Do you need some water?”

“Ehh… I don’t think you realized what you said, that’s all,” she mumbled.

“What?” Mountain rubbed the back of his neck. “What did I say?”

“N-nevermind… just…” She cleared her throat. “You’re my last stop today, so… Thank you for agreeing to spend time with me, that’s all.”

“Of course,” he assured her, gently, “it’s my pleasure, Robin. And, if you don’t mind my asking…” He paused. “What is the occasion for all of this?”

“Occasion? Oh, umm…” Robin brought her gaze back up to the Feline’s face like she was searching for something in his eyes. “It’s my birthday, that’s all.”

“It’s your birthday?” Mountain’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh. Oh, Robin… I had no idea. If I’d known, maybe I would have…”

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” She smiled at him earnestly. “I thought I was going to work today. But I have a day off, so… I want to have fun.”

“With me?”

“W-with… everything on my list.”

“Your list?”

“Do you want to… see?”

“Show me.”

Robin reached into her back pocket, and she pulled out a folded piece of paper for Mountain to pore over.

“I don’t need my reading glasses?”

Robin grinned. “It’s not a long list.” She felt the low rumble of Mountain’s chuckling pass through her own body, up until he had paused with the very first item on the list.

“Number one,” he said aloud, “shoot a cool gun.”

Mountain looked from the paper in his gargantuan hand, to Robin’s tiny flustered face.

“Shoot a cool gun?” He repeated himself.

“Mm-hmm. I wanna shoot a really cool gun,” she announced, “like… like I’m in a movie. Have you ever seen Heaven’s Devils? There is a character in that movie—they made a movie, umm, but it was a show, first. From Higashi. It had seven seasons,” she clarified, “but in the movie, there’s a character named Seraphiel, and she’s a Sankta.” She paused. “From Laterano.”

“Mm-hmm.” Mountain nodded. “Yes, Sankta are in fact from Laterano.”

“And she has a really cool gun,” Robin specified.

“I’d gathered that much,” he teased.

“She shoots people with her cool gun.” Robin gestured like she had a pistol in her hand. “When she shoots you, she sends you to another galaxy.”

“Okay… Well, let’s hope there’s nothing like that here on Rhodes Island.” Mountain tapped a monstrous finger against his chin. “If it’s firearms you seek, I suppose you could try… asking a Sankta? Or perhaps checking in with the shooting gallery here on Rhodes Island. Of course, I’m sure I don’t need to be the one to tell you just how dangerous firearms are, Robin. And I’m fairly certain you need to be licensed or certified to even hold one. Then there’s the risk factor; the Originium and the catalyzing component…” He trailed off.

“It’s never as cool as in the movies,” Robin lamented.

“Of course not. This is real life.”

He paused.

“Well… I suppose you’d best get a move-on, then. Please be careful, Robin. I would hate to have to spend our date picking Originium shards out of you,” he told her, and he watched the smaller woman stiffen in place before shuddering.

“D-d-d-date?” Robin stammered.

“I was just teasing you, don’t worry!” He laughed again, and Robin could have sworn that the wall behind her just shook. “I’ll leave you to it, Robin. You’d better get a move on if you want to accomplish everything on this list.” He gives the paper back to her, and she takes it with shaking fingers. “Good luck, have fun, and please take care of yourself. I’ll see you tonight, Robin. And… May you have a happy birthday.”

“Thankyouverymuchanthony,” she murmured, turning and leaving before he’d even closed the door. It was only when she heard it shut behind her did she pinch the bridge of her nose, and she exhaled excitedly.

“Stupid,” she muttered to herself, “I really tried to kill that guy. Stupid, stupid, stupid…”

Chapter Text

“You want me to do what?”

“Please give me a gun.”

Operator Pinecone — real name Mina — was fucking flabbergasted.

She’d known Robin for approximately eleven months, and in that timespan, she could count the number of times that she’d hung out with the Anaty woman on just one hand. Now here she was, throwing out words like “gun” and “please” and “give” and “me,” like she was some kind of ballistics instructor and not a construction worker.

“Umm…” Pinecone tilted her head to the side, staring headlong at Robin. “I have questions if you don’t mind. Like, um, why do you think I have a gun?”

“You have your nail gun?” Robin smiled anxiously, suddenly feeling foolish for asking in the first place. “I thought you might have something for me to try, is all.”

“Eh…?!”

The two were standing in one of Rhodes Island’s engineering rooms. Pinecone was all by her lonesome until Robin had arrived, something that the raccoon girl thought was odd from the outset. According to Pinecone, she’d been tasked with helping Blemishine and Mudrock build “something”, but she spaced out for more than a few minutes. When Mina snapped back to reality, both Blemishine and Mudrock had left.

Robin had expressed her condolences, but Mina didn’t seem to mind. She let her imagination roam in her solitude. The Liberi’s notebook was full of doodles and schematics, plans and ideas, and project goals.

Nothing that even came close to resembling a gun, however.

“Robin…” Mina waggled her finger, pouting up at the taller woman. “My nail gun isn’t a toy. If you’re not careful, you could really get hurt… I can let you use it, though. But I’ll be supervising you. What did you want to build?”

“I don’t want to build anything,” Robin admitted, “I just wanted to shoot a really cool gun. And I thought… well… your nail gun was pretty cool.”

“It is pretty cool,” Mina conceded.

. . .

. . .

“But hey,” she continued, more animated than she was before, “it’s not a toy…!”

“I know. I promise I’ll be careful,” said Robin, “but this is just something I want to do today while I have the time. I’ve asked a few Sankta on the ship, and all of them told me no. They wouldn’t let me use their own guns.”

“Mm…” Mina stared up at the ceiling, at nothing in particular, as she prattled off. “A Sankta’s firearm is a sacred thing, Robin… They gotta be treated with respect, ya know? So I understand why they wouldn’t let you hold them.”

“That means you’re my only hope…!”

Robin took a step towards Mina, surprising the little Liberi. “I only need to fire it once. I promise I’ll be respectful of your nail gun… Mina.”

“Ehhhh…? Why do you wanna shoot a gun so badly?”

“I told you… it’s on my list. The first thing on my list today.”

Mina blinked. “Like a job list?”

Robin shook her head. “A… a birthday list.”

“Birthday?” Mina’s eyes went wide with wonder. “Wait… today is your birthday?”

“Yes,” Robin mumbled.

“Oh…”

. . .

. . .

“Hey,” said Mina, “happy birthday, Robin.”

“Th-thank you.” Robin pushed her pointer fingers together, fidgeting with her little black paws. “It’s strange… telling others that it’s my birthday. To be honest, I would rather be at work than goofing off like this. It feels like I’m doing something bad. But… Amiya told me I had to take the day off. So… here I am.”

“So here you are…” Mina nodded in understanding. “Aw, Robin. You work so hard. A day off is nice every once in a while. Keeps you refreshed, ya know? In my father’s company, guys were taking days off all the time. It was a problem for a little while, but once they came back… they could build up sheds and houses like nobody’s business. Refreshment is nice.” She smiled up at Robin. “Do you worry about being burned out?”

“Burned out?” Robin winced at the phrase. “I used to worry about that… before Rhodes Island. But I had to work every single day — I had to. I got used to it. Getting paid feels nice… for a job well done.”

Mina hummed. She looked around for a spell, before spotting a couple of large wooden crates. Then she looked back at Robin and kept her radiant smile. “C’mon, let’s sit for a bit.”

She didn’t wait for a response. Mina simply turned and walked off, and she planted herself atop the smaller of the two wooden crates, before patting the surface of the one beside her: a nonverbal request for Robin to come and join her.

Robin pouted, but there was no protesting. She simply walked over, and she joined little Mina in sitting down. Then the little birdie spoke up again.

“My father used to call this, takin’ a load off,” said Mina, smiling down at her feet while she swung them. “As we say, it’s important to take a breather now and then. If you work all the time… sooner or later you’re gonna break down. Like a machine that’s on all the time, ya know?”

“I guess so,” Robin mumbled. “I’m just not used to it, I guess.”

“Why not?” Mina shot back.

“Why not?” Robin sighed. “I’ve had to support my family for a long time. It’s real complicated. Taking a break usually meant problems. Less money. And we needed it.”

“Do you… wanna talk about it?” Mina asked.

“Not really. Sorry.”

“Mm-mmm.” Mina shook her head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay. I just thought I would ask. If you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s perfectly fine…”

“Thank you.” Robin rubbed her arm, frowning as she stared in another direction. She suddenly realized just how tired she was, as she sat down here in the quiet. Surrounded by nothing but the rhythmic and idle churning of machinery, and the smell of oil.

“Back at Mansfield…” Mina began.

Robin bristled. “What about it?” Mina drummed a sluggish beat on her own lap.

“I could tell that something was… wrong. With you,” said Mina.

“Wrong with me?”

“Sorry. That’s not what I meant to say. I just meant to say… that I could tell you had a lot on your mind. That you were really tired, and sad. It made me feel really bad when I first saw you. I really wanted to give you a big hug. And tell you that everything was gonna be aces.”

“Really…?”

Mina nodded. “Mm-hmm. That’s something my father used to say. He used to say to not worry so much. ‘Cause everything was gonna be aces. And then he’d pat me on the head. And I would say, okay! And then I made a little windmill.”

“Pff… heh heh.” Robin rubbed the back of her neck, perking up slightly. “Your pops sounds like a wise guy.”

“He’s super wise. He said I got all my smarts from him,” Mina told her.

“What did you get from your mother?”

“My eyes. My feathers. And… this.”

Mina pointed to her own chest, and Robin gawked.

“Y-your…?”

“Mm-hmm. My mother had a big one, too.”

Robin gulped. “I s-see… well… that’s… good. A lot of guys, erm, like that sort of thing.”

“Guys like girls with big hearts?” asked Mina.

“...Oh. Oh…! Oh, you mean…!” Robin coughed into her fist, turning to hide her blush. “I—okay. Y-yes, guys like… girls with… BIG… hearts.”

“Ha ha ha~” Mina pressed her little hands together, suddenly vivacious in her demeanor. “Honestly? I don’t really care if I end up with a guy or a girl. I just wanna build a big big house and marry someone in it. And they gotta be okay with… letting me build whatever I wanna build. They can stay home if they want. Or work if they want. And I want kids. Ten of ‘em.”

“Ten?!” Robin recoiled as Mina giggled. “Why so many… that’s a lot of commitment!”

“I’m committed…” Mina reached up and she poked Robin on the nose. “Boop.”

“Huh…?” Robin didn’t move away. She simply stared, while Mina tilted her head and smiled in earnest.

“You’ve got a big one too, Robin…” She eyed the Anaty’s chest, cheeks reddening. “You work really hard. Please take care of yourself, okay? ‘Cause someone really loves you. And… and everything’s gonna be aces.”

Robin shuddered. She placed a hand over her own chest, just above her heart, and she trembled with… with something she didn’t even understand at the moment. She didn’t even know what she was feeling anymore. She only knew that she hadn’t expected any of this.

“Thanks for takin’ a load off with me,” Mina said, and she hopped off the wooden crate. “So, Robbie… wanna shoot some cool guns?”

The Anaty blinked. “Robbie?”

“Yeah. We’re best friends now,” Mina apparently decided, “and we gotta make up for lost time. Blemmy and Muddy are gonna miss out. ‘Cause we’re gonna shoot a cool gun together.”

“Ah ha ha… wow. I’d… I’d really like that, yeah,” Robin mumbled. “Thank you, Mina.”

Just then, Robin heard a beeping sound that took her off guard, and she watched as Mina checked her watch and silenced its alarm.

“Break time,” said Mina.

“Eh? Already…?!”

Chapter Text

“Remember, switching to your hammer is always faster than reloading…!”

Robin paid heed, dropping down from the stack of wooden boxes to the target down below. Rather than slide a fresh rack of nails into Pinecone’s nail gun, she opted to swing the hammer straight from her utility belt, utterly decimating the melon that she’d “borrowed” from the cafeteria. What follows is a tremendous burst, and the concrete has a healthy splash of red.

“Yes…!” Pinecone pumps her fist as Robin bounds through their little obstacle course. “Fresh rack!”

“Hmph!” Robin jams a fully-loaded magazine into the nail gun, and she vaults over an upturned wet floor sign. It only takes three quick pulls of the trigger and the pneumatic nail gun blasts out three more piercing “bullets”, jamming themselves deeply into the propped-up melons and knocking all of them to the ground.

“Sprint to the finish…!” Pinecone yelled aloud as Robin followed her instructions, watching as the Anaty hopped over tumbled steel beams and packets of concrete. “Three seconds!”

Robin huffed from the exertion, swinging her hammer to pummel through low-hanging fruit, and with only a second to spare, the raccoon girl who was taking this thing way too seriously had succeeded in slamming her palm flat against the makeshift button, whereupon an alarm began to ring, signaling the completion of the test.

“Yes! Waow!! Good job!!” Pinecone threw her arms up, eyes wide with excitement. “Master of the nail gun…!”

“Hah… hah…” Robin’s chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing, and she wiped the sweat from her chin. “You think so…?”

“That was amazing,” Pinecone praised, her fists trembling with excitement. “What do you think? Is that a cool gun or what?”

“It’s a very cool gun,” Robin assured, blowing the heated tip of the firearm to cool it down. “Thank you for letting me use it. That’s one thing off my list for today,” she said.

“Yesss~” Pinecone smiled, swinging her legs to and fro as she sat up on one of the wooden crates, here at one of Rhodes’ workshops. “What’s next on the list, Robbie?”

Robin took the list from her back pocket, steadying her heavy breathing as she did so.

“Mm… meet someone famous,” Robin mumbled.

“...eh?” Pinecone tilted her head to the side, staring straight at Robin from her spot on the crate. “Meet someone famous?”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin looked up from the sheet of paper, her eyes meeting the very confused expression that Pinecone was giving her. “I wanna meet someone famous.”

“Here on the ship?” Pinecone pursed her lips, and she tapped a little finger against her chin. “Are there famous people here?”

“More than a few,” said Robin, “but would any of them want to talk to me? I don’t know.”

“Well, you won’t know unless you try,” Pinecone reasoned. She hopped up off the wooden crate and checked her watch, humming quietly. “It’s almost time for my fourth break of the day… but you know, I had lots of fun hanging out with you, Robbie. I really hope we can do it more often.”

Robin couldn’t stop her tail from wagging if she tried. “Me too,” she mumbled, and she looked more than a bit flustered as she fidgeted with her little black paws. “I think I should take a quick shower before I try to find someone famous. I don’t want their first impression of me to be that I’m sweaty and smelly.”

“You smell fine,” Pinecone assured.

“I smell like oil and power tools, Mina.”

“Well, Iliketheway you smell…”

“Huh? Did you say something?”

Mina cleared her throat, and she shook her head. “Mm-mmm. Umm… can we hang out some more tomorrow? I may have a late birthday gift for you then.”

“You don’t have to get me anything,” Robin told her, “I got to shoot a cool gun, and I got to hang out with you, and that’s… already so much better than how my birthdays usually go. So…” Robin hugged herself. “Thank you… for spending time with me today, Mina.”

Pinecone — Mina — smiled back at Robin, giving her a thumbs-up. “Anytime, Robbie…! Let’s hang out soon, okay? Remember: everything is gonna be aces!”

“Everything is going to be aces.” Robin let out a chuckle, and she nodded in return. It’s only a minute later that Robin walked down the hallway adjacent to the Rhodes Island workshop, keen on a shower before she carved through the rest of her to-do list.

Unfortunately, things don’t always work out entirely as planned, especially when it came to something as simple as walking down a hallway here on Rhodes Island.

Lost in the labyrinth of her thoughts, Robin found that she’d bumped into someone and nearly bowled them over, her hefty chest wobbling from the impact. She stepped back in surprise, reaching out to try and help the operator who’d stumbled.

Robin winced. “Ah…! I’m s-sorry about that!”

“Yowch… hey, it’s alright! Are you okay?”

Sora straightened out her skirt, giving Robin a friendly and sympathetic smile. It took a few seconds for Robin to recognize the Lupo in this strange and surreal context, and without warning, she froze up with fear.

And god dammit, she was still sweaty and smelly.

Chapter Text

“Ahh… AAAHHHH…”

Robin took a step away. And then another, and then another.

She stepped away until her back was up against the wall, and as she shook and stammered, Sora couldn’t help but giggle with amusement.

“Oh, gosh… And here I thought I wouldn’t get reactions like that on Rhodes Island anymore!” The blonde Lupo shook her head and smiled sympathetically at Robin while taking a small step towards the flustered Anaty. “Hey, don’t worry about it! Yes, I’m that Sora,” she told her, “but right now, I’m just an operator working for Rhodes Island! Actually… I’m trying to find Dr. Silence. She’s supposed to be in one of these rooms, but I still get lost in here sometimes…”

“Y-you’re Sora,” Robin mumbled. Sora sighed.

“Yeah, I know!” Sora scratched her own chin with a gloved forefinger, and she reached out to take Robin’s hand. “It’s okay, I promise! Are you a fan of mine?”

“I am…” Robin gulped, and she looked around curiously. “Umm… s-security?”

“Huh? What about security?” asked Sora.

“You don’t… use security detail? You walk alone?”

“Oh, that’s what you meant,” said Sora, nodding as she gave Robin a charming little smile. “Well, when I’m on Rhodes Island, I don’t need security. There isn’t anything anyone can do to me that I can’t handle,” she assured, throwing in a wink for good measure.

“I see…” Robin looked pensive, having not considered such a thing.

“But when I’m traveling through Lungmen, I definitely have my security team with me at all times. You never know when someone’s going to try to mail you something sus,” said Sora, “or try to rush the crowd to get at you.”

“Mm-hmm.” Robin nodded. “I remember during one show, someone jumped off someone else’s head to springboard up to the suspended platform… and they tried to hurt you.”

“Yeah!” Sora beamed. “That was a great show! One of my security guys shoulder-charged that guy off the platform and back into the crowd!”

“Eh? I thought you’d be more worried about something like that,” Robin mused. To her surprise, however, Sora just laughed it off.

“I’ve been in this business for a while now,” she told Robin, “and so I know the kinds of things to expect. Sometimes people are crazy no matter what. All you can do is laugh it off, ‘cause if it stresses you out… then you get wrinkles.”

“Wrinkles, huh…” Robin looked down at her own paws, which were a little wrinkled themselves. “Umm… G-God, this is so weird… I never thought I’d be just TALKING to you. I love your music…” She suddenly felt meeker for having brought it up, even if Sora didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh yeah?” Sora put her hands on her hips, cocking them to the side. “Which song of mine is your fave?”

Robin was ready with her replies, even if she’d stammered as she explained herself. “I, umm, I like Big Bad Rocket and Large🔷Blue Diamond and Popcorn Inferno and Multiply & Conquer and songs like that…”

“Wow, I think you’re the first person to tell me to my face that you like Popcorn Inferno you know,” Sora joked, rubbing the back of her neck. “That song’s not as popular as anything recent that I’ve done.”

“That song was in one of my favorite movies. That’s how I discovered it, actually,” Robin revealed, pushing her pointer fingers together anxiously. “Umm… the movie’s called Monster from the Green Inferno.”

“Oh, sheesh!” Sora pinched the bridge of her nose. “I definitely remember that movie. The writer AND the director really wanted to use my song for a sex scene, I think? They were practically tripping over themselves trying to talk to my staff about it. I never watched the movie, though. They totally used my song in a sex scene, didn’t they?”

Robin gulped. Suddenly she regretted bringing this up with Sora herself. “Umm… that’s not why it’s my favorite m-movie. Just wanted to m-make that clear. But y-yes, they did, umm… use your song in that scene. The main characters, uhh…” She trailed off, her eyes darting this way and that. Once again, Sora couldn’t help but find the entire situation equal parts endearing and amusing.

“Hey, I’m just teasing! You’re turning so red… Do you want to stop talking about this?”

“I just…” Robin didn’t know what to do with her hands. She rubbed them together now; she couldn’t stop herself from fidgeting from the anxiety that Sora was steeping her in. “I really admire you; I just want to make sure I’m saying the right things.”

“You’re sweet,” Sora told her, reaching out and putting a hand on Robin’s shoulder. “It’s not every day that I get to meet a fan like this. Usually, I meet them after a show, when I just want to go home and chill out. Or… I meet them in public spaces with my agents and security being all jumpy and nervous. And the L.G.D. is usually involved, so…” Sora trailed off, before shaking her head. “But hey! Do you want to help me find Dr. Silence? We can talk and walk at the same time. Like in the movies?”

“Yeah!” Robin’s tail shook tremendously, and she couldn’t settle it down. “Y-yeah, sure! I’d love to help you find Dr. Silence… thank you!”

“Thank me for what?”

“For… spending time with me! I mean… you’re SORA!” Robin exclaimed.

“I know, I know! That’s the name I’ve got on my driver’s license,” she added with a laugh. “What’s your name?”

“Robin! I’m… I’m Robin. Hahhh…”

“Robin. That’s a nice name. Nice to meet y—”

“I-I’m 155 centimeters tall!” The Anaty blurted.

“O-oh. Umm, that’s—”

“I weigh 55 kilograms!” Robin confessed, her face red cherry red as she trembled.

“H-hey now, I don’t need to know all of—!”

“My blood type is—!”

Sora reached out and put her hands on Robin’s shoulders, giving the woman a stern shake. “Hey, Robin, calm down!”

“Aah!!”

“Calm down!!”

“AAHHH??” Robin nodded so fast that she almost gave herself a concussion. “OKAY! Okay! Okay…! I’m calm! I’m the calmest!”

“Deep breaths!”

Robin inhaled. Then she exhaled. Then she inhaled… and then… she exhaled…

“Okay?” Sora asked.

“Okay,” Robin mumbled.

“Okay! Good… You’re going to be fine, I promise! No freaking out, okay? I’m as normal as you are!”

“You’re spectacular,” Robin praised, “you’re so talented, and your voice is so…!”

“Robin! Chill out!” Sora reached out and placed her hands over Robin’s cheeks, holding the other woman’s face gently. “Easy does it! I need your help finding Dr. Silence, and you can’t help me if you pass out!”

“Right…!” Robin nodded again, a lot slower this time, as she reached up and wrapped her hands around Sora’s wrists. “Phew… I’m… I’m good this time. I’m good…”

“Are you sure?” Sora asked, and she raised an eyebrow at the bewildered raccoon woman.

“I’m sure,” Robin whispered, “I’m… I’m just fine…”

Sora tilted her head to the side and beamed, flashing Robin her pearly-white and dazzling smile. “Yay, that’s good! Now, are we gonna find Dr. Silence or what?”

“Did someone say Dr. Silence?”

Sora and Robin turned their heads, just in time to see the woman in question approach from the other end of the hall. Dr. Olivia Silence took slow and uneven steps, looking somewhat dazed as if she’d only just woken up. She had a clipboard in her hands, trying to blink herself awake, and she greeted both Sora and Robin with a tired and quizzical expression.

“Oh… Am I interrupting some kind of romantic rendezvous?”

“R-romantic…?” Sora gulped. She took her hands off of Robin’s cheeks, leaving the Anaty shy and stammering. “N-no! I was just trying to calm her down!”

“Really now…” Silence scoffed with delight. “I suppose what you get up to in the halls of Rhodes Island is none of my business, Sora, but there’s work to be done. You can save your advances for when we conclude our study.”

“I said nothing romantic was happening!” Sora put her hands up defensively, shaking them with embarrassment. She looked to Robin for help. “Hey, tell her the truth! We weren’t about to kiss, or anything like that!”

Robin said nothing. She simply hovered her hands over her own cheeks, blushing beet red as her tail wagged with a furious ecstasy.

Sora… touched my cheeks… She thought to herself.

I’m NEVER washing these cheeks again…!

Chapter Text

Robin followed Sora and Silence in… well, silence.

The flustered Anaty walked behind them, lost in the sea of her thoughts while the two spoke on something regarding Arts resonance and aural healing and the like. It had to do with Sora’s music; the idol’s vocal patterns were special, and she used her Arts to heal or inspire those who would listen to her songs and hymns.

Robin didn’t really understand the science behind it. All she knew was that Sora had touched her. She had met someone famous, and that was another check off her to-do list!

Hah… how lucky… I can’t believe I got to see Sora, she internally remarked. From there, she thought about just how odd it was that Rhodes Island employed such a diverse and impressive bunch of people. The pharmaceutical company certainly had its work cut out for it.

“...it’s going to take at least all day,” Silence continued, still engaged in her topic of discussion with Sora. “I trust that it won’t be an issue?”

“Not at all,” Sora replied, smiling at the Liberi beside her and giving a thumbs-up. “Let’s do it! I became an idol to help people, so if this means that I can help people all over the world… then I’m 100% on board. No matter what it takes.”

“I’m elated to hear that,” said Silence, and she adjusted her frames while she looked back at Robin. “And you?”

“H-huh?” Robin snapped up as she walked, eyes wide. “What…?”

“You seem more lost than me,” said Silence, flashing Robin the gentlest of smiles. “How has Rhodes Island been treating you, Robin? We’ve spoken more than a few times in light of the Mansfield Incident,” she added, prompting Robin to wince again, “but I like to be sure that everything is working out just fine.”

“It’s good,” Robin mumbled, rubbing her arm meekly. It’s a gesture that Silence immediately focused on, narrowing her eyes.

“Is it? Perhaps it’s not my place to say, but you seem as though something’s been bothering you. Has anyone been giving you trouble?”

“No,” said Robin. “Actually…”

“Yes?” Silence perked up, her entire body seeming to swell up as she stopped and turned to look at Robin. Sora, too, stopped in her tracks. “Feel free to share your troubles, Robin. After all, it was through my recommendation that you make yourself at home here on Rhodes Island. So if something’s the matter,” she said, “then I’m really keen to—”

“I’ve been given a day off,” said Robin.

Silence blinked. “Oh. Congratulations.”

“Mm… I’ve never had a day off before,” Robin confessed, surprising both Silence and Sora as they stood side by side.

“Not once?” Silence asked. Robin shook her head.

“You’ve never had a day off?!” Sora gawked. “How’s that even possible?”

Robin shrugged. “I… we couldn’t afford to…” She trailed off, before sighing. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worrying about it,” Silence snapped. Robin frowned again, feeling as though she’d somehow done something wrong. “There are many reasons why taking a break is important to your overall productivity and efficiency. Did you want me to illuminate them for you? I’m more than a little surprised that Rhodes Island itself hasn’t seen fit to give you a single day off until today. That’s… gravely concerning, if I may be so frank.”

Sora smiled sheepishly and put a hand on Silence’s shoulder. “Hey now, I’m sure Rhodes Island didn’t mean it!”

“They didn’t,” Robin chimed in, “I could have mentioned it to them… but I didn’t. I also kept on taking more assignments from them, even if they would sometimes overlap. I’m just used to working all the time on something, that’s all…”

“Hmph.” Silence pushed up her glasses, eyes narrowing at Robin. “It would be a great benefit to yourself, and to others, if you took it easy every now and then. It’s much less favorable to overwork you to the bone. To watch helplessly as you collapse under the strain.”

“Helplessly?” Robin did a double-take.

“I can’t be everywhere at once, Robin. I can only try, and to that end, I have my drones placed strategically around the landship. But,” she paused, “if you need me to speak with Amiya about cutting your hours, or—”

“N-no, that’s fine!” Robin frowned again. “Please don’t worry about me, Dr. Silence.”

But Silence didn’t budge. “I feel at least a little bit responsible for your wellbeing, is all. I may not be your primary care provider, but you’re indispensable to Rhodes Island, and to me. So… in a few short words: take breaks from now on. Alright?”

“Alright.” Robin gulped, wondering just where that had come from. Even Sora seemed a bit taken aback by Silence’s response, and the lull between them is enough to make the Liberi straighten her labcoat with a sleepy sigh.

“I’ve seen too many people — good and responsible colleagues — crack under the pressure. Not everyone is unbreakable. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Message received!” Sora tried to lighten the mood by saluting, keeping her playful smile. Robin gives Silence a reassuring nod, and the trio continued their walk down the hall.

“I used to be close with someone who had your mindset,” Silence told Robin, now walking directly beside the worried Anaty. “Someone who put all of their focus into work. Someone who never had time for themselves. She thought herself unbreakable.”

“Oh…” Robin felt as though she’d set off a landmine, somehow. “What… happened?”

Silence’s answer was immediate. “She cracked. And I had to pick up her fragments.”

With a swipe of her key card, Silence opened the door in front of her.

“So, if at all possible, I’d like to keep others from cracking. I hope you don’t mind, Robin, but I believe it would be a great help to you if I were to check in from time to time.”

“I don’t mind…” Robin bowed her head gratefully. “Th-thank you, Dr. Silence…”

“Hmm. You’re not my patient, nor are you my coworker. We have no present business together. Perhaps you should enjoy the luxury of referring to me as… Olivia.”

“Olivia…” Robin brightened up at the suggestion. “You don’t mind if I call you by your first name? That sounds awfully personal, Doc—I mean, Olivia.” She watched as the Liberi gave her a warm and sleepy smile, nodding with something like grace or clemency. Suddenly, she really wanted to become one of Olivia’s patients.

“Can I call you Olivia too?” Sora asked.

Olivia’s expression changed completely when she looked at Sora. “No.” She motioned to the testing room. “Get in and put that scary-looking thing on your head. Robin, dear, you may watch.”

“Scary-looking thing?” Sora laughed. “What scary-looking thing…?”

“Within this room is a device that I will use to simultaneously measure the frequency of your tone, as well as the effect your Arts is having on the nearby structures and testing implements. What’s more, it can even keep track of the level of Origninum inside your body.”

“Oh, wow! That sounds… cool!”

“Yes. I agree. And it looks like a microwave and you’re going to put it on your head.”

“Oh.”

Chapter Text

Robin turned over the card in her hand, catching the golden sheen off its surface when she tilted it in the light. It read:

OLIVIA SILENCE

ORIGINIUM RESEARCH & BATTLEFIELD TREATMENT

CONSULTATIONS

On the other side of the card was the relevant contact information, and when Robin turned it over, she realized then that her fingers were trembling.

“Um…” She gulped. “Thank you…”

Silence didn’t consider it a very big deal. Her expression remained utterly neutral, even as she adjusted her frames. “It’s no trouble at all, Robin,” she told the Anaty. “I am here to provide assistance whenever you need it. As mentioned before, I am not your primary healthcare provider here on Rhodes Island, nor are you affiliated with any departments that I am. If I am not busy, or asleep, then I would like to be an avenue for you.”

“An avenue…” Robin paused. “F-for what?”

“For anything you need.”

There’s that smile again. Light, faint, and fleeting. It disappears the very next moment that Sora speaks again.

“Dr. Silence?” The blonde Lupo whined, and Robin once again turned to one of her favorite musicians while all manner of wires and apparatus were plugged into her bulky-looking headpiece. “How much longer do I need to wear this thing? It’s so heavy!”

“Not much longer now, Sora,” Silence told her, jotting something down on her clipboard. “Robin, if you don’t mind my asking, why were you and Sora caught in an intimate embrace?”

“We weren’t being intimate!” Sora exclaimed. “I was calming her down!”

“It’s true.” Robin smiled sheepishly. “I was… having a fan moment, that’s all.”

“A fan moment?” Silence raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean to say that you’re a fan of her music. Yes, well, that’s understandable. Sora is quite remarkable, and to have her as an asset of Rhodes Island is really something special. I only wish she’d stop complaining and continue helping to further Originium and Arts research without grumbling about this or that.”

“You try wearing this thing for more than five minutes…!” Sora sighed, reaching up and palming the microwave-shaped contraption that had been clasped to her head. “I feel like a mecha.”

“Mecha…” Robin mumbled to herself, pulling out the to-do list from her back pocket and giving it another look-over. As she suspected, the next step in her itinerary had something to do with mecha — if only tangentially.

“What have you got there, Robin?” Silence asked her.

“My to-do list,” replied the raccoon girl.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to be working today?”

“It’s my… ahh… my birthday to-do list. So that I may enjoy myself,” Robin clarified.

“Your birthday to-do list? Wait just a moment… Do you mean to say that today is your birthday?” The Liberi’s eyes widened, leaning in just a little bit closer.

“Yyyyyesssss…”

Sora threw up her arms—

“HAPPY BIRTHDAYYY!”

—and then immediately regretted it.

The sudden shift in weight caused Sora, still wearing an oversized appliance on her head, to tip over and fall with a horrible CRASH!

Silence’s sigh is somehow louder than Sora’s frightened yelp, and Robin winces as Lungmen’s favorite idol shakes and waves her arms frantically, pinned to the floor by the sheer weight of the machine on her cranium.

“Happy birthday, Robin,” Silence told her, “I suppose that explains the day off.”

“Mm-hmm. Amiya really wants me to enjoy myself. So… I’m spending the day doing all sorts of things that I’ve always wanted to do, since coming to Rhodes Island. Just… as a treat to myself,” she confessed.

“Really? That sounds incredible. What have you done so far? If you don’t mind sharing, that is,” said Silence.

Robin looked down at the paper in her hands. “Number one: shoot a really cool gun.”

“Did you shoot a really cool gun, Robin?”

“I did. I really did.”

“Congratulations on shooting your very cool gun.”

“Thank you!” She read the next item on the list. “Number two: meet someone famous. And I did that too,” Robin said proudly. “I met someone famous.”

“Ah…!” Silence bowed her head. “You’re welcome. I’m happy to have made a contribution to your list.”

“Oh. Um. Actually, I was talking about—!”

Hmm. Nope. Better not mention it.

“So what is the next thing on your list?” Silence asked. Even she was more than a little curious now.

“Number three: visit the Convalescence Garden.”

“The Convalescence Garden is wonderful,” Silence told her, looking suddenly wistful. “Every now and then I like to take a stroll through. Enjoy the scents and the scenery. Lena and Podenco have done a stellar job. If you’ve yet to visit the Convalescence Garden in all your time here on Rhodes Island… you absolutely must make the trip.”

Robin smiled widely. “That’s the plan…! I think I should head on over now, while I have the chance. The more things I can finish on this list, the better.”

“Very well. In that case, I hope you have a pleasant rest of your day, Robin. Thank you for gracing us with your time.” Silence bowed her head again, and at that moment…

…

…

…she fell asleep.

Robin was taken aback. “Oh. Er… Goodnight, Olivia.”

“Wait!” Sora flung her arms this way and that, still thrashing on the ground. “Help me up before you go! Get this freakin’ trap off of my head!”

Chapter Text

“Welcome to the Convalescence Garden!”

Podenco smiled warmly at the garden’s new entrant, who looked around with wonder and astonishment at all of the various flowers and arrangements that the zone had to offer.

It was always a delight to witness a newbie’s first time in the aforementioned garden. It filled Podenco with warmth and glee to watch as first-timers and even regulars enjoyed the fruits of her and Lena’s labor. The multicolored array of flora; the polished benches and little knickknacks available for purchase, to say nothing of the other indulgences they’d been able to secure with the administration’s permission.

“First time in the garden?” The Perro didn’t need to ask, but she did so regardless. Comfort and serenity were at the forefront here. They were a part of the core experience.

“W-whoa… this is… whoa…”

Robin’s eyes were wide with whimsy. Everywhere she looked, she bore witness to another collection of vibrant flowers and sweet-smelling plants. Presently, she stood at the main entrance to the Convalescence Garden, a part of the Rhodes Island landship that she’d never visited in all her time here. It had been a whopping seven seconds, but she already wished she’d come here sooner.

“This looks incredible,” Robin remarked, looking from a cluster of carmines to Podenco’s gleeful grin. “I… have never been here before. It looks amazing… and everything smells so nice…”

Podenco giggled. “Aww, you haven’t even seen the good stuff yet! If this is your first time here, you’re in for a treat!” Podenco bowed gratefully from her spot beside the counter, while another staffer managed the front desk. “Would you like a tour of the garden, or did you want to explore on your own?”

“A tour sounds nice…” Robin pressed her paws together, sighing with relief. “That smell… makes me feel so…”

“Relaxed? Comfortable? Happy?” Podenco nodded in understanding. “Here at the Convalescence Garden, we specialize in everything that has to do with the plants and flowers that we’ve personally cultivated, using the seeds and starter kits that we’ve gathered from everywhere that Rhodes Island docks. In addition, we also receive a regular supply of grains and materials from our vendors. That aroma isn’t going away anytime soon, so enjoy it as much as you need to!”

“Wow…” Robin lay a hand over her chest, feeling her cheeks grow warmer the more that she took in that aroma. It was a foreign sensation — feeling so joyful and so relaxed with no discernible source — but she suspected that she would get used to it soon. “It must take a lot to keep a place like this running…”

Podenco nodded eagerly. “Well, it does, but it’s all worth it in the end! Comfort and relaxation are super important here at the Garden, but… it’s not just those two things that we focus on, you know? Some operators and staff members here on Rhodes Island rely on a place like this as part of their rehabilitation and their medical treatment.”

“Really? Ah… I guess that makes sense,” Robin reasoned. No doubt the Garden was full of a great deal many plants and minerals that some operators used to calm their nerves or strengthen their muscles or things like that. Robin didn’t really understand the science behind it — all she knew was that this place smelled damn good, and she could see herself spending an entire day in just this part of the ship.

Podenco walked over to the double doors that separated the lobby from the rest of the Garden, and she pushed one of the doors open so that Robin could go through. “Ready for your tour? I’m eager to show you what we have to offer!”

“I’m ready,” Robin announced, and she moved through the open door with a large smile plastered on her face. Almost immediately that Robin walked into the greater Convalescence Garden did she feel like she’d entered a vibrant new world — one with an aroma so sweet, so potent, and yet so relieving that she knew she could stay in here forever if she wasn’t careful.

On either side of the double doors were planted columns of daisies and asters and marigolds, lined up side-to-side like soldiers standing at attention for Robin’s arrival. Hanging overhead were ornamental grape-colored hyacinths and sage flowers too, and a cursory glance upward showed Robin that the ceiling of the Garden itself was translucent — the eggshell-colored see-through ceiling bore shining lights and idly-flickering and decorative lamps, teeny enough to masquerade as fireflies. A gently-wafting breeze carried forth a fruity fragrance that sent a tingle up Robin’s spine. There was no silence here. Aside from the faint rumbling of the roving landship, and the gentle hum of the power grid that kept this place in working order, Robin could hear voices up ahead, quiet and halfway familiar; Rhodes Island personnel enjoying the labyrinthine Garden and all that it had to offer.

She let out a breath that she didn’t even know she was holding in, and with it, all the tension that she’d been carrying in her shoulders. Podenco’s hand on her shoulder felt warm and friendly, though the Perro urged Robin to start stepping straightaway.

“We have signs to help guide you,” Podenco whispered, not wanting to raise her voice in a place as tranquil as this, “but since I’m walking with you, you can just follow me.”

“Mmhm~!” Robin’s bushy tail swayed back and forth as she went after Podenco, who rounded the northeastern bend beyond a bushel of buttercups. “This place looks amazing… and it smells amazing too. You must really love your job…”

Podenco smiled joyously. “I do. It makes me happy that I can provide a service like this to the good people of Rhodes Island. That, and working with Lena means I can learn all sorts of things about horticulture and farming and… therapy.”

“Therapy? Aromatherapy?” Robin asked. Podenco nodded.

“That, and massage therapy.”

“Massage therapy…” Robin blinked. “You give massages, too?”

“Not me. Lena does,” Podenco told her, rubbing her arm shyly. “I’d like to give it a try sometime, but I’m not certified yet. Lena has a list of clients almost every single day that want her to put her hands on them. Even Dr. Kal’tsit shows up for a massage sometimes…”

“Wow…” Robin was awestruck. “I’ve never had a massage before…”

“Really?” Podenco gasped. “Never?”

“Well, I sat in a massage chair once…”

“That’s not the same thing!” Podenco shook her head with disbelief. “Oh, dear…”

“H-how much is a massage…?” Robin gulped. She suddenly wondered if she had time to make an addendum to today’s to-do list…

Chapter Text

“A massage?”

Perfumer — real name Lena — smiled tenderly at Robin after she had made her inquiry. She regarded the tired-eyed Anaty in a friendly manner, the same as she did with all new entrants to the Convalescence Garden.

“I would love to give you a massage,” she told Robin, who brightened up at the prospect. “Just let me check my schedule, and I’ll see if I can squeeze you in!”

“Okay…!” Robin rubbed her little black paws together in anticipation. Before Rhodes Island, no one had wanted to put their hands on her unless they were trying to kill her. After establishing herself within the landship, it was usually the Doctor of Rhodes Island who patted her over the shoulder. Or the back. Or the head…

She loved being touched like that. Not that she would ever say so aloud.

And so clearing her throat, Robin stood patiently beside Podenco while Lena flipped through her itinerary, humming quietly to herself as she pushed over a dozen pages one by one. With a wry smile, the Vulpo looked back up at Robin’s expectant face.

“Robin, are you free in exactly 96 days?”

“...eh?!” Robin did a double-take. “96 days?”

“Mm-hmm.” Lena tapped a forefinger against her own chin, looking upward in thought. “When it comes to massage appointments, I’m afraid I’m personally booked for the next 96 days. I’m sorry, dear. I know you were looking forward to it. Would you like to make a reservation right now, for the future?”

Robin frowned sadly. “Oh… umm… I was really hoping to get a massage today, though,” she mumbled. “Today was the day I was looking forward to it the most…”

“You didn’t even know we offered massages until five minutes ago,” chimed Podenco, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry, Robin. Maybe I could massage you instead?”

“You’re not yet professionally certified, Podenco.” Lena chastised her gently, and Podenco could only quietly nod. “If someone wants to come to the Convalescence Garden for a massage, I’d rather they leave knowing full well they received a professional treatment.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Robin asked, pressing her palms together, “anything?”

“Not that I can immediately think of… but either way,” said Lena, “I think the best course of action would be to wait your turn, hmm? There’s a queue system for a reason. Even Dr. Kal’tsit has to abide by the queue; no one can cut in. The only exception would be if you had a medical condition,” she added, “that necessitated muscle and massage therapy.”

“I don’t have anything like that,” said Robin. She thought about mentioning her birthday and wondered if it would increase her chances of getting a massage today rather than months from now. But…

No. I shouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be right…

Robin sighed. She bowed submissively, keeping her hands folded in front of herself. “Okay,” she mumbled in resignation, “I’ll make an appointment for… 96 days from now.”

“I’ll just pencil you in then,” Lena told her, scribbling the operator’s name in the aforementioned open slot. “And if someone gives up their spot, you’ll be the first person I notify. Is that satisfactory?”

“Mm-hmm. That’s fine, thank you.”

“Thank you for being a supporter of the Convalescence Garden,” Lena told her, smiling sympathetically and curtsying. “Is there anything more that I can do for you while you’re here?”

“I can continue the tour,” Podenco offered, “would you like that, Robin?” The Anaty nodded, and before long, the two of them were back on their way through the Convalescence Garden. Once they were out of earshot, Podenco couldn’t help but sigh.

“I’m sorry that the massage didn’t work out,” she confessed to Robin, who rubbed her arm with visible disappointment.

“It’s alright. It was worth a try,” she told the Perro, “at least I have an appointment in three months…”

Podenco reached out and put a hand on Robin’s shoulder. “I’m sure that someone will give up their space before that, okay? We get cancellations all the time, so chin up!”

Robin tried to stay optimistic. Podenco putting a hand on her shoulder was a good start to much better touches, that was for certain. Plus, before the day was over, it was likely that more people would put their hands on her. There was Mountain tonight, she thought to herself.

…And then she immediately shook the thought out of her head.

Wait, what the heck am I imagining?!

“Robin?” Podenco raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yes, I’m f-fine,” stammered the raccoon girl, “I just… had a strange thought.”

“Oh?” Podenco looked as though she wanted to ask, though she refrained from doing so, much to Robin’s relief. “By the way, what’s your favorite flower, Robin?”

“My favorite flower?” Robin considered it. “I don’t know. Which one is the best one?”

“The best flower…?!” Podenco giggled. “There’s no such thing as the best flower, Robin! Every flower has its purpose, and every flower has its meaning!”

“Its meaning? Ah, that’s right… I heard somewhere that flower language is something special and intimate. Could you tell me more about that?”

“Certainly! I wouldn’t be a very good tour guide if I couldn’t!” Podenco turned her head to a bunch of yellow lilies lying in a plot, and she stretched an arm out towards them. “Take these yellow lilies, for example,” said the gardener Perro. “The yellow lily is the perfect symbol of being happy!”

“Oh, I see…” Robin hummed.

“But,” Podenco raised her forefinger as she spoke matter-of-factly. “The yellow lily also has negative things associated with it, even if it does look like a very nice and warm flower. It’s associated with falsehood, and some people say that yellow lilies were used to break love spells! Pretty neat, huh?”

“You know so much… was it hard to memorize all of this?”

“Hard? Hmm, not really. Lena teaches me so much. And… well…”

Podenco lay a hand over her own heart.

“I’ll be taking over the Convalescence Garden one day when Lena is gone. I have to be on top of my game; I have to know everything there is to know about flowers, plants, and how they can be used for medicine and therapy.”

“...eh?” Robin blinked. “When Lena is gone? Is she… leaving Rhodes Island?”

Before Podenco could so much as think to answer the question, the soil beside them began to shake. All of a sudden, a little metal crab burst out of the dirt, blinking up at Robin and Podenco while it made its presence known. The robotic crustacean snipped its claws, perhaps trying to appear much more intimidating than it really was.

“Ah! That’s one of Beanstalk’s tiny helpers,” Podenco remarked, watching as the mecha-crab burst from the soil and skittered down the enclosed hallway towards some unknown destination.

“I remember seeing one of them once… so this is really where Beanstalk keeps her mecha crabs?” She asked hopefully as if she’d been waiting for something like this.

“That’s right,” said Podenco.

“They look so cool… Do you think I’d be able to hold one?”

“Certainly! They’re very docile, so I wouldn’t worry about being snipped. Do you want to follow it and see where it’s gone?”

“Mm-hmm…!” Robin shook her fists excitedly. “I wonder how heavy they are. I wonder if they like being pat over the head. I wonder if they would be good for hunting animals and making traps! I wonder if they all have names…!”

“Wait,” said Podenco, “what was that third thing?”

“Um… I wonder if they all have names!!”

Chapter Text

THE METAL CRAB WAS FAST AS FUCK!!!

It skittered with a deceptive quickness that threw both Robin and Podenco for a loop. Jogging was no longer an option — they had to run after it to keep up, much to Podenco’s distress. Running was discouraged in the Convalescence Garden; she was breaking her own rule! She was a rebel and quite frankly she was going to hell for her improprieties.

But before she would go to hell, she had a crab to catch. Ducking beneath a canopy of chrysanthemums, the Perro zoomed through the Convalescence Garden with herefore unseen vim, and Robin did her utmost to follow. Every now and then they would pass an operator or two, running right by and outright surprising them.

Eventually, the metal crab dove right through a shrub and came out through the other end, which is a luxury granted to neither Robin nor Podenco. Both girls tumble into the bush and become lodged inside, yelping aloud from their sudden stop and the itchy-scratchy sensation that covered them.

“Gah! Robin!” Podenco shrieked. “Stop fidgeting! Let me get free!”

“I’m not fidgeting! Gah, hey, watch where you’re grabbing!!”

“Is that your head? Wait, no…”

“That’s not my head that you’re grabbing, Podenco…!”

“EEP!”

“Well sheesh! What the HECK is going on in here?”

Robin turned her head with great effort, only to see none other than Beanstalk standing right beside the large bush and reaching out a hand to try and help the Anaty out of there. After a few moments of grumbling and whining, both Robin and Podenco are freed from the bush’s tender embrace. The hat-wearing Reproba watched as both Robin and Podenco dusted themselves off and shook the leaves and twigs from their clothes, unable to help but snicker at their predicament. Of course, the icing on the cake is when the little metal crab hopped up into Beanstalk’s arms, apparently placated by the race it had just finished first place in.

“Beanstalk…” Podenco sighed, looking up at the smug-smiling, big-eared breeder, “what was the meaning of all of that? You’ve disrupted the flow of the Convalescence Garden…!”

“Wha? Me?” Beanstalk waggled her finger with a sly smile. “Hey now, I didn’t do anything! It was all little Muffintop here, not me!”

“Muffintop…?” Robin asked. Beanstalk grinned widely, showing off the metal crab in her possession.

“These guys can be mischievous li’l assholes sometimes,” said Beanstalk, “but I love each and every one of them, no matter how silly they can get! Sorry for messing up the flow of the garden…”

Beanstalk leaned in close, looking down at Podenco with a particularly naughty smile.

“Denko-chan~”

“Ugh…” Podenco crossed her arms. “I’ve told you not to call me that!”

“Noooooo, you told me not to call you that in public!”

“S-same difference!”

That was when Beanstalk turned to Robin and extended a gloved hand in greeting. “Hey there! Who might you be, friend?”

“Hey there…” Robin smiled softly, shaking Beanstalk’s hand. “My name is Robin. It’s nice to meet you. I heard that there were mecha crabs here, and I wanted to play with one of them. And, maybe also take a look inside them…”

“Well hey, it looks like you got a head start going with the playing already!” Beanstalk snickered with amusement. “But sure, you can play with ‘em as much as you like! Some people come to the Convalescence Garden to do just that. Or they’re finding flowers for their lady.” Beanstalk raised an eyebrow. “But you wanna crack one of my metal crabs open and scoop out the goods? No can do! All that stuff is need to know information, and you don’t need to know!”

“Worth a try…”

Robin reached out and took Muffintop from Beanstalk’s embrace, slowly and carefully hugging the metal crab to her chest. To her surprise, the metal crab was running quite warm, and there was a curious mechanical whirring happening within the creature’s frame. It almost sounded like… purring. Like it was alive.

Beanstalk watched Robin’s expression change, and she nodded in understanding. “Feels neat, doesn’t it?”

“Heh. Yeah…” The Anaty nodded. “It feels super cool.”

“Glad you’re having fun, friend. But you should know, I charge people to hold them like that. 200 LMD per second!”

“H-huh?!” Robin nearly dropped the metal crab. “Please tell me you’re joking…”

“Am I?” Beanstalk narrowed her eyes, and she licked her lips. “A girl like you SURELY has some money or at least some ways to pay me back… What do you think, Robin~?”

“Umm…” Robin gulped. She glanced over at Podenco, who could only shake her head and sigh.

“Beanstalk, don’t mess with the newbies. And clean up after your crabs!”

“Alright, alright! I’m just teasing you a little, Denko-chan… no need to be so crabby!”

Podenco rolled her eyes and pouted. “Just be careful, alright? You’re a new hire here, and we just want to keep things neat and tidy. As neat and tidy as they can be!”

“Right-o, Denko-chan. Ya know, if you have a sec, I do need some help rounding up one or two more of the little guys. They’ve taken a liking to the poppies, and… well, I’m worried they’re those metal crabs are gonna become stoned!”

“Oh, for goodness sake…” Podenco sighed, before turning to Robin, who still held little Muffintop in her arms. “This won’t take long, Robin. Do you mind just waiting right here, so we can continue the tour?”

“Mm-hmm.” Robin nodded gently. “I can wait here if you’d like. I can keep… Muffintop company,” she mumbled.

“Thank you,” said Podenco, nodding gratefully, before nudging Beanstalk by the arm. “The poppies by the northern side of the garden? Come on, we should get there now before they uproot the flowers!”

Beanstalk and Denko-chan run off, leaving Robin alone with Muffintop. The Anaty blinked with surprise at this turn of events, before meeting the mechanical gaze of the crustacean in her arms and smiling gently.

“Hi. I’m Robin.”

No response.

“Do you like movies?”

No response.

“Do you like… shows from Higashi, at all?”

Still no response. This guy wasn’t budging. He’s good.

Chapter Text

Robin sighed softly as she waited for Beanstalk and Podenco to return from their little emergency. In the lull, she couldn’t help but reflect on what she’d done so far today, and what she was keen on doing.

She spent a good bit of time with Pinecone after Amiya had more or less demanded that she take a day off. That was fun and exciting, and she felt as though she’d grown a little bit closer to Mina in that short time together.

Afterward was when she linked up with Sora for the first time, and it had been magical, to say the least. The fact that she had met one of her idols was truly extraordinary, even as Dr. Olivia Silence had strapped a large instrument to her head for some Arts-based testing. In addition, she was happy to have a medical staffer she could turn to if she ever needed anything. Silence had been a great help following the Mansfield Incident. She really should have collaborated with her sooner.

I need to make some more friends… Robin thought, frowning softly.

Now here she was, in the Convalescence Garden. She couldn’t quite get her massage, but that was alright. There was always the next time. There was always…

“Ninety-six days from now,” she mumbled to herself. Even the metal crab in her arms seemed to frown alongside her.

The frown didn’t last very long, however. She thought about Mountain. The first person she met up with after Amiya had given her the day off. She wanted to see him first and foremost before the hulking Feline had made different plans. She didn’t want him to make other plans — at least during the timeslot that she had chosen for the two of them to go on their…

“...Date?” She asked aloud, cradling the metal crab in one arm while she rubbed her chin with the other. He had teased her about it during the end of their conversation, but…

Is it a date? No… Probably not. Definitely not.

She gulped. She was getting antsy now, pacing around the little hallway with an air of anxiousness, even if the air itself was sweet-tasting and aromatic with the various plants and flowers surrounding her. It was 2:30 PM now. She still had plenty of time to enjoy her day, despite the fact she didn’t plan on having a day off in the first place.

“I wonder what Doctor is up to right now…”

“Alright, you. I’m going to ask you one. more. time.”

Amiya turned the lamp directly onto Ceobe.

The Perro trembled fearfully in the kitchen chair, as Amiya cast a wicked glare upon her.

“Ceobe. Did you. Eat. The. Chocolate cake.”

Ceobe shook her head vehemently. “No, I didn’t!”

“Really?” Amiya asked.

“Really really!”

Amiya squinted. Then she backed off. Lacing her ring-clad fingers together, she stepped back over to the Doctor of Rhodes Island, who mustered up all of their Sanity to keep from laughing out loud.

“This is hard,” Amiya whispered, frowning. “I’m not good at this… Bad Cop thing.”

“I agree.” The Doctor pat Amiya over the head. “You can’t do Bad Cop. You’re too cute and funny to be threatening.”

“C-cute and funny…?!” Amiya’s ears bent down submissively. “I’m not cute or funny. I can be bad! I can be so bad!”

“Ooh, yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Amiya groaned and hid her frown behind her sleeve, watching as the Doctor pulled a handkerchief from their coat pocket, walked right up to Ceobe, and offered it to her.

Ceobe immediately took the handkerchief.

“Thank you, Doctor!”

Then, Ceobe began wiping the chocolate smears from her mouth.

“Of course, Ceobe. Hey, that reminds me — have you seen a chocolate cake?”

“Ch-choco cake?” Ceobe quickly brought the handkerchief away from her mouth, and she pretended to find the ceiling directly over her head fascinating. “Umm, no! I haven’t seen a choco cake, Doctor! B-but that sounds so yummy! Maybe I could have some if you find it?”

The Doctor shook their head solemnly. “No can do, Ceobe. That cake was for Vulcan.”

“H-huh?” Ceobe snapped back to attention, looking fearfully at the Doctor. “Choco cake… for Vulcan?”

“Yes, that’s right. We can’t find the cake! It’s a shame…” The Doctor tipped their head sadly and sighed through their helmet. “I guess we can’t congratulate Vulcan now. She just got injured during a tough mission.”

Ceobe gasped. “Oh no!”

“Oh yes!” The Doctor raised his forefinger in front of Ceobe’s face, giving it a stern waggle. “But since we can’t find the cake… I suppose we’ll have to just… send her back to work without a reward. It’s really sad… Don’t you think?”

“Y-yeah… it’s s-super sad, Doctor…”

Ceobe whimpered softly, fidgeting with obvious discomfort in her chair as the Doctor stepped back towards Amiya.

“Well, what can you do. If only we had a chocolate cake that we could give to Vulcan. I know how much you care about her, Ceobe… Can you imagine how sad she must be right now since there’s no more… choco cake for her to eat?”

“Mm…” Ceobe chomped on her hand, her ears curling downward sadly.

“That’s right…” The Doctor lay a hand over their own chest, atop their coat. “I’ve never seen Vulcan cry before… But this might make her start crying, you know? The cake was for her, and now it’s gone… I wonder who could have done such a thing?”

“Mmmmmm…” Ceobe’s tail went slack, and she bent her head forward sadly.

“I’m going to get Ceobe out of the Celebration Room and just send her back to work. Amiya, could you go and get Vulcan’s next mission briefing, please? The super-hard one with the deadly lasers and the extra-deadly lasers, thank you.”

“Mmmmmmmmm…!!!”

“Ceobe?” The Doctor smiled behind their mask. “What’s wrong?”

“Mmmmmmm—okay!!! Okay, I did it!” Ceobe threw her head back and started bawling. “I ate the cake! It was me!”

The Doctor gasped. “No.”

“Yes!! I’m sorry! I was so hungry! I haven’t eaten in two hours!!” Ceobe threw herself against the Doctor’s chest and started sobbing grossly, soaking their coat with sad puppy tears.

The Doctor patted Ceobe over the back, quietly hushing her. “Hey now, it’s okay, Key. We’ll get another cake. You can help make the next one, can’t you? I think Vulcan would really like that… Don’t you think?”

Ceobe nodded quickly against the Doctor’s chest, unable to stop herself from crying. Amiya just stood there in disbelief, watching as the Doctor gave her a thumbs-up.

“Doctor, you’re guilt-tripping people again.” The Cautus sighed.

“So? People do that to me all the time!”

Robin hummed.

“Doctor’s probably doing something super important right now…”

Chapter Text

In this part of the Convalescence Garden, one could be at peace with their thoughts. There was little noise pollution, and plenty of light for the surrounding plants and bulbs to imbibe. In this part of the Convalescence Garden, there were rarely visitors. There was enough room for three, maybe four people if you squeeze one in — but that was not this enclosure’s purpose. The purpose of this enclosure in particular was to welcome the silence.

In this part of the Convalescence Garden, all of life’s noise became muted whispers. Lappland could soak it all in; bring it unto herself.

A deep inhale…

She clenched and then unclenched her fists.

Her feet were planted firmly on the ground.

She felt connected to the landship as it moved.

Every single pipe and circuit. A living, breathing, pulsing vascular system.

A deep exhale…

“Podenco. Stranger.”

Lappland turned around. It was exactly as she said. In the doorframe was Podenco and someone that Lappland had never seen before: a chesty Anaty who gently smiled and slowly waved. The silver-haired Lupo snorted.

“Hi, Lappland…” Podenco bowed politely. “I was just about to leave when I noticed you here. Do you need any more help from me before I go?”

“Ha. Am I really so obvious?” Lappland smiled easily, shrugging her shoulders. “Oh, I’m in a bad way, dearest little Podenco. I need bellflowers. A bunch of them.”

“Bellflowers?” Podenco nodded immediately. “You’d like a bouquet? I can arrange one for you, it won’t take very long!”

“Marvelous. Simply marvelous. They’re a gift, you see. I’d like for you to take very special care to get them for me. This is a very big deal, and…” Lappland paused, pressing her scarred hands together as if in prayer. “Please bring me only your very best bellflowers, dear.”

“Who is the gift for?” Podenco asked.

Lappland’s reply was immediate. “Texas.”

“Operator Texas?” Podenco sighed. “Lappland…”

“Go on now. Bring me what I asked. You’ll be compensated, of course. Perhaps more than you ought to be. I’m feeling charitable today.”

Podenco shook her head. She turned around and whispered to Robin,

“Back in a moment. Watch her.”

before leaving the way that she came to arrange that bundle.

Robin was standing in the wolf’s den now. She stood in the doorframe and gulped, watching the pale Lupo watch her back. Silent scrutiny; picking her apart with her gaze.

“Umm…” Robin took a chance. “So, you’re Lappland…?”

“Unfortunately,” replied the Lupo.

“I’ve heard about you. The work that you do for Rhodes Island.”

“I don’t doubt that you have.” Lappland’s smile grew. “Does it hurt?”

“Hurt?”

Lappland pointed to her own chest and waggled her eyebrows. “Hefting those melons. I’m sure it must do quite a number on your back.”

Robin crossed her arms. “I feel fine, thank you.”

“Hah. May I hold them?” Lappland brought her hands up and made a squeezing gesture. “I’ll be gentle with you, I promise…”

Robin shook her head. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Come on! I’ve been so good…” Lappland took a step closer, smiling wickedly. “Let me just massage them for a few minutes. I’m sure we could both help one another… And then I could rub my face in-between those giant mounds for a job well done…”

Again Robin shook her head. “The only massage I’d like is one from Lena, the Perfumer. She’s booked for today, though. It’s a shame.”

Lappland stopped her approach, looking almost impressed.

“You’re very easygoing, huh? Ha ha… And here I thought I could discomfort you at least a little. Perhaps I’m losing my edge. You didn’t even seem to care.”

Robin just shrugged. “I’ve worked a lot of jobs. Sometimes security. Sometimes bartending. I’ve heard crap like that before. I don’t have thin skin. I can’t afford it…”

“Ouch. Maybe this Anaty needs her claws filed down…”

Lappland slid a hand into her jacket. Robin tensed, thinking that perhaps a weapon would be drawn on her all of a sudden. The Lupo’s demeanor screamed danger! and Robin was prepared to defend herself if need be. To her surprise, however, Lappland produced a flower of her own. Five blue petals, and a golden center. It’s a flower that she held out for Robin to take, and the Anaty couldn’t help but reach out and grab it.

“Which one is this one?” Robin asked.

“One of my favorite flowers,” said Lappland, before raising a forefinger in realization. “Ah… you mentioned a real massage, right? Perhaps we can help one another after all, my chesty new friend.”

“Really now…”

As quickly as she’d left, Podenco returned. She held a bundle of bellflowers in her hand, wrapped at their bases and bound together with twine. The flowers were gorgeous and the color of amethyst. Robin appreciated their appearance, but when Lappland caught sight of the bundle, her entire face lit up.

“Here you go,” said Podenco, holding the flowers out for Lappland to take. As soon as the Lupo grabbed the base of the bundle, she brought her face up to the flowers and gave them a long and satisfying sniff, relishing in their apparent aroma as if she’d done this more than once before. For a moment, Lappland’s ears bent low and her tail went slack. She seemed smaller, somehow, Robin noticed. Then as quickly as it had happened, she was animated once more.

“What is friendship but a chance encounter?” Lappland asked.

“Huh?” Podenco watched as Lappland held the bouquet of bellflowers out for Robin, who stood puzzled before the bristly Lupo.

“As luck would have it… Today is my first massage with Lena, that fat-eared perfumer. You said you wanted a massage, Robin, is that correct?”

“Umm…” Robin didn’t like where this was going. Not one bit. Fortunately, Lappland immediately quelled any horrid suspicions.

“Let us work out a trade of sorts then, my milky little musteloid.”

Robin did a double-take. “What did you just call me?”

“Bring this bouquet to my lifelong partner, and you shall have your massage. I’ll cancel my appointment with that sweet-smelling Vulpo, and you can take my place.”

“You want me to run an errand for you, and in return… I can have your massage slot?” Robin wanted to make sure that she understood this properly. Lappland could only nod, prompting Robin to ask another question. “Who is it for?”

“Texas,” she repeated, “these flowers are a gift for Texas. One of Rhodes Island’s very best, I should say. A Vanguard until the very end.”

“I don’t know who Texas is,” Robin mumbled.

“You… do not know who Texas is?”

“No. I haven’t met her before.”

“You don’t know Texas,” Lappland repeated herself. “Really…”

Robin gulped. She suspected that Lappland was about to berate her, or change her mind and declare a duel. To her surprise, however… Lappland threw her head back and howled with laughter, filling the garden’s chamber with a violent and loud guffaw. It was an awful, petrifying sound. Even Podenco, who had only just returned, made as though she was going to leave again before this continued.

Then Lappland stopped all at once as if a switch had been flipped inside her brain. Rigidly, as though someone else was puppeting the wild wolf, she pointed beyond the walls of their chamber towards an unseen waypoint.

“Texas’ dorm. Room D13. It is not far. Make haste.”

Podenco shook her head. “Robin, you don’t have to do this. You can just wait for your massage, right? It’s only 96 days away at most.”

Robin looked down at the bundle of bellflowers in her hands. Then she looked back up at Lappland. “For this Texas person… Will this put a smile on their face?”

“Doubtless it will,” said Lappland.

“Oh, goodness gracious…” Podenco sighed. “I suppose you are doing this.”

Robin nodded. She supposed if it wasn’t very far, she might as well run this errand. There were no downsides that this Anaty could see.

She would be leaving this enclosed space and leaving Lappland alone.

She would meet someone new and put a smile on their face.

She would complete the next objective on her to-do list. But best of all…

She was getting that god-damned massage.

Chapter Text

The next item on the list: put a smile on a stranger’s face.

Robin didn’t know this Texas person, and that was all the more reason to go and fulfill Lappland’s request. She carried the bundle of bellflowers through the halls of the landship, receiving the occasional odd glance and curious stare from those who passed her by. Robin couldn’t help it — she blushed when she considered how conspicuous it all looked. No doubt someone thought that these flowers were for her, or that she was gifting them to someone with romantic intentions.

D9… D10…

The Convalescence Garden had been a pleasant stay. If this Lupo named Lappland was telling the truth, then Robin would have her massage by day’s end, and it would make her birthday all the sweeter. She couldn’t deny just how eager she was to have Lena knead that stress out of her shoulders and back.

D11… D12…

She tried to imagine the kind of person that Texas was. If they were anything like Lappland, Robin thought, then she surely had her work cut out for her. The silver-haired Lupo had been quite the character to deal with. Unfortunately — or perhaps, fortunately — Robin was used to dealing with weirdos like that.

D13…

She stood in front of the dorm room now. With the bouquet of flowers in one hand, Robin raised the other and rapped her knuckle against the metal door’s surface, clearing her throat and waiting for the room’s entrant to make their appearance. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait for very long at all.

There’s a gentle hiss as the door slides open, and standing in the frame was a black-haired Lupo that was taller than Robin, and arguably more tired. The woman’s eyes were bloodshot red, her locks were disheveled, her shirt was unkempt, and she was unhappy.

“Hel—”

Then she cleared her throat, once she realized how hoarse it had sounded.

“Hello,” she tried again, “who are you?”

“Umm. Hi.” Robin smiled sympathetically, holding out the bundle of bellflowers. “I’m Robin. These are for you…?”

“For me?”

Texas had been looking at the flowers before Robin had even opened her mouth. The mere sight of them seemed to animate her; she straightened her back and cleared her throat again, wiping at her eyes as if she’d been crying beforehand.

“I see…” The Lupo mumbled.

“Are you Texas?” Robin asked.

And the woman nodded. “Unfortunately,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I won’t pry. I just… wanted to give these to you. They’re from Lappland?”

“I know who they’re from,” said Texas.

“Okay…” Robin held out the bundle of flowers as if she’d felt impatient holding them. Resigned, Texas took them, giving them an immediate sniff. All at once, the tension fell from her shoulders, which dropped downward along with her Lupo ears and tail. There was a hint of a smile there — but just a little hint. Then she opened her eyes again, and things seemed just a little bit clearer.

“Thank you,” Texas told her, nodding gratefully. “I’m embarrassed. I should do better.”

Robin could only nod, and that’s when Texas gestured with a thumb back towards her dorm room.

“Come inside. I’ll getcha something.”

“Oh, no no… I really don’t have to—”

“I know. But I want to. It’ll be quick, c’mon.”

Robin frowned. “Alright then…”

When Robin entered Texas’ dorm room, she wasn’t terribly surprised by the state that it was in. Considering the fact that Texas herself seemed to be doing rather poorly, it came as no shock that the dorm itself was just as messy and disarranged.

Robin felt awkward, to say the least. She was beginning to think that putting a smile on this face would be some considerable feat. Nevertheless, she sat down as Texas gestured her to, watching as the Lupo went into the kitchenette.

“Do you like hot or cold tea?” Texas asked.

“Erm, either one is fine.”

“But if you were to choose?” Texas glanced at Robin from over the partition.

“Cold tea, I guess.”

“Alright. Same.”

In no time at all, a glass of iced tea is slid Robin-ward. Texas has one for herself, taking a long sip and sighing thereafter. Then she decided to provide context.

“I’m sorry if Lappland gave you trouble. She’s… She can be a handful,” Texas explained.

“I’m used to troublesome people,” said Robin, “so it’s fine, but thank you.”

“She can’t help it,” Texas explained, “half of it is on purpose to get a rise out of you. The other half is that she’s just stupid sometimes. Or… hardheaded.” She nodded. That was a better word to use. More apt.

“I understand, don’t worry…” Robin smiled sympathetically. “I saw the Oripathy crystals on her arms and legs. Her condition seems serious.”

“Yeah, well…” Texas shrugged her shoulders. “When she takes her medication, it isn’t so bad. But she doesn’t like doing that.”

“She doesn’t like taking her Oripathy medicine?” Robin couldn’t even comprehend such a scenario. “Why not?”

“She doesn’t like what it does to her. She tells me it turns the world grey instead of red.”

Robin didn’t know what to say to that. Still, Texas elaborated.

“But if you ask me, that’s just an excuse.” Texas drank more of her iced tea, punctuating her theory with the clink of ice cubes. “She’s always been hardheaded… or maybe stupid.”

“Are you two friends?” Robin asked. The question seemed to elicit a physical response from the standing Lupo, who winced and cocked her head to the side.

“It’s complicated,” said Texas.

“Or are you… umm…” Robin trailed off.

“Hmm? Like I said, it’s complicated… All that stuff’s backstory. You wouldn’t be interested.”

“It’s backstory?”

“Mm-hmm. And it doesn’t have a happy ending.”

Texas puts the glass on the counter, looking over to the bellflowers that Robin had brought with her. She’d put them in a vase for preservation, and though neither of them spoke about it, the flowers really did liven the place up a little. Those purple, bell-shaped flowers.

“Ahem… I’m sorry for how I must have looked. I’m not usually like that. I’m not even really on the landship most of the time — I’m in Lungmen, running ops with my coworkers.”

“Ahh… So you’re a contract worker?”

“Something like that. Really, my boss knows all the details. I just go where the money is.”

“Do you spend a lot?” Robin asked, smiling a little.

“My coworkers are. Exusiai — if you know her — she’s a bit of a spender.”

“I don’t know who that is,” said Robin.

“Exusiai is a Sankta. Redhead. Always so bubbly, always trying to hide her problems by smiling and laughing and hoping they’ll go away. Doctor likes to put her on missions that require recon, or rapid-fire marksmanship. Her hair’s short, and uh… she’s, you know.” Texas waved her hand in vague shapes. “She keeps me from going insane.”

Robin hid her smirk behind her hand as she wiped her mouth. “Tell me more about her.”

“Oh, umm…” Texas tried to recount noteworthy details. “Well, like I said… she’s a Sankta, and she loves guns. Actually, ah, she loves guns so much that she wants eight new guns, if you can believe that. I have no idea where she plans on keeping all that ammo. Anyway, um, she likes partying and baking. She’s kind of a party girl?” Texas nodded. Yes, that sounded right. “She’s super into hanging out and making people happy, heh. But baking? Sheesh… You wouldn’t know it, but there’s not a girl in Lungmen who can make a better apple pie.”

“I see.” Robin leaned forward. “She sounds talented.”

“She’s very talented. That’s why she comes around Rhodes Island so much. People seem to really like her, and that’s… that’s great, honestly. The less time she spends in Lungmen, I think, the better. Here, she can make a real difference with people working hard all the time. The Doctor relies on her to provide ballistic support, and… when she hops into the kitchen, everyone stays out of her way until the magic happens. That apple pie, I swear… it’s like a slice of heaven.”

“I wish I could try it,” Robin lamented.

“You absolutely should. We’ll try to make it happen. She might overwhelm you a little at first, but she always means well. She’s just… radiant like that. Also, don’t let her convince you to show you a magic trick. Just say no. Nine times out of ten it’s going to involve some kind of explosion, and it’s just messy at best. Expensive at worst…”

Robin sat back and just watched Texas now.

“She likes hip hop, but she’s just… so terrible at rapping. Please don’t let her rap. Singing, though… sometimes we can hear her in the shower; she gets really into it. She’s not half bad… that’s better than her trying to rap, all the time. Sounds… really good. Ah, she’s kind of like my polar opposite, you know. I don’t mean when it comes to music, just… personality-wise? I think we balance each other out. It works wonders every time… that’s what I think. There isn’t anything we can’t do together. Also… She’s kind of weird when it comes to her religion. Despite all the chaos and the nonsense and the partying, she’s really… pious? It surprises me a little bit sometimes, how saintly she can behave at the drop of a hat; she still finds ways to surprise me. Listening to her prattle on about virtues and values is… interesting, to say the least. Especially when she comes back speckled with blood. Ugh… I don’t know anyone else who does that. When I first met her, all that generosity and optimism just… ugh, it made me feel so sick. I thought she was the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.”

Robin was unable to hide her grin. “What about now?”

“She’s… silly. Shameless. Superb. I can’t hold her attention sometimes for more than a few seconds before she’s running off to spend hours cleaning and maintaining her weapons. Do you know anyone… like… that…” Texas paused. “What? What’s so funny?”

Robin couldn’t help it. She snickered.

“Do you know how long you’ve been smiling?”

“Oh…”

Texas felt her cheeks burn hot. “Shit. Was I rambling? Shit… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. It was super cute,” Robin assured. “The entire time you were talking about this Sankta, you were just smiling real wide.”

“Ahh… Well, that’s my—”

Texas caught herself.

“Our—that’s our angel, alright. That’s our Exusiai. She has that effect on people…”

“And on you.” Robin smiled.

“Hmph…”

Robin couldn’t contain her amusement. She pumped her fist in celebration. “That’s something else cleared off my list. I’m making great progress…”

“List?” Texas perked her head up at that.

“Mm-hmm. I’ve got a to-do list today, of all the things I wanted to do. And… I made a stranger smile. That’s something else off my list, so thank you.”

“Oh. I see.”

Texas smiled again, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Thanks, Robin. You’re nice. That’s more than I can about most people I know.”

Robin smirked. “Am I nicer than Exusiai?”

“Huh? Hey, what are you implying? You’d better shut up if you know what’s good for you.” Texas crossed her arms. “By the way… Why did you deliver me a bouquet on Lappland’s behalf? Are you trying to be her friend?”

“No,” said Robin, “I wanted a massage.”

“What.”

Texas took a step closer.

“Is Lappland giving you a massage?” Texas asked, accusingly.

Robin put her hands up defensively. “Huh? No…”

“Are you lying?” Texas took another step closer, and she scowled. “Are you?”

“N-no, I’m not. It’s a long story…!”

“Well, look at that. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

Texas lay her hands on the table in front of Robin. “Explain yourself. If there’s a massage and Lappland involved, I want—I need to know what’s going on. Is she putting her hands on you?” Robin recoiled.

“No…!”

“Are YOU putting your hands on HER?” Texas’ expression darkened.

“No!”

“The bellflowers… is that what this was about? That was her message?” Texas scoffed, shaking her head with disbelief. “I thought she was trying to be sentimental, but… does she actually want me to be jealous? Is that what’s happening, Robin…?”

“Guh, I don’t know anymore…!” Robin covered her own ears to soothe herself. “Did I get involved in some love triangle? Aaah…!”

“Robin…” Texas clenched her fists. “Talk. Now.”

The Anaty whined. “Dammit, I just wanted to go to work…!”

Chapter Text

Placating a Lupo was oftentimes bothersome, but Robin managed just fine in the end.

She explained herself to Texas who, in light of the situation at hand, could hardly believe that she reacted in the manner that she did. Needless to say, this wolf felt sheepish.

“So, you’ll be getting your massage from Lena, the Perfumer,” Texas asked to be sure.

Robin sighed. “Yes. That was the deal that I made with Lappland. All I had to do was bring you these flowers.” She gestured with an open hand to the bellflowers now, which sat neatly in the vase that Texas had put them in.

“I understand. Thank you again,” Texas replied. She rubbed the back of her neck, sighing just as Robin had, more so out of embarrassment than anything else. “I think I’ve kept you long enough. You should go and enjoy that massage before the Perfumer closes up.”

“Mm-hmm.” Robin stretched her arms high above her head, wincing at just how tired she seemed to be all of a sudden. Or, perhaps it really wasn’t so sudden. Perhaps she’d been doing quite a bit of work since she woke up today.

Is this work…?

She wasn’t entirely sure. She was having fun, though. That had to count for something, didn’t it? She liked to think so, at least.

Rhodes Island has a lot of interesting people… and a lot of freaks too.

The Anaty stood up from Texas’ dining room table, bowing her head gratefully.

“Thank you for not killing me,” she told the Lupo, who kept her deep frown.

“Uh, sure thing. Thanks for bringing the flowers. Tell Lappland, if you see her, that I really appreciate them. And that I get what she’s trying to tell me, after all.”

“Mm…” Robin paused, tilting her head as she looked at Texas now.

Texas stared right back. “What?”

“Bellflowers… What do they mean, anyway?”

“What do they mean?” Texas stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, her expression mostly vacant. “Is flower language your thing?”

“Apparently it’s the thing of a lot of people, so…” Robin could only shrug.

“The bellflower is one the flowers of Siracusa,” Texas explained outright. “It means support. Gratitude. And it means… those who grieve will be loved.”

“Oh…”

It wasn’t difficult for Robin to recall the state that she had found Texas in, just after Lappland had delegated such a task for her.

“Did something… happen?” Robin was curious.

“Something is always happening somewhere,” said Texas.

“Sure. But how come you were…?”

Texas bent her neck down and prodded a finger against her forehead like she was trying to drill through her own skull. “Today’s important to me, and Lappland knows why. Sorry, but that’s all I feel like saying right now. No offense, but we’re not friends… and to be honest, that’s probably good for you.”

Robin seemed unsure. “I won’t pry anymore. I just want to help, if that’s possible.”

“It’s really not. It is what it is.” Texas paused. “You want to help? Tell Lappland I said thank you. It’s… It’s nice to know that someone else gets it, that’s all.”

Robin nodded. In light of the conversation’s tone, however, Texas managed another small smile just for the Anaty.

“You’re alright, Robin. Here’s some advice you didn’t ask for: stay away from me if you want to be happy, and stay away from Lappland if you want to live longer.”

“Ha… I guess I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You’re back! Well well well…”

Robin was greeted with the twinkle of pearly white teeth. Lappland’s grin of jubilation. “That took you longer than I thought it would. I can only wonder what you got up to with my Texas…”

Robin nipped that thought in the bud. “It wasn’t anything inappropriate, Lappland.”

“Oh, I’m sure. No, Texas is too busy getting fucked by the big stick in her ass to ever cut loose like she used to.”

“Okay.” Robin waved her hand dismissively; she didn’t want to hear it. “So, about that massage…?”

“Yeah yeah yeah… I already let that Vulpo know. The perfumer with the satellites for ears.” Lappland snickered, throwing in a wink for good measure. “Ah! I wish I could see the massage for myself! Dear Lena’s about to get an eyeful of that! She’s going to put her hands on that!” Lappland kept talking and cackling even as Robin left.

The tired Anaty walked all the way to the other end of the Convalescence Garden, where she met with Lena once again. There was no Podenco this time — just the Perfumer herself, the sanitized massage bed, and the array of oils and lotions that awaited them on the nearby table. “Welcome,” the Perfumer greeted, smiling and holding a hand out towards the medical bed. “Well, I suppose in the end, you’ve got your massage after all!”

Robin sighed with relief, and she hadn’t even been touched yet.

“Rhodes Island is full of weird and wonderful people,” she told Lena.

“I know, dear. I know. Believe me, I get it.”

“How do you handle everyone being so… much?” Robin asked.

“Robin, sweetie, I work in the Convalescence Garden. I’ve got all the herbs I need.”

That got a laugh out of that drained raccoon girl.

“You look like you’ve been on your feet all day,” said the Perfumer, “why don’t you undress to your comfort level and come lie down? I’ll help you choose a lotion to start us off with. Does that sound nice~?”

“Ahhh… Yes… That sounds… Very nice…”

It was amusing, at least internally, how reluctant Robin was all of a sudden. Now that she was being told to undress, she almost wanted to turn tail and run. Once she saw Lena remove her gloves and hum pleasantly to herself while she looked the lotions over, though, Robin swallowed down most of her concerns and started with her shirt, unbuttoning the top with a pluck pluck pluck of those bothersome buttons.

“To your comfort level,” Perfumer reminded, her back still turned to Robin while she gathered her tools of the trade. “The last thing I’d want is for you to be… uncomfortable with any of this, you know. Your comfort and consent are half of it.”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin’s shorts come next — they’re removed with haste, and left on a chair along with her top. “Is this massage… f-full body?”

Perfumer looked back at Robin with a knowing smile. “If you want it to be.”

“YesPleaseThankYouSoMuch.”

“Ha haha. Come on now. Your troubles will surely melt away beneath my fingers.”

Robin bit her lip to suppress the sound that she almost made just then, and after a moment’s deliberation, she lay prone on the massage table, resting comfortably in her underclothes. She couldn’t see very much — she was face down, after all — but she could hear Lena come up behind her and do… something?

…

…?

Robin fidgeted anxiously. “Umm… Lena…?”

Hesitantly, Robin turned her head to look at her masseuse.

She saw that Lena’s fingertips were on fire, glowing white-hot with Arts. It prompted Robin to gasp, but Lena’s devilish grin never faded.

“Relax, my dear. You’re about to learn why they call me The God Hand of Minos.”

Robin was petrified. “They call you the WHAT?”

Lena snickered. “Sweetie, it’s high time you pick a god and pray.”

She made a claw shape with her hand and brought it down against Robin’s back.

The Anaty never had a chance to scream.

Instead, she moaned.

Outside the massage room door, Lappland laughed again.

Chapter Text

“My my… there’s so much tension in your back!”

Lena — the Perfumer — shook her head as she worked those digits into Robin’s back.

“Tsk tsk tsk… I see far too much of this. Doctor’s overworking their employees again. I’ve got half a mind to march right into their office and give them a taste of the God Hand of Minos.” She snickered, leaning in to whisper sweetly into the raccoon girl’s ear. “Robin? How is my massage? On a scale of one to ten?”

The sound that escaped Robin’s mouth was the same as all the others. Completely and utterly involuntary. It was like a ghost that had been trapped inside her lungs was finally being freed. Released to the air around them.

“Ooooohhhhhh…~ Oooohhhhhhh yeeeeesssssssss…~!”

Perfumer grinned. “That’s not a number, but hey, I’ll take it, sweetheart.”

Robin squirmed happily atop the massage bed. She was inwardly thankful that Perfumer couldn’t see her face, cherry-red as it was both from Lena’s tender massage, and tender words.

This is… This is amazing!

This is what a massage from Lena is like?!

These people don’t know how good they have it!

Best massage—no, best OPERATOR ever! Go, Perfumer!

Let’s fucking go…!

At the opposite end of the room, the boombox that Lena had kept here was playing “nature sounds.” Specifically, it was supposed to mimic rainforest ambiance. Robin, who had been a city girl all her life, had no idea that rainforests sounded this… soothing.

She was learning so much today. For example, she now knew exactly why Dr. Kal’tsit swung by the Convalescence Garden as often as she apparently did.

“I’m not pressing too hard?” Perfumer’s fingers were coated in white fire, thanks to her Arts. It wasn’t painful, so much as it was melting. Robin could feel herself unraveling beneath the adept Vulpo, coming undone in ways she never thought possible.

“Nuuuuuuhhhhhhhh… suhhhhhhhhhh…~”

Perfumer laughed gently. “Gosh. You sound like a mummy. And… you feel like one, too. So stiff up here…” Perfumer rolled her thumbs carefully over Robin’s shoulderblades, humming diligently while she kneaded and rubbed below the girl’s neck. “And so stiff down here…”

Lena trailed her hot hands lower, caressing the Anaty to groan with pleasure as she felt the Vulpo push tenderly against her lower trapezius muscles, and then lower still: to the middle of her back, where Perfumer felt confident enough to slide her fingertips in a line along her back, almost as though she were tracing a path to come back to.

“So many knots,” Perfumer remarked sadly. “I wonder how low I can go? Your entire body needs work, Robin, sweetie. You should have come to me so long ago…~”

Lena slid around to the other side of the raccoon girl, whispering up against Robin’s reddened ear.

“Don’t worry, Robin. I’ll do just fine. We can make up for lost time together…~”

Another sound slipped out of Robin’s mouth, this one the least voluntary by far. It embarrassed her so much that she turned her head away from Lena again, blushing madly under her masseur’s touch. The last time she had moaned this much was when her favorite actor did a shower scene in Lungmen Underground 2: Highway to Hell.

“Don’t be ashamed to moan,” Perfumer outright told her. “That’s good. It helps me know I’m doing something right… And it’s a good tell that tension and stress are leaving the body. Ultimately, that’s my goal: to help you unwind, and decompress… mm.”

“Mmmmmkayyyyyyyyy…~” Robin mumbled.

“Well, anyway,” said Lena, “it’s good that you’re here now! I can undo as much of this stress as I can… And I’ll have so much fun working on you,” she promised sweetly. “I’m curious, though… What made you finally come into my Convalescence Garden?”

Ah… I suppose I should tell her…

“Muhhhhh brddyyyyyyy.” Robin whimpered. Her head was buried in the coolest and most comfortable pillow that she ever felt in her life.

“What was that? I’m sorry, I missed that,” said Lena, leaning in closer.

“Mhhh brthdayy.” Robin cooed.

“Oh… Oh! Your birthday? Today? Really? Happy birthday, Robin.” Perfumer rubbed more lotion into her hands, and she began running those hands over the small of Robin’s back, massaging around the Anaty’s bushy tail. “I wish I’d known earlier. I would have prepared something even better for you on your birthday. Like I do for all my other customers…”

“Mmmmmmmh…?”

“Mm-hmm…” Lena giggled slyly. “You want to know? Well, it’s an extra-special massage for all my birthday boys and girls…”

“MMMM-HMMMMM????”

Another lovely and melodic giggle from Lena. “Mm-hmm indeed! Ah, but you didn’t tell me it was your birthday. I’m not ready for something like that right now. Hmm… Well, maybe next year then? If you can wait that long… then I’ll give it to you twice. Do you think you can be patient for it? I promise it’ll be worth the wait…”

Robin turned her head once again to look at Lena. From her spot on the bed, she could only see the woman’s midriff — a soft navel beneath a deceptively toned upper body. For as soft and doting as Perfumer could be, this was her labyrinthine garden, and she worked tirelessly to bring its necessary comforts to the good people of Rhodes Island.

Gah… Be strong, Robin…! You were warned about women like this…!

“Did you know that the body contains multiple pressure points, Robin?” Lena asked. Robin nodded as best she could.

“Y-yeah… I know that… from movies…” She muttered shyly.

“From movies?” Perfumer raised an eyebrow with interest in the matter. “Well, even so, it’s true. Many, many pressure points… And each one, when pressed stimulates one aspect of the body… or blocks it.”

“Mm-hmm…”

Robin recalled the numerous kung fu movies that she watched in her spare time. The ones that taught her how to fight made mention of skilled martial artists who targeted their enemies’ defenses. Ultimately, Robin was more of a ranged fighter and a skilled trapmaker… But if she needed to get physical with someone, she would.

Getting physical with Lena… Ha… Mmm…

…

…N-No! That’s inappropriate…!

“For example,” Lena whispered, as she prodded a particular spot on Robin’s back, “if I stimulate this pressure point…”

Robin felt Lena push her finger straight into her back. In an instant, the flustered Anaty felt her tail go rock-hard, and now it stood perfectly perpendicular to the ceiling.

“H-huh…?!” Robin tried desperately to curl her tail and bring it downward, but it was no use. It was stuck like that.

ERECT like that.

“I-I can’t…” Robin stammered. She gulped as Perfumer slid her hand lower…

and lower…

and lower…!

“And if I stimulate this pressure point…”

Once again Perfumer jabs her finger against the surface of Robin’s back, striking some point unknown to Robin, but very known to a masseuse of her skillset. In an instant, Robin’s extremities went limp — the exhausted Anaty was unable to move her arms, legs, or head. Her tail remained upright, however. She was completely and utterly at the mercy of the Perfumer.

“L-Lena, I… hahhh… m-massage…” The words tumbled out of her mouth. “Help me… please… my body… so hot…”

“There’s a pressure point at the base of your tail, you know. A small one. If I push my finger here…”

She teased it.

“Well… ahaha. Let’s just say… We should save that pressure point for your next birthday, alright? I promise you’re going to love it…”

Robin gulped. She watched helplessly — submissively — as the Perfumer grabbed a new bottle of some transparent liquid. Rubbing oils…? As soon as the cap is removed from the bottle, Lena squirted a generous helping of that sweet-smelling clear fluid onto her open palm, before rubbing them together and making grabby hands toward the poor raccoon’s shivering tail.

“Now… Are you ready, my dear?”

Robin’s lip trembled. She was trapped.

“W-w-what are you going to d-do to me now, Lena…?”

Lena licked her lips. Her eyes started to glow. And then...

“I’ll start off by stroking that thick, twitching,

(Author’s Note: Hey, that’s enough! I don’t want to raise the age rating on this thing…!)

Chapter Text

“Robin? Ahaha… Robin? Are you there, sweetheart?”

Lena the Perfumer leaned in to look more closely at her client. Robin had fallen asleep some time ago, having lost herself to the massage; the comfort, and the intimacy.

Robin grumbled softly before yawning, stretching her arms and legs out. Then, she sat up and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, sighing with utmost relief.

“Lena… Ahh… Did I fall asleep? I’m sorry…”

The Vulpo masseuse could only giggle softly. “No, it’s alright. I let you fall asleep a little while ago. You looked like you really needed that rest, Robin. Are you feeling okay?”

“Okay…?”

Robin smiled, looking up at the Perfumer with a grateful, knowing smile.

“I feel better than okay. I feel amazing… I feel better than I’ve felt in a long, long time…”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that!” Lena winked. “To tell you the truth, I thought you might need that little nap. But also… I thought it was very cute. I can’t remember the last time a client felt so comfortable afterward that they just dozed off as you did.”

Robin blushed. “How long was I asleep…?”

“Only for an hour,” said Lena. “I didn’t know if you had other plans today… so I thought it best to wake you before too long.”

“Mm… It’s so cozy in here. I’m tempted to stay longer, but… I do have more plans. And… I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“Well, I’m just happy that you’re enjoying my Convalescence Garden, Robin. You’re welcome anytime… and if you’d like another massage,” she added, “just be sure to schedule out in advance next time, alright?”

Robin nodded. She would definitely be coming back. She had to experience that birthday massage at least. She had to!

“Well well well… Don’t you look happy!”

Lappland snickered as Robin stumbled out of the massage room, with Lena at the door frame waving her off, smiling knowingly. Presently, the Lupo sat on a bench off to the side at the Convalescence Garden, surrounded by those same blue flowers that she gave to Robin. She was playing with a lighter. Every flick of her thumb let out a little spark.

Robin felt as though she was floating; she felt lighter than air. Lappland’s nose twitched as the Anaty approached her, and she smiled wickedly.

“You smell amazing,” she remarked.

“I feel even better,” said Robin, who bowed her head gratefully. “Thank you… For letting me use your slot. Lena was… absolutely wonderful to me.”

“Is that right?” Lappland tilted her head to the side, keeping that dark smile. “Well, you’re very welcome. I look out for my friends — it’s simply what I do.”

“Are we friends?” Robin asked. She didn’t seem so sure. “We only met about two hours ago. You don’t know much about me, and I don’t know much about you.”

“Life is better with a little mystery, isn’t it?” Lappland narrowed her eyes at Robin, who took a step back out of reflex.

“Umm… How come you’re still here?” Robin asked. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Don’t be so self-centered! Maybe I want to stop and smell the roses?”

“Can roses be blue?”

“Sometimes, they can be.” Lappland tapped her finger against her chin, as if she were deep in thought. “You should run along now, friend. I’m waiting for a little angel to show.”

“A little angel, huh…” Robin thought to ask but ultimately decided against it. Quite frankly, the further she was from Lappland, the safer she felt overall. “Well, okay. Have fun doing that. I suppose I’ll see you around?”

“Oh, you will,” Lappland spoke as though it was an absolute certainty. “You will definitely be seeing a lot more of me! I’d like to check in on you. I’ll be on your ass like flies on shit!”

“That is probably the worst way you could have told me that.” Robin sighed. “But alright.”

Knock knock knock knock knock.

Operator Midnight — real name Yoru — opened his dorm room door with a smile.

“Good day to y—”

Then he looked up, spotting the giant Feline standing just in front of his doorway. Operator Mountain bent forward slightly, clearing his throat with a sheepish expression plastered on his face.

“Good day to you, Midnight. If you’re not too busy, I need your help with something.”

“You need my help? Goodness me, my friend. It must not be a test of strength,” the Sarkaz teased. Yoru ran a hand through his midnight-black locks, chuckling with amusement. “To what do I owe the pleasure, my dearest compatriot? I may be a tad busy today, but rest assured, I’ll do my utmost to tend to whatever whim has placed its hold on you.”

Mountain, who stood quite a bit taller than Operator Midnight, pushed his pointer fingers together shyly. Then, he went and made his request.

“Well… You see…”

Mountain actually blushed.

“I’ve heard that you’re quite the ladies’ man. Well… I think I’ve got a date tonight. I was wondering if you could—”

Midnight slammed the door shut.

A few seconds later, the door opened once again, and now the Sarkaz was wearing a lab coat. His name tag did not say Midnight, however. It did not even say Yoru.

It said: DR. LOVE.

And Dr. Love was ready to please.

“Tell me everything about her.”

Chapter Text

Mountain — real name Anthony Simon — was at a loss for words.

Sitting across from him was operator Midnight, the Sarkaz with the most disheveled head of hair he’d ever seen in his entire goddamned life. Midnight steepled his fingers and nodded slowly. The floor was all Anthony’s now. He had to provide the details.

And provide details he did. With a sigh, he began.

“So,” said Mountain.

“So…” Midnight narrowed his eyes.

“So about my date—”

Midnight slapped the table beside him. WHAP!

“Tell me her name. What does she look like? What is her race? Not that that matters except sometimes it really matters,” Midnight said wisely. “For example — and this is from one gentleman to another — did you know that Vouivre girls have a special spot just below their—”

“Time out. Stop right there.” Mountain raised his meaty finger to silence Midnight. “She’s not a Vouivre, she’s an Anaty woman. Her name is Robin.”

“The trapmaker?” Midnight asked.

“You know her?”

Midnight nodded. The confirmation was deeply worrying, quite frankly.

“She’s one of those lonesome types. I tried to talk to her once. She didn’t seem very interested in my praises.”

“Oh.” Mountain frowned. “I can’t imagine why.”

“You jest, but I’m being serious!” Midnight straightened his lab coat, the name tag of which still said, Dr. Love. That wasn’t a thing that just stopped happening, it was real. This was real. “Of course, if she truly wishes to be all by her lonesome… that’s simply her prerogative. However, you have a date with her, do you?” Midnight gave Mountain a thumbs-up. “Well done, my friend… Well done!”

“Thank you…” Mountain rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly he regretted bringing this up. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know if it’s a date, per se… But she made it sound like it might have been? Unless I’m imagining things…”

Midnight crossed his legs. “It was Robin herself who wanted to spend time with you, correct? You did not approach her yourself?”

Mountain shook his head. “She came to my room.”

Midnight leaned in closer.

“She asked me if I had any plans… I told her no, in the hopes that she would want to spend time with me. Well… After that, she told me that she wanted to spend time together tonight. In my dorm room.”

Midnight leaned in even closer. “Yes? And?”

“And she wants to watch a movie.”

“Which movie?”

“I don’t know yet.” Mountain could only shrug. “Apparently it has a lot of fighting. And sad parts. That was all that she told me.”

Midnight sat back and hummed to himself. “What time is this supposed rendezvous, my friend? Nine o’clock? Eight o’clock?”

“Eleven o’clock at night,” said Mountain.

Midnight went back to leaning in very closely. “Eleven o’clock at night?! My friend, when a woman wants to spend time with you so late… Why it can only mean one thing!”

“Really…?” Mountain frowned. This seemed dubious, to say the least.

“Oh yes. She intends to “FALL ASLEEP” there, in your embrace.” Midnight used massive air quotes in-between the words fall and asleep. “Then, she’s going to hope that you make the first move after that. Your decision will impact the way that she sees you, my friend. You’d better choose wisely…”

Mountain opened his mouth to speak, but Midnight interrupted him!

“HOWEVER! I have faith in you, my friend! You’re a strong gentleman, you’re burly and smooth, there’s not a chance in any hell that she hasn’t already fallen hard for you!” Midnight gave a flourish from where he was sitting, and he started to sparkle. “Bravo on helping that lonesome hermit crab come out of her shell!”

“Th-thank you?” Mountain raised an eyebrow.

“No, don’t tell me… You’ve been one more than a handful of dates, haven’t you?”

“Well in the past, in Columbia, I would—”

“And so you know the way to a woman’s heart, don’t you? Don’t you, my friend?” Midnight raised an eyebrow himself now, arching it as he stared straight ahead at Mountain, who could only gulp with rising anxiety.

“The way to a woman’s heart…?” Mountain mumbled. “Every woman is different, Midnight…”

“I’m Doctor Love right now, my friend!”

“Do I have to call you that?”

“Well no, you do not have to, but it would be appropriate, wouldn’t it?”

Mountain put his hands on his knees as he sat across from the good(?) Dr. Love. “Fine, fine. Go on, then. You were saying?”

“Yes! The way to a woman’s heart.” Dr. Love grinned, and his teeth twinkled. “All women are different, my dear Anthony Simon. All women have wants and needs. But…”

He raised his index finger, waggling it matter-of-factly.

“Every woman on this planet wants the same thing,” he said.

Mountain furrowed his brow. “What happened to your voice? Why did it get so much deeper, and much more sensual?”

Dr. Love chuckled smoothly. “The spirit of romance is coursing through my veins. And not simply the veins in my arms and legs, ohoho…!”

“Oh, my God.” Mountain cradled his head in his hands. “This was a bad idea.”

THINGS THAT WOMEN LIKE:

Mountain winced. Oh dear, Dr. Love has made a list.

Dr. Love — real name Yoru — laughed as he crossed his arms, standing in front of the whiteboard that he had already kept in his dorm room. Beneath the list were several bullet points, hidden behind a sliding cover to build suspense. Mountain could hardly stand to wait, even if his date with Robin was six hours away.

“Do you have these insights ready for anyone who should ask you for tips?” Mountain asked. Dr. Love nodded.

“Of course, my dearest, most handsome, most furry friend. So many young men — and women! — on Rhodes Island need my help. Now, Dr. Love has been around the block more than a few times, and so I know very well what the fine young ladies of Terra desire more than all else. Despite their differences, Anthony Simon…”

He scoffed.

“Despite their differences, all women really want the same thing. And it begins here!”

The sliding cover comes down, revealing our very first insight.

THINGS THAT WOMEN LIKE:

 

1) AIRCRAFT WEAPONRY

“Number one!” Midnight smacked the whiteboard with his palm. “Women love missiles.”

Mountain slowly closed his eyes. It was going to be a long day.

Chapter Text

THINGS THAT WOMEN LIKE:

1. AIRCRAFT WEAPONRY

2. PERMISSION TO KILL

3. MONEY

4. NINTENDO SWITCH

5. ELECTRIC “TOOTHBRUSH”

6. BEING LOVED AND APPRECIATED

7. NEARL

“In no particular order,” Midnight specified. He crossed his arms and threw his head back with a smug smile, waiting for Mountain’s epiphany.

Alas, the hulking Feline had more questions than answers. Questions that he was, in truth, far too afraid to ask, or else Midnight would spend another hour talking about nothing.

So Mountain just nodded and went along with it. He gave the ladykiller Sarkaz a thumbs-up and smiled anxiously.

“Thank you for all of this insight, Midnight. I mean, Dr. Love…”

“Hmph!” Midnight rubbed his hands together. “You’re most welcome! This list, right here?” Midnight smacked the whiteboard with his palm, causing the entire frame to wobble. “These are the results of dozens of hours of research. Hundreds, even. I do it for my fellow man. And even my fellow women. I don’t discriminate,” he kindly reminded.

“Okay,” said Mountain, simply.

He pointed to item number seven. “I have to ask: Who is Nearl?”

“Nearl is one of the boys,” Midnight said obviously.

“Okay.” Mountain’s arm dropped back to his side. No further questions.

“These are the universal Seven Truths trademark,” Midnight added, saying the word “trademark” out loud to emphasize the list’s importance as it ran parallel to all women ever. “Treat this knowledge with respect. It just might save your life, my brother-in-romance.”

Mountain scratched his chin thoughtfully, and he furrowed his brow. Sometimes he forgot just how many weirdos lived on Rhodes Island.

I hope Robin doesn’t have to deal with this much nonsense…

“Anyway!” Midnight gestured towards the whiteboard, where those seven listed items stood vigilant. “This Robin girl… I suppose there is one thing on this list that she values above the rest, is that fair to say?”

Mountain could only shrug. “Well, if I’m being honest, she did have some money troubles when we met. I’d like to think that things have changed since then…”

“When did you meet Robin?” Midnight asked him, “under what circumstances?”

“I was in prison,” Mountain explained.

“Ah, I see! So perhaps Robin likes the bad boy type? Well, I suppose most women really do value a man like that. They see bad boys like you as someone they must fix and change for the better. They see you as a project, Mountain!”

“How nice,” Mountain mumbled.

“So she met you in prison, hmm? Was she imprisoned as well?”

“You could say that…”

Mountain thought back to his time in Mansfield Prison. It had been quite the stay, what with its constant hardships and dangers. Honestly, he was just happy that he and Robin got out of there safely — along with Kafka, Mina, and Domma. Even now, he liked to touch base with Olivia Silence and check in with the others. It was a small wonder he hadn’t linked up with Robin very much since that adventure all those months ago…

“I don’t think Robin cares very much about missiles,” Mountain told Midnight, who could only smirk at the Feline’s response.

“At least no missile beside your own?”

“That’s vulgar.”

“Aha. I’m being inappropriate, don’t mind me~”

The giant Feline rolled his eyes. “Permission to kill? That’s… an interesting inclusion. Rhodes Island has special operators for such things, I would believe. But Robin is no such operator. At least, I don’t think she is. She wouldn’t simply…”

…then again, she did almost kill me.

“Make no mistake, my brother-in-romance,” said Midnight, “there are many women around here who want nothing more than to commit homicide. Look around! I guarantee you every woman on this landship wants to kill at least one other person. Or animal,” he added.

As if on cue, an electronic beep signaled the arrival of another. The dorm room door slid open, and much to Midnight’s glee, it’s operator Orchid who slipped into the room as she yawned with apparent exhaustion.

“Heavens above, the HR Office has been working me to the—”

The pale-haired Liberi paused, and she blinked at the sight of Mountain sitting on her bed. Mountain smiled sheepishly and raised his hand in greeting, prompting Orchid to look directly at Midnight — Dr. Love.

“I didn’t know that we were having guests,” Orchid mumbled. “Good evening, mister…?”

“Anthony Simon,” Mountain replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.”

“Likewise… I think? What’s going on in here?”

Then Orchid looked over at the whiteboard, and Mountain could see the life leave her eyes. She almost cringed her bones into a fine powder.

“Oh no. Oh no no no. Ohhhh no no no no no…”

“Good evening, my dearest Orchid!" Midnight smiled. Trouble at the office? Why don’t you sit on—”

“No no no no no.” Orchid immediately approached the whiteboard and rubbed away every single item on that list. “No no no we are not doing this again. We are not having another Dr. Love episode. I’m so tired; I refuse.”

“Does this happen often?” Mountain asked.

“Much too often. Much too often!” Now it was Mountain’s turn to receive the woman’s bitter stare. “Goodness gracious, are you coming to Midnight for romance advice? Really? This must be an epidemic. No wonder there’s not a single man on Rhodes Island who has game.”

“How cold and callous of you to say…” Midnight was completely unbothered as if this back-and-forth was a typical occurrence between both squad members. “Pay her no heed, Anthony. Although she’s called Orchid, more often than not, she behaves like the thorniest little rose you’ve ever—”

KA-THUNK!

A swat to the head with an umbrella shuts Midnight up. The Sarkaz keeled over with an impish laugh, suddenly dazed and down for the count. Mountain gulped, inwardly worried that Orchid was going to hit him next.

Instead, Orchid walked over to the whiteboard and picked up the marker.

“I’m sorry for anything my idiot teammate told you,” she said with a sigh.

“Do you always apologize for him?” Mountain asked.

“It certainly feels that way… Really now, the more he tries to rope other men into his nonsense, the worse off everyone is. Believe me, the last person you should be listening to regarding romance is Yoru.”

Mountain nodded in understanding. “You sound like you speak from experience…”

Orchid crossed her arms and scoffed.

If looks could kill, then she was packing, well, aircraft weaponry.

“Okay, sore subject, I get it.” Mountain bent his head apologetically. “At the risk of sounding incompetent… Please teach me what you know, Orchid.”

“Me?” The Liberi raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve been, well, out of the game for quite some time. So… I think if you’d be willing to give me your time… I want you to teach me how to please a woman.”

“Oh dear, please don’t say it like that…” Orchid hid her mouth behind her arm. To Mountain’s surprise, she blushed. “God, why are all the men on Rhodes Island so clueless…”

Chapter Text

“Kehehehe… KEHEHEHE…!”

Operator Kafka snickered as she passed the binoculars over to Robin, who looked through them and across the deck of Rhodes Island at their mark.

“The Target is moving to point X,” Robin mumbled. “Steady now, steady…”

Kafka — a Liberi that she’d met back in Mansfield State Prison — kept her finger on the magic button, waiting for the signal to bring on the good times.

“Target is standing still and talking to someone else,” Robin announced, keeping her gaze fixed through the pair of binoculars. “Another Durin. A blonde one.”

“That’s Durin,” Kafka told Robin.

“That’s what I said…”

“No, I know that! But…” Kafka grinned. “That Durin? Her name is Durin.”

“...huh?”

Robin stopped looking through the binoculars just to glance at the mischievous Liberi lying beside her.

“She’s a Durin and her name is Durin?” Robin asked. “Seriously?”

“That’s what she calls herself.” Kafka nodded seriously. “Durin, the Destroyer of Worlds.”

“What???”

“That’s kind of silly, right? Imagine if I called myself Liberi. Or Kal’tsit called herself Old Hag. Same dang thing!”

“Hmm…”

It was evening. The sun was slipping over the horizon, trying to hide. In the lull, Robin hummed to herself. She thought about how she’d gone for a walk when she just found Kafka here like she was staking out easy prey. Apparently, she was playing epic pranks.

“So what made ya decide to spend time with li’l ol’ Kafka?” The Liberi gardener asked.

“You told me to come over here,” Robin reminded her.

“Yeah, sure, but ya coulda said no!” Kafka giggled merrily. “Ya looked like a girl on a mission, so I didn’t actually expect ya to say yes… so color me surprised!” Kafka raised an eyebrow. “Always figured ya for the loner type. Not that there’s anythin’ wrong with that.”

“Today’s a special day,” Robin told her.

“Oh yeah? Who died?”

“Uh… It’s my birthday.”

Kafka paused. “Ah, shit. Happy birthday! I wish ya woulda told me sooner! I coulda made ya somethin’ real nice…”

Robin smiled in understanding. “Don’t worry about it. I thought I was just going to go to work today. Instead… Amiya told me I wasn’t allowed to. This is my first day off… Which is why I’m wandering. Completing things on my list.”

“To-do list, yeah?”

“Mm-hmm. I’ve gotten some of them done,” said Robin. “Only a few more things to go.”

“What’s next on the list? Are ya gonna tell ol’ Kafka? Maybe she can help ya!”

“Just a minute…”

Robin looked through the binoculars again. Across the deck, she spotted them.

Their prey was moving.

“Target is en route to point X again,” Robin announced, her tail trembling with excitement. “They’re almost there…!”

“Just say when!” Kafka raised the remote in her hand, grinning madly.

A second passed. And then another. And then…

“Now,” Robin urged, “do it now!”

Kafka gasped excitedly, and then she pushed the button.

Operator Myrtle — the most important operator on Rhodes Island, the 131-centimeter-tall bulwark against all that is chaos and misery — was having a pretty nice day, all things considered.

Having concluded her work for the day, the flag-bearing Durin decided to go for a walk on the upper deck of the landship. The sun was setting, the breeze was calming, and…

…and Durin was sleepwalking again. That wasn’t good.

“Umm… Durin?”

Myrtle approached her fellow Durin — who herself was named Durin, and was only the second-most important operator on Rhodes Island — and gently roused the slumbering shortie, who woke with a start and waggled her wand in Myrtle’s direction.

“Nyehh… Good morning, Myrtle.” Durin yawned.

“Good morning?” Myrtle smiled sheepishly. “Durin, it’s six o’clock in the evening…”

“It’s good morning somewhere, you know…” The blonde operator yawned again, adjusting her little cap and smacking her lips together. “How long was I sleeping…?”

“I don’t know… Why would I know that!” Myrtle pouted. “I don’t just follow you wherever you go. What am I, your keeper?”

“Heh heh. Maybe?” Durin, despite her sleepiness, winked and smiled slyly. “You remember what my code name is, right?”

“Of course I do,” said Myrtle, “it’s Durin. You were too lazy to pick anything else!”

“Uh-huh. But do you remember your ownnn?”

Myrtle groaned. “Don’t make me say it… It’s so dumb.”

“You’re Myrtle of Durin…! That makes it sound like you belong to me, doesn’t it…~?”

“Guh, don’t even joke about that…! It’s so embarrassing. You’ve put me in an embarrassing position!”

“Heh heh heh… So, I guess that means you are my keeper, huh?”

“Durin, I really wish you picked a different code name… Can’t you?”

“Nuh.” Durin shook her head.

Then her little watch beeped, which pleasantly surprised Myrtle. “Is that one of those workout things? A NitWit?”

“Mm-hmm. I was exercising in my sleep… Snoozercizing, they call it.”

“Absolutely no one calls it that.”

“You’re such a hater, Myrtle. But I still love you.” Durin smiled warmly, holding her own face with her sleeve-hidden hands.

“Seriously, quit saying stuff like that. You’re gonna make people think weird things!”

Durin yawned, and Myrtle hated that she found it so adorable. “Hey, it’s time for First Dinner. Do you wanna come with me?”

“I’m still full from Second Lunch…” Myrtle mumbled. Durin was displeased by this.

“You’re no Durin at all… Where’s all your thigh fat?” Durin crouched down and poked Myrtle’s thigh, prompting a shriek. “Do more squats… and eat more macaroni.”

“Hey, quit it! Don’t make me swat you!”

“Eeeh? Using a flag as a weaponnn?”

The two parted ways in a short time, leaving Myrtle alone on the upper deck of the landship, shaking her head and muttering to herself as she walked.

“There’s nothing wrong with using a flag as a weap—”

At that moment, just as Myrtle strolled past a few giant crates… it happened.

The box closest to her blew its top, exploding with a triumphant vigor. Like a mortar of sorts, the cube burst apart and flung curious flakes skyward. In only a second, Myrtle shrieked and fell backward, landing on her ass and shielding her eyes to defend herself from the oncoming hellfire.

Then a horn blared, and when Myrtle opened her eyes, it was raining confetti.

“H-huh?!”

She stood up carefully, holding out her hands to catch the rainbow-colored flakes that slowly fluttered toward the ground of the deck. Myrtle looked back at the exploded box, watching as a banner sprang up from within.

THANK YOU FOR BEING AWESOME! was printed across its surface, causing a wobbly smile to make its way to the face of Myrtle of Durin. BEST GIRL!

“Whoa… Hahaha! What?!”

Myrtle looked around in a daze, spotting no one in the immediate vicinity who could take credit for this surprise.

“Who did this?! Hey, is anyone there?! Th-thank you! Thank you so much! Oh my gosh! Ha ha, thank you!” Myrtle beamed, catching more flakes of confetti, as most of them clung to her hair and her clothes. “Whoever you are, thank you so so much!!”

“KEHEHEHE…!”

Hidden a considerable distance from the scene of the crime, a certain Liberi pumped her fist triumphantly.

“Another almighty prank by the great Kafka! She didn’t even know what hit her! Did you see the look on her face, Robin? Did ya? Kehehehe!”

Robin smiled sheepishly. “You really showed her, Kafka.”

“Didn’t I? Ha, didn’t I?!”

Robin was suddenly thankful that she didn’t tell Kafka it was her birthday earlier. A surprise like that might have sent her flying off the goddamned ship.

Chapter Text

Operator Kafka — the most professional prankster on this side of Rhodes Island — swirled a potato wedge around in the puddle of ketchup on her tray, before popping it into her mouth to noisily chew on it.

“So,” she said, “are ya gonna tell Kafka what’s on the agenda now?”

Robin, who sat across from the munching Liberi, nodded as she took the paper out of her back pocket, reading off the next item on her to-do list.

“Next up is…” Robin cleared her throat. “Jump off Rhodes Island.”

Kafka closed her eyes and nodded. “Gotcha. Gotcha loud and clear.”

They were in the cafeteria now, having decided to come here for an evening meal after catching up on the upper deck of the landship. Myrtle had been “pranked”, and so all that was left was to explain the situation to Kafka, just as Robin had done to a few others today.

The cafeteria was well-populated. The Anaty could see a few people that she recognized from the jobs and missions that she’d undertaken before today. Checking her watch, Robin saw that it was almost seven o’clock in the evening. All around them, people were chattering, talking, enjoying themselves, and decompressing from whatever jobs they had just come from, or were about to do. At the far end of the room were a few members of the culinary department, setting out what seemed to be entire pizza pies. Cheese, pepperoni, mushroom, pineapple…

“...wait, what?”

Kafka looked from the pizzas, back to Robin.

“Are ya serious?”

“Mm.” Robin frowned. “I don’t like pineapple very much either.”

“What? No, no. Babe, did ya just say ya wanna JUMP OFF RHODES ISLAND?”

“Huh? Oh… Yeah.” Robin nodded and tried a small smile. “I’ve seen people do it before. The first time I saw it, I was… honestly amazed.”

“Uh, yeah, I’ve seen it too, but…!” Kafka put both hands on the table. “First of all, they do it when it’s daytime! So they can actually see where the heck they’re going! Second of all, they jump off in teams, and they always land near villages or outposts! I think we’re passing through a wasteland right now? And lastly, the people who jump off are literally TRAINED to jump off and land without a scratch!”

“Just like in that video game…” Robin murmured.

“Say what?”

“Uh, nothing…!” Robin smiled sheepishly. “Are you telling me that I shouldn’t jump off Rhodes Island?”

“I’m sayin’ ya should at least think about doin’ it in the morning!” Kafka popped another couple of fries into her mouth, then spoke while she chewed. “Ya wanna wait ‘til tomorrow?”

Robin winced. “I was hoping to do everything on this list today… That’s why I made it. I thought it wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Why didn’t ya make that the first item on the list?! Ya coulda got it out of the way while we still had daylight!”

“As I said, I didn’t realize it might have been an issue until now…!” Robin’s shoulders sank. “Guh… Maybe there’s someone I can talk to?”

“Like who?” Kafkasked.

“Like, I don’t know…! I didn’t think this part through…! Do you know anyone who’s jumped off of Rhodes Island?”

“Oh, sure! Lemme just crack open Kafka’s ol’ address book of suicidal mofos and we can get down to it!” Kafka scoffed. “Can’t ya just move onto the next item on the list?”

As if on cue, someone passed right by their table. Someone familiar. Someone who…

…who just might be Robin’s ticket off the landship!

The Anaty grinned. As the woman passed them by, Robin gestured for Kafka to look over, and they watched the Vulpo make a beeline for the pepperoni pizza.

“Huh?” Kafka blinked. “Who’s that girl?”

“That’s Angelina,” Robin remarked, keeping her voice low enough so that even the big-eared messenger couldn’t hear her. “I’ve seen her fly off the ship before, using her staff.”

“Using her staff?” Kafka blinked.

“Riding it like a broom. Like a witch. From a Higashian cartoon,” Robin clarified.

“Ha! Get outta town!” The Liberi snickered. “What timing, eh?”

“I’ll say. I need to convince her to let me use that staff,” Robin thought aloud, “and then I could hop off of Rhodes Island, fly back to it, and then we’re done...!”

“How are ya gonna convince her to part with that thing, for even a second?” Kafka furrowed her brow. “Seems unlikely, s’all I’m sayin’. Ya really think she’ll say yes?”

“Yes.” Robin nodded resolutely. “She’s my golden ticket off of Rhodes Island. I just need to talk to her, before she leaves.”

“Whoa whoa whoa.” Kafka stuck her hand up. “Shouldn’t ya practice what ya wanna say first? Just in case ya flub it up?”

Robin checked her watch again, and she sighed.

“No time. It’s getting darker and darker by the minute. The sooner I ask her, the more likely it is she’ll say yes.”

“Shit, alright then…” Kafka gulped. “Guess I can’t stop ya. Good luck, Robs. Fingers crossed, eh?”

“Fingers crossed…”

Robin gathered her strength, before clenching her fists and standing up from her seat. Nervously, she approached Angelina from behind and tapped on the Vulpo’s shoulder.

Angelina — real name Angelina, because she’s one of those weirdos who use their real name in place of a cool codename — smiled as she turned around and met with Robin. “Hey there! Sorry, am I in the way? Lemme just grab a slice real quick. Pretty lucky that we’ve got pizza, huh?” She gave Robin a friendly smile.

Robin panicked. Her knees were wobbling, and this is something that didn't go unnoticed by the people standing around waiting for their turn at the pizza table. Angelina smiled anxiously as she waited for Robin to say something. And Robin…

Robin realized that she had to say something NOW. She pulled from deep within herself. Think: what would your favorite action movie hero say? What would they do? How would they take control of the situation?

Yes! They had to take control of the situation! That is what Robin had to do. She had to take control.

With that in mind, Robin lurched forward and put her hands on Angelina’s shoulders. Then she scowled as the words tumbled out of her mouth.

“I want to ride you."

Chapter Text

Nobody makes a fucking move.

Angelina is left flabbergasted at Robin’s proposal. The pizza slice in her hand drips melted cheese onto the floor between her feet.

“What.” Angelina doesn’t even blink.

“Your staff,” Robin told her, shaking her gently by the shoulders, “let me ride your staff.”

“....OK.” Angelina set aside her pizza slice. “I think I get it, now. You just— the way you phrased that just now, oh my God. Okay, can we just—”

The flustered Vulpo stepped out of line with Robin, thoroughly embarrassed by that little mixup. She spoke again as she cleaned her hands with napkins.

“So um, hi. I’m Angelina,” the Vulpo replied, extending a hand to shake Robin’s. “I thought maybe you should know someone’s name before you offer to ride them…!”

“Ahaha… sorry.” Robin smiled sheepishly as she shook Angelina’s hand, regarding the brunette fox apologetically. “I’m in a rush; I have to get off of Rhodes Island…”

“Well sure, but why do you need my help to leave the ship? We should be stopping in about eight hours, actually… before then, it’s nothing but a wasteland. Can it wait?”

Robin pushed her pointer fingers together, suddenly feeling embarrassed for even asking. The action movie hero deep inside of her was drowning in self-doubt. “The short version is that today’s my birthday, and… I’ve always wanted to jump off of Rhodes Island while it was moving. I’ve seen operators do it before; it looked so cool. Like something out of a movie…!”

“But you’ve never done it before, right? It’s extremely dangerous!” Angelina frowned with worry. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

“Robin. I’m Robin. Sorry, I’m a bit scattered right now…! I’ve got this to-do list today, for my birthday. I was supposed to go to work, and… since I’ve got free time after all…” She trailed off. Angelina nodded in understanding.

“Alright, I get it. It means that much to you, huh?” Angelina smiled sympathetically. “We’ll have to leave quickly though, it’s almost too dark and dangerous to fly off the ship. Can we get this done right now, before all of the pizza’s gone?”

“Sure…!” Robin’s face lit up with eagerness, and she shook her fists excitedly. Back where Kafka was sitting, the mischievous Liberi matched her motions beat for beat. “Thank you, Angelina… I promise I’ll make it up to you…!”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Angelina told her, “if you’re not trained, this kind of thing is super dangerous. At least while the ship is moving,” she reminded. “Also, I usually get permission before I jump off, just in case. I like to know that someone knows where I am, and where I’m going. It always feels better that way. It feels safer.”

“Who do you usually ask?” Robin could see where this was going.

“Well, I ask Amiya, usually. Or the Doctor,” said Angelina.

“Do you think that either of them would let me jump off of Rhodes Island… while it’s moving… so that I can check something off of my list?”

Angelina smiled nervously. “I don’t know. The Doctor might?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t risk it then…”

“Would the Doctor really let one of his operators jump off of Rhodes Island just for fun?”

Both Robin and Angelina paused, before exchanging glances and nodding.

“Let’s ask the Doctor,” they said in unison.

“Nope! Sorry, you can’t ask the Doctor a-ny-thing~!”

Gravel — real name Senomy — smiled cheerfully as she gave both Angelina and Robin the bad news. Robin frowned. Angelina frowned for only a moment before she went a step further into feeling irritation — a feeling she oftentimes had when dealing with Gravel, especially when she was stationed just outside the tactician’s office like this.

“Is the Doctor in a meeting?” Angelina asked.

“Yes,” said Gravel.

“Are you just saying that so that we’ll go away?”

“Noooo,” Gravel lied.

Angelina groaned with annoyance before Gravel made an inquiry of her own.

“Might I ask why you want to talk to my Doctor?”

“We need permission to jump off of Rhodes Island,” Robin mumbled meekly. She realized that the more she said it out loud, the stupider it sounded.

“Permission for something as easy as that?” Gravel laughed gently. “If you want to jump off of Rhodes Island, all you need to do is jump, dear. Getting back up, though… is the tricky part. Are you sure you want to do this right now, while it’s getting so dark? While we’re crossing the wasteland?” Gravel narrowed her eyes at Robin. “You may get crushed. You may never see the Doctor — or anyone — ever again~”

Robin gulped. Angelina stepped in between her and Senomy, whose wicked smile never once wavered.

“Thanks for being so concerned, but I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ve got Arts to keep us afloat! And we’re not so naive that we can’t handle a simple jump,” claimed the Vulpo.

“Mm. Very well, I suppose it’s your funeral.” Gravel winked, raising her index finger with a charming little grin. “Fortunately, the weather is clear. If you must be off, then godspeed, ehe~”

Robin opened her mouth to say something, only to be yanked away by Angelina, who had decided that now was the best time to storm off. Gravel only giggled as the vexed Vulpo pulled her out of the hall, causing Robin to wonder if maybe she’d done something wrong.

“Okay, forget permission,” Angelina muttered, “we’re jumping off of Rhodes Island.”

“Umm… o-okay?” Robin smiled nervously. “What just happened?”

“Nothing. Nothing happened. It’s fine. We’ll jump off right now, and then I’ll come back and prove to Gravel that it’s fine,” Angelina shot back.

“Alright…”

What was the next item on the list? Try Baking?

She suddenly wanted to do that a hell of a lot more than jump off a moving landship, especially now that Angelina seemed to have been easily agitated.

Everything’s fine, Robin thought. It’s going to work out just fine…

“Angelina? Umm… you’re squeezing my hand pretty tightly right now…!” Robin complained. Angelina huffed.

“Come on! No time like the present, right?” Angelina smiled darkly. “The sooner we jump, the sooner we can rub it in Gravel’s face!”

“Umm… s-so we’re not asking for permission after all?”

“No time! You’re going to ride me, and that’s that!”

Robin winced as they passed by Blaze and GreyThroat, covering her face to hide her embarrassment as she was dragged along by Angelina. Both operators stood stock still, unable to help but watch as the Anaty was dragged away.

Blaze looked at her Liberi partner smugly. “Hmm. Now, what do you suppose that’s about?” GreyThroat closed her eyes.

“Looks like trouble,” mumbled the Liberi.

“Oh, big time. Should we check it out?”

“Do we have to? It was your idea to go for a walk.”

“We’ll still be walking! Come on, let’s see what they’re up to.”

“Ugh…” 

Blaze took GreyThroat’s hand and urged her closer. “Let’s get a move-on. If you behave yourself, I just might let you ri—”

“D-Don’t say it…!”

Chapter Text

Angelina led Robin all the way to the stern of the ship. Rhodes Island was immense and spacious, and there were many ways to jump off of it — if one were so inclined, or if they were trying to re-enact a scene from a movie, or if they were fucking insane.

“Jumping from the back should be the safest way right now,” the Vulpo had explained, “at this time of night. There are spotlights pointing down at the ground, just in case…”

“In case people want to jump off…?” Robin asked.

“That, or in case people are trying to sneak onto Rhodes Island from below. Which is why we have security teams looking off of the ship to spot for danger. And why…”

As if on cue, a flying drone passed overhead. It hovered in place for a moment, shining an infrared beacon over both Robin and Angelina, just before it took off to continue its rounds. Whizzing away, like a metallic bumblebee.

“Drones,” Angelina explained. “Some of the security is automatic.”

“I see…” Robin nodded in understanding. “Those drones look a little bit dangerous.”

“Ah, they’re not so bad. Not so hardy, either. One time I landed on one of them as I was gliding. Completely broke it! Closure wasn’t very happy about that,” she added with a smile. “But I ended up with cuts all over my butt.”

“R-really now…” Robin tried to imagine it. She looked away to keep herself composed.

At the furthest possible end of Rhodes Island was a security station, as well as doors that led deeper into the bowels of the ship, and guardrails that formed a perimeter around the ship’s rear end. Markers were printed along the ground detailing safety zones. A massive directory — an infographic documenting a map of the entire ship, as well as points of interest — was illustrated over one of the adjacent walls that formed a partition separating the south end of the landship from the southwestern lookout point.

Angelina paid no heed. She simply crossed the threshold and passed into the outlined WARNING ZONE, beckoning for Robin to follow. The Anaty did, frowning with sudden trepidation.

“It’s loud here,” she announced. There was the wind, and the sound of the ship’s mechanics chugging and churning as they sailed through the wasteland. Were it not for all the floodlights, spotlights, wall lights, and floor lights, someone was very likely to get hurt, or worse.

“What did you say?” Angelina asked.

“I said, it’s loud here…!”

“Oh, yeah, a little bit…!”

Despite this, however, Angelina removed the staff from her back and held it perpendicular to the ground. With both hands wrapped around its polished frame, she felt comfortable and confident that they could get this finished before long.

“So,” said the Vulpo, “all I have to do is…”

Robin watched the magic happen. As if Angelina herself was a witch, and the staff itself was a broom, the Vulpo suddenly straddled the floating instrument like she’d done it a hundred times before. The confidence boosted Robin’s very own, and her mouth fell open as Angelina started lifting up off the platform, rising higher, and higher, and higher…

…before descending lower, and lower, and lower, until her feet touched the platform again, right beside Robin. Then she smiled.

“Ready to ride?” She asked. Robin nodded after a moment’s hesitation.

“Erm… am I too… top-heavy?” The Anaty asked, wringing her hands together anxiously. Angelina took a long and knowing — almost envious, really — glance at Robin’s chest, before nodding and smiling wider.

“You’re top-heavy, but that’s fine. I’m bottom-heavy. We’ll balance the ride!”

“...pfft. If you say so…”

Angelina scooted back and patted the front half of the staff. Robin straddled the floating device, and she immediately felt awkward having done so.

“It feels… hard… to ride this…” She mumbled. Angelina scooted forward again, and she laced her arms around Robin’s tummy, pulling the Anaty closer in a surprisingly snug-feeling hug. For her protection, surely, and yet…

“You get used to it,” Angelina told her. “And if anything happens, I’ll protect you.”

“You will…?” Robin’s eyes went wide suddenly. She was thankful that Angelina couldn’t see her face, since she was right behind the seated raccoon.

“Mm-hmm. I promise!” Angelina giggled. “By the way, Robin, you smell REALLY good… what perfume is that? Or is it lotion?” She sounded deeply impressed, almost enamored. The flustered Anaty mumbled from the compliment.

“I went to the Convalescence Garden for the first time earlier today…”

“What did you say?” Angelina shouted.

“I said: I went to the garden today…!”

“You what? You went where?” The engines’ whirring became louder on this part of the ship. Robin shouted again, trying to keep things concise.

“I had a massage…!!” She yelled.

“You want a massage?! Uhh…! M-maybe later…?!” Angelina cleared her throat, smiling shyly. “Alright, I’ll guide us off the ship. Let me bring us closer to the edge, and then we can jump off!”

“A-ahh, okay…!” Robin shuddered within Angelina’s intimate embrace like this. Slowly but surely, the floating staff cruised to the end of the ship.

Robin looked down, right over the edge of Rhodes Island. She felt her heart float up to her throat, and no matter how many times she gulped, it remained lodged there.

“We’re making security antsy,” Angelina remarked, observing as they were slowly surrounded by drones flying overhead. No doubt watching, no doubt waiting. If it were anyone else, they might have been stopped already, the Vulpo thought. But she’d done this before. She’d delivered correspondence for Dr. Kal’tsit and the others. It was fine.

“Ready!” Angelina shouted.

“R-Ready…!!” Robin shouted back, over the whir of the ship’s motors.

“GO!”

“JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIES…!!”

She jumped.

Everything happened in slow motion.

Despite being so top-heavy, Robin never felt lighter. Lighter than the very air she breathed. The very air that filled her lungs and gave her spirit. Her boots left Rhodes Island. She left Rhodes Island. She jumped.

There were no birds up here. No one to wave goodbye. There were only mechanical drones. The landship’s automated defenses. The surveillance system. What lay below: one thousand seven hundred kilometers of emptiness, pockmarked by various flavors of civilization. Sand. Salt. Serenity.

The stars bore witness to the miracle of flight. Rhodes Island went east. A particularly chesty raccoon girl went west.

She didn’t even realize she’d been holding her breath. As sound and light ebbed behind them, lapping like waves along the shoreline, Angelina couldn’t help but scream with delight.

“Yes! See?! Have confidence! Have confidence! ”

And then they started falling.

Really falling.

Like a comet burning through the aurora.

Now it was Robin’s turn to scream — only she felt no delight. Not even close.

“NO CONFIDENCE!” Angelina shrieked. “NO CONFIDENCE!!!”

Chapter Text

Terra’s twin moons crept up over the horizon.

The stars shone brightly against that blackness.

A firmament of a swirl of incandescence, floating comfortably in an inky soup.

Terra videtur. Terra tenetur. Terra amatur.

This land is seen. This land is held. This land is loved.

Four-point-six billion organisms writhing beneath the very same bulwark of the cosmos.

Two were falling, like meteorites beyond.

Ut supra, sic infra.

As above, so below.

Time was fluid, and now ice crystals formed on the water. The flow had slowed. All sound had been muted. God was in their heaven. Everything was normal on the earth.

“Did you hear something?”

April’s headphones hung around her neck. She glanced over to Ambriel beside her, sharing candy with the loitering Sankta from Laterano. After a moment’s deliberation, the angel answered, with all the pomp and ceremony of a weather forecast.

“I think someone just fell off of Rhodes Island,” she said.

“Oh.”

April furrowed her brow, and she chewed thoughtfully on her chocolate-dipped stick.

“Should we do something about that?”

“Nah. It happens once in a while.”

“It does?” April looked beyond the ship, towards the icon of their destination.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do, uh, do they live? When they fall,” April clarified.

And Ambriel answered. “If they don’t land on their head, sure.”

“PULL UP! PULL UP!!”

Angelina yelled as loudly as she could.

Robin yanked the tip of the staff skyward. They’d left Rhodes Island, but they wouldn’t stop screaming as they fell. A second into their plunge, they were finally evening out their descent. Their nosedive became an acute angle of a drop.

“I can do this!” Robin screamed over the rush of wind. “I can do this…!!”

The Anaty channeled all of her focus into her palms, superheated by the burst of Arts coursing through her body. Angelina was the infected between the two; her body formed the conduit by which the staff could either ascend or descend with apparent ease.

And right now, it was with a dreadfully apparent ease that the staff was going down, down, down. Taking them with it.

Angelina grit her teeth. Reaching up, she placed her hands on Robin’s shoulders, and she felt the raccoon girl shudder against her palms.

“Robin, we’re still going down…!” She came up closer, squeezing the woman’s arms tight. “It’s okay! We’re okay! Just! Keep! Pulling! Up!”

“Easy for you to say! You do this all the time…!!”

The staff became more level with the ground beneath them. That encroaching darkness. The stars lit their way; Rhodes Island sailed behind them, moving further away.

“Turn us around,” said Angelina. As they got closer to that sea of darkness, the staff slowed, and the wind ceased whipping, and she felt herself grow just a little bit calmer. “Twist your wrists, Robin…”

The Anaty nodded. She felt flustered and confused, to say the least. After a few seconds of paralysis, Angelina took her hands off of Robin’s shoulders and once again wrapped them around her waist, holding her snugly.

“To the right, at the same time,” Angelina told her — more gently this time. “You can do it, I believe in you…!”

“A-Angelina, hahh…” Robin gulped. She paid heed to the Vulpo, twisting her wrists to the right and hearing a soft click from the staff as she did so. The instrument immediately turned in place, slowing down enough to do so without giving either passenger whiplash.

“Okay…!” Robin let out a shuddering gasp. “I’m doing it…!”

“Well done!” Angelina sighed with relief. “Holy cow, I thought we were gonna—well, actually, maybe I shouldn’t say it…!”

She fell forward, and she pressed her face up against Robin’s back as an anxious sigh escaped her. “That was too close…”

“I-I’ll say…!”

Robin trembled in Angelina’s embrace. Today was surely a day of firsts. Hell, this hour was full of firsts. She’d never been hugged from behind like this. She’d never jumped off of Rhodes Island before. And flying a staff like a magical witch? Well, that just took the cake.

“It’s getting so dark,” Angelina mumbled, “we should… ahhh…”

“Huh?” Robin turned her head to look back at Angelina, as best she could from her position. “Are you okay? What’s wrong? Are you passing out?”

“N-no, it’s just… ahehe… you smell… so good, Robin…”

“O-oh…”

Robin’s hands clenched the pole even tighter.

“Like I said, I had just had a massage from Lena. She used oils and lotions, and, w-well, yeah…” She trailed off, not needing to explain much more. “So, uh, you like how I smell…?”

“Mm-hmm… It’s very soothing. Very soft, and… ahh, sorry. I don’t, uh…” Angelina laughed nervously, pulling herself back. “It feels good to hold onto you right now…”

“Really…?” Robin kept her eyes forward now. She didn’t want to risk serious distraction. And yet… she couldn’t help but wiggle happily in Angelina’s arms like this. She enjoyed feeling so grounded, despite how high they were in the sky. They could kiss the stars if they wanted to.

“Well, I never ride second on my staff. I always ride first,” Angelina explained, “so, this feels new. It feels scary… because the staff isn’t under my total control. I can’t hold on as well as I usually do, so… having you to hold onto like this, feels good. Feels like everything’s going to be okay!” She beamed. “You’re really soft, and warm, and you smell good, and… aha, sorry if I’m overstepping or anything. I just really, um, like this… and I hope that’s okay.”

Robin said nothing. She went completely silent for a moment, simply idling in the air with Angelina wrapped behind her. Naturally, this put the Vulpo on edge. She chewed nervously on her lower lip.

“R-Robin? Are you okay? Uh, did I say something weird just now? Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. Let’s, um, just try to get back to Rhodes Island?”

Robin giggled.

Angelina’s fox-like ears perked straight up with alertness. “Huh?”

Robin turned her head to better face Angelina now. Even in the light of Terra’s twin moons, it was plain as day that the girl in Angelina’s arms was blushing and radiant.

“This has been the best birthday ever,” Robin whispered. “The best birthday ever…”

Angelina’s eyes went wide. And then she matched Robin’s warm smile, closing her eyes with a cheerful grin.

“On second thought… Let’s fly around for a little bit more! I’m sure I can turn you into a real pro with that staff!” Angelina claimed. “We can practice a bit with it…”

“Mm…” Robin was receptive to the idea, at least. She swung her legs beneath her, slowly but surely rising even higher than she was before, while she made a significant effort to catch up to Rhodes Island as it sailed across the wasteland beneath them. “It’s so impressive that you manage this every single day…” She remarked.

Angelina rubbed the back of her own neck. “It took some getting used to. No one starts out perfect, y’know? Heck, I broke my nose and my wrist the first week I rode this thing. You’re doing better than I am with it — just don’t get nervous, and remember to sway your hips to do gentle turns!”

“Sway my hips…?” Robin stirred, prompting Angelina to laugh at the sight.

“It’s, unfortunately, going to look and feel really intimate. This isn’t really designed for two people… But like I said before: we balance it out!”

“Mm-hmm. You’re bottom-heavy,” Robin remembered.

“And you’re top-heavy! So it’s perfect!” 🎵

“Ehehe…~”

Blaze narrowed her eyes as she looked across the expanse, standing at the very edge of the landship’s stern.

“Alright. Good.”

She put her hands on her hips.

“I thought those two were gonna go splat. That would have been a real pain to explain to Dr. Kal’tsit, huh?”

GreyThroat regarded the entire matter as dubious. She frowned with worry.

“What should we do?” Asked the Liberi. Blaze shrugged.

“I could reach them,” she mused.

“You can reach them?” GreyThroat blinked. “From here?”

“If I jump,” Blaze offered. That only served to confuse her partner more.

“If you JUMP from HERE you can REACH THEM?” GreyThroat’s mouth fell open. “Do you have any idea how far away they are?”

“Ha. I’ve got some notion. Why, are you scared?”

“Yes.”

Blaze gave GreyThroat’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “That was a rhetorical question. I know you’re scared. That’s why I’m not jumping. I’ll wait for them to get closer, then talk them back onto the ship.”

GreyThroat nodded. She ran a hand through her own ashen locks, sighing quietly. “What do we do until they get back?”

“What do we do? Well, we wait,” Blaze offered. “Let them continue their date, and we can continue ours.” She smiled as the Liberi pouted, offering her a seat at the edge of the ship. “Come on. Take a load off.”

“Hell no. I’ll fall.”

“You really think I’ll let that happen?”

GreyThroat closed her eyes and shook her head — either with disbelief or understanding — and then she sat down right next to Blaze. She could see out into that ever-encroaching darkness. The rash of stars along the skin of space.

“I wouldn’t come here if it wasn’t for you,” GreyThroat muttered.

“I know, so I’m gonna enjoy it while it lasts!” Blaze beamed, flashing her partner a sharp-toothed smile. GreyThroat couldn’t help it — she smiled back softly.

“Yeah, sure, whatever… Let’s just hope they get back safely.” She cocked her head toward the shapes of Robin and Angelina as they lagged behind the landship. As they sailed there, within Rhodes Island’s orbit, like a moon all their own.

Chapter Text

Four hours to midnight.

Terra’s twin moons held high before a blanket of stars.

An audience up above.

“Do you mind if we head back now?” Robin asked Angelina. By now they were at a steady cruise behind Rhodes Island, creeping closer and closer to the stern side of the landship. Angelina smiled as she held Robin at the waist.

“Are you asking me if I mind being back on a stable platform full of lights and people and food, instead of drifting scarily through a dark and infernal wasteland?”

Robin smiled sardonically. “Don’t make me turn this broom around.”

“It’s not a broom, it’s a staff! And hey, wow, look at you being all confident all of a sudden! Feeling a lot better about flying, huh?”

Robin sighed with gentle relief. “It helps to have a good teacher.”

“Yeah, w-well…!” Angelina stammered. “I still would have preferred this in the morning!”

“You don’t like the nighttime?”

“Well… I’m more of a morning person, y’know?”

“Heh. That makes one of us.”

“Let’s hurry back to the Rhodes Island ship now, Robin. The staff is solar-powered. If we take too long, we’ll crash.”

Robin gasped aloud. The staff in her hands started to throttle and jerk, causing both girls to bounce and sway in the midst of the wielder’s little freakout.

“Hey! R-Robin, calm down! I was just kidding!! Robinnnnn!!”

It wasn't long before the two crept up toward the rear side of Rhodes Island. Angelina squinted.

“Hey… Is someone waiting for us?”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin winced.

“Who is it?”

“Blaze… and GreyThroat.”

“Uh oh. Do they look mad?” Angelina asked.

“I-I don’t know. Hey, Angelina, umm…”

The Vulpo perked up. “Yes?”

“H-how do I land this thing again?”

As the question left her lips, Robin tried her hardest to steady the staff for a soft landing. Ideally, she would have been able to swoop down and then catch the platform by the soles of her boots. But even though that may have been ideal, Robin’s flying was anything but.

“Careful!” Blaze shouted out toward them as they approached. “Keep it steady, Rob!”

“I’m trying…!!”

The floating instrument shook, which of course meant that Robin and Angelina also shook. Before either of them knew it, they rose higher towards the night sky…

“Ahh, ahhh…!!”

…before they started nosediving again, only seconds from crash landing onto the Rhodes Island rear platform.

“AAAAHHHH!!”

“They’re falling!” GreyThroat shouted in a panic. “Blaze!”

“I can see it!”

The fiery Feline was ready. She clenched her fists and held her ground while Angelina and Robin shot toward her like a missile, tipping her head down as she narrowed her eyes. Three, two, one…!

WHAM!!

Robin shouted. For a split second, she imagined that she had struck Blaze right in the chest in her crash landing. In all honesty, however, she should have known better.

Blaze clenched her teeth as she gripped the staff tight with both hands, her calloused palms warping the frame of the instrument as she twisted her body to soften the blow. Bending her knees, Blaze flung both of the riders to the ground in a flustered heap, leaving Angelina’s device in Blaze’s possession. Then she stabbed it into the ground with neither a gasp nor a bead of sweat. The entire ordeal had lasted no more than a few seconds, but Robin was left dizzy and dumbfounded as she stared up at the night sky and all its stars.

A few more seconds passed until suddenly GreyThroat and Blaze were in her line of sight, the former frowning down with worry as the latter grinned with amusement.

“Yo, Rocket Raccoon," said Blaze, "you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Robin blinked, before sitting up. Two legs, two arms, a head… check, check, check. “Wait, what did you just call me…?”

“Ha. Don’t worry about it.”

Blaze cocked her head to the side and looked over at Angelina, still on the ground herself after the fumble that she just had. “Ange, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks…” The Vulpo sat up with an apologetic sigh. “That was embarrassing. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t die, please.” The muscular Feline cracked her knuckles, and she smiled brightly enough to lift their spirits. “Do you wanna explain what the heck you two were just doing?”

“Um.” Robin smiled sheepishly. “It’s my birthday…?”

Blaze crossed her arms. “Happy birthday. Answer the question.”

Robin stood up, and she adjusted her clothes. She ensured that all her buttons were still buttoned, and all of her zippers were still zipped. Her hair was a mess, but, that was Future Robin’s problem. “I made a to-do list because it’s my day off. I wanted to jump off of Rhodes Island.”

“You wanted to jump off of Rhodes Island,” Blaze repeated.

“Yeah. It, umm… it s-sounded cool. Like from the movies,” Robin mumbled.

“And you know that was really stupid and dangerous, right?”

“Mm… yeah…”

“Well, good! So I don’t need to say anything else.” Blaze put her hands on her own hips, turning to operator GreyThroat with a knowing smirk. “How was that?”

“Are you really disciplining someone if you’re smiling the entire time, and thinking that what they did was really cool?” GreyThroat asked seriously.

“Hey, I didn’t say their ride was cool!”

“But you were thinking it, weren’t you? You were thinking it was really cool.”

“Naww. No way…~”

GreyThroat rolled her eyes. “Happy birthday, Robin. It’s nice to see you this evening. We’re happy that you’re safe and sound. That could have been worse. Much worse.”

Blaze chimed in. “Hey, I wouldn’t have let it get worse!” She reached out and patted Robin over the head, who whined with indignance. Blaze’s touches were typically too hot, or too hard — not that GreyThroat seemed to mind them.

The first thing that Angelina did after standing up was check on Robin, frowning only until she realized that there wasn’t a scratch on the other woman. Then she sighed with relief, and she knew that everything was going to be just fine.

“So,” said Blaze, “Is this all that you two came out here to do? Go for a joyride at night in only the most dangerous way possible? That was on the to-do list?”

“Among other things…” Robin cleared her throat. “Don’t worry, the next thing on the list isn’t so dangerous. I wanted to try baking.”

“That should be much safer,” GreyThroat noted aloud, “unless Hibiscus is in the kitchen.”

“You don’t get very many vacation days, huh, Rob?” Blaze straightened her gloves as she spoke, adjusting her handwear and looking back over the stern of the landship.

Headed eastward…

“This is my first vacation day since I’ve been working on Rhodes Island,” the raccoon girl confessed. Blaze snickered.

“That must mean you’ve got something really special for the end of that to-do list, huh? Maybe a late-night rendezvous?”

Robin thought of Anthony Simon. Then she smiled.

“Maybe… maybe something like that,” she said.

Chapter Text

“I hope this has been enlightening to you, Mr. Simon.”

Operator Orchid smiled smugly as she stood before the whiteboard, watching the realization slowly work its way to both Mountain and Midnight’s faces.

“This is what it means to please a woman,” she continued, gesturing to what she’d scribbled on the whiteboard’s surface.

Mountain was at a loss for words. The arcane symbology of what he was witnessing was liable to deal him psychic damage. The equations written here were unlike anything he’d ever seen in his life. Moreover, a few of these phrases and compliments were written in another language that he could barely comprehend. It was akin to something like alchemy, pleasing a woman. Magic holding hands with science.

He saw symbols describing the phases of the moon. He saw icons representative of scales and squiggly lines and vague shapes. He saw what looked like an explosion drawn on the whiteboard. What did any of this have to do with womanhood? He was afraid to ask, and he'd been to prison.

“I… I see.” Mountain nodded as he furrowed his brow. “Thank you for the insight, Orchid. It’s very… interesting to see how one such as myself might please a woman.”

“Yes, well, I should think so!” Orchid crossed her arms and eyed Midnight, her expression turning sour once she witnessed the Sarkaz’s smirk. "Do you have something that you want to say, Yoru?"

Midnight raised his hand as he kept his little smile. "Senpai," he announced, "I have a question."

"I'm not your—" Orchid disregarded even finishing that sentence. "You don't have to raise your hand. Just ask." Midnight cupped his chin with his hands, leaning forward just a bit more.

"Are you free tonight so I can practice this… whatever this is?" The Sarkaz took his shot, and almost immediately, he was outright denied.

"No," said Orchid, who made a face at his inquiry. "I'm not going to do that again."

Ahhh… so there is history between them, Mountain thought.

"Ah well, suit yourself. I guess I'll find someone else to try this on," said Midnight, giving a flourish with his messy mane of curly black hair.

"God help whichever woman you decide to annoy tonight with your shenanigans." Orchid sighed, before turning to look at Mountain. "So, Anthony, do you think you're ready for this late-night date of yours? Have you remembered what I told you about chivalry, and how it's absolutely not dead?"

Mountain nodded in affirmation, especially because he suspected that any other answer would mean another hour-long lecture. "I do feel more ready for my date, yes, thank you Orchid."

"I can't wait to hear how it goes!" Orchid sighed dreamily. "Ah, I can just imagine it right now…!"

"You'll knock it out of the park, my dear friend." Midnight gestured like he was swinging a bat. "And once you do, I'm sure you'll round the bases in no time at all…"

"Don't compare it to some sport!" Orchid raised her umbrella like she was going to swat at Midnight again. "That's vulgar!"

Midnight smiled anxiously. "I think I've learned enough. I'm going to take a walk and clear my head before it's time. But thank you both for all of your help, really. I'll make good use of it."

"Atta boy!" Midnight patted Mountain over the back. "Knock 'em up, cowboy. Oops! I mean knock 'em dead — there's a significant difference here!"

Orchid hissed. "Yoru, you're awful! Just awful!"

Mountain had enough. While the both of them argued, he was content to merely slip away and exit the dorm room, and he heaved a heavy sigh once he was out of earshot.

"Relationships are complicated," the Feline muttered.

He glanced around in the sterile hall that he walked in, thinking back to Orchid and Midnight, inwardly hoping that they would work out their differences in due time…

…but perhaps that was wishful thinking.

I’m overthinking this, he decided. Robin wanted to spend time with me… Because I don’t need to change anything about myself. Still, I should try and be a gentleman…

He looked around again, finding no one. He was alone.

But if he was alone, then why did it feel as though…

…is someone watching me?

Anthony frowned. This felt different than being on Closure’s surveillance system. All the same, there was neither anyone in his line of sight nor behind him. Shrugging off the strange feeling, Mountain rounded the bend and went off towards the recreational rooms.

“OOF!”

Just in time for him to bump into a purple-haired Cautus, prompting the smaller woman to recoil from the impact. He almost knocked her to the ground.

“Oh, goodness me.” Mountain winced and held out his hand. “Are you alright?”

The leather-wearing bunny girl smiled cheerfully as if nothing was wrong. “I’m fine, thanks for asking! How about you, big guy? Are you alright?”

“I’m perfectly fine, thank you.” Mountain bowed his head respectfully. “And you are?”

“In a rush!”

“...Pardon me?”

As quickly as the girl had made her appearance, she went right around Mountain and ran off, leaving the hulking Feline confused and a little flustered. If he didn’t pay closer attention, he was going to really knock all of the wind out of someone’s chest by mistake.

A pity, then, that Robin seemed to invade his mind in the manner that she did. It was so easy to think about Mansfield State Prison and the events that had transpired there. The ones leading up to, and following his incarceration. It had been quite a long time since he had exercised such violence, and simultaneously, such restraint.

Ironically, Simon felt as though he wouldn’t be where he was now without Jesselton’s involvement, nor the involvement of the aggressive guards that helped keep Mansfield State Prison as “impenetrable” and “inescapable” as it was. Without such influences, he would never have met Mina. He would never have met Kafka. He would never have met…

“Um… e-excuse me… sir?”

Mountain snapped back to attention and turned around.

Once again, there was no one to be seen. And so he raised an eyebrow.

“Hello? Is there anybody there?”

“Umm… It’s me.”

Mountain blinked with confusion. He took a step forward. And then another. And then another still. And then…

Breathing. Someone was breathing right in front of him. He almost felt compelled to double-check that he wasn’t panting himself.

“What…?”

Mountain reached out… and he pushed his hand forward, feeling something warm and solid in the space before him. Something alive. Something that just moaned.

“What in the world?” Mountain took a step back and watched as, before his very eyes, someone new came into focus. Like a mirage come undone, the very air in front of him waves and dissipates like radiating heat on the hottest of days. In only a few seconds, standing before Mountain was a woman that he had never seen before. A woman who appeared out of thin air like a ghost.

She was as willowy as her tail was long and dangerous with its lethal-looking stinger. She had lilac-colored hair, a dark jacket, and wings sticking out of her cranium. Mountain had never seen anyone quite like her in all his life, and if this weren’t Rhodes Island, he may have had cause for worry. Fortunately, however, Mountain saw that her attire carried the landship’s logo right across, and the woman’s eyes showed not spite, but shame.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to… umm… make that noise. But I didn’t think you would touch me like that…” The woman smiled bashfully, her cheeks tinted red as she looked up at the brutish Feline standing right in front of her.

“It’s quite alright…” Mountain rubbed the back of his neck, looking the woman up and down. Really, he had no idea where to keep his gaze. The wings on her head made him curious, that dreadful stinger made him concerned, and her embarrassed expression made him conscious. “That’s some ability that you have,” he told her, “were you following me all this time?”

“Only f-for… five minutes,” she mumbled. She spoke so quietly that Mountain almost didn’t hear her. “Umm… but then… that girl…”

“The Cautus?” Mountain nodded, wondering if he was going to meet any other women with purple hair this evening.

To his surprise, however, it’s Mountain’s own wallet that the mysterious woman held up for him to see. “Um. She tried to take this from you. I took it back, so… I w-wanted to give it to you. That’s all…” She nodded quickly, unwilling to meet the man's lingering gaze.

“Oh, I see…” Mountain reached out and took his wallet back, smiling and bowing his head gratefully. “Thank you so much. I definitely need that. Is there anything I can do to show my appreciation?”

“Appreciation…?”

The woman looked up at Mountain, her violet eyes searching for something. After a moment of deliberation, she took a deep breath and answered Anthony Simon.

“Strong…” She whispered.

“What was that?” He leaned in closer. “What did you say?”

The woman gulped. Then she responded once more.

“You look… really strong…” Her voice barely carried above a whisper. “I… want to be… brave. I want to be… confident. I want to be… really strong.”

She looked up at Mountain. “Can you… help me… become strong?”

Chapter Text

Mountain was a little surprised. He’d been approached like this before, of course — there were plenty of people who took one glance at him and assumed that he could be their personal trainer — but he’d never been approached by someone so… cute.

And small.

The woman standing in front of him — who had introduced herself as Manticore — shifted uneasily from foot to foot as she looked up at him. She gulped aloud, appearing at once like someone who wasn’t cut out for the hardcore training regimen that he himself was used to putting himself through.

Better start from the beginning, anyway, he supposed.

“Ahem… So,” said Mountain, “Manticore, was it?”

“Y-yes.” She nodded, trying a small smile. “Can I help you…?”

“Well, apparently you’re the one who needs my help,” said the Feline, “and so I just have a few questions, if you don’t mind?”

“Sure…! No problem, no problem at all…” Manticore held her hands together as she awaited Mountain’s inquiries.

“Alright… First,” Mountain began, “why do you want to become strong?”

“Why…?” Manticore’s throat undulated as she swallowed hard. “Um… Because I’m scared. Terrified. All the time.”

“So, you want to be brave?” He asked. “You want to be courageous?”

“Yeah… but… also… I want to be stronger… physically,” she confessed to him.

“Physically stronger?” He empathized with that. “What motivates you? Why do you want to become stronger physically, and mentally more courageous?”

Rather than answer him directly, Manticore disappeared. It happened over the course of a second: in one moment, Mountain saw her plain as day, and in the next, she had completely dissipated — as if she comprised nothing more than oxygen and hydrogen particles. Gone away.

“This is… because of my infection, you see…” Manticore explained. Mountain blinked again, looking around as if he could find her. It was something strange that he would have to get used to. Like the very air around him was doing the talking. “I’m Infected… just like you.”

Mountain’s expression didn’t change. “Your Oripathy is what causes you to become invisible?” He couldn’t help but chuckle. “That may have been useful for me, once upon a time.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that, you know…” Operator Manticore sighed. “I need to become stronger. It’s important to me. Will you help me? I’ll do anything…”

“Anything, huh?” Mountain rubbed his chin. “Not that I’m not flattered, of course… But I have to wonder why you’re asking me, and not someone else. I’m not the strongest on Rhodes Island. And you’ve been here longer than I have. Surely someone must have tried to help you by now, so…” Mountain paused, turning around. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Silence.

If he didn’t know any better, Anthony would have suspected that Manticore had simply left.

“I don’t mean to pry. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer me,” Mountain told her, “but I’ll be able to help you more effectively if I know what’s going on.”

Manticore returned. When she faded into existence, she was leaning up against the wall and crossing her arms, unwilling to meet the man’s gaze.

“I’ve s-seen the things that you can do…” Manticore stammered. “I’ve b-been watching you… and, um…” She paused. “You’re not b-bad. You’re strong… but you’re also n-nice.”

Mountain didn’t know what to make of all of this.

She’s crippled with anxiety. I don’t know if I can do this alone.

“The others… they’re t-too much f-for me,” said Manticore, turning her head to look at Mountain again. “You’re… you’re perfect. You can teach m-me to be strong. Teach m-me to be brave. And… teach me to be kinder. Then maybe they won’t throw me aw-away.”

“Excuse me?” Mountain looked at Manticore with grave concern. “What do you mean, thrown away? No one’s going to throw you away. Not off of Rhodes Island.” It simply couldn’t be true. He couldn’t imagine the organization ever doing something like that to someone who didn’t rightfully deserve it.

Manticore vanished again. This time Mountain took a step back.

The aura of doom approached him.

He was familiar with it. He had steeped himself in that aura before.

Every fiber of his being was yearning to pull him away from here. To run far from this spot. This kill zone.

“I was b-born in Sargon,” she told him. Her voice was everywhere at once — filling and complete, like water. Mountain stepped back again, away from the center of the empty hallway. “The Padishah who owned me. He called m-me Death’s Right Hand,” she explained.

Mountain mouthed the words in the old Sargonian tongue. Indeed, he had read about such Padishahs, and the biomes of Sargon, whilst imprisoned in Mansfield State.

“You were an assassin?” He asked aloud.

“Yes… and I… was thrown away… left in the sand… that h-hot sand…”

A whimper escaped Manticore’s mouth, coming from Mountain’s right. He turned, and then her voice came back from Mountain’s left.

“Rhodes Island… treats me nicely. I’m a sp-special operator now. I do special things. I hurt p-people… m-maybe people who did nothing wrong. But Rhodes Island g-gives me medicine… and so… I do it. What they made me for.”

“You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to,” Mountain reminded her, gently.

“This is all that I c-can do. I can’t… I can’t do anything else. But… I need you to show me, please. Will you show me?”

Suddenly, Manticore popped back into view. Mountain took a half-step back until he pressed against the wall behind him.

“I c-can b-be b-better. Than this,” she trembled. “I’ve g-gotten better. I used to n-need paper. To talk. Now I c-can talk. I’m n-not good at it. But m-maybe I can b-be better at that too.”

“You stammer less when you’re invisible,” Anthony noted aloud.

“That’s b-because no one c-can see me. No one can judge m-me.”

“I won’t judge you,” Mountain had promised her.

“Teach me w-what you know… and then… Rhodes Island won’t throw me away…” She blushed furiously, holding her own cheeks in her hands. “I don’t want to… hide all the t-time. I want to c-come and see. Make f-friends… be nice… learn more things… and then… the m-more that I know… the less likely that… Rhodes Island w-will throw me away…”

“Manticore…” Mountain sighed. “I told you, Rhodes Island isn’t going to—!”

She leaped upon him suddenly, putting her hands on his chest and keeping him pinned to that wall behind him. Mountain was surprised by the force that Manticore used against him, but he was even more surprised at the venomous stinger only inches from his face, dangling there like a serpent about to strike.

Considering the danger and the fear — how his bones wanted to jump out of his skin — Mountain couldn’t evenly divide his focus between Manticore’s deadly tail, and the softness of her hands on his chest. Deceptively soft hands. She was so thin that he worried he would break her if he so much as breathed, and yet, she showed an odd resilience and exuded a life-threatening aura whenever she became unseen. As if, at any second and for any reason, this woman could and would kill Mountain if someone had simply asked her to.

“So… Anthony… Simon… w-will you help me…? I’ll do anything if you c-can help me… become strong. Become brave. Become… j-just like you…”

“Uh…” All the words tumbled out of Mountain’s head.

“What is y-your answer?” She leaned in closer, and as a result, she pressed her chest up against Mountain’s body. The gentle squish of her form brought Mountain back down to the earth. The wall against his back was cold, but Manticore seemed to radiate heat. It reminded him of the Sargonian desert that she claimed to hail from. Her eyes were enormous and searching. She tilted her head as she watched him closely, almost predatory about how she came close to look.

“Close…” Mountain gulped. “T-too close…”

“My tail? Oh… S-Sorry. I’m s-so sorry. It curls down when I’m n-not… fighting or sneaking. I won’t hurt y-you. I’m sorry.”

The stinger was retracted and pulled away from Mountain’s face. However, that wasn’t quite what he was referring to in the first place, anyway.

“W-why are you shaking s-so much? Do you hate me…?” Manticore frowned. Her lip quivered as Mountain simply stay trapped there, caught between a wall and a soft place. The sense of danger never left. In fact, the sense of danger grew stronger. Thicker. Warmer…?

Mountain shook his head. Now he was the one unwilling to meet her gaze, cornered like prey by a weepy-eyed predator. A weepy-eyed predator with a nice pair of…

Anthony thought of Robin, and he mentally kicked himself.

Shit. Do I have a type? I have a type, don’t I…

Chapter Text

Almonds.

Flax seeds.

Guava.

Avocado.

Kiwi.

Spinach.

Banana.

Protein powder.

It all gets chucked into the blender.

“Do you like honey?” Mountain asked aloud.

No response. It was almost as though he was alone in the Rhodes Island kitchen, making a protein shake for none other than himself. But why did his hairs stand on end if he was alone? Why was his sense of danger still going off?

He sighed. “Manticore, no one else is here. You can answer me.”

After a few moments, she returned. The woman with lilac hair and deep violet eyes. The bat wings on her head gently flapped as she came into focus, as if she were fanning herself. Shyly, she leaned against the kitchen counter and eyed the combination of foods sitting in the blender. “I l-like honey,” she mumbled.

“Alright, good.” Mountain grabbed a bottle from the pantry, popping open the lid to check its consistency. “Honey will make the shake taste sweeter, and it’ll make it a little thicker, too. It’s so much better than using plain old sugar, don’t you think?”

Manticore made a face. “Um, why are we m-making a p-protein shake…? I don’t r-really get it… but… I g-guess it l-looks good…”

“When’s the last time you’ve had a protein shake?” Mountain asked. Manticore hummed thoughtfully before responding.

“I d-don’t know,” she confessed.

“Exactly. You need to start a regimen. You need to put good things in your body before you can expect a decent output. Good goes in, and good comes out.”

“Ah… I s-see…” Manticore curled her tail inward, wary of keeping her stinger away from Mountain. “Um… d-do you do this often?”

“A protein shake? Every single day,” Mountain told her, smiling gently. “I feel a bit off if I don’t have one in the morning before training.”

“Ooohhh…”

The smaller woman looked around the kitchen before coming up closer, bringing her face right up to the translucent blender. She watched as the hulking Feline scooped a generous helping of honey into the container, licking her lips with anticipation. “Smells really fruity,” she mumbled.

“I didn’t even add the mixed berries yet.” Mountain chuckled.

“Eh…? You’re g-gonna add even m-more stuff…?”

“This will really punch you full of protein,” Mountain told her, “and help jumpstart your training. But there’s another reason ‌I’m giving this to you now,” he said.

“Oh…? W-what’s the r-reason?” Manticore asked.

Mountain checked his watch. “I have plans tonight. I can’t spend too much time training you right now… so we’re just going to start with something nice and easy. That way, tomorrow, you can hit the ground running… so to speak.”

“I see…” Manticore nodded gratefully. “Thank you s-so much… f-for helping m-me, by the w-way.”

“You’re welcome.” Mountain held up his hand for a high-five. Manticore flinched and disappeared, prompting the Feline to put his hand back down meekly.

“Ah… I guess we’ll work on that,” he said with a sigh.

Mountain’s meaty finger pushed the BLEND button as soon as the rest of the ingredients were thrown into the container. The harsh noise that followed surprised Manticore, who stumbled back in her invisibility, knocking over a chair and drawing a smile from the large Feline.

“It’s alright, Manticore. Everything’s going to be alright. It won’t be long now…”

Indeed, it didn’t take ‌long for the smoothie to come out blended to perfection. Anthony turned off the appliance and popped its top, pouring out the healthy and pulpy mixture into a tall, translucent glass. Just then, Manticore came back into view. She sat on the kitchen counter and watched as Mountain held the glass in his hand, handing it off to her.

“Here,” Mountain offered, “try it. You’ll like it.”

Manticore took the glass in both hands and looked into it. The contents reminded her of paint, except… noticeably thicker. It smelled sugar-sweet, at least.

She turned her gaze to Mountain, who gazed at her with an expectant grin. With a quiet sigh, Manticore took a long drink of the protein shake, before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

And then… she smiled.

“Heh. H-heh… heh heh heh… it tastes… r-really funny,” she mumbled.

“It tastes funny? Funny how?” Mountain raised an eyebrow.

“Sweet… thick… filling…” Manticore mumbled into the glass as she took another sip. “You h-have this… every m-morning?”

“Every morning, yes. It’s healthy, and inspiring, and… it helps make you strong. Of course,” he added, “your diet is only half the battle. It’s important to train yourself physically and mentally, too.”

“How d-do you train m-mentally?” Manticore asked. "I don't know where to b-begin…"

"Reflect on why you do the things that you do," said Mountain. "Think about why you want to become stronger and braver. Whether for yourself or someone else, it's important to ground yourself in such thoughts." He paused. "Have you ever meditated before, Manticore?"

“Meditated? N-no, I’ve n-never done anything like that before…” Manticore seemed to find the entire warmup dubious‌. “D-does it really help…?”

“More than you think,” Mountain promised, winking and giving her a thumbs-up. “Finish the protein shake, and then we can try a few warmup exercises, alright? Then we can take it from there.”

“A-alright…”

Manticore smiled softly as she drank more of the protein shake, feeling herself become slowly invigorated by the liquid mixture of fruits and grains. She sat on the kitchen counter comfortably as she took careful sips, looking around the room as if someone would strike her at any time. Mountain, however, simply stood beside the counter and kept his arms crossed, wanting the skittish operator to be more comfortable.

When it came down to the very last sip, Manticore threw her head back and tapped the end of the cup to catch every ‌drop, humming delightedly as she finished the entire shake.

“Mmm… mmm…” 🎵

“Well?” Mountain seemed desperate for criticism. “I’m great at making protein shakes, aren’t I? Just wait until that burst of energy really gets you.”

Manticore sniffled. “Th-thank you, ah… ahhh…”

“Anthony is fine.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But Mountain is more th—”

“AAAACHOOOOOO!!!”

Manticore’s sneeze was sudden and violent like a thunderclap. She bounced on the counter that she was sitting on before she sniffled, whimpered, and rubbed her eyes.

“Nyehh… s-sorry, M-Mountain… I didn’t m-mean to b-be so loud…”

She opened her eyes, and it took a few seconds to register that her scorpion stinger was now sticking right through Mountain’s chest.

“...Eh…?”

…

…

…

“...EH?!?!?!”

Mountain put both hands up, maintaining eye contact with Manticore. “Hey. Look at me.”

“M-M-M-M-Mountain?!” Manticore’s eyes went as wide as saucers, and she yanked the venomous stinger out of the man’s body. “Oh, no! Oh n-n-n-no!!”

“Manticore, look at me. It’s fine. Alright? It’s going to be fine. You need to relax!”

“Relax? B-b-b-but I—!” She could hardly even speak. All words would be insufficient. “I s-s-st-stabbed you!”

“I’m aware of that…” Mountain put his hands to his chest, thankful that the woman’s stinger hadn’t completely skewered through his body or his vital organs. “Easy now… keep a level head… we can… think about this…”

He found it was very, very quickly getting harder to breathe. His chest ached and burned, and it was a horrid sensation that spread out from his core to his extremities.

“M-Mountain! Don’t m-move! I’ll g-go and get h-help!”

“Sounds… good… to… me…” Mountain punctuated his words with a heavy breath, and he gave the smaller woman a hopeful thumbs-up. “Med… icine…”

Manticore immediately turned invisible, and she shot forth like a bullet from a gun. Her venomous sting was fatal — she knew that very well — but if she was fast enough, then maybe… Maybe she could fix her fatal mistake!

She zoomed right through the kitchen door,

WHAM!!

and the door slammed into someone on the other side of the hallway, instantaneously knocking them out.

“Holy cow!” Gummy leaped back to avoid getting hit. “What the heck?! Who did that?!”

“Eek!” Manticore kept on running through the hall, shouting all the while. “I’m s-sorry! I’m s-so s-sorryyyy!!!”

Gummy gawked. “What the heck just happened? Hey Robin, did you see—”

The little honey bear turned and saw that Robin had well and truly been knocked utterly fucking unconscious. The Anaty lay crumpled on the hallway floor in a heap, prompting the Ursus to wince.

“This always happens when it’s time for someone to bake with me…!”

Gummy stomped her foot and sighed with frustration. She tried to move Robin into the kitchen at least, to get her out of the way, but alas…

This raccoon was just too busty.

“Aw, heck!”

Gummy waved her hand dismissively. At least it couldn’t get any worse.

Then, of course, she walked into the kitchen and saw Mountain lying on the floor in a heap of his own, and that’s when Gummy gasped yet again.

“Aw, HECK!!”

Chapter Text

Operator Mountain — real name Anthony Simon — was lying on a hospital bed.

It was… familiar. Unfortunately, all-too-familiar.

His eyes were sealed shut, but he just knew.

He knew that there were IV cables latched onto his arm. There were others in the room with him. He was still on Rhodes Island, and he was alive.

Even if everything hurt, he was alive.

“... out of commission for a…”

“... okay, right? I mean…”

“... all better in no time…”

Those fading voices… half-familiar, half-obscure, oh-so distant.

His arms and legs were throbbing from the pain. It felt as though mud were flowing through his veins. Mud and worms.

The price of being strong… heh.

And as quickly as he had faded into the waking world, Anthony Simon faded out of it. Back to the dreaming dead.

Operator Lotus — real name Domma — almost chewed right through her fingertips.

It was a habit that the poor Sarkaz had picked up in her youth, tumultuous as it had been. Of course, every Sarkaz had a rough past‌. She was no different, even if she wished it so.

“Pulse is 45, respiration is 10…”

Operator Folinic — real name Louisa — sighed after jotting the numbers down.

“It’s ‌a miracle that he’s alive, Lotus… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a close call like that before. If Gummy hadn’t found him when she did, I highly doubt he would be alive.”

Lotus deeply frowned. She placed her hand on the edge of the hospital bed, looking at his face for any visible signs of discomfort.

“He woulda died?” Lotus asked, unblinking.

“It’s extremely possible, yes,” said Folinic. “Manticore’s venom is nothing to be disregarded. In fact…” The Feline went back to the first page of Mountain’s medical chart for confirmation. “If his Cell-Originium Assimilation was anything less than five percent, he might not have lived at all.”

“No foolin’...” Lotus backed away, then turned back to Folinic. “How d'ya figure that?”

“Mountain’s Oripathy makes him a ‘special’ case. Once Manticore’s venom began flowing through his bloodstream,” explained Folinic, “his body obviously tried to flush it out as soon as possible. But thanks to his infection…”

Folinic carefully placed the medical chart over its bedside holster. “It may sound strange,” she continued, “but his bloodstream is already plenty polluted. His suprarenal glands are under constant stress because of infection, to say nothing of his kidneys. While he was unconscious, his body continued to produce more and more glucose… but his blood vessels didn’t contract as much as they should have. Overall circulation was slow, and there was no dilation of his air passages. His legs gave out, and he suffered what I’m going to tentatively call the most boring heart attack anyone has ever had.”

“A heart attack?!” Lotus’ eyes shot open. Folinic smiled wryly.

“Please calm down, Lotus. I’m oversimplifying when I say that Mountain had a ‘heart attack’. Trust me: he’s in better shape now than he otherwise would be, exclusively because of his Oripathy. More and more, we realize just how fortunate we are to be infected.” Folinic paused with a sad smile. “At least, in some instances. Instances like this one. There’s still so much we don’t know about Oripathy, and how it affects the bodies of some individuals. How it affects the bodies of all individuals is still up for contention. On the subject of Mountain, he became infected inside Mansfield State Prison. Is that right?”

“Sure, sure…” Domma sighed frustratedly. “Is he gonna be fine?”

“He’ll be just fine, Domma…” Folinic turned to watch Anthony Simon, while he faded in and out of consciousness. The IVs — the injections — were doing their job. “He’ll just be out of commission for a little while. We’ll continue to monitor him together and make sure he’s accounted for.”

“An’ he’ll be okay, right? I mean… to move an’ punch an’ all that?” Domma couldn’t even imagine a less able-bodied Mountain.

“He’ll be all better in no time…” Folinic placed a hand on Domma’s shoulder, looking truly sympathetic for the first time during their conversation. “I know that you and Mountain are close, Lotus. I wouldn’t lie to you about his condition. It’s because you’re so close to Mountain that you’re also aiding me in his recovery. I chose you to serve as my secondary. Please put your feelings aside and help me help him, alright?”

Lotus — Domma — gulped nervously.

“Yes ma’am,” the Sarkaz said.

“Ma’am is unnecessary, but thank you.”

“Ya don’t like ma’am?”

“Ha. It makes me feel too much like Dr. Kal’tsit. Please, during work hours, just call me Folinic.”

“Ain’t it always work hours?” Lotus thought aloud.

“That’s a respectful attitude to have. You’re doing absolutely wonderful so far.”

“Oh, one more thing…”

Lotus turned to look at the operator nestled in the room’s second hospital bed. A woman she knew well enough from the end of her tenure at Mansfield — operator Robin.

“She ain’t got no IVs. She ain’t been poisoned or nothin’? What happened to Robin?” Lotus asked.

“A swinging door knocked her unconscious,” said Folinic. Lotus blinked.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” Folinic nodded.

“But they found her near the kitchen, you say?”

“Yes. We thought she might have had something to do with Mountain’s condition at the time of arrival. Gummy explained away that theory, however. Bless the little one for all her help.”

Lotus raised an eyebrow with suspicion. Operators Robin and Mountain, lying on different hospital beds, in the same medical room. The scene was frighteningly familiar to her. She could almost smell the antiseptic. Could almost feel the rust, the grime, and that palpable fear and loathing.

“When she up n’ wakes… I got some questions for her,” said Lotus.

“As do I,” said Folinic. “But she and Mountain will be in here for quite a while, so don’t worry about losing her. Could you please page the nurse to bring morphine for Mountain, and acetaminophen for Robin? They’re really going to need it when they wake up soon.”

“You reckon?” Domma glanced worriedly at them both.

“High-strength acet for Robin and morphine for Mountain. Every inch of his body is going to be screaming in pain. As for Robin… well, getting hit with a kitchen door — excuse my Siracusan — fucking hurts.”

“Heh heh heh. Awright then, miss Folinic.”

Chapter Text

“Ugh… God…”

Operator Robin had a splitting headache. It felt not unlike a hangover — waking up somewhere you didn’t expect and feeling like someone was driving a railroad spike through your skull. Her throat was dry, but at least she still had her clothes on. That was a plus.

As soon as she came back to consciousness, she clenched her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. “Where am I?” She asked aloud, feeling bandages beneath her fingertips.

“Med ward,” someone told her. She recognized that voice through the darkness. She’d heard it before, in the past. Before Rhodes Island.

“Domma?” Robin asked. She felt a hand on her shoulder, gentle but cold.

“C’mon, sit up a li’l. I gotcha headache medicine.”

“Headache medicine…?” Robin did as she was told, sitting up in bed and sighing thankfully that the lights were turned off. Only the television at the end of the room provided adequate light.

“A-sinna-minna-fin,” said Domma.

“...you mean acetaminophen?”

“I said what I said, girl. Gulp it.”

Robin smiled, taking the pill and the cup of water from Domma’s hands.

“How long was I out?” Robin asked. “What time is it?”

“It’s ten in the evenin’.” Domma looked at the clock on the wall, still visible even in the room's dimness as she stood. “Ya were out for a few.”

“Ugh… my list… I…” Robin sighed sadly, rubbing her temple with her free hand. “I was doing so well… I just had a couple of things left… before my…”

Domma held her hands behind her back, tilting her head as she looked at Robin. To the Anaty’s surprise, the Sarkaz giggled.

“Gosh golly, Robin. Seems like every time I up n’see ya, ya got somethin’ on your mind. Somethin’ troublin’ ya. Can’t help but think it kinda funny n’kinda sad. Ya got somethin’ ya wanna say, or nah? We’ll let ya out, soon as you’re feelin’ right.”

“Do you think it’s going to take long for the medicine to kick in?” Robin asked worriedly. “I have something I need to do at eleven… I have someone I need to see.”

“Who?”

“Um… Mountain,” Robin mumbled, before taking a long sip of water.

“Well, Mountain’s right there.” Domma pointed at the sleeping Feline in the bed next to her. When Robin looked over, she immediately spat out all the water that was still in her mouth, spraying herself and the floor between them.

Domma blinked and shook her head. “Bruh.”

“M-M-M-Mountain…?!” Robin rubbed her eyes before looking closer. Sure enough, that was Anthony Simon lying on that hospital bed. The bed that was right beside her own.

Robin turned to look at Domma in a panic. “What happened…?!”

“Relax now, girl. It’s gonna be fine. You’re both gonna be just fine,” Domma assured the flustered raccoon. “Mountain took a tumble, but he’s a big fella. He’ll do just fine.”

“What actually happened to us?” Robin asked.

“Mountain got poisoned.”

“Poisoned…?!” The Anaty’s breath caught in her throat.

“By accident,” Domma added. “Miss Folinic can tell ya more. We figured it all out, Robin. Don’tcha worry yourself sick now, yeah? It’s all good…”

“Ugh…” Robin put a hand over her forehead.

“A kitchen door whacked ya,” Domma explained.

“Why does it hurt so much? Why was I out for so long?” Robin whined.

“Well,” said Domma, “in Miss Folinic’s own words… gettin’ hit with a kitchen door fuckin’ hurts like hell. It knocked ya out cold.”

Robin looked back over to Mountain. Thankfully, he seemed to be doing fine. He was sleeping, breathing, and appeared serene. Were it not for the eerie-looking wires connected to his wrist, she wouldn’t have even known that something was wrong.

Still, to see Anthony Simon in this context… wearing a patient’s gown and pants and nothing else in the way of protection. He looked so vulnerable, in a manner that she’d never once even considered. Another sigh escaped the raccoon’s lips.

“Alright. Thank you, Domma. Thank you for… telling me this,” Robin mumbled.

“Lemme know if ya need anything, awright? When your headache’s gone, gimme a ring. I got some things I wanna ask ya.”

“Sure, sure…”

Folinic visited Robin while the Anaty stewed in frustration and disappointment. The Feline had explained the situation to her while Mountain had slept on the other side of the room: a self-improvement mishap led to Anthony’s accidental poisoning, and Robin was on the other side of the door that Manticore had burst through to ‌get help.

“...so all in all, it was a very funky situation that you two have found yourselves in,” Folinic concluded.

“Right…” Robin sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

Robin wasn’t keen on lying to Folinic, even if she felt ashamed to admit the reason she was so upset. “I… I just didn’t get to finish all the things that I wanted to do today. That’s all,” Robin complained.

“Don’t worry, I understand. Can you get them done tomorrow?” Folinic asked.

“I was trying to get everything done today. It was my day off, so…” The raccoon girl trailed off. “It’s a long story, I guess. I had fun today. I think that’s what matters.”

“I should say so. But, you know, Robin…”

“Hmm?”

Folinic smiled softly, holding her hands together. “You’re a very hard worker. Very diligent and tenacious. That’s just what I hear from the Doctor and those closest to them. If you need an extension on your day off — if you need a few days to recuperate, for example, because of a fierce and sudden door attack — then I’d be happy to pull a couple of strings and make that happen.”

“Oh…” Robin smiled back, although her own was slightly sadder. “That’s unnecessary, Folinic. I just…”

“Just?” The medical Feline raised an eyebrow. “Just what?”

Robin felt stumped. Just what, indeed? All the words that she had simply vacated the empire of her cranium. “I had a to-do list today,” Robin explained, “of things I wanted to do today since it was my day off.” When Folinic nodded in understanding, she continued. “I was going to try baking for the first time when I was knocked out. After that, I wanted to try on some new clothes… and then, um… the last thing on my list was that I was supposed to spend time with Mountain.”

“Spend time with Mountain?” Folinic was pleasantly surprised by that. She looked over at Anthony Simon curiously, while the big lug slept soundly atop his own hospital bed. “Ah… well… at least you’re both sharing a room. And here I thought that would have been inappropriate. I considered moving you to a room of your own, but given that you can leave whenever you—”

“Please don’t.”

“Huh?”

Robin begged once more. “Please don’t move me. And… I want to stay longer. Stay here. It’s—we were supposed to hang out at eleven o’clock tonight… and it’s almost eleven.”

Folinic frowned. She almost didn’t know what to say.

But Dr. Kal’tsit taught her better than that.

“So the only thing you didn’t accomplish today,” said Folinic, “was that you didn’t end up baking anything. And you didn’t end up trying on new clothes before your date.”

Robin opened her mouth to say the obvious but decided against actually speaking. Folinic smirked.

“I’ll consider you a patient of this ward until you leave of your own volition. Otherwise, I won’t move you or Anthony. Unfortunately, we’re not exactly swimming in DVDs.” She looked at the television, and she noticed Robin light up in the periphery of her vision.

“So I can stay?” Robin asked hopefully.

“If you’d like to, I suppose that’s fine. I only ask that you please not exacerbate Mountain’s condition in any fashion. He’s been drifting in and out of sleep while the antidote works its magic. He may be unable to ‌move for a bit. Just please be careful — that’s all I ask.”

“No problem…!” Robin saluted, which gave the lab coat-wearing Feline pause. She sighed and shook her head. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but find the entire situation amusing, at least.

“Would you like the television remote?” Folinic asked.

“Yes, please.” Robin perked up as she found it. “How many channels are there…?”

“Five.”

Robin grinned. “That’s still one more than I had growing up. I can work with that. Heh… thank you. Thank you, Dr. Folinic…”

“You’re very welcome, Robin. Please keep the volume down.”

With a courteous nod, Folinic left Robin and Mountain’s hospital room. Maybe she could tell herself that she was doing it out of respect for both of them. In truth, the work of a Rhodes Island medical staffer was never truly over, and the good doctor Folinic needed more caffeine to fuel what was going to be another night of missing fingers, electrical shocks, and doors swinging open with such violent force that people get concussions and almost miss their dates. Same as it ever was.

Chapter Text

Captain Boomer Seaforr — real name Bernard Clay — was captain of the M.G.A. Alice Rabbit, the largest and most combat-ready spaceship that Barghian slave hands had painstakingly crafted. In the year 36,479, he led the rebellion against King Noto of the Kafal Moon, and in the year that followed (most impressive because there are only 144 days in a single year on his home planet of Illustria), he burst free of the Insipidsphere and into The Greater Unknown in search of his true family… unaware that the real family were the friends and allies he’ll have made along the way.

The film was three hours long. The Director’s Cut wasn’t a cut at all. It was a fucking tumor of a movie at four hours and twelve minutes. They released the movie in June 1098; it was THE Summer Blockbuster, the Thing To See When You Wanted to See Something.

People far and wide — from the desert bluffs of Sargon, to the industrial quarters of Rim Billiton, to the urban sprawl that was Lungmen, and to those elusive slumbrrr parties in a secret dorm room on Rhodes Island (which you needed a pass phrase to enter and the pass phrase was Oh My God Let’s Watch Some Movies) — bore witness to the film in its entirety. And what a slog it was! Captain Boomer and the Seven Sisters was critically panned upon release. People left the theaters before it was even halfway over. It bombed at the box office. It received a 10% approval rating on average on film blogs and aggregate sites galore.

The movie’s director was found floating in a bathtub in his Lungmen penthouse apartment. On the nearby radio, the film’s soundtrack was playing on an endless loop.

B-list actor “Eyeballs” Gordon Gold — famous for injecting cocaine into one of his eyeballs, and heroin into the other — said, quote: “yeah it was probably the worst movie [you’ve] ever seen, and I may have injected my eyeballs full of [drugs], uh, but we had a lot of fun, I think.” He collapsed immediately after the interview, whereupon it was discovered that every cubic millimeter of his nasal passages was lined with powdered aspirin.

He died with a smile on his face.

That was how Robin wanted to die, she remembered thinking. She wanted to die with a smile on her face. Minus the drugs, hopefully.

If I ever go on a date… I need to show them this movie, she thought. That’s a test. I just want to know what they would think.

“So?” Robin couldn’t break the smile from her face. “What do you think?”

Operator Mountain — real name Anthony Simon — couldn’t openly say that he was at a loss for words. That would be lying. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it. He was simply worried about offending Robin. After all, she had to have shown him this movie for a reason, right? Surely she didn’t want to torture him for the sake of it… right?

The large bedbound Feline opened his mouth.

Then he closed it again.

Then… he opened it again!

“This was… most definitely the worst movie I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

Robin’s smile doubled in size. “I know, right?”

“Why the hell did you show me this movie.” It didn’t even sound like a question. “Why was it so long. Wait, he never even—what was the point of—”

“Yeah.” Robin sat back. “Yeah…”

“I have venom in my veins. My chest is burning. My arms and legs are on fire. That’s how it feels.” Mountain paused. “And that movie was worse than that.”

However, Mountain couldn’t help but smile. Especially when Robin laughed in the way that she did. He’d never heard her giggle before, not once in all the time that he’d known her or seen her around the landship. To hear it now, even in a context like this…

He felt so much better already.

“Well,” Mountain continued, eyeing the clock on the wall, “that was a long bit of torment.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Nothing like Mansfield State, right…?”

“Well, this still felt like being waterboarded.”

“...teehee~”

“Well Robin, I have to say, this isn’t exactly how I imagined we would watch a movie together.”

“How did you imagine it…?”

Mountain took a deep breath and let it pass through his lips. “For starters, I thought we would be in my dorm room. I thought we would be on my couch. I thought… snacks would be involved, maybe.”

“We have snacks…!” Robin lifted an empty box of raisins. “We have snacks.”

“Hospital food… is definitely not what I had in mind.”

“Hahaha… right…” Robin set the box aside with a sigh of her own. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You weren’t the one who stabbed me in the chest.” He glanced back toward the television. “And don’t worry about Manticore, either. She didn’t do it on purpose. She just… sneezed.”

“She sneezed and then stabbed you in the chest with her tail,” Robin mumbled.

“Yeah. Yeah, exactly.”

“Anthony, that still makes me very upset.”

“W-well, don’t worry so much about it. We can talk to her later. For now, I’m content to just be here with you.”

“Anthony…”

“Hmm?”

“I…”

The words were bouncing around in her head. She could say them, if only she could reach out and pluck them right out. As she struggled to do exactly this, Folinic once again made her presence known, knocking gingerly before coming into the medical room with a faint smile.

“Still awake, are you? I’m glad to see that movie’s finally over,” she remarked, turning her attention to Mountain as he lay on the hospital bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I almost died,” Anthony said.

“Well, you almost did.”

“Ha. Right…”

Then Folinic turned to Robin. “How is your headache? I see you took your head bandages off.”

“Mm-hmm. I didn’t want to wear them anymore. The medicine really helped me, so… thank you.” Robin kept her voice low; there were others in the next few rooms who were probably not watching horrible movies at damn near four o’clock in the morning. The bed was comforting. She felt comforted.

“As a reminder, you’re free to leave at any time,” Folinic told her, “but I suppose that’s not something you want to do right now, is it?”

Robin carefully nodded. It still hurt to nod. It never hurt to smile, though.

“Well,” Folinic continued, “I’ve told the Doctor and Amiya to give you the next couple of days off of work. I know you were antsy about that, but I think… given the circumstances…”

“Folinic…” Robin sighed. “I… that wasn’t necessary.”

Folinic glanced over at Mountain before looking back to Robin.

“I think it’s necessary,” she told the raccoon girl. And with that, she turned to leave. “If either of you needs anything else, please let us know. Domma and I are just down the hall.”

“Alright…”

Folinic smiled softly before leaving. Once again, Robin and Mountain were alone. Mountain made a sound of discomfort, grunting quietly from his side of the room and prompting Robin to look over with worry.

“Are you okay?” She asked him, before shaking her head. “Guh… that was… a dumb question. Of course you’re not okay…”

“I’m fine. I just feel dizzy, that’s all. Dizzy and stiff,” he added. “Er… Robin?”

“Yeah?” She perked up, and so Mountain continued.

“You looked like you had something you wanted to tell me.”

“I, um…” Robin looked down at her own lap as she lay in her hospital bed. “I’m happy that… we got to spend time together, after all. The movie was terrible, but watching it with you was… very fun…! Your reactions were great. I’ve n-never seen you so confused before.”

“My reactions?” Mountain scoffed. “Please.”

“What?” Robin tilted her head.

“Robin, you laughed. I’ve never heard you laugh before.”

“I laughed…?” She blushed madly as she stared at her lap. “Ah, geez…”

“Don’t be discouraged.” Mountain closed his eyes as he grinned. “I really like your laugh. I want to hear more of that… I think it would really make my days brighter if you laughed more.”

“W-we’d have to spend a lot more time together if you want to hear me laugh some more,” she quietly reasoned. That’s when her eyes darted back to the giant Feline. “S-so, that means…”

“More movie dates?” Mountain asked.

“I’ll let you pick the movie next time…”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise…!”

“Thank God. Hey, Robin… are you sleepy?”

“Sleepy? Me…?”

As soon as she asked, she started to yawn. Mountain smirked as he watched her struggle to suppress it, stretching her arms up high above her head and yawning frustratedly.

“Ugh. No,” she said.

“You’ve had a really busy day, Robin…”

“I can stay up.”

“It’s four in the morning,” he reminded her.

“I’ve stayed up later…!” She assured him. “This is nothing to me…”

“Your health is important, Robin. You should sleep if you’re tired…”

“But I’m…”

Having so much fun…

“You’ve done a lot in the last twenty-four hours,” Mountain told her. “You spent time with so many people, that’s what you told me. Spent time with Mina, with Sora, you got a massage… you said you shot a gun? And you jumped off of Rhodes Island? Please don’t do that again, by the way. I know I said it before, but I’ll say it again. That was… reckless.”

“I couldn’t finish my to-do list,” she lamented.

“No one could predict that you were going to be knocked out with a door,” said Mountain. “Hey, come on now, don’t be discouraged. Sure you didn’t finish your list, but you still had fun, didn’t you? You had a great time, you made new friends…”

“Mm… You have no idea how happy I am to have watched a movie with you,” she told him. “I couldn’t bake something for you. But I could still watch that movie.”

Mountain stared up at the ceiling. “You were going to bake something… for me?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“For our time together?”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin held her knees to her chest, blowing a strand of hair from her face. She watched as the film’s seemingly endless credits continued to scroll on the television’s screen. “Well, it wasn’t just for tonight. I always wanted to bake something for you. I thought it would have been really nice… you’ve done a lot for me, so…”

“Oh, Robin… Come on.”

“What? You have.” Robin turned to see him again. “You saved my life. Saved Domma’s life, too. You did a lot for us… and I never even…”

“Don’t do that. Don’t say it.”

“I never even came to see you to talk to you about it.”

Robin gripped her knees tightly, and she scowled.

“I’m so… annoyed… with myself. At myself. For… not doing more. For you, or for Mina, or Domma…” She trailed off. “I just worked, and worked, and worked. For Rhodes Island. For my pops. ‘Til I fell. And that sucks. I’m sorry… I wish I could have—”

“Robin,” Mountain spoke up, pulling Robin out of that ocean of doubt she was wading in.

“What…?”

“Do you regret not spending more time with me?” Mountain asked her.

“Yeah.” She gulped, nodding sadly. “Yeah…”

“Then let’s make up for lost time,” he proposed immediately.

“...huh?”

“You can make it up to me if you really feel like it,” the Feline told her, “even though — and I really mean this when I say it — I forgive you, and it’s fine. But I won’t say no to spending more time with Robin. The most hardworking girl I’ve ever met.”

“H-hardworking…” Robin muttered.

“Robin, you are the most hardworking girl I’ve ever met. Are you kidding?” He scoffed. “You haven’t stopped moving since you’ve come to Rhodes Island. Even in prison, you still had plans. You were thinking about a thousand different things at once. You wanted to kill me. Jesselton and I gave you that choice…” He paused, taking a pained breath. “You’re strong, smart, tenacious, diligent… more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“You don’t mean that…” Robin sniffled.

“I was a business executive before Rhodes Island. Maybe I still am…” He looked at her seriously. “I’ve known many people from Columbia. I’ve held board meetings. Been at the top of the pyramid, and I’ve looked down from that very top. Seen what I wanted to see. Right now, the only thing I want to do, Robin — the only thing — is to be here, on Rhodes Island. With you. Listening to you go on about movies. Listening to you laugh. That’s what I want.”

Don’t do it.

“Eating hospital raisins,” he joked.

Please don’t do it.

“So, Robin… I know what I want. Do you know what you want?”

Don’t you dare…!

“I’ll help you get whatever you want. Whatever it takes,” he gently told her, “I promise.”

Aaaaah!

The tiniest of sobs escaped Robin, but Mountain wasn’t surprised. He simply watched her from the other side of the room as she shut her eyes and turned her head, hiccuping and sniffling into her hand.

“Robin…” Mountain whispered.

“A-Anthony…” Robin shook her head again, and another choked sob escaped her.

“Robin, come here…” He beckoned her as best he could, watching the Anaty swivel her legs around the side of the bed so that she could walk over to him, her face contorted with long-held anguish.

Then she came down to him, and she buried her head in his chest.

Here it comes…

Robin trembled as she started crying now, earnestly and vainly trying to put a stop to it. Alas, the dam had finally worn down to nothing. This was inevitable flooding.

And there it goes…

“It’s fine,” Anthony assured her. “Everything’s going to be fine, Robin…”

“Anthonyyyyy!” Robin sobbed, her face pressed to his chest. “I’m s-sorryyyyy…!”

“Sorry for what, Robin…?”

“I don’t KNOW…!!”

He couldn’t help but softly chuckle. Even if it hurt to move, Anthony reached out and carefully put his hand on Robin’s head, so that he could gently rake his fingers through her dark locks of hair. “That’s okay, Robin. It’s okay to not know…”

It was the exhaustion, she thought at first. She was so tired — physically, mentally, emotionally — that this was simply the conclusion of all that double-edged diligence.

Anthony knew better, however. It went beyond exhaustion, and hovered somewhere around frustration, unspoken guilt, and regret.

“We’ll make up for lost time,” he whispered to her. “I promise, Robin. We can do anything that you want to do. And whatever you want to apologize for? I’ll forgive you,” he told her, “each and every single time, I’ll forgive you, Robin. I want that for us. Do you…?”

She nodded languidly, fingers clutching the man’s hospital gown.

“Then come up here. You told me this movie had an after-credits scene… which, honestly, wow.”

“Ha ha ha… aha…” Robin sniffled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her buttoned-up shirt. “I’m n-not too heavy…?” She asked worriedly.

“Oh, please.” Mountain closed his eyes. “Come here, Robin…”

She did as he suggested, removing her shoes before climbing up and onto his hospital bed. For now, Robin was content to just hold him like this. While Anthony lay supine, and with the IV drip still attached to his arm, it was comfortable enough just to lie right on top of him, as if the hulking Feline himself was the bed that she could find comfort in.

“Ngh… hang on… let me… just…” Mountain struggled to say.

“S-see?” Robin sniffled. “I’m t-too heavy…”

“No. I’m…”

There.

It took considerable effort, but Mountain wrapped his arms around Robin and held her to his chest. The Anaty’s heart beat a mile a minute, but she was even more comfortable now than ever before. This was… was something she had never had before. Now, it was all hers to enjoy.

“A-Anthony…” Robin selfishly clung to his chest as he held her, feeling his arms latch around her frame. “Doesn’t that… hurt you…?”

“Moving my arms… it hurts a lot right now,” he told her. “But if I didn’t hug you now… I think that would have hurt me even more.”

“Oh, Anthony…” Robin held him close.

“For the record… I’m not keen on letting you go. Not until I hear snoring,” he teased.

“Pfft…” She closed her eyes, rubbing her face against his gown to wipe the tears away. “There’s more I want to say, I think… but…”

He hushed her softly. “Take as long as you need to think about it. I’m not going anywhere, Robin. The answers are going to be I forgive you and yes.”

They enjoyed the silence. Reveled in it. Reveled in each other’s arms.

In that reverie, Robin finally fell asleep, and Mountain never released her.

The credits stopped rolling. It was time for the final scene to begin.

Chapter Text

“Robin… wake up. Robin…”

The raccoon girl clenched her eyes shut. Five more minutes, please.

“Come on, Robin…” That voice — equal parts consoling and invigorating — made her stir. She felt a large hand over her body, slowly and soothingly stroking against her back. A quiet hum of appreciation escaped her. This was comforting, collecting, and calming. She could stay here forever if she really wanted to. And she really wanted to.

“You really tuckered yourself out yesterday, huh?”

She nuzzled the mattress, finding it harder and warmer than she was used to. Someone was holding her, and she’d never felt such an assuring embrace in all her life.

“Feels… so good…” Robin sighed.

“Yeah? Well, now I feel like I’m spoiling you.”

“Heh heh heh…”

“Robin… do you know where you are right now?”

“Huh…?”

And then she realized.

Her eyes flew open, and when she brought her face up, she saw she was almost nose-to-nose with operator Mountain, who could only smile sleepily at the chesty Anaty.

“Good morning,” he whispered.

Robin gasped. “M-Mountain…?! Oh my God…! I’m—!”

“Okay,” he told her, keeping his hand on her back. “You’re okay. We’re okay.”

We’re okay…?

That dreadful headache was gone, at least. Judging from Mountain’s micro-movements, the pain had mostly subsided for him as well. He could better move his arms and legs, yet he stayed pinned down in this fashion for a reason that Robin could only blush to consider.

“Did you sleep well?” He chuckled softly. “It seems like you really needed that.”

Robin wiped the drool from her chin, cringing as she noticed the stain on the man’s hospital gown. Judging from his expression, however, he didn’t seem to mind that either. In fact, Robin couldn’t remember the last time that Mountain had looked so tranquil, so serene.

“I slept great… ha ha ha…” Robin shifted slightly, planting her palms against Mountain’s chest while she stretched, lying down. The relaxed moan that left her lips put a reddish tint on the Feline’s cheeks. “Wow… last night was… something special…”

“I’ll say.” Mountain sighed with relief. “I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds, but you’re very soft and warm, Robin. If you want to stay here… I certainly wouldn’t stop you.”

“Really…?” Robin couldn’t stop smiling. “Ah, geez, why’d you say that? Are you trying to fluster me on purpose…?”

“Clearly. It’s revenge for last night’s movie.”

Robin giggled, patting her pocket once her cell phone vibrated. She’d slept in her clothes and felt as though she ought to be working.

“Today is your day off,” Mountain asked hopefully, “isn’t it?”

“Another day off… that’s two in a row,” Robin considered. “Gosh… never thought I’d ever have over one a year…”

“You work too hard,” Mountain assured her. “You deserve to be comfortable.”

“Heh. I dunno about that… but one second…”

With great reluctance, she removed herself from Mountain’s relaxing embrace and stretched her arms up high before finally looking at her cell phone.

It was almost noon.

She had seventeen messages and three missed calls.

She had SEVENTEEN MESSAGES and THREE MISSED CALLS?!

“What the hell…?” Robin squeezed her phone with both hands and leaned in for a closer look. Was this real? Was someone trash-talking her on Critter again?

“What’s wrong?” Mountain asked, sitting up with concern. Robin’s hands were shaking.

“I… I have so many messages…” Robin whispered.

“From who?”

Robin sniffled. Her lips curled up into a wobbly, happy smile. “Everyone…”

FROM: pinecone

hey robin yesterday was super fun. do you wanna shoot

some more cool guns with me today? your fruit killing

skills are remarkable. lemme know ok?

FROM: ⭐ SORA ⭐

Hi Robin! Happy birthday again! It was so nice to meet

a fan like you! Silence sure is weird, huh? If you ever

need anything, please let us know! -- SORA ⭐

FROM: Olivia Silence

Good morning, Robin. Checking in to restate just how

keen I am on consulting with you regarding anything you

may need. If you ever need a day off from work, let me know.

I will convince the Doctor by force if need be.

FROM: Podenco

Good morning Robin! Hope you enjoyed your massage!

You were so nice and fun to talk to yesterday! It was a

fresh change of pace from the usual stuff. Come by

anytime! Lena, Beanstalk, and I will be here for you! <3

FROM: Lena, Perfumer

How are you feeling, Robin? Still in the clouds after

that massage? I’m still thinking about those noises

that you made for me. Heehee~ See you soon~

FROM: L

{Speech-To-Text} Robin ha ha ha how are you doing

today my thick and juicy morsel you seemed nervous

when we met but trust me I don’t bite unless you

ask if you’d like to spend time together let

me know after all we’re friends now isn’t

that right see you very soon sooner than

you think

FROM: T

Hey. I know you only showed up because

Lappland made you, but it really helped me

more than you think. Thanks for putting up

with us both. If you ever need something

just let me know and I’ll get it done or

delivered. Have a nice day. Texas. PS:

would love to introduce you to Exusiai

one day soon. She’s a party animal. lol.

FROM: kafkfkfkfs

I got hand grenades lol let’s goooooooo

call me

FROM: Angelina Ajimu

Heyyyyy… Happy birthday again Robin!!! OMG..

Last night was so fun! So weird but so fun!

Are you free this weekend? No rush OFC..

Lemme know!! I wanna hang with you again!!!

I’ll show you how to ride for real!!! TTYL!!!

♡(◕ᗜ◕✿)

FROM: Blazzze

Yo. Heard you got knocked out?

Just tell me their name. I’ll handle it.

Consider it a belated B-DAY gift.

There were more. Heavens above, there were more messages than that. Robin didn’t know what to say. Her hands trembled.

“Robin?” Mountain called her name. He saw how the Anaty’s lip quivered like she was cold. And then… he saw her eyes well up with tears.

“Oh, Robin…” Mountain carefully swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed, and he pulled Robin into another snug hug. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay, Robin. Are you overwhelmed?”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin sniffled again, this time unable to see beyond the veil of tears. Once again, she was crying from sheer disbelief and the emotional rush. “They… s-sent me messages… everyone… they r-really like me…” She mumbled between sobs.

“Of course they like you,” Mountain whispered as he rubbed her back. “Have you ever met you?”

Robin’s quiet sobs grew into quiet laughter. She hugged Mountain back, and she buried her face in his chest with gentle whimpers of utter elation; she couldn’t contain the raw emotion as it flowed out of her.

“Oh, Robin… Everyone wants to spend time with you now, don’t they? It seems like you’ve got quite a network of friends here on Rhodes Island,” he assured her.

“Friends… m-me? Friends… on R-Rhodes Island… h-ha ha… oh, w-wow…”

Knock knock knock knock knock!

Five ginger taps against the door with one’s knuckle. Robin and Mountain immediately pulled away from one another, and Robin wiped away her tears with her sleeve. Then she cleared her throat.

“Y-yes? Hello…?” She called out.

The hospital room door opened.

In walked the Doctor of Rhodes Island, who raised a hand in a courteous greeting. Robin was surprised to see them. Almost immediately after laying eyes on the Doctor’s coat, she stood up straighter and kept her arms at her sides, rigid as rebar.

“D-Doctor…!” Robin bowed her head. “Good m-morning… umm…”

“Good morning, Robin. Good morning, Mountain.” The elusive Doctor of Rhodes Island — the tactician of the landship, and the effective leader and commander of many an operator aboard — walked with purpose. They seemed to regard the scene before them with great curiosity, peering through their hood and helmet as if they were looking for clues. “Did I interrupt anything? I promise I won’t be long.”

“N-no, it’s fine…” Robin sniffled, wiping at her nose. She looked down at her feet, if only to hide the redness of her eyes. “Doctor… I’m… sorry,” Robin mumbled.

“Sorry?” The Doctor seemed taken aback. “Sorry for what, Robin?”

The raccoon girl winced. “Sorry for taking a day off. It was my birthday, y-yesterday, and… Amiya told me I should, umm…”

The Doctor was listening, of course. The Doctor was always listening. But as Robin spoke, they headed straight for Mountain’s IV solution bag and tapped it curiously. “What in the world has Folinic cooked up for you, Mountain? What cocktail is this?”

“Not the kind I’d rather be having,” the Feline joked.

“Oh, is that right? Well then, I guess we’d better fix that soon enough… after all, it’s always good to cut loose now and then. That’s a lesson I like to impart to my operators, no matter how long it takes…”

The Doctor looked back at Robin. “You understand what I mean, right?”

Robin blinked. “I… I don’t understand, Doctor…”

“Yeah,” said the Doctor, “I get that a lot. Not even I know what’s going on in here sometimes.” They tapped their temple as they gave their head a knowing tilt. “Folinic told me you’re taking the next few days off of work. I have to agree, it’s for the best. Have you been crying? Mountain, what have you done to my precious Robin?”

“I gave her a hug and told her she had friends,” said Mountain, smiling.

“You monster!”

Robin took a step back. “H-huh? Doctor, I… I don’t understand. I thought you would be mad at me…”

“Why do you sound so disappointed?” The Doctor asked. Robin could hear them smiling behind their helmet.

“I’m n-not disappointed, I’m just…” Robin put up her hands and then dropped them back to her sides. “I never took a day off… not in an entire year. Every day, I worked… and you… you let me do that. You needed me.”

“Of course I let you work. Of course I need you. I need all of my operators. They’re all important to me, Robin. Every single one of them. Mountain is important to me. You’re important to me, this facility,” they gestured outward, to emphasize the importance, “everyone.”

Robin’s mouth fell open weakly. “Why didn’t you ever give me a day off?”

“Because you never asked.”

Mountain perked up with surprise. He looked at Robin seriously. “What?”

“I let you work because you wanted to work,” the Doctor told her. “I thought it made you happy. When you came onto Rhodes Island, work was all that you talked about. You were like a broken record…” The Doctor sighed, shaking their head.

Robin looked back at the floor. “I… I only had to work ‘cause—”

“I know,” The Doctor told her, “because of your father. I know, Robin… that was the arrangement that we made. The arrangement that we still have going on as per your contract,” they added, putting a hand on the Anaty’s shoulder and watching her bristle. “Rehabilitation is never easy. I wanted to be the one to tell you that your old man is making significant progress. That’s because of you.”

“Because of…” Robin gulped. Then her face contorted once again. “G-God dammit, why can’t I s-stop crying today…?!” She seemed frustrated as she once again started sobbing, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

“Uh oh.” The Doctor took Robin by both shoulders and turned her around. “Tagging you in for this one, big fella.”

“Of course.” Mountain hugged Robin once more, patting her over the back and quietly hushing her. “So, Doctor, you’re okay with Robin’s brief vacation?”

“Of course I am. I’ve wanted Robin to take a break for months now. I’ve been waiting for her to ask of her own volition… I wanted her to exercise that freedom and autonomy… but it never happened. Even though it was written in her contract….” The Doctor put their hand on Robin’s head and gently pat her, chuckling with amusement. “We would never stop treating your old man, Robin. He raised one of the most tenacious, hard-working, and greatest operators I’ve ever known. As far as I’m aware, I should thank him, too.”

“She’s really soaking my gown here, Doctor,” Mountain teased, hugging Robin to his chest as she continued to cry.

“Great.” The Doctor clapped their hands together. “Time to make things more awkward.”

“How so?” Mountain asked. While he held Robin to his chest, the Doctor of Rhodes Island walked over to the hospital room door and pulled it open even wider than before, calling out to someone in the hallway.

“They’re in here. Come in,” the Doctor called out. Mountain heard muffled footsteps, but he didn’t see anyone. Not even as the door was pushed open, and the Doctor glanced down as if someone had just entered the room. It wasn’t until the door had closed once more that Mountain nodded in understanding. He saw where this was going.

“Oh… I see.”

Mountain smiled.

“Good morning… Manticore.”

The operator known as Manticore came into focus, appearing out of thin air like a ghost. Now visible, it was apparent that Manticore was feeling guilty about the ordeal that she’d put both Robin and Mountain through. She wore a safety harness over her stinger, and she held a small bouquet for the room’s two patients.

“H-hi th-there…” Manticore stammered. “Umm… I tried to c-come in earlier… b-but you were sleeping… and c-cuddling each other,” Manticore shyly muttered.

Robin turned around and sniffled. She met Manticore’s shy smile with one of her own, glancing down at the flowers that Manticore held in her shaking hands. “So… you’re the reason I was knocked out, huh…”

Manticore winced. “I’m s-sorry. Sorry, I'm s-so sorry. I d-didn’t mean to d-do that. I was j-just t-trying to get h-help for Mountain, s-so… I ran. And I—” Manticore’s shoulders fell. “I’m s-sorry. I’m garbage. The worst. Just p-put me in the t-trash where I belong…”

“Oh boy…” The Doctor sighed. They had two hands. They used them well: while they pat Robin over the head soothingly, they gave Manticore the very same treatment. It was painfully obvious that both girls were suffering from head pat deficiency.

As if the room couldn’t get any more crowded, Folinic walked in and immediately stopped in her tracks, scowling at the Doctor and the sight before her.

“What in the world is happening in here? Mountain, you should be in bed. Doctor, you should be at your desk…!” The lab coat-wearing Feline sighed frustratedly. “Dr. Kal’tsit is looking for you!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah… why don’t you tell me something I don’t know?” The Doctor jerked their head towards the door. “Can you give us a bit of privacy? We’re having a moment right now. You’re ruining our moment!”

Folinic sighed and closed the door, muttering something about “that zero-sanity fool.”

Morning passed, and the afternoon followed.

All that time later, and Manticore still felt as though she hadn’t apologized enough. It took a great deal of convincing and promising for Mountain to assure her that all was right with the world. “After all,” the Feline told her, “if you hadn’t put us both out of commission, things might have ended differently than they had. And I like how things turned out.”

“I like how things turned out too…” Robin smiled softly. It was a radiant little smile, and one she felt compelled to keep as she found herself latched onto Mountain’s arm.

“Enjoy your days off, Robin,” the Doctor told her, once again patting the Anaty over the head. A gesture she loved; she leaned into the Doctor’s touch with a cheerful chirrup. Hopefully, this has been a valuable lesson. If you want something, you just have to ask for it!”

“Mm-hmm…” Robin looked up at the Doctor. “Can you pat me on the head again?”

“No.”

“What? But you said…” Robin pouted, watching as the Doctor playfully punched Mountain in the shoulder.

“I think Anthony can handle the head pats from now on, huh?”

Mountain smiled with self-satisfaction. “You can always rely on me.”

“The both of us can.” The Doctor gave Robin a thumbs-up. “Take care, you two. I have to get going. There’s an angry woman somewhere that demands my attention.”

“I can’t say I envy you right now,” Mountain remarked.

“Manticore, how is that harness holding up?” The Doctor looked at their lilac-haired companion as she straightened out the blue flowers that she held out for Robin to take.

“Good…! I d-don’t think I’ll h-hurt anyone by accident anymore, D-Doctor…” Manticore grinned, her tears long since dried. “Thank you f-for your help…”

“Let’s keep that harness on before our next training session,” Mountain told Manticore. The woman lit up with a gasp, straightening up from the sheer surprise of what he had told her.

“Training…? You still w-wanna do training with m-me…?!”

“Of course,” Mountain said with a smirk. “I don’t give up on my clients. I’m not giving up on you,” he promised her. “We can coordinate something soon, is that alright?”

Manticore bowed respectfully, her eyes twinkling as she smiled. “Thank you, Mountain! Thank you so much…! With your help, I know I’ll be strong! I just know it!”

Mountain laughed jovially. He watched with Robin as both Manticore and the Doctor took their leave, exiting the scene and leaving them alone outside of their hospital room. Robin held the bouquet that Manticore had brought for them, regarding those blue flowers fondly while she cradled them.

And then she paused.

“Wait a minute…”

Mountain looked down at her. “Hm? What’s wrong?”

Holding the bouquet with one hand, Robin dug around for something in her back pocket. Something she had almost completely forgotten about until now. She knew she still had to have it. She had to have still had it.

“What are you looking for?” Mountain asked her. The reply he received was nonverbal: Robin retrieved a blue flower from her back pocket and compared it to the ones that Manticore had given her.

Sure enough, they were the same flower. It was a 1:1 comparison. They were exact.

Five little petals, with a sunny center.

“Where did you get that one? A secret admirer?” Mountain raised an eyebrow.

One of my favorite flowers, Lappland told her.

What is friendship but a chance encounter?

Robin thought back to what Lappland had told her. That enigmatic situation with operator Texas, and the heretofore unknown circumstances that swirled around them like an asteroid belt of confusion and ill tidings. Yet, this flower…

One of my favorite flowers. What is friendship…

“But a chance encounter…?” Robin closed her eyes. Mountain watched as Robin swallowed that uncertainty; that horrible doubt. “Anthony… what kind of flower is this?”

Robin held the little flower up to Mountain, who immediately regarded it with a warm smile. “Five blue petals in that shape, and the golden center. That’s a blue forget-me-not,” he told Robin, carefully taking it from her hand.

“A blue forget-me-not…” Robin looked up at it curiously, before turning to gaze at the bouquet in her opposite hand. “What does a blue forget-me-not mean in flower language?”

“Well…” Mountain couldn’t help but find the entire situation ironic. “It means exactly what it says on the tin. It means remembrance. Loyalty. Friendship. Connection. And,” Mountain paused, “they symbolize the memories you can form with someone. Moments that you never, ever want to forget.”

Robin’s mouth fell open. She stared hard at the bouquet in her hand, unsure how or why she’d been blessed in the manner that she had. All she knew was that she was happy. For the first time in a long time, Robin was happy.

She looked up at Mountain and grinned. “What do you think?”

Mountain held the blue forget-me-not carefully between his fingers, and with practiced grace, he leaned in and gently stuck the flower into Robin’s hair, smiling tenderly as he left the gorgeous blossom tucked between her locks.

“What do I think?” Mountain moved a strand of hair from Robin’s face, regarding her as if she herself was the most vibrant and radiant flower he’d ever seen. “I think she’s perfect.”

Robin blinked. She didn’t know what to say. She could only reach up and graced the flower in her hair with her fingertip. It felt just right. Being here with Mountain felt just right.

No words were necessary. They embraced with all the vim and vigor that swaddled them, comfortable in the silence. Comfortable knowing that all would be well if they would only will it so. They wouldn’t forget this moment. Not now, not ever. This was a true blue memory — as blue as the bellflowers and the forget-me-nots. They would make more. They would make up for all that lost time, and then some — and if it should take another year, or another birthday, then perhaps that would be just fine.

Yeah, that would be just fine.