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“Liane, I have a question,” was a common phrase Liane was coming to hear a lot since starting this journey.. It wasn’t really Firis’s fault, as there was so much more for her to experience each new day. Most were mundane, such as ‘Why does that tree look different than the other?’ and ‘THAT’S what a rabbit looks like?’ Everything was truly mysterious and wonderful to Firis, and it gave Liane no small amount of joy to play the part of the reliable older sister to her.
“What has caught your eye this time, Firis?” Even when they were snacking in the atelier like this, her questions never stopped. This might even be important for her alchemy, and to help her not get stuck in Ertona if she failed the exam, as much as she would never want that to happen to her dear Firis. Even if Liane wasn’t the greatest at all this alchemy stuff, she resolved to do her very best to help Firis.
“Why did Miss Sophie and Miss Plachta always look at each other the same way Mom and Dad do?” Spoken with a childish curiosity, the question caught Liane heavily off guard.
“What do you mean?” Looking at each other like Mom and Dad do? What was she talking about?
“Well, Miss Sophie was always looking at Miss Plachta like she was the most important thing in the world to her, and Miss Plachta would look at Miss Sophie the same way too! Isn’t that how Mom and Dad look at each other as well!? But then why didn’t they tell us they were married?” The explanation left Liane even more confused, but she would do her best to help explain this topic.
“Well…I didn’t notice it as much as you say it is, but they could just be dating? It’d be best to ask them yourself, honestly.” Surely Firis-
“What’s dating? Is that before marriage?”
Did…did Firis not know about dating? But then why was she so confident Sophie and Plachta were dating? Liane didn’t have the energy to think about this right now. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, Firis.”
“Aww, okay...but do you promise?” She would have to remember to find a romance novel or something to read up on herself, as she wasn’t an expert in the matter either. She wouldn’t want Firis running after anyone to date that she didn’t approve of, after all.
“Yes, Firis. I promise.” Liane said, leaning over to pat her head. Moments like these reminded Liane why she set out on this journey in the first place, and brought a smile to her face. Firis truly was the greatest sister someone could ask for.
Ilmeria had noticed that Firis’s mood - and confidence, had skyrocketed since meeting up with her teacher again. It almost made her jealous, having a teacher that was so caring seemed so nice. Compared to the harsh experiences she had with the teachers hired for her by her parents.
No matter, she would be done with this recipe to dispel the waterspout soon enough, and Firis would see her for the genius alchemist she was and praise her, and then they could travel the rest of the way to Reisenberg together!
….She would enjoy the sweets and tea Miss Sophie made for them in the meantime, taking another big bite of a cookie prepared for her. It was a very sweet cookie. Was Miss Sophie really an adult, with how much sugar she seemed to put in everything?
The creator of this marvelous cookie wasn’t present, however. It seemed Firis wanted to talk to her about something alone, which was strange. Not even her overbearing, ever-present sister was here. Did she need help with her alchemy? Why not ask her teacher, instead?
That didn’t matter either way to her, however. What mattered was that it was an excuse to hang out with Firis, which was always enjoyable.
She’d be able to hang out even more if she just gave up on her plan and joined in to help Firis, and she would be able to have so much more fun working with a friend…
No! Absolutely not! Mother and Father would shame her for relying on another alchemist!
“Il, are you alright? You look angry. Do you not like Miss Sophie’s sweets?” Oh, did she spook Firis? That wasn’t good.
“Ah, no. I was just taken aback by how sweet these cookies are.” Her friend’s mood instantly perked up, and she marveled at how such a sweet, innocent child had managed to not get eaten up by the cruel ways of the world. She supposed she had Liane to thank for that. It seemed like Firis was ready to finally talk to her about what she was called over for, however, and Ilmeria was ready to get into the meat of this discussion.
“Doesn’t it seem like Miss Sophie and Miss Plachta are lovers?”
Wh-
What?
“Come on, Il! I want your opinion on this! I haven’t been able to ask Miss Sophie because she’s been going around helping everyone in town, but the more and more I watch I see I think they’re in some kind of relationship, but I don’t know if they’re married or dating—”
“Firis, hold on. I’ve known those two for barely a few days. How would I know? I know they seem close, but they could just be really close friends, you know. Aren’t they mentor and student?”
“I know…but I’m just so curious, and I really do think there is some substance to this, Il!” Firis seemed really invested in this, and it wasn’t hurting anyone, so what would it hurt to indulge her?
“Why don’t you just call them over and ask, Firis? They like you enough to come running whenever you call, so why not just ask?” Judging from the way she seemed to almost shrink on hearing that question, Ilmeria realized she probably shouldn’t have asked that.
Firis took a moment to recover, and answered honestly,“I don’t want them to think I’m weird or anything, or think that I’m not focusing on my studies enough and not seeing them. They’re so focused on helping the town, and I think that’s more important than my childish desires.”
That was…surprisingly mature of Firis. But why did Firis care so much about the relationship between those two girls? Was she trying to get into her own relationship? But why? Firis only really cared about the next step in her journey and helping people with alchemy, from what she’d seen. Was Firis interested in someone herself? There’s no way Firis wold ever be interested in someone romantically—
Finishing off the last cookie, a quiet “ahem!” jostled Ilmeria out of her Firis-induced musings.
“Well, it’s about time for me to get back to working on the boat. Are you sure you don’t want to help? I’m almost about to present the plan to Miss Ren!”
A small voice in the back of her head told her to simply agree to help her friend, but her pride shushed it up quickly.
“No, I’m going to head back to the inn and work on my recipe.”
“Oh…okay...” Firis made a face resembling a kicked puppy, which made Ilmeria feel even worse about rejecting her offer to work together.
“Well, I’ve got to go now too, Firis. Thanks for sharing the sweets! I’ll come back again tomorrow!” She really did mean it, too. The time she had spent with Firis today was so enjoyable, she was willing to take time out of her busy schedule of research just to visit again.
“Bye-bye Il! Good luck!” And with that, Ilmeria left the atelier to enjoy the nice riverside air of the town.
Heading back to the Inn, Ilmeria pondered if it was really worth pushing off her friend’s offer to help. She was just so earnest, and every time she was around, Ilmeria’s mood skyrocketed. With how much faith and trust Firis seemed to put into her teacher, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to rely on someone else after all.
Was the pride and praise from her parents really worth throwing away this potential once in a lifetime chance to work with her friend? If Firis failed the exam after all, they would never meet again.
Alright. Ilmeria had decided. If she couldn’t make the next breakthrough in the “Anti-Waterspout Bomb” within the next few days, she’d join Firis in her operation to make a ship to cross the waterspout. With her genius and Firis’s enthusiasm, they’d cross that spout in no time!
To reward Firis for “discovering how to hear the voices of materials.” Miss Sophie had whipped up some tea and snacks for the rest of the group. Once setting them up, however, she made an excuse to instantly run off to the cauldron, talking about how she “had a new idea to try and improve Plachta’s body.” Personally, Firis couldn’t complain, as Miss Sophie’s sweets were amazing, and she always enjoyed Miss Plachta and her sister’s company.
A much more mischievous desire would also come to fruition, as she determined it was now “Miss Plachta, how do you feel about Miss Sophie?”
Plachta put down her tea, and a pondering silence filled the room, until Plachta responded with “Sophie has saved my life countless times. She’s the reason I’m able to sit here today and enjoy this moment with everyone, and she will forever be my best friend because of that, and everything else she’s done for me.”
Steeling her nerves, Firis pressed further, “Are you sure she’s just a friend? Because back in the cave, when Miss Sophie was really sick, she kept rambling about how she would never see your smile again and how she was really sorry about being unable to make you a human again. Then, she just kept going on and on about all the things she wanted to do with you - all the places she wanted to go with you and food she wanted to eat—”
“That’s enough, Firis!” Plachta was looking as embarrassed as a doll given human emotion could be at this point, and Firis thought it might not be possible for her face to get even redder. Faster than she was even in combat, Plachta got up from the table and moved to exit the room as quickly as possible.
Argh! Her plan was perfect, why did it fail? “Liane, was I too direct?”
Liane just smiled and shook her head at her. “Perhaps Plachta hasn’t even told Sophie her feelings herself, Firis. But now that I look at it, you may have been on to something.” A petulant pout was her only response to Liane’s assessment, along with a new resolve.
“I’m going to talk to her.” Following Plachta wasn’t that hard. There was only one direction in the atelier that wouldn’t have her walk directly into the source of her embarrassment, so Firis was able to find her intricately observing the details of a storage container in the back.
“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?” The words made Plachta jump, and Plachta seemed to ponder for a good long while before she gave her answer.
“I’m afraid.”
“Huh?” Why would she be afraid of Miss Sophie?
“An…incident happened in which my soul got separated from my doll body. During the time I was floating around as a disembodied soul, I could only think about how I longed to see Sophie again, and when she saved me, I realized the extent of my feelings for her. The problem is that Sophie is denser than a sack of bricks. I don’t think she’s even realized that the alchemical world has been revolutionized thanks to her discoveries in pursuit of returning my humanity. She’s felled gods and goddesses alike for me, Firis. She shines so brightly, it hurts to be in her shadow. I want to stand next to her, side by side. But what if she rejects me for taking that first step? What if she shames me, and I’m stuck in this doll body forever. Cursed to never fade, never be able to do what I love again, to be forgotten by history as she continues to stun the world? I can’t risk losing that light, Firis. It may be selfish of me, but I just can’t.”
Firis…really didn’t know how to respond to that. She didn’t think Miss Sophie would do all that, but was she in too deep? Was she not able to help them after all—
“Plachta?” The sound of a dropped item heralds the arrival of her savior, Miss Sophie! Turning around, Firis is greeted with the very cute sight of Sophie blushing furiously, and she realizes that her suspicions about how much they cared about each other had been right all along. Take that, Liane!
Plachta, having realized what she had admitted to Firis, and by proxy Sophie, seemed to really be intent to prove today that the modifications to make her more human-like were in fact working, blushing further in ways Firis didn’t even know you could blush.
Seeing as how both of them were looking at each other as if they were both staring at the most precious object in the world, Firis decided it was her time to leave. Hopefully it would work out, but judging by their reactions, Firis was excited to have something new to gossip about with Il the next time they met up.
“Plachta, did you really mean everything you said?” This was it. Her life was over. Sophie was going to abandon her for being a freak and she would never be able to see Sophie smile when she gave Plachta humanity again or do anything else with the girl she loved—
A hand on her shoulder forces her to look up and stops her mental spiral in its tracks. “Because if you did, I want you to know that I feel the same way, Plachta.” And that earnest response, spoken with a gentle smile on Sophie’s face, reminds Plachta exactly why she fell in love with her.
“R-really?” Gods above, was this really happening? This was great! A type of warmth and enthusiasm that she hadn’t felt since she sealed her soul in a book started to well up inside of Plachta.
“Mhm! When we got separated in Erde Weige, it felt like a part of my life was ripped from me. That’s when I realized just how important you are to me. I wanted to bring it up after we rescued your soul, but with the other Plachta around I just didn’t find the time, and then we had to take care of Firis, and then we had all of the problems in Flussheim and if I had known you felt the same I would have told you earlier—”
“Sophie. Come here.” Drawing her into a hug, with a cute little ‘eep!’ from Sophie, Plachta decided to finally reach out for what she had been longing for so deeply, and closed her eyes to lean into Sophie.
Her lips met Sophie’s, and Plachta felt true bliss. As inexperienced and clumsy as they both were, the fact that it was Sophie made it more wonderful than she ever could have imagined. Sophie was practically melting into her as well, so she assumed the feelings were mutual.
Lips parting, Plachta decided to just savor the moment, and let herself relax into Sophie’s arms. Those beautifully limber yet toned arms pulled her even close to Sophie, with her head resting on her shoulder. She could smell her perfume vividly, as well. Ah, this was heaven.
Plachta looked into Sophie’s eyes, and saw that she was the happiest girl in the world. As much as she, no, they wanted more, they had more important things to discuss,.specifically the change in their relationship from mentor-student to lovers. They were living with two other people after all.
She had to ask the question, “Sophie…does this mean we’re dating now?”
A gentle smile begets the response from Sophie, “Is that what you want, Plachta? Because I would be more than happy with that, for now.”
“Then let’s date, Sophie.” The smile on Sophie’s face in that moment could have lit up even the darkest caves.
“Hehe! I bet once we get you a human body again, all this lovey-dovey stuff will feel even better for you!”
“Quiet, you! Although being able to actually taste would be nice, I don’t think it would matter. Any kiss with you would be wonderful, Sophie.”
Huh. Sophie looked cute when she was blushing.
There was one last thing she needed to make sure of, however. “Do we tell anything to Firis and Liane?”
“I don’t really think we have to, Plachta. Firis will figure it out when she sees us start to be all lovey-dovey with each other, and I don’t think she or Liane will mind at all. Besides, we have to start to plan to head off on our own soon, too, so it might not matter that much.” That’s right, Plachta did remember Sophie mentioning it was almost time for them to head off again, but she didn’t want to think of that for now. She gestured to one of the soft couches Firis had made for the atelier, and started to move them towards it.
:”We can worry about that tomorrow, Sophie. For now, why don’t we just enjoy each other's company?” Plachta beckoned Sophie over, gesturing for her to sit next to her.
A brilliant smile gives her the answer she was hoping for. “I’d more than love to, Plachta.” Sitting down with her — and leaning into her as well — Plachta felt all of her worries wash away.
There were doubts about the future, but Plachta was more than happy to just let them all wash away and enjoy this wonderful moment with Sophie.