Chapter Text
Guntz had to fight to hold back his vomit, the rocking off the ferry boat he was on causing him to get seasick. Just once, he thought, he would like to go out to sea without getting violently queasy. But seeing as though he had spent the entire voyage thus far keeled over the side and throwing up into the waters below, that day was evidently not today.
It had been one of the best and simultaneously worst weeks of his life. One the one hand, he had finally been reunited with his father and had a hand in defeating the fiend who had kept him imprisoned for over a decade. On the other hand, to do that he had been forced to partner up with the person he had always believed to be his father’s killer, and although the truth was now clear and he had been exonerated, that had not made it any easier for the longest time.
Guntz and everyone else who had helped to dethrone and eliminate that maniac had spent several days in the midst of celebrations and parties in their honour. Most of them had enjoyed it, but Guntz was not a party person and had mostly spent that time on his own. Getting home by this most horrid of transportation was just the icing on the cake, but considering the last airship he had gone on was now at the bottom of the ocean, it was the only method the rest of his group was willing to take.
Footsteps rang out nearby, and Guntz turned to see Klonoa, his companion who had stood by his side in this whole mess, speaking to his father Batz as they emerged from the ferry’s cabin. Batz waved farewell to the cabbit before walking over to Guntz.
“Heya, champ.” Batz said in the deep twang that Guntz had only just gotten used to hearing again. Guntz opened his mouth to speak, but his acid reflex kicked in again and he retched hard. Batz patted him on the back sympathetically, having wanted to speak to Guntz alone for a moment.
“Listen, I know that this has been a lot to process for ya, even if ya have trouble admitting it. It’s been hell for me knowing how much time has passed since…” He went quiet.
“I know that ya don’t hold it against me, but I still left when ya needed me most. And words alone aren’t going to make up for that.”
Guntz wanted to tell his father that it didn’t matter, that he was just glad that he was back, but he was too sick to say a word. Batz seemed to sense what he was thinking, though.
“We have a lot of catching up to do, that’s for sure. And I want to make up for lost time.”
Batz crouched down get to his son’s level. “I’ve been thinking about things we could do together, and I remembered this beach resort I took you to on your seventh birthday. Heh, ya probably don’t remember that day very well.”
As it happened, Guntz didn’t, though it was not for lack of trying. He did not remember much of his childhood due to the trauma of losing his father for so long, but he intended to recapture as much of it as he could now they were reunited.
“Well, I thought it would be good to go back there as father and son, maybe bring some of your friends. I can put some money aside to have us all there for a week and really get us back in the swing of things. What d’ya say?”
Despite his illness, Guntz turned to his father and nodded his head. He couldn’t think of anything he would rather do.
Batz laughed, a deep booming laugh that Guntz missed hearing. “Glad to hear it. Now, I’m gonna head back inside. If yer not feeling better within the hour, this priestess lady says she knows a recipe for a seasickness cure that’ll really set ya straight.”
Guntz shivered. He didn’t imagine the old-fashioned priestesses of the Claire Moa Temple would have especially pleasant cure-all concoctions at their disposal.
He heard his father walk back into the cabin, and he thought about what he had said, about wanting to recapture the old days with a big getaway.
After all he had been through, he could certainly use a flipping vacation…
1 YEAR LATER…
Guntz jumped from the edge of the diving board and plummeted into the pool below, not nearly as gracefully as he would have otherwise liked, but still impressive for a novice. The cool water was a great relief from the sun, and he remained underwater for a short time.
Before he came up for air, he thought about how much he really had needed this vacation. It had been a good year, but he had been looking forward for this opportunity to really unwind and spend time with both his dad and his friends. He almost wished it could last forever.
“Guntz?” He heard a voice say as he broke through the surface, and he took off his goggles to see Lolo standing at the pool’s edge, looking down at him. Popka was visible nearby, looking in their direction with his trademark unamused expression.
“Yeah, Lolo?” Guntz replied.
“Your father’s booked a table for us at the hotel café for lunch before our Volleyball game this afternoon. I know you’ve been swimming for a little while, but I wanted to ask if you wanted to come.”
Guntz chuckled. “Didn’t need to ask, missy. I ain’t gonna turn down food, especially if you’re there with me.”
“That’s what I said!” Popka piped up in annoyance. “Quit being so anxious, Lolo! You’re going out with him, he’s not gonna turn ya down!”
Lolo blushed and stammered at the fact that Popka yelled that out loud where anyone could hear. “P-Popka! I know that!”
Popka let out a “hmph!” as he walked off. “Just looking out for you, Lolo. You gotta be more confident if you want it to last.”
Guntz let out an amused laugh, though tried to stifle it as he saw Lolo pouting indignantly.
“I’m not overly anxious, am I?” She asked him quietly.
He mulled over his reply as he got out of the pool. “Not any more than the rest of us. Guess you could say you’re in good company.”
Grabbing a towel to dry himself off, he put his arm around Lolo’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s go eat.”
Lolo let herself smile and walked off with him. For as closed off and abrasive as Guntz could be, he really knew just what to say to make her feel better.
…
Janga was in his hotel room, poring over a newspaper crossword. Ordinarily he would find the idea of passing the time in this way laughable, and yet here he was. There was simply not much else that he wanted to do. He was not an extraverted partygoer, and aside from some swimming he had not really been drawn to most of the resort’s amenities. Fortunately, that was to hopefully change tonight.
The door opened, and Batz stepped through. He took off his hat and wiped his brow. “Phew, that’s all of ‘em on board for lunch.”
“And not before time.” Janga replied as he put down his crossword. “I’m surprised how much you’ve been keeping up with them at the resort this week.”
Batz chuckled. “Call it making up for lost time. Guntz has been having the time of his life, and I think it’s been doing me some good as well.”
“Sorry I’ve not been there with you too much, but me and crowds really don’t mix, and I’ve never been much into Volleyball.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it.” Batz said as he sat on the bed near Janga. “It’s why I wanted to make sure they were occupied for the rest of the day. That way we’d get plenty of time to do something together.”
Janga turned to face Batz, a smile on his face. “So, what do you want to go? Want to check out that casino?”
Batz grinned widely. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
…
The Beach Resort, which Klonoa and his friends had been to a few times in the past, had changed somewhat since the last time they had visited, specifically with the hotel located there. There had been a hotel before, but it had seemingly rebranded in the intervening time, now having been rechristened “Othaan’s Rest”. No one seemed to know what the name quite meant, but the “Othaan” company had bought the entire resort and slapped their name all over everything.
The group didn’t pay much mind to this, though, as the resort had otherwise not changed and there was still plenty to do regardless of who owned it. They were heading to the on-site café once named “Sea & Sand”, now named “Othaan’s Moon”. Chirin, a master cook from the far-off province of Jiobob had taken up residency there as the head chef, making their menu much fancier than it had been before.
Once they had found a table, they began to make small talk with each other to pass the time, mostly about the vacation they were having. Guntz, Klonoa and Lolo had come, obviously, as Guntz had convinced his dad to take them both as well. Popka was there too, as he was Lolo’s best friend, and she did not want him to feel left out.
Oddly, Chipple had come as well, having basically begged and begged to have the honour to go with Klonoa on vacation until they all caved. He ended up sleeping on the floor in their hotel room due to there being nowhere else to sleep. Not that he minded.
After making their orders (Klonoa ordered burgers, Guntz some rare steaks and Lolo a fancy salad) they continued their conversation. They largely talked about recent events such as the completion of Hyuponia’s reconstruction, Lephise finally releasing recordings of her music, and the recent influx of hero work that had cropped up.
At one point, Chipple suddenly bought something up that had been on his mind.
“Y’know, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Klonoa. Are you in a relationship with Guntz or Lolo? I’ve seen you together on this vacation so much that it’s impossible to tell.”
Klonoa smiled and pulled the two of them closer to him. “Actually, I’m in a relationship with both of them.”
Chipple looked shocked, as if it were some unbelievably incredible revelation. “Both…”
“How do you not know this?!” Popka said indignantly. “They’ve been together for months; they won’t shut up about it!”
Chipple looked away bashfully, not wanting to look foolish in front of his idol. “W-well, I’ve been in the Ghazzaland Fighting Tournament for ages, I didn’t hear much from you guys while I was away…”
“Mate, it’s fine.” Guntz cut in, gesturing to Klonoa. “Long and the short of it is, this guy got greedy and somehow it all worked out.”
That made everyone laugh, including Klonoa who was able to see the funny side of it. It cheered up Chipple as well.
“I’m sorry, Klonoa, it’s just I’ve never met someone who had more than one sweetheart before. What’s it like?”
Klonoa shrugged. “Like having the best of both worlds, I guess. And it means everyone’s happy; I didn’t want to have to choose one and hurt the other.”
“Made me the most talked about priestess about the temple.” Lolo piped up. “And here people thought the High Priestess and Leo getting together would be the most surprising romantic development.”
Everyone laughed again. At that moment, everyone’s food arrived, and their conversation gave way to the sounds of eating.
…
Later that same evening, the casino section of the resort was open. This was a recent addition, seemingly bought in when Othaan had taken over. It was not especially popular with the locals, but the tourists seemed to love it, which was naturally what the management was concerned about. And both Janga and Batz quickly found themselves at home there.
Upon their arrival they immediately got into the thick of things, skipping the slot machines and going right for poker, blackjack and craps. They spent the next few hours going from table to table, making wager after wager. They didn’t win that much, but they were there to have fun more than anything.
After a while, they got up from their current table and stepped outside into a quiet side alley to get some fresh air. Batz reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out one of his cigars. He had not been allowed to smoke at the main resort, so he was glad that this more adult area was lax about it.
“Gawd, I missed this.” Batz sighed as he lit the cigar and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “It’s been too damn long since we’ve done something like this, Janga.”
“You’re telling me!” Janga replied as he stretched his arms above his head, feeling a little achy after sitting down for so long. “I’ve been craving something exciting like this.”
Batz nodded. “Heh, yeah…” He said before trailing off and looking into the night sky.
Janga noticed him go a little quiet and moved in closer. “Something up?”
“Nothing that needs worrying about.” Batz replied.
“Aw, c’mon.” Janga said as he got in a little closer. “No reason not to talk about it, eh?”
Batz chuckled, taking another drag on his cigar before continuing. “Well, the last year has been real swell; catching up with Guntz, and being back with ya… I wouldn’t have given it for the world. It’s just... well, that reward money from Jillius set us up just fine, so I’ve not had to work, and yer bringin’ in extra working at that records office, so...”
Janga blinked. “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is…” Batz trailed off, trying to find the proper words before finally deciding to put it bluntly. “I’m bored.”
The silence of the alley was filled with Janga’s sudden laughter. “Finally! I thought I was the only one!”
Batz looked over at him. “You too?”
“Batz, working in that office has been hell. Doing nothing but cataloguing documents really drains your energy. I’d kill to do something more stimulating.”
“Ah, then you know what I’m talking about.” Batz smiled. “Not that I don’t like spending time with Guntz, but with money taken care of and no real jobs of my calibre around town, I’ve just been stuck at home. The life of stay-at-home dad ain’t for me, and with ten years having been and gone, I’m still getting used to everything.”
Janga thought for a moment. “I mean, there is still Jillius’ offer to work on his payroll. Far as I know, that’s still an open offer. I was actually curious as to why you haven’t taken him up on it yet.”
Batz looked down at his shoes, seeming a bit ashamed. “I’ve thought about that a lot. I for sure miss the excitement of those days, but… it’s dangerous work. It’s because of that work that Garlen kept me captive for so long. If worst comes to worst, I’ll end up leaving Guntz without a father again.”
Initially unsure how to respond, Janga turned to his partner. “Well… we’re not going to live forever. The way I see it, it’s better to live doing what you love rather than avoiding it in fear of what may or may not happen. I’m willing to bet Guntz would be way happier knowing you’re out there kicking ass rather than feeling unfulfilled at home.”
Batz nodded but still seemed a little uncertain. He took one final drag on his cigar before stubbing it under his boot. “Lemme put a pin in it for now. It’s a big decision, and I’d rather let Guntz know before I do, if ya don’t mind.”
It pained Janga to see Batz put it off, evidently fearful of his son losing him, but knew better than to make an argument of it. “You got it.”
Taking one final breath in, Batz patted Janga on the back. “Now, enough of this sappy talk! We still have a full night ahead of us!”
Smiling, Janga followed Batz back into the casino, ready to continue their quality time throwing money away.
…
“This has been a wonderful vacation, Guntz.” Lolo said quietly, she, Guntz and Klonoa having returned to their hotel room and were now lying in bed together. It was surprisingly luxurious for the price that Guntz’s dad had paid, with high quality sheets and a large TV. Even the toilet roll holder in the bathroom was shiny brass.
“Yeah.” Klonoa replied behind her. “We should do something big like this again sometime.”
“If you three are FINISHED,” Popka yelled from across the room, where he was laying in an open drawer. “We still have a full day at the beach tomorrow, and I don’t intend to sleep in! Now, put that light out!”
Lolo threw a pillow at him to shut him up. Guntz chuckled as he moved to turn the bedside lamp off.
“Goodnight, you two.”
“Goodnight, Guntz. Goodnight, Klonoa.”
“Goodnight…”