Chapter Text
Tracen Academy Summer Island Camp, a place far off from the academy but it's nonetheless a nice area for the Umamusume to spend their training in the hot summer or to get some well deserved rest. Trainer Rin and two of her trainees, Dream Journey and Orfevre, have come not for training purposes, but to unwind from the day to day stress. Rin most especially needed it the most ever since she had scouted Journey, with her younger sister Orfevre immediately requesting she was let into their team. Dealing with two eccentric personalities had become a handful for her to deal with, so she made a request with Director Akikawa to see if she knew any way of helping them (especially Orfie), to let loose and properly unwind. Akikawa mentioned of an island found by Tucker Byrne had been transformed into a training center and resort for trainer and trainee to go. With her plan laid out, she informed the two they were going to spend the summer at the island. Journey was pleased to hear this, as it meant she'd get to spend time bonding with Orfie, but her sister wasn't entire sure about the plan. But before she could protest, they were already on the plan bound to the island.
Once there, Rin briefed the duo on what the plan was following their arrival. "Alright you two, the island as you already know, is split into two separate areas: one for training, and the other for relaxation. We are here for the latter. The director mentioned that trainees will spend their time closer to the coastal area, where there are separate and combined houses for you all to reside and live together during the summer. I will be residing by the resort uphill where I can oversee the area alongside the other trainers should anything come up or if any disputes happen. If you two find yourselves in any sort of trouble, you can come to my room here or give me a call, either way I should be able to respond back with enough time. Are there any questions?" With her recap out of the way, Orfevre would simply walk away and would already make her way to the lodges. After walking for a short while, she walked back to her sister and Trainer Rin. She was confused as to why one of her trainees would suddenly walk away and then immediately backtrack to her. She asked, "Is everything alright Orfie?" The tyrant then turns away from her trainer's face. She wanted to express what she wanted to say, but couldn't find a way to say it without sounding embarrassing. So, she brushes her tail against her sister's leg. Journey takes notice of it and looks at the expression her sister is making. She goes ahead and makes the question for her sister. "Trainer, I believe my sister could be requesting for maybe a parting gift or two to keep her company. While we're at that, I would also like a gift as well." Rin was relieved to know that Orfevre just wanted a gift for company. She first went to Dream Journey and handed her a stack of paper for drawing. Journey was confused at first until Rin explained the reasoning for her gift. "I remember a while ago during one of the fan festivals that you drew plenty of portraits of your fans. I happened to have carrier too much paper that what I was planning to use for my sketches so I figured you'd like to maybe pick up drawing again as I have too." Journey accepts the gift with a warm smile that feels rather chilling instead. Upon receiving her gift, she places away the papers in her bag and prepares to go.
Rin then turns to Orfie and hands her a strange gift. Orfevre turns to her trainer and tilts her head in confusion. She asks, "Trainer, is there a reason for you to have given me this gift of all things?" Her confused expression immediately turned into one of confused frustration, furrowing her eyebrows even further. The gift, was actually a rubber duck… of all things that could've been given for her, a rubber duck was the choice. Not a gold bar or a mahjong tile, not even a classical album were considered as proper gifts by Rin. She tried to contain her laughter as much as she could as she didn't want to anger her trainee even further. Upon calming her senses down, Rin goes and explain her reasoning for the gift she gave. Her face showing some remorse for a past action as she spoke. "Orfie, I still think back to the time I sent you "alone" with Tazuna when you traveled to France for the Prix de L'arc de Triomphe. When you pushed me against the wall at the brink of the tears, it was a sight that I don't ever want to see you carry again. I quickly thought of trying to give you a gift less conventional than others in the past as a way to distract yourself and maybe show it off to the others in the island." Orfevre thinks back to the moment her trainer was talking about. She came back from France disappointed and frustrated following her runner-up finish from the race, she was about to take it all out on her for making her go "alone". Had it not been for Rin getting her words through her when she was pushed against the wall, Journey would've had a hard time figuring out a way to console her sister. Her sister reminded her she's in the right to be angry, but also pointed out to her that what she did was wrong and could've been blown out of proportion had someone else that was not her walked in on them instead. Rin believed the summer island could be a way for all three of them to not only get their mind off things, but also get some new experiences in. Her trainees would have the chance to wind down from their busy careers, and she would have the time to check in on them without any immediate stress.
Orfevre takes another look at the rubber duck Rin gave her and looked back up to her. Her eyes were looking away from the tyrant, as if that moment all those months ago still haunts her to this day. Without a word, she walks closer to her trainer, holding the same serious expression that she always does. Rin was unsure what her trainee was about to do and tried to back away. But before she could do that, Orfevre opened her arms and reached in for a hug. Rin was completely confused of why she'd do something so out of her character, and looked back at Journey for advice. Journey gave a warm expression to her, as if she told her, "Don't worry Rin, she has her own ways of expressing thanks when it comes to things like this." She then reached back out to Orfie and returns the hug to her. Thankfully no one was in sight to see all of this else there would've been a more awkward situation. If someone like Agnes Digital was somehow in the distance watching this, then they'd have one more awkward moment to deal with. The hug lasted a few moments more until Orfie broke off the hug. Her shy expression gave it all—she had accepted the apology and the rubber duck. To show her thanks and appreciation, she placed the rubber duck she was gifted and placed it on her head. Following their conversation, Orfevre would rejoin her sister and walk down to the coast's shoreline where they were going to spend the summer. As they both walk away, Rin took a sigh of relief. Giving her the rubber duck was purely out of desperation as prior gifts didn't work. She went back to her room and decided to enjoy her time off while slowly becoming unaware of what she might have set up.
A few days go by without any problems going by and of course, when problems haven't been going on, it's the perfect time for problems to start brewing up.
Recently, another resident of the resort, Nice Nature was starting to feel darts being pointed at her every time she was outside. She can't explain why, but a certain tyrant had began taking an interest and had been following around. She couldn't recall why she was being eyed at by Orfevre of all people. She had been trying to get some time to herself by the beach but could still feel her presence staring at her from a far. Every time she would try to look for Orfevre, those darts would suddenly stop pointed and felt more at ease. This issue however had gone beyond just being stared at around the beach. When she went to the food plaza to try to clear her thoughts but to her unwanted surprise, there she was again in the distance. This time however, Orfevre wasn't the one she was staring out to. Instead, it was a canvas that she was staring deep into. Her staring deep into that canvas would send anyone chills down anyone who walking around her. No one would dare break her focus, nor would they want to approach her in that moment. Nature was starting to grow curious of what Orfevre could be so deep in thought and wanted to try to ask why she was staring at here wherever she was going. She finished her food and began making her way to Orfevre. However, as she was beginning to make her way to her, she began to feel the same tension as before when the staring first began. But it's weird… Orfevre isn't even staring at her since Nature is behind her. What could be causing such a strange that would make the tyrant so unapproachable? She carefully minded her distance and tried to take a peek at what Orfevre was observing. Once she took a peek, her heart dropped almost immediately. What the canvas was displaying wasn't any sort of painting, landscape or even a portrait. The portrait had a bunch of scribbles, but each scribble made out a letter. When you organized the scribbles, it spelt out one word: DIE. She quickly tried to walk away, in shock of what she just read on the canvas. She though to herself in the moment, "Hold up, wasn't that the item that I helped her find a day ago or was that a different item? If anything, I might need to run now. If she's likely mad about what I gave her, I don't think I'd like to hear the end of it…" Just as she began to walk away, Orfevre turned around to look at her. Her neutral, blank stare met with Nature's slightly uneasy face. Their eyes met for only a moment, and Nature was already getting ready to walk away, wanting to avoid the tyrant's anger. But what Orfevre was trying to display instead, was an expression of gratitude. She was about to begin speaking when Nature ran out from the food plaza in a panic. The tyrant was confused of what she just saw, but couldn't shake this strange feeling in her chest. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. It wasn't a feeling of intense pride or arrogance at all. But instead, a feeling or yearning for something so out of reach. She thought to herself, "How does she think of running away when her ruler was about to thank her for helping her find this treasure of mine. Who does she think she even is? And why can't I shake this repulsive feeling off of me?" She grabbed her treasure, which in the back of the stretcher bar bearing the name of the work which was titled 'Threat', and walked off to meet up with two people.
Back at Orfevre and Dream Journey's beach house, Rin was brought in by Journey as both were called over to talk with Orfevre. Rin was confused why she was called over but is nonetheless glad to be there. She looked over to Journey and made a simple request. "Journey, could you prepare some tea for all of us? I think Orfie may arrive earlier than what we could expect." The shorter umamusume adjusted her glasses and nodded, accepting the request. "Very well then, trainer. In that case, could you help me reach out for the shortbread cookies?" Rin got up from the couch and accompanied Dream Journey in preparing a light meal for all three of them. Journey pulled out chamomile tea, as she looked at the clock and noticed it was beginning to grow dark. She usually prepared that tea specifically to help her sister sleep better. But just as she was about to pour the hot water into the crushed flowers, the door opened, and Orfevre walked in without saying a word. She walked over to the couch and sat down, placing one leg over the other. Her expression still hasn't changed, remaining one of frustration Rin put an arm over Journey's and whispered to her, "Talk with Orfie for me please, I'll finish preparing the tea while you're doing that. She looks to have something weighing her down at the moment, try to ask her about that." Journey walked over to Orfevre and took a seat next to her. She gently addressed her sister's off behavior. "Oru, is something the matter? Usually you greet us when you enter the house and you also came a bit earlier than the agreed time. Your tea won't be ready until a few minutes pass…" Journey has always been able to read through what her younger tells her. They've never had any difficulty talking to each other about any sort of topics, and Orfrevre will completely drop her 'Tyrant' act when she's alone with her sister. Though when their trainer is also in the room with them, she makes an exception for her, so long as she agrees to no speak of it once they finish their conversations and go their ways afterwards. Orfevre grabbed the rubber duck that always remained in her head and held it close to her chest this time, asking her sister a strange question. "Aneue, tell me. I need to know something. What is this strange fuzzy feeling is that I'm feeling? Am I even supposed to be feeling it?" She turns over to her sister, and Rin overhears the conversation, trying to shift her eyes to them, but is left keeping tabs on the tea until it is ready. Journey began to think to herself. "She rarely makes that face, and to confide in us her problems raises even more concern for me about her…" She shifts her body towards her sister and proceeds to reply. "So something did happen from what I can tell, and your expression tells us it's something important to know. Give our trainer a moment to finish preparing the tea and we'll be with you immediately. Orfie nods and agrees to wait until the tea and cookies are prepared.
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After a few minutes have passed, Rin prepares the tea for her trainees and sits down with them to see what's troubling Orfie. Journey begins by asking the question to bring back the topic. "So what is it that trouble's my king? What kind of thing is it that dares to hinder reign of thought?" Once Journey made the question, Rin turns to Orfie to see what her response will be. "Do you believe that everything in this world should belong to me? That every thing and every person should be under my possession?" Orfevre wondered. It was a question that was peculiar for her sister and trainer to hear. Journey turns to her sister and replies back, "Well of course, Oru. You are the king, after all." But hearing that only made Orfie's brows furrow her brows deeper. She brought her duck in front and stared into it, talking to it rather than looking at either one in the eyes. "Then why— Why do I feel like this one person is out my reach? Why does she feel like a mere wish to reach out to instead. My reign as the 'Golden Tyrant' is supreme, and everyone should be bending to my will. Those who believe in my path serve me and only me. This person however, feels like I need to pour in an unnecessary amount of effort just to have them under my possession. My needs and wants are to be revered at all times, and I want this person… It doesn't even help that this feeling in my chest is only amplified whenever I see her around this island. My eyes only turn to her and I want to demand she serves me just like how anyone else has too. I am a king, yet why does this… trivial matter bring so much concern to me? This person doesn't even seek to defy me. She merely just turns away and runs as if I had done something to scare her off…"
Rin takes a sip of her tea, seemingly already knowing what Orfie may be feeling. She looks at Journey, who notices her gaze places her tea down before she had a chance to take a sip of hers. Orfie is left confused and makes a demand to be told what they have in mind. "Aneue, Trainer, why are the two of you holding such a long silence? I demand to know what you two have in mind." Rin takes a pause from sipping her tea as Journey prepares a respond for her sister. "My apologies, Oru. We were deep in thought of what you've told us, we couldn't think of a response in time." Her sister's expression turned a more neutral one as she brought her rubber duck back to her chest, as if she held it like a stuffed animal. She turned back to them and then respond back at them. "Then, I request you two spill your thoughts on this matter of mine. You both appear to know something I don't."
Rin places her tea down for a moment and responds to Orfie. "This may be a shot in the dark Orfie, and this may also be a foreign concept for you to understand. But this feeling you're experiencing is 'Love'." Orfevre immediately turned her head and tried to disagree. "That's nonsense! Such things would never cross my mind!" Immediately, her sister would raise her hand to stop Orfie from getting up. She assured her saying, "Oru, please do not do anything rash. What she's saying may hold some truth. Maybe you could explain to us what could've been the source of all of this." Hearing her sister's suggestion, she takes a sip of her tea and goes through her mind to see when this had all started. "If you insist that sharing my happenings over the last few days could help me come to understand this feeling, then I will."
'This event took a few days ago, after our trainer had given me another gift, a canvas with the word "Die" written on it. This gift was one that I took a particular liking to it so it came to my surprise having misplaced it at the beach. I was going to call for you Rin, to help me locate it when suddenly she came in to help me, Nice Nature. She came to my aid and asked if I needed help. Mentioning to her that this gift you gave me was one I also came to treasure just as much as my duck, she immediately wasted no time and helped me look for it. We had spent the entire day searching around the beach to locate it that we nearly grew tired of searching. I didn't want to give up as this was one of my greatest gifts and demanded she continue looking for it. She understood and continued to look for it while I tried to wait by one the benches to clear my mind. Enough time had passed that my patience began to grow thin and I was about to start looking for it myself. Had it not been for her sudden return with her hands hiding something behind her back, she likely would have faced the tyrant's wrath. She pulled out my threat out of her hands and that's when I could believe it happened.'
Hearing this story, Rin was looking away, trying to contain her laughter and nearly succeeding had Journey not asked her further. "Oru, could you describe me what that feeling was that you felt in that moment?" Upon her request, Orfevre was beginning to describe what she was feeling in that moment in pure detail that it even left her own sister in shock. "When she turned around and showed me my threat, something lit inside of me. Nice Nature, holding my threat like that was a sight I wanted to keep for myself and myself only. I didn't want anyone's eyes looking at her direction in that moment. I would've fought for her hand and given it all for her. In that moment, the only person in the area that I wanted under my grasp was her. I would tear down the tallest and strongest castle walls if it meant she'd look into my eyes again. To give me the same look when she asked me if what she was holding was the right thing, is something I will never forget. So answer me this: is this the kind of feeling that starts with a threat?" Following her monologue, her sister lit up so much she could've turned into another source of energy for the island. She placed her hands into her sister's hands and told her straight to her face. "Oru, my sister. You really are in love. Summer has come for your heart and is showing you that those feeling you hold really are what we think they are."
Once she revealed that to her, Rin quickly burst into laughter, unable to control herself in that moment. Between her laughter and trying to catch her breathe, she slips out a random comment. "I can't believe that out of all the things I expected her to hold out to you, it had to be that! I would've expect it to be your duck instead but by the goddesses this is even funnier than what I could've expected!" Orfevre immediately turned red and tried to get her trainer to shut up. "Silence, you bastard! Your king is experiencing feelings completely unknown to her and you're laughing in front of her? Have you no shame? If you have time to be laughing senselessly, then why don't you help your king win her over?" Upon calming herself down. Rin took notice of what of her king's request and took it to heart. "My king, you already seem to be ready to do your best to take her into your grasp, and I cannot lie that you two may be quite the interesting couple, but are you sure that you wish to win her over using your usual methods, or would you like for us to help you try something new?"
Orfevre looked at her trainer's expression and it was one completely sincere. She wasn't joking, not was she hiding any ill intent in her speech. This was Rin being fully sincere in wishing the best for her trainee. She holds out her rubber duck to Rin, looking away from her as she says, "Trainer, I wish to try something new. I'd like to maybe get to know her better first before I do anything else." Journey heard her sister's response and looked away from the two of them. She then whispered to herself, "My sister has truly started to bloom into a new person. Nature, please take well care of her and all I ask is for you to not break my sister's delicate heart."
Somewhere else in the island, Nature is alone, resting in her room feels her nose growing itchy. After a few seconds, she lets out a singular sneeze. She looks out her window and says, "Who out there could be talking about me at this hour of the night?"
The island was beginning to brew up a strange pairing tonight: The Golden Tyrant, Orfevre, wishing to win the love of The Bronze Collector, Nice Nature. Journey and Rin were very interested in seeing what would develop from this strange encounter, and Orfevre still couldn't believe that cupid struck her in the strange form of Nature holding her threat out to her.