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There's an unexplored world contained in her suitcase and the fact that she hasn't been able to fully experience it is something that Vertin regrets. Perhaps it couldn't be helped, not when her status as Timekeeper prevented her from having any sort of breaks with braving the Storm time and again to search for people to save.
This, however, may change today.
Just now, Druvis left the suitcase and told her that it would be a good idea for Vertin to go back inside instead of having to suffer inside the stuffy office that the Foundation had provided her with in between assignments.
“And where do you think you are going?” Vertin asks the druid, narrowing her eyes at the way the older girl easily avoided her gaze with a wave of her hand.
“I have to look for Ms. Sotheby.” She answers smoothly, already unlocking the door. “As I've said, it's your turn to watch inside, Vertin.”
Her emerald eyes meet Vertin's head on, as if daring her to oppose her words.
The two of them are well aware of the reason why Vertin is acting difficult over the topic of entering the suitcase, however, Druvis have gotten used to the way the gears in Vertin's head twists and turns, being able to flawlessly match it in every beat. It's funny, but then again what they all went through, from the Storm during 1929 to that time they waited for more than a month and broke Vertin out from her dreams — those weren't anything one can simply brush off.
“She told you someth—” Vertin was about to say, an accusatory tone to her words but then Druvis, with all the grace she has as one formerly raised by a family of considerable standing, had already escaped. The door closed shut with a quiet yet final sounding click, the sound of footsteps fading away as Druvis walked further away.
“—ing…” She trails off, her hands halfway from putting down the papers detailing events that they'll have to check out before the Storm sweeps away this time period too. She glares at the door, hoping that maybe it'll be opened again by someone else and then she won't have to deal with having to enter her suitcase as being the only person left in here. That maybe, the guilty consciences of her companions will make them come back and then she won't have to—
She won't have to…
She grumbles.
It's hopeless.
Regulus and Mr. APPle won't be back until she urgently needs them to be, they've always relished in the freedom they had. And god knows where Matilda and Sonetto are — the french arcanist had taken the other girl with a smug look on her face while saying something along the lines about showing her some progress over a shared interest that Vertin wasn't privy to. As for Sotheby, even if she were to come back now, Druvis is way too skilled with words that she'll be able to convince her to stay back for a little more time. If only to prolong the suffering Vertin is about to go through.
And all these leaves Vertin now in charge of having to make sure that their other companion, currently under strict orders to not overexert herself, stays put inside of the suitcase and not develop any funny ideas that may impede her recovery.
She puts down her documents, arranges them into neat folders and makes her way to the suitcase lying innocently on the other table.
Inside her suitcase is an office fully geared for her needs, full of her own private research on the Storm that she can't submit to the Foundation yet without being completely sure but still here Vertin was, in one of the Foundation's offices she barely used. Frankly, it's a decision that would have had even Z curious. She had dropped by, once, twice, and Vertin could see that every single time, she’s trying to figure out the cause as to why Vertin is in the office assigned to her when she usually prefers to busy herself inside the suitcase ever since it's acquisition but the reason why isn't something Vertin can easily divulge with other people outside of her team because—
Schneider, the one who now Vertin will have to monitor since her other companions conveniently are out somewhere, can be very distracting when she wants to be. Not like the former mafioso needs to do much, not when being in her company alone is enough to fluster anyone.
“Anyone? That's just you, you dumbass. Are you actually in denial?” the voice had cackled the last time she was able to talk about her frustrations to them. “Maybe you should talk about your feelings for her more than your frustrations? Might be a revelation. Hahaha!”
Vertin still considered that exchange as the most useless correspondence they've ever had together.
So what if she was affected by Schneider, more than she'd like? It's not Vertin's fault that the other girl can effortlessly grab her attention. Nor is it Vertin's fault if Schneider somehow always manages to get a rise out of her.
Everyone's just being strange about it , she thinks to herself as she runs a hand over her open suitcase. It's normal. This is normal.
Maybe she can actually and properly explore the wilderness of the world inside her briefcase if she's going to be left behind on watch duty anyways.
And if Vertin entered with the tips of her ears flushing pink, then it's a good thing that no one is around to witness it to use as ammunition against her later. God knows that Regulus already has enough materials to embarrass her to last a lifetime.
She stands by the glass separating her office and the wilderness, a hand placed on its cool surface. The music player that Druvis had turned on before she left continues to play the songs that Regulus had brought in from the outside. The younger girl was more than eager to explain the charm points of said songs, obviously very passionate about it. It was more than easy to tune her out when she was far more interested with the girl that trailed after Regulus, also holding even more items brought in from where they had obtained them.
Speaking of said girl…
Schneider watches as the reflected visage of the Timekeeper descends the stairs with featherlight footsteps that turned more pronounced when she saw Schneider already watching her. For a brief second, the british girl's eyes widened ever so slightly before her face turned to that passive expression everyone is familiar with.
Vertin clears her throat as soon as she is within earshot. “Schneider.” She says in lieu of a greeting, “Why are you up?”
A couple of days ago, the team was sent out to scout what year the Storm had reversed a city to but never has the world been easy to them as upon arrival, they were immediately caught in the crossfire between a local gang of humans and arcanists. Long story short, the entire thing ended with both parties subdued and a very much injured Schneider after being reckless enough to throw herself in the fray.
And as a result of exhausting her arcanum and the injuries sustained from said mission (Sotheby, regrettably, wasn't with them and they hadn't actually expected to arrive in the middle of a bloodbath), the team had decided to let Schneider recover from it inside the suitcase. The physical injuries have healed without a problem, thanks to the potions and medical staff readily available for their access in the Foundation but she still needed to recover her own arcanum before she's allowed to join them outside for field work again.
Schneider chuckles, lifting her hand from the glass and turning around to meet with the other girl. “My lord.” She says with a teasing smile, “Tired of running away?”
“Running away—” Vertin furrows her brows, already rising up to take the obvious bait, “I was not— I was merely doing my job—”
Schneider laughs.
It shuts Vertin up.
“Of course you weren't running away, my lord.” She muses, moving forward to meet Vertin in the middle of the room. “You would have no reason to lie to me after all, am I wrong?”
If Sonetto were here, Schneider would have been told off for teasing their Timekeeper like this but really, the sight of the otherwise stoic Vertin becoming scrambled with emotions is simply something she finds she can't pass up.
And with that in mind, the corners of Schneider's lips lifted to form a lazy smile, a hand already running down the other girl's arm before she settled with brushing away a barely there dust after noticing how the Timekeeper stiffened under her touch. She tilts her head up in provocation, keeping a careful eye on Vertin's expression.
Vertin shrinks with guilt, avoiding Schneider's gaze. The Timekeeper is biting her lips, as if contemplating on what exactly to say next that may appease the former mafioso.
She chuckles, shaking her head. That's enough , she decides. Or else she'll get sulky once more. Not like Vertin will ever admit it but what else would you call her behavior these past couple days, refusing to meet with Schneider alone?
“I'm just joking.”
Vertin’s eyes snap to meet wine red. “Schneider, I—”
“We've done enough talking, don't you think?” Schneider hums, wrapping slender fingers around the Timekeeper's wrist and taking her towards the doors leading to the Wilderness of the suitcase. “Perhaps I should show you everyone's efforts to make this place a bit more beautiful instead. You haven't been around for some time, no?”
There were more trees than the last time Vertin was here, and they no longer looked as ominous as before. The sunlight filtered through the leaves beautifully, illuminating a path full of shards made of light on the ground they walked on. The sound of fallen leaves crackling with every step filled the bouts of silence in between the two of them.
“Miss Sotheby and Miss Druvis,” Schneider starts to clear the awkward air as she leads the way, “have been working overtime to fix the flora and bring more color to this place.”
Easy enough to deduce, what with the amount of flower patches that now decorates the plain grass fields near the lake.
Schneider hums, “Shall we go there?”
“Huh?”
“Don't play pretend, my lord.” She laughs, shaking her head as she turns her towards the direction of the flower field. “You've been looking there with such longing in your eyes, I'm beginning to get jealous.”
She says it so easily, as if it was on the same level as the act of breathing but nevertheless it dries Vertin's throat and questions spin in her mind.
Why would she be jealous? Is she pulling my leg again?
But she says none of those and instead adjusts Schneider's grip on her wrist until their fingers are interlocked with one another. Schneider's eyes blinked at her with curiosity, cocking her head in wonder at just what possessed Vertin to do such a thing.
She knows that if she does not say anything, Schneider will. And frankly, Vertin is quite terrified of what the other would say so she clears her throat before overtaking Schneider's pace. Not fast enough to trip over the two of them, not slow enough to let Schneider whip out something that will definitely cause Vertin to trip over her feet and make a fool of herself.
“I want to take a closer look,” she lies, hoping that Schneider will leave it at that.
And Schneider leaves it at that. For now, that is.
She follows behind her, content with letting the Timekeeper bring the two of them to the patches of flowers by the massive lake just a distance away from the office. Closer now, Vertin can see dandelions swaying along the wind.
“Is this the reason why Druvis has been asking for a variety of seeds?” Vertin asks, coming to a stop before her feet can touch the flowers. “Had she only told me the real reason…”
“You would have what?” Schneider tilts her head to gaze at her companion, kneeling down so she can brush a finger over the flowers. “My lord, are you proficient with gardening as well?”
Once more, that playful tone accompanies her words and Vertin can't help but to sheepishly turn her gaze away from Schneider after having caught herself staring. “I'm… not. But I could have helped—”
“With what free time?”
Vertin was ready to answer, a defense on the tip of her tongue until she realizes that she's playing the role of someone who definitely was not avoiding Schneider by pretending to be too busy when she actually wasn't. Schneider's crimson gaze remains on her, waiting for her to drop the act.
“...” Vertin bites her tongue and keeps silent.
“How cute.” Schneider says.
Her face warms at the comment.
“Nevertheless, they shouldn't have.” She mutters, “It must have been a lot of work…”
Schneider angles her body towards the Timekeeper, “But they had fun.” She starts, palm facing downwards as she brushes it against the blossoms. “Is that not the most important part?”
The gentle breeze passes by them, Vertin standing silent over Schneider as the other girl smiles kindly at her.
“... You’re right.” Vertin says in response.
The conversation dies there, the two simply enjoying each other’s quiet company.
It’s been awhile.
Vertin looks up to the skies, a hand on the tip of her hat to shade her eyes from the glare of the sun. She had found that the weather inside the suitcase matched that of the outside world, but inside the suitcase is the only safe place where they can spend time like this. The world is ever changing thanks to the Storm and as a result, going out is much more difficult than it had been before the end of the year 1999.
She lets out a sigh, closing her eyes. They have to go through so much paperwork if they want to go out without being assigned, paperwork which Vertin simply couldn't find much time to work on, what with her work as not just the Timekeeper but also the leader of a sizable team.
She’d love to give more to her team but…
“My lord, stop thinking too hard.” Schneider calls from below her.
“I’m not—Ah!?”
Before she can even say anything in retort, she feels herself falling thanks to the sudden tug from the hand wrapped around her wrist.
Dandelions fly around her, displaced by her sudden fall.
“Pfft—Hehe.” Schneider snickers, sitting upright with her body angled towards the fallen Timekeeper, “You would have easily escaped me had you not been so absorbed in your thoughts, my lord.” She teases, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.
Later on, she can blame it for having hit her head against the ground (which, well, isn't as solid of an excuse when her fall was cushioned by the flowers) for whatever she was about to say next.
“How pretty.”
A simple sentence, uttered in a daze by Vertin.
It wasn't the sight of the falling dandelions, dancing alongside the wind that had made her say it, nor was it the way the sunlight is reflected on the lake’s surface. Not at all.
Rather, it’s the smiling visage of the arcanist hovering above her that caused her to say it, basking in the sun with her and dressed no longer in the color of crimson but decorated instead by the blowballs which fell on her.
It was unexpected, something that Vertin did not mean to say out loud despite always voicing whatever she thinks freely, a frequent cause of the troubles she finds herself in. Obviously, when she realized that, the Timekeeper can't do anything but cover her face with arm, heat creeping to her cheeks out of embarrassment.
“I mean—”
Though before she can say anything to salvage her dignity, the words die in her throat the moment she catches sight of Schneider also turning pink with eyes blown wide in surprise.
“...” The corners of Vertin’s lips quirk upwards, unable to hold the bubbling laughter from escaping her.
So she does. She laughs, the sound of it enveloping the two of them. She laughs, until her chest hurts from the lack of oxygen. She laughs, until tears prick the corner of her eyes.
“How rude.” Schneider comments after letting her have her fill. “I was simply surprised.” She says, turning her head with a huff. She doesn't bother hiding the redness of her face, pouting from the reaction that Vertin showed.
“I didn't know that—” Vertin struggles to catch her breath, brushing away the tears in her eyes with a finger, “I didn't know that you’ll be flustered so easily just with that.”
“If we are talking about who is easily flustered between the two of us, then you’ve already lost my lord.” Schneider points out, poking Vertin on the cheek, “Would you like me to recount the times I’ve witnessed you do so in my presence?”
“That’s different.” Vertin says then pauses.
Different, how?
That’s the question now, isn't it? And the answer is right there yet Vertin can't just seem to reach it.
Won’t , a voice that suspiciously sounded like that annoyance who she frequently talks to chimes in from a corner in her mind. Because you’re in denial.
“Oh?”
Schneider is looking at her expectantly, curious as to whether or not she’ll continue her statement so Vertin swallows before opening her mouth again.
“It just is,” she mutters instead, hands fiddling with the dandelions that fell on her chest. She doesn't say anymore but Schneider is still looking at her and if she continues to stare at her any longer, Vertin might as well force herself to escape—
Schneider looks away from her, grabbing something from her side. It’s a dandelion, not one that has already matured. She places it on Vertin’s ear.
“No need to be shy, my lord,” Schneider says, ”After all, it’s just us here.”
That’s the problem , Vertin wants to say, we’re alone together.
She keeps her silence.
The wind blows again, whistling past them as the sun shone overhead.
Schneider lies next to her then, a hand reaching out to grasp Vertin’s own.
“My lord,” she says, her words carried by the wind. “Your hands.”
“They’re warm,” she says and maybe, just maybe, it made Vertin feel something.
Warm . She feels warm too. Maybe it’s the sun, they’re basking under it without protection even if she doesn't know the effects it may have considering they’re inside the realm of her suitcase. Or perhaps it’s from her overworking herself again despite Madam Z’s and Sonetto’s disapproval. Either way, Vertin feels warmer than usual and she squeezes Schneider’s hand.
“We should go,” she could have said a million different things, could have taken the conversation to somewhere else that would have answered all the questions she had. She could have done that, and more, but she doesn't. “It’s not good to be under the sun for too long. Especially not for you.”
Schneider remains quiet for a few moments, but she does squeeze Vertin’s hand too.
“Anything you want, my lord,” she softly said and the moment was gone just like that.
Next time, then . The two think, a part of them feeling strangely disappointed at the turn they’ve decided to take but—
They have time, don't they? From that day in the year of 1929, their time started ticking together.
So.
Next time, it is.
“How the heck did you even find me!? I was sure that I hid myself pretty well.” Regulus complains, her steps following closely behind Sonetto.
APPle bobs frantically, as if nervous, “Ah, captain, that’s…”
But Druvis, unfazed by Regulus’ tantrum, answers before the awakened arcanist can even explain himself, “Mr. APPle, of course.”
“Wha—”, Regulus whips to face her first mate, pointing an accusatory finger at him while crying out. “You traitor!”
Her partner deflates at her words, “Captain, please.”
“How unfair! Ms. Regulus, why didn't you invite me? I could have helped as well!” Sotheby pouts, absolutely not helping with the situation.
Sonetto barely blinks at the ruckus happening behind her, already grown used to them and perhaps, even have become fond of it. It was unavoidable, what with her being a frequent member of Vertin’s team as her assistant, always ready to help her in whatever task she’s given. Letting her companions settle whatever matter they busied themselves with on their own, she twists the doorknob open to finally enter Vertin’s office only to stop halfway from opening it.
Expectedly, Regulus who was too busy arguing with the wise apple bumps against Sonetto’s back, a scowl forming on her face. “Hey! Scoot over, why’re you frozen in place?”
Sotheby, ever so curious, squeezes herself in the gaps and lets out a surprised noise, “Oh! I thought Ms. Druvis was joking when she said she had gotten Vertin for watch duty!”
Having her name mentioned, Druvis simply hums. “I would never lie if I can help it.”
Sonetto turns to face them, a finger on her lips while pointedly looking at Regulus, “Shh.”
Regulus opened her lips only to close them when Sonetto’s gaze turned to a glare, scrunching her nose while letting out a low grumble. She crosses her arms over her chest as Sonetto finally lets everyone in after making sure they’re no longer as noisy as before.
There, on the sofa that Regulus had dragged in back then for Vertin’s office so she can hang around the Timekeeper (pester her, really), are the two people the group had left behind some time ago. Except both Vertin and Schneider are sound asleep, leaning against each other with Schneider’s head lying on the other’s shoulder.
Still keeping their noise to a minimum, the group worked together. Sonetto returns with a blanket in hand, gently draping it over the sleeping duo. Druvis places the folders she had grabbed from the outside that Vertin was previously working with on the table. Sotheby brought with her pillows for the two while APPle quietly cast a spell to rearrange Vertin and Schneider to a much more comfortable position. And Regulus?
“...” Sonetto eyes the camera that the pirate held, a butterfly logo marked on it. “Is that safe?”
“Of course!” Regulus looked indignant on her friend’s behalf, “Personally tested by me!” She puffs her chest before standing before the two unassuming arcanists.
“Well, I do hope the sound of a picture being taken doesn't wake them up.” Sotheby whispers, settling next to Regulus.
“It won’t.” Regulus says, very much focused on taking the perfect picture.
“You’re only taking a photo to use for blackmail, aren't you.” Druvis says, not even using a questioning tone because it was already obvious.
APPle joins his captain, “It’s okay because this apple will make sure that it will not fall in the hands of other people.”
“Where’s the faith in me, hey?”
“Just take it already.”
“Fine, fine.”
Click!