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Nerissa’s first meeting with Advent will be a memory she knows she will forever treasure in her heart.
It wasn’t hard to understand why.
Years spending time with each other, bonding, supporting one another, breaking out, subsequently choosing to stick together after, all of it had made Advent irreplaceable to Nerissa. Sure, she had her family back home who would welcome her with open arms anytime but Advent was a different kind of bond altogether. One she didn’t know how to describe.
All Nerissa knew was that she would go to the ends of the Earth for Advent in a heartbeat.
As such, Nerissa made it a point to remember every important aspect related to Advent vividly. Namely, her first impressions and meetings with them. A certain gem’s one usually stuck out in particular.
She remembers how excited she was to finally meet Biboo face to face after years of talking through the Cell walls. How much cuter the little Gem of Emotions was now that she got to see her facial expressions and little gestures in person. There couldn’t have been an even more perfect first meeting. Every expectation was met.
But in all honesty, Nerissa knew everything would be fine from the get go. From the very beginning they had clicked. Their humor, their shared interests, their similar broken sleeping schedules. Getting along was never going to be a problem, at least Nerissa believed so and after meeting Biboo, she was only proven to be correct.
Biboo was her little partner in crime and meeting her for the first time had filled Nerissa with all kinds of bubbly feelings.
That feeling was absent now.
As the Demon of Sound stands at the door of this unassuming house, she fiddles with the luggage at her side and she bites down on her lower lip. She leans forward to ring the bell once more, glancing around at the surrounding area as she shifts her weight from one leg to the other. She hadn’t expected to see other houses in this neighborhood. She was expecting a more, secluded location. At least one with less people but that was clearly not the case.
This was right in the middle of civilization. There were even a decent number of other residents walking around going on about their day as usual as if nothing was wrong. Although that was true, it was all still a tad funny to Nerissa.
I wonder how many of them know that a being beyond human comprehension is staying here…
Just as she finishes that thought, the door swings open and the first thing that catches Nerissa’s eyes are gold. A golden pair of eyes staring directly at her.
There she was in all her glory.
The mastermind behind the Cell breakout. The leader of Advent. The Archiver.
The one and only, Shiori Novella.
“Rissa, you’re here early. Sorry I took so long, I was still in the middle of some last minute cleaning.”
Nerissa shakes her head as she gives a reassuring smile. “No, no it’s okay. I wasn’t even waiting that long. I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. I hope I’m not intruding…?” Shiori giggles, “No, of course not. This was completely my fault- oh wait, here come on in first.”
Shiori opens the door wider and holds it, Nerissa mumbling a thank you as she brings her luggage in. The two-tone haired woman closes the door behind her and Nerissa takes a minute to look around Shiori’s humble abode. It was a standard looking living room, nothing out of the ordinary at all. A few books were scattered on the coffee table in front of the couch, a cup on top too but aside from that, nothing else.
“Sorry for the mess, I did say I was doing some last minute cleaning,” she hears Shiori apologize from behind. Nerissa snorts as she turns around and places a hand on her hip, “Please, this is hardly a mess. I was just looking around and seeing if the Great Archiver lives in any conditions different from the average person.”
Said Archiver rolls her eyes playfully and Nerissa smirks.
“Oh you haven’t seen my office. That’s where all the magic happens. And where all the actual mess is”
“Is it now?”
Shiori hums.
“You have to show me your office then.”
Shiori quirks a brow, “Is that the first thing you ask when you go to someone’s place for the first time? You come to their house and immediately ask to see where they work?” “Only for you darling. If I can’t get into that head of yours I might as well see the place where most of that thinking happens~” Nerissa wiggles her brows for added effect and Shiori shakes her head, walking past the demon.
“I’ll consider it. Now come on, the guest room is this way.”
Nerissa makes no other comment as she follows Shiori, staring at her back all the while taking shallow breaths. She was glad the both of them had good banter. At least she could fall back on that, distract herself from the feelings of anxiousness that builds in her chest.
In that moment, Nerissa briefly wonders if Shiori felt anxious at all too. Shiori had always been the more level-headed of the group despite her unhinged tendencies. Always the one to keep the rest calm in tense situations but she couldn’t help but wonder.
To Nerissa’s knowledge, she was the first to actually meet Shiori officially. Surely, that had to amount to some nerves? While they did all see each other’s face after the breakout, there wasn’t really much time for anything aside from short pleasantries. They were forced to separate to avoid detection almost immediately after. There was only a name then a blur of black and white hair running off into the opposite direction.
Nerissa remembers worrying about meeting her friends again.
It was of course Shiori who had helped all of them get back into touch with each other. Something Nerissa would always be grateful for.
“Here we are,” Shiori’s voice snaps Nerissa out of her thoughts, “Bathroom is through there, fresh towels are in there too and… oh! New bedsheets too, freshly cleaned just for you.” A smile unconsciously makes its way onto Nerissa’s face. “Thank you for your service my beloved Archiver.”
“No problem, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to call okay?”
Nerissa makes a sound of acknowledgement as she moves her luggage to the corner of the room to begin getting situated. She lays the luggage down and unzips it, rummaging through her clothes with the intention to go take a shower. When she stands back up, she spots Shiori still standing by the door.
“Yes Shiorin? You need something?” she asks and the woman in question shrugs. “No nothing, just making sure you’re all good…” she trails off and Nerissa furrows her brows in confusion.
She gives Shiori a once over out of concern when it suddenly hits her.
“You don’t have to worry about anything. I think I can handle myself fine, I promise I’ll call if I need anything okay?” Nerissa reassures. Shiori nods stiffly and gives an awkward bow before leaving the room. The raven chuckles to herself as she places her clothes on the bed then enters the bathroom.
Once inside, she takes off all her clothes and places them in a basket in the corner, laughing softly to herself as she hops into the shower.
I guess Shiori does get nervous after all…
All of a sudden, Nerissa freezes.
“Shiori!”
It’s silent for a second before she hears Shiori answer.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you can help me with the shower?” she shouts and not a second later, she hears the sound of footsteps right in front of the bathroom door. Shiori doesn’t enter immediately or even knock. Instead all she hears is a whisper, barely audible through the door.
“Are you naked in there?”
The demon walks out of the shower and wraps a towel around herself before unlocking the door then subsequently opening it. “Yeah I am but don’t worry I’ve got a towel on,” she informs but her mouth falls open slightly when she sees Shiori stumble in, her hand over her eyes. “Shiori?”
Shiori slips but manages to catch herself before Nerissa has the chance to intervene. “S-Sorry, I’ll be okay. I can just…” for a couple of minutes Nerissa just watches Shiori walk around blindly in the bathroom, feeling around with her free hand until finally she gets into the shower.
The Archiver finally pulls her hand away from her eyes but stares at the wall as she gets the shower working for Nerissa. She carefully walks out with her eyes still averted then covers her eyes again. “Is the temperature okay?” she questions and Nerissa stifles her laughter at the sight of Shiori standing before her with her eyes still covered with her hand.
Nerissa places her hand under the running water and hums in satisfaction. The temperature was just right and she was glad it was. She didn’t want to have to trouble Shiori any further in spite of how funny it was to see her bumble around.
“Yep this is good. Thank you Shiorin~” she coos and the two-tone haired woman gives her a thumbs up then goes back to trying to get out the door the way she came. All the while, Nerissa can’t help but smile at the sight. The door closes and Nerissa locks it, standing there for a moment as she laughs to herself. Finally the raven gets back into the shower and a sigh of relief leaves her lips as the warm water makes contact with her skin.
She takes her sweet time showering, glad to finally get the chance to release all the tension in her muscles from the long journey and also because she couldn’t stop replaying the previous scene in her mind.
Nerissa chastises herself. She should have known better. Despite the awkward start, she should have known. With Shiori, everything was guaranteed to be fine.
______________________________
Being a part of Hololive had given Nerissa all kinds of opportunities she could never have dreamed of back when she was still in the Cell. The chance to meet so many new people, the ability to do what she always wanted to do, the support of her fans, the new opportunities, meeting her oshi.
Meeting her oshi in the Bahamas.
Never in a million years could the Nerissa Ravencroft trapped in the Cell have predicted that.
She remembers the jaw-dropping sights, the luxury of the places they visited, the fancy dinners she had with Kiara, it was all like a dream come true. And spending that time with her ultimate idol? What could possibly compare.
The memory would no doubt stay in Nerissa’s mind forever and a part of her wonders even worries if life could get any better than that. Would everything else just be downhill from there?
Well the Nerissa Ravencroft of now would gladly argue with that.
“Rissa, please no more. I’m so full.”
Nerissa gives a knowing look towards the Archiver, “You’ve barely even finished your rice Shiori, you have to eat more.”
Shiori lets out an uncharacteristic whine, a side of her she had become more comfortable sharing. “I can’t! I feel like I’m going to explode if I take one more bite,” she groans and Nerissa huffs, “One more vegetable at least. See, I even have it ready for you.” Shiori seems persistent on declining but when Nerissa pouts, she sighs in defeat.
“Fine…”
Nerissa giggles as she happily places the food on Shiori’s plate, sneaking a few extras the other woman doesn’t deny, before placing more meat in the hotpot for herself. And Shiori but she didn’t need to know that. “You act like my mom.”
“I’d prefer adoring, caring wife but that works too. I just know your hungry Shiorin so I’m telling you to eat more,” Nerissa scolds softly and Shiori merely hums in response. The atmosphere eventually goes quiet as the two resume eating.
The only sound being the bubbling of the hotpot and the loud chatter around them but Nerissa didn’t mind. Not one bit.
Sure, compared to the restaurants in the Bahamas she went with Kiara, it wasn’t as lavish. It wasn’t bad at all by any standards, it was just more, casual. Not as grand nor exuding that exclusive feel luxury places usually did. There weren’t any servers constantly coming in to check if they needed anything and frankly Nerissa had been doing more cooking than she had been eating.
But again, she didn’t mind.
Yes, her arm was starting to hurt and her thighs starting to ache from standing then sitting so often but to see the smile on Shiori’s face as she gave her food, the demon swears what she feels can only be equated to salvation.
“Do you want more Shiori?”
“Uhm…”
“Shiorin…”
“...I want more of the meat…”
Nerissa chuckles as she passes over the meat she cooked earlier, “Anything for you darling, you need only ask.” Shiori mumbles an incoherent response which causes the raven to grin cheekily. “I love you too Shiorin~”
Nerissa feels content like this. She rarely ever gets the chance to pamper their dear leader despite how often she had sacrificed for Advent. For her. So the opportunity leaves her feeling exuberant. A warmth in her heart she wants to keep there forever.
She wants to spoil Shiori more. It didn’t have to be grand, it didn’t have to be memorable.
All she wants is to be there by Shiori’s side for as long as she can.
______________________________
The twin demon dogs had to be the physical manifestation of energy as far as Nerissa was concerned. On one hand, while she did expect the twins to be rambunctious in nature, perhaps she had severely underestimated the extent of it.
It felt like no matter what time of day, when or where, there was an aura of energy constantly surrounding the two. It was contagious too. While Nerissa did also have her moments, she considered herself a more laid back kind of woman with the occasional unhinged thought. But during her meet up with Fuwamoco, well suffice to say any louder and the three would have been banned from that karaoke establishment probably for life.
It was a lot of fun though. As tired as she was in the aftermath, the chance to completely let loose once in a while definitely had its benefits. However, at her core, Nerissa was still the type of person to enjoy her quiet times.
And this time, she was sharing it with a certain two-tone haired woman.
The two were laid on Shiori’s bed. The woman in question was reading a book while Nerissa laid down next to her, her head on Shiori’s chest as she scrolled through her phone. They had a busy day earlier, going around shopping, eating, impromptu animal rescuing, it was a day chock-full of activities. Once they got back home, the two were definitely tuckered out and needed the time to wind down.
At first Nerissa had been in the guest room chilling on her own when she had gotten lonely and bored, deciding to barge into Shiori’s room unannounced with the intention of wanting to cuddle.
It had gone unsaid yet Shiori catches it all the same. Nerissa merely walked in on Shiori reading on her bed and when the door slammed open, the Archiver didn’t even flinch, just moved slightly to the side as a silent invitation for Nerissa.
One the raven didn’t hesitate in accepting.
They haven’t even spoken a word since Nerissa walked in. Shiori seemed far too enamored in whatever she was reading and Nerissa was completely fine with the silence. After all, it wasn’t completely silent.
If Nerissa strained her ear just a little bit, she could make out the sound of Shiori’s rhythmic heartbeat in her ear. It nearly scared Nerissa half to death when she first heard it. Just like her house, she hadn’t expected to hear a heartbeat. At least not one so normal.
Nerissa had always been under the impression Shiori was some powerful unnatural being, even if she wasn’t as unhinged as she was. She had proved herself as such when she broke Advent out of the Cell but now, Nerissa wonders if Shiori actually is human, just one scarily powerful one.
The thought scares her.
So instead Nerissa puts her phone down and nuzzles closer to Shiori, doing her best to listen to her heartbeat as much as she can in an effort to get rid of the thoughts in her head. Eventually, she feels her tense shoulders slowly begin to relax and her eyes start to grow heavy.
I wonder if I can ask Shiori to give me a recording of her heartbeat…
Nerissa winces when Shiori scoffs out of nowhere and for a second, the demon quickly tries to recall if Shiori had mind reading powers. “What’s wrong Shiori?”
For the first time since Nerissa came in, Shiori finally acknowledges her presence and the Archiver’s face immediately morphs into one that is apologetic. “Oh I’m sorry Rissa, were you going to sleep? I didn’t mean to wake you,” Shiori says as she looks down at her and Nerissa chuckles, “Oh it’s fine, I was more surprised you were willing to let me cuddle so close to you.” “You look like you needed the sleep…”
Nerissa smiles fondly and her heart flutters. “Well I appreciate it darling, you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable,” she tells her and Shiori shrugs, “I mean you’re already so close anyways…” “The choice to say no is always there, Shiori.”
She huffs and Nerissa’s eyes widen as she feels Shiori move closer to her. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to…” Nerissa wishes she could have taken that moment to tease Shiori like the other had done to her so many times before but instead the raven finds herself speechless and absolutely gobsmacked. Even when she does feel a tease at the tip of her tongue, she keeps it to herself in favor of laying her head more comfortably on Shiori’s chest.
“You can sleep if you want. I’ll just be here reading.”
“You’re not tired?”
“I won’t stay up too late.”
“What are you even reading about anyway?” Nerissa mumbles, already drowsy with sleep but she wanted to spend just a few precious seconds more with Shiori. “Some old romance book that was popular in the bookstore a couple months ago. Bought it just to qualify for a sale and never read it so I’m finishing it now,” she says and Nerissa laughs softly, tracing lazy patterns on Shiori’s hip. “Like, I’ve had to read six consecutive pages of how much this guy loves this girl. My good god…”
Nerissa hums absentmindedly, “You were never really a fan of romance were you?”
“Not if I can’t self-insert myself into it.”
The two share a laugh and Nerissa feels like this is the first time she had ever truly known bliss. When their laughter dies down, Shiori continues. “But it must be nice, having someone love you. Loving someone,” she admits and Nerissa nods in agreement.
“Do you ever wonder what it feels like to be loved, Shiorin?” Nerissa was barely hanging on to consciousness but she wills herself to stay awake at least for a little longer.
“Sometimes. The idea is endearing but…”
“But?”
Shiori giggles and Nerissa swears she feels something press against the top of her head but she’s too tired to properly discern what it was.
“But I don’t think I need a six page love confession. Just a sentence is more than enough.”
“I’ll keep that in mind…”
Nerissa falls asleep shortly after that.
______________________________
It was a lazy day for Nerissa and Shiori.
The two had woken up way later than usual and simply decided to take things slow for today. So for a change, Shiori offered to make breakfast since usually it was Nerissa who did it and the demon agreed no questions asked. Despite all the horror stories, Nerissa was dead set on making her own conclusions on the matter.
Right now, Nerissa was sitting at the dining table watching Shiori cook from behind at the kitchen, her eyes glued to every little movement the Archiver did. She grins, biting back the urge to tease how cute Shiori looked in her pajamas from behind. Nerissa wonders if Shiori was even aware she was humming and dancing but she doesn’t dare say anything about it lest she stop.
Wine red eyes soften and Nerissa suddenly feels like she can no longer breathe. Before she even gets the chance to panic, it hits her like a freight train.
“But I don’t think I need a six page love confession. Just a sentence is more than enough.”
Oh… Nerissa 's eyes widened and her heart clenched painfully in her chest.
I love you.
It was so sudden. Nerissa doesn’t even know what prompted this. She didn’t even remember much about the conversation from yesterday. Only bits and pieces. Instead all she remembers is waking up in the morning in Shiori’s embrace and feeling like she could stay there in that moment forever.
In hindsight, perhaps it should have been obvious.
The tension between them had always been palpable but Nerissa supposed she herself had unwillingly fallen victim to the lie of thinking love was just that simple too. That love would be easy to identify in the way it fully consumed your mind, heart and soul. A blazing fire that devours your very being, making you want to scream at the top of your lungs your love for them at a chance for salvation.
But as Nerissa stares at Shiori in her adorable pink little pajamas from behind, dancing to the random sounds she made as she cooked, all she feels is comforting warmth.
All she wants to do is reach out and gently hold Shiori. Take a hold of the Archiver’s hands, callous no doubt from the countless hours she spends writing away in her Archives and playing the piano. She wants to place a lingering kiss on her hands, her cheeks, her lips if the other woman would allow her in a show of pure devotion.
She wants to say the words ‘i love you’ out loud and taste the words on her tongue. She wants to know if it would be different if she means it now that she knows that it's true.
Nerissa doesn’t feel the need to shout it out, doesn’t fret about preparing a grand display for she finds she has bigger problems. Now that she realizes her love for Shiori, it leaves her absolutely breathless.
At the very mercy of Shiori Novella and the woman in question doesn’t even know.
“Rissa?”
Nerissa hums in response without thinking. “What do you want to do for our little lazy day today?” she asks, briefly looking over her shoulder to look at Nerissa and the raven’s lips curl into a smile. She props her elbow on the table and places her chin on her hand.
“Anything you want to do. So long as I get to be with you.”
“Feeling a little clingy today Rissa?” Shiori’s giggles cause Nerissa’s heart to soar.
“When am I never not?”
Nerissa watches as Shiori shakes her head but doesn’t miss the smile on her face.
“Yeah yeah I’ll think of something then.”
“Thank you Shiorin~ I…” she trails off at the end uncharacteristically.
Shiori, noticing this too, turns around, her head slightly tilted to the side and an eyebrow raised. “You?”
Nerissa clears her throat, “Just wanted to say I’ll be in your hands Shiori.”
Maybe she’ll say it someday. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a couple of days right before she regrettably goes back to her own home, she doesn’t know. It’ll happen one day though, Nerissa is sure of it. The demon had always been true to herself and she knows her heart wouldn’t be able to contain this love forever. And when the day comes that it doesn’t, she’ll say it.
But for now, she’s content staying like this with Shiori.
“I’ll make sure to take good care of you then.”
“I know you will.”
You have my heart after all.
______________________________
Fin.