Another line art of my builder Melissa with Arlo

Love Begins
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
ojovivo
$LAYYYTER
h
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
todays bird
Claire Keane
KIROKAZE

JVL
almost home
wallacepolsom
YOU ARE THE REASON
hello vonnie

#extradirty

Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ

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@melissamasakari
Another line art of my builder Melissa with Arlo

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Little dinner date scene for my redheads.
And little something extra. Sam, Arlo and Melissa.
I've been meaning to draw them together for a while. Well, that's it. Arlo with Melissa.
I've just started to learn drawing. But I think it's a pretty decent line art. So that's my builder Melissa.

Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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I've just started to learn drawing. But I think it's a pretty decent line art. So that's my builder Melissa.
Confessions you didn`t notice
Final chapter. Special gift.
“Arlo, wait!”
“Oh, I was just on my way to see you. Did something happen?”
“Since you were coming to see to me, does it mean you’re on some important business?”
“Yeah, very important. I wanted to ask you out. What do you think?”
“I had the same offer. I recently built something cool there and I want to show it to you. The reviews were very positive.”
“Are you talking about the balloon park on the pond? It looks tempting. I was planning to go there with you as well”
“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go.”
The weather was incredible this morning, and my ‘heart knot’ project was finally completed. After packing the little heart in a box with a bow and hiding it in my bag, I went looking for Arlo. It's time to really confess my feelings to him with the right gift. I decided that it would be boring to just hand it over, so I invited him for a walk. And now we are heading to the pond. I'm so nervous!
“I suddenly remembered something. Aren't you afraid of heights?”
“Nope. My favorite thing at Barnarock was climbing on the water wheel. Or on a water tower. True, the Corps often caught me there and handed me over to my aunt. And the boys who climbed with me received no punishment at all.”
“Dangerous entertainment. I would rat you out too!”
“Which would offend me very much. It's good that you can't do it now. We've arrived.”
“You said you were getting motion sickness. Are you sure everything will be okay?”
“Let's take the shortest route. In extreme cases, everything is clear just in a few moments.”
“Fine. Two tickets please. Excursion over the city.”
We climbed into the basket, and the ball began slowly rising into the air. I felt a little nauseous, but most likely it was because I was overexcited.
“How are you feeling?”
“My head is a little dizzy, but it will go away soon, thank you. Look how funny the cows are running around the farm. From here they seem quite small.”
“We haven’t risen that high yet. But I can see your house! You added another an outbuilding, right?”
“Well, looks that someone haven’t come to visit me for a long time.”
“But I run past it every day. How did I manage not to notice?”
“And there is your house. It’s strange, before I didn’t attach any importance to the fact that the Headquarters are located in the relic tower. Is it possible to cross that bridge?”
“I wouldn't risk it. It is very ancient and may collapse. And if you stick out of the basket like that, you’ll fall out!” Making this remark, Arlo came up to me from behind and hugged me tightly, pressing me to him with one hand.
“And I won’t fall out! But, just in case, hold tight. I don't mind.”
“Look at the clock tower. Can you see?”
“Oh, Sam's on patrol. I wonder if she can see us from there?”
“On such a huge balloon? Of course she can. Look, she is waving to us.”
“She probably also makes funny faces. But I can't see it from here.”
“Yeah, I wish I had something like binoculars. Have you come across any on your expeditions?”
“No, but if I find ones in acceptable condition, I will definitely let you know. So what do your think is it a sound idea to organize air patrols from time to time?”
“It could still be useful in case of fires. Someone from above can direct the response teams.”
“To do this, we would have to come up with a reliable ground-to-air communication line. I have heard about such technologies, but without details.”
“It seems that Atara has a warning system of this type. Wired. The dispatcher sits in a booth, speaks into a special device, and the whole city hears him.”
“How do you imagine a wire that can be stretched from the ground to the balloon?”
“I don’t. That’s why I’m not asking you to make it.”
“By the way, it’s quite possible to make a ground one. Now that you mentioned it, I realized that in Barnarock they used the loudspeaker to announce sandstorms and other natural disasters. So that people have time to hide or, maybe, leave dangerous places. Earthquakes and severe storms were still reported in coastal areas. But I lived far from the sea.”
“How is life there in general? I have never been outside the cities of the Alliance.”
“Well, you know. Very dry, the sand is everywhere, shortage of water. Constant heat and terrible winds. You won't like it for sure. I also felt terribly lonely there.”
“Were you lonely? Was there some reason?”
“Yes. For example, you weren't there.”
“Is it that important?”
“You can’t even imagine how much. If you were by my side then, I would never have decided to move, despite rather unpleasant circumstances. You know, I had almost no friends. I stood out too much and was constantly bullied and insulted.”
“For what? You're a cutie! Well, now you don't have to worry. No one will dare to offend you here!”
“Thanks. True, actually now I myself can offend anyone. But I won’t, otherwise you’ll start threatening me with the cage again.”
“Hardly. You won't hurt a fly! And no one else except for yourself. By negligence. But I'm still looking out for you, keep that in mind.”
“Sure. Safety of all citizens is your responsibility after all. Look, we're already going down! I didn't even notice. Time flew by quickly.”
“Yeah, the landing pad is already crowded.”
“It’s okay, they’ll have to wait anyway.”
“Hold on tight, it might start shaking now.”
I carefully grabbed the side of the basket with my hands and held on until we landed. My fingers even turned white. On the landing pad my companion jumped out in one deft movement and helped me to get out. The people who gathered here waiting for the ride clapped their hands.
“How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly good.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you home,” he suggested and offered me his hand.
So we walked together, holding hands and discussing all sorts of insignificant things. If this wasn’t a DATE, then I don’t know what it should look like.
“Well, here we come. We had a great ride, let's go out again someday?”
“With pleasure.”
“Then I’ll go,” he said. He was standing there, waiting for me to go through the gate. I’ve made a few steps and dug into my bag.
“Wait. I have something for you,” using the fence as a prop, I flew up to him, quickly kissed him on the cheek and thrust the prepared box into his hands. Then he came to his senses. “I want you to open this one at home, okay?”
“Fine. I almost forgot. Turn away for a minute,” a strange fuss and creaking of hinges was heard. Is he rummaging through my mailbox or something? There's nothing interesting there, I checked twice today. “I'm ready. You can look.”
Slightly flushed and clearly embarrassed, Arlo stood very close to me, holding a large box decorated with a bow in his hands. It doesn't look heavy. But considering what kind of things he is used to carrying, there could be any surprises here.
“Here you are. The conditions are the same as yours.”
“Well, I’m already home.”
“That means you’ll find out what’s there faster. And I should go, I'm also curious.”
The redhead galloped off cheerfully and disappeared from sight almost instantly. Very soon inside the box he will find a small pink knotted heart, palm-sized woven from strips of Flurpee leather and stuffed with the fur of a courteous bunny. And also a note with the following text: “Arlo. They told me that you will see this thing and immediately understand everything. This does not oblige you to anything. You can just return it with any next order by mail, and we’ll pretend that nothing happened.”
Absorbed in my thoughts, I went home, put the box on the table, and went to wash my makeup off. I wonder if he has already arrived home? Oh, that's right, I should see what he brought me. I unpacked the gift and discovered... A large red knotted pillow in the shape of a heart, and a blue bandanna, tied with a beautiful neat bow, was fastened to one of the segments. All together it smelled enchantingly of herbal soap. What? I rubbed my eyes and pinched my side. No, I still see the heart knot. And there’s a note: “Melissa, I’m sure you already date someone. But I want you to know how I feel about you.” Why did he decide?.. Stop. What?! HE gave ME a heart knot?
Throwing his wonderful gift onto the bed, I ran out of the house. Having almost reached the “flying pig” statue, I saw my target. Arlo had already begun to descend the stairs towards the central plaza. What for?
“YOU! RED BLOCKHEAD, come back!” He obediently turned around and ran towards me, opening his arms. On his chest belt I noticed my gift attached with a carbine. I accepted his inviting hands and jumped, hanging on his neck. How long have I been waiting for this?
“Melissa, I'm so sorry, I'm such a DUMBASS. I should have told you about everything earlier.”
“Why did you decide that I have someone else?”
“I saw you handing the heart knot to Django. I got scared. Then I accepted that I was too late.”
“You’re such a blockhead. I didn’t hand it over, but returned it. Until that day I didn’t even know what does the heart knot mean.”
“But why did you not tell me earlier?”
“DID YOU EVER LISTEN? At least once? I even told you directly several times today and many times earlier that I like you. I’m already tired of going through options on how to convey this valuable information to your dense brain” I pointed a finger at his forehead.
“It turns out that this has been dragging on for a long time, right?”
“Yeah. The first time I came to confess to you was after last year’s land run. Do you remember? Now, please, shut the fuck up and kiss me already.”
“I love you, Melissa,” Arlo said solemnly and gave me a long loving kiss.
Applause rang out from the second floor of the Headquarters, and we were showered with rainbow flower petals. They are not from my garden, I hope, at least, aren’t they? It's a good thing Sam loves rice too much to throw it from there. Damn it, what am I thinking about here? After all, almost all my dreams have just come true.
“Get out of my sight!” Arlo shouted at his subordinates, accompanying his command with a ‘fuck off’ gesture. It did not work. Sam laughed and continued to stare, hanging out of the window. Remy stood still by her side, his arms crossed on his chest.
“Forget it. So it turns out that we are dating now?”
“Maybe we can discard these intermediate stages?”
“Do specify.”
“Marry me. I heard that in your homeland this is casual thing.”
“Are you crazy, red blockhead?! I don’t even want to know where you got this information from,” an eloquent whistle was heard from above. “SAM! What did you tell him?!”
“Only the truth, and you're very welcome, kid!”
“Why hesitate?” Arlo lifted his hand to my face, and cupped my cheek drawing my attention to him.
“Don't tell me that you have wedding rings prepared. You couldn’t muster courage to give me a heart knot for who knows how long!”
“Then you won’t believe me. Because I bought the rings earlier. I still had to hunt for this strange guy; I didn’t want to take any risks.”
“You're right. I won't believe it. Just about an hour ago you were sure of my refusal, and now you tell me that you have been carrying a couple of wedding rings at least since the end of spring.”
“Winter. I got them after the Solstice. Well can I get my answer?”
“What about your upcoming exams and all of this? Don't worry, I'll support you anyway. But it would be very unpleasant to move out in such a short time.”
“It remains to be seen whether it will be necessary. We'll come up with something. Together. Do you accept my proposal?”
“YES! I couldn't have dreamed of anything more. I love you, Arlo.”
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter thirteen. Siblings update.
“Kid, I've been asked to tell you to come to the Corps in the evening. Arlo said he has some news for you.”
“Why didn’t he say it himself? He just passed by, the dust has not yet settled. Didn't even say hello. Are they killing someone there?”
“Nope, the mail will be delivered to the harbor today. Wuwa has arrived.”
“Oh, crap. I'll get two heaps of letters from my aunt again. Is the post also your responsibility?”
“Apparently, there is something personal there. I didn't ask. Maybe some documents from Lucien.”
“Oh dear. Is the Red Rage Season on the horizon?”
“Something like that. Once again he will dump all the paperwork on me. Or worse – he will only deal with paperwork and nothing else.”
“And the staff hasn’t been expanded yet?”
“Maybe we’ll find out today. It's time for me to get on the route.”
“Wait, you're not on the night watch today, are you?”
“Certainly not. It's Phyllis' birthday.”
“Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me. I just have enough time to bring her a gift. Have a great party tonight.”
“We'll try our best, bye-bye.”
News, that is. Did he really manage to dig up something? Or is he waiting for something different? I just hope this is not an order for an urgent transfer to another Corps unit.
“Arlo, are you home?” I went into the suspiciously quiet reception room of the Headquarters. There was a commotion coming from the showers. Okay, remember, Melissa, you're here on business. STOP fantasizing how does he look like right now.
“Wait a little, I’ll be right there.” What’s making SO much noise in there?
“Are you okay there?”
“Almost. I got attacked by a scary creepy bucket. But I can handle it. Who the fuck put it here and when?” I heard the clanking metallic sounds again. He kicked it, right? So a new one will now be needed. Oh, here he comes. With a wet hair, a towel on his shoulders, scented with herbs and wearing cozy home attire. Looks quite cute.
“What did you want to tell me? And is this connected with today's return of Wuwa?”
“To a certain degree. Come with me.”
I obediently followed surprisingly smug Arlo and carefully walked around the sports equipment scattered here and there. I could see that his collection is growing. And there seemed to be more photos at the nightstand. As I was staring at the changes within his room, I tripped over a sports kettlebell. Holding back a cry of pain, I realized the irony of the situation: I gave it to him myself.
“Are you okay? Sorry, I just flew in recently and didn't have time to clean up. How bad are you hurt?”
“It’s unpleasant, but nothing critical, just hit my little finger. Well, so what are your news?”
“Sit down, before you get hurt more,” he cleared the table and pulled out a chair for me invitingly. “Are you sure you don’t need a doctor? Xu's on duty today.”
“Maybe we’ll go later. Just spill your news, Captain.”
“Briefly speaking.”He rummaged through a pile of papers “they dug out Maurice’s medical record for us. It's obscenely old, but the basic information is there. There's also something about Clara if you need it. Unfortunately, not much, but I did everything I could.”
“Mom’s documents? Wow! I have almost nothing left from her. Let me see!” I reached for the stack of papers in his hand.
“Not so fast,” he teased, holding the stack of papers close. “You promised me something in return.” Oh, what a sly smile. I still hope that he will just ask for a DATE. True, I still don’t know what’s in the documents. Maybe we can't date at all.
“You still haven’t told me what do you want. If you broke the wall there with a bucket, I’ll fix it – no problem.”
“You will NOT get off that easy. I want to know what kind of investigation you’re doing. And why did you need the help of all the doctors and scientists.” Wow, so he dug it up. Okay, he cornered me.
“Fine. Let me collect my thoughts a little. You caught me off guard with this question. It's like I'm under interrogation.”
“I can bring you some tea while you’re collecting yourself. How much sugar do you want?”
“Two. No, better three and tea should be very strong. Wait, what? You've never had sugar here.”
“Now I do.”He pointedly shoved a stack of papers that interested me onto the top of his wardrobe and left.
I had no intention of peeking without permission. Although the law is on MY side now, actually. Well, how can I tell him all of this now? I will have to be as honest as possible, there are no other options. Because without his participation, the solution is not possible.
“Here you go. I’m listening,” a steaming cup of fragrant tea moved into my hands.
“If you’ll loom over me like that and I’ll forget why I came.”
“Because of fear? Am I that formidable?”
“No, out of admiration. For someone I suspect to be my older brother,” I blurted out and took a sip from my cup. It is delicious, alright.
“What? I would know if I had a sister. But my parents never got to get me one.”
“Gale thinks that you look suspiciously like me and Maurice.”
“How? Almost half of the city looks like you and me in various combinations. Are you going to consider everyone as relatives?”
“Why not? I’ve always wanted a real family. And it is quite possible that somewhere in the Free Cities I have a dozen of siblings. Pa didn't mourn for too long as far as I can tell...”
“Maybe. But at least Clara or Kendra should have known about the presence of someone older than you. So, you are against having me as your family?”
“I definitely did NOT say that.” Actually, I REALLY want to.
“Then what is it?”
“Would you be satisfied with this ‘brother’ status? In relation to ME.”
“Now that you’ve turned it around like that, I don’t know. But nothing stops us from going and checking. Right now. And we’ll show you your little finger to a doctor right away too.”
“Don’t you want to dry your hair properly first? The wind will blow it and you can catch a cold.”
“It’s too hot out there. But at least I can think clearly this way.”
Throwing the towel onto the bed and taking the papers from the closet, Arlo dragged me towards the exit.
“Hey, Xu! Hello, I need to talk business with you. No, two businesses,” the redhead dumped a stack of papers in front of the puzzled doctor and pointed at me. Come on, I’m hardly limping anymore, why such concern? “Please examine this young lady, she had hurt her foot and she is probably lying about the severity of her condition.”
“Good evening. Go to the couch, take off your shoes. And what’s the second thing?” The doc slowly left his place at the table, took the examination instruments and walked towards me while I followed his request.
“You’ve probably already heard this question recently. Can you check if two people are related? We have a noisy argument, and I want arguments.”
“Yeah, I understand. Give me that vial from the third shelf. Now you’ll feel some unpleasant sensations,” the doctor grabbed my foot and anointed me with something smelly from that vial. Then he gently blew on the injured area and deftly bandaged everything with a small piece of cloth and let me rest.
“Thank you, Xu. It was very elegant,” I praised the doctor.
“Trying my best. Do not tighten the lacing, but rather wear loose shoes. Avoid exercise for three days. If it hurts, apply something cool. If you notice severe swelling, contact me immediately. It may turn blue by morning – this is normal.”
“Mine usually turns yellow,” I slightly rolled up my shirt sleeve and showed a mark from a recent bruise just above the elbow.
“Individual reaction. Who did you want to check for blood relation? Each other, or what?”
“Well, sort of. You see, Gale spun some nonsense, and since I don’t really know much about dad, I’d like to find out.”
“Then I will immediately inform that this is absolutely impossible. I don’t argue that you have similar traits and certain suspicions could exist. Eyes with such a shade of iris are really not very common. At least here. Although, if you think about it... Take a closer look at Antoine, he is more suitable based on other criteria. And closer in age to time Maurice left.”
“What?! What kind of criteria? He never told me anything about his family. But that might explain his obsessive preoccupation with me. I’ll ask,” I said, confused. Well, Antoine is better than Arlo, of course. But that’s still very strange.
“What kind of criteria do you mean? One is not enough for a definite answer, isn’t it?” The redhead asked.
“I’m curious too. And why could it be Antoine... Is there some evidence?”
“Yes. But we are now looking the other way. Blood type is inherited. And since you have 00+ and you inherited it, judging by these papers, from your father, then...”
“Then?” Arlo became interested and pushed forward, leaning his elbows on the table, on the exact spot from where the doctor had recently moved.
“Do not interrupt! This combination is not possible. Your blood type is too rare. AB +. In the Old World there were less than ten percent of such people. Maurice cannot possibly be your father; he does not have the necessary, to put it simply... inherit traits. Besides, I'm quite confident in your parents, too. They have just such a combination that works out perfectly to produce you. What made you doubt?”
“I guess I just believed in the idea that I could have a sister,” the redhead nodded in my direction, “I had always wanted to.”
“Not in this case. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No, thank you very much. We won't distract you more.”
Arlo, now definitely-not-my-brother, for a change very carefully opened the door of the clinic, let me out and also quietly closed it behind him. Growing up, I guess?
“Well, are you satisfied with the result?”
“Quite. And you sound a bit disappointed.”
“Never mind. All sorts of stupid thoughts. May I escort you home?”
“In this clothes? Will you go through the whole city like that? No, all the girls, should they meet you along the way, they will be jealous, of course. But then all sorts of rumors will be spread.”
“Oh, stop it. We can then go to my place. Do you want to? Let's prepare dinner, rest until the morning. If your finger gets worse, the clinic is nearby. I'm hanging in my den all alone today.”
“Sounds like you're planning some family get-together after work.”
“Oh well, suit yourself. Just let's go somewhere already, otherwise the midges will skin us alive.”
“OK. Can you tell me a bedtime story, brother?” I teased and entered the headquarters.
“Whatever, just don’t ever call me that again.”
“Accepted. What are we going to cook?” I asked starting towards the kitchen.
“Can you teach me that creamy spaghetti recipe? It seems like we have everything we need for that recipe.”
“No problem. I’ll just go get changed, do you mind?”
“It feels like you planned to stay from the beginning.”
“Random coincidence. Carol caught me on the way here and told me that my new home attire is ready.”
“Should I give you some slippers?”
“Your slippers? I'll end up with even more bumps. Besides, the floor is cool, which is good for my injury.”
“Well, then hop in the shower. There is a first aid kit there. The towel is fresh. Just like I knew that you'll stay here. I'll go clean up the mess in the room while waiting.”
A very badly dented bucket met me right at the threshold of the shower. Arlo kicked it well, and I somehow forgot it. It’s so strange, this is not my first time here, but today the feeling is completely different. It's like I belong here. Having properly showered, I went out to try on my new outfit. Everything was exactly as I ordered: long narrow pants made of gray stretchy fabric and a long blue T-shirt almost reaching the knees. Comfortable. It’s a pity, the mirror is fogged up, I can’t really see anything. I tied up my damp hair with the ribbon and went to the reception room.
“I'm ready. What do you think?”
“Wonderful! I had just finished and was getting lonely.”
We quickly prepared dinner leaving no mess behind. Once again I noticed how smoothly we do anything together, and it’s not tedious at all. Even cleaning was not annoying. We ate dinner in the kitchen, so as not to carry dishes. Then we washed everything right away.
“You see, I told you, you’re doing great.”
“Only under your strict guidance. It's a good thing you weren't here the last time I screwed up fried eggs.”
“You gotta be kidding me! How did you do that?”
“Hm, at first egg white wasn’t cooked through. I increased the heat and covered it with a lid. Then I just blinked for a moment and came to my senses when there were only embers. Sam then scolded me and didn’t allow me to close the windows for another two days.”
“Well, shit happens. Didn’t you think of just stirring the excessive liquid whites with a spatula in a hot frying pan? This is how we did it with the sauce today.”
“Was it possible?”
“I hope you’re just having me on now. I won’t believe that with your great cooking skills you didn’t gasp such an obvious method on your own.”
“Now I know. Or maybe, you'll show it to me in the morning, I’ll remember it better with practice.”
“Agreed. What's next for us with the declared program? Do you have some kind of night work available or you’re just on alert duty?”
“More of the second. I am here in case of something bad happens. By the way, let's go check if anyone came in.”
“Let's go, of course. I'm occupying the sofa next to the cage!” I carefully walked around the furniture, nursing my leg, and was the first to leave the kitchen.
“That’s not fair! This is my favorite spot!” He rushed after.
“What about the rules of hospitality?” I said, plopped down in the corner of the sofa, placed a couple of pillows to my convenience and tucked my legs under me.
“You're right. And obviously you’re so small that the two of us can fit in here together!”
“Well, come on, just don’t push. Where is my promised fairy tale?”
“Fine. I’ll put the baby to bed and head to my place,” I responded to this malicious remark by throwing a pillow at him.
“Once again you’ll call me baby and...”
“And what?” He interrupted me with a sly grin, fluffing the pillow he caught.
“And our relationship is over. I will stop visiting and formalize our communication. Or cut if off completely.” Ha, Melissa, do you yourself believe in your own threat?
“Got it, sorry, just don't be angry please. I won’t survive such a blow,” said Arlo, not embarrassed at all. He lounged next to me at his full height. Unable to resist, I lightly tickled his feet. There was no reaction, as If it was just the way of things.
“You’re not afraid of tickles, are you?” I was indignant and increased pressure.
“I don't know. You are the first one who dared to try. Keep going and we'll figure it out.”
“That’s not interesting. You're not reacting.”
“So how should it be? Your fingers are so warm and tender. If this should have annoyed me, you guessed wrong. By the way, this is quite surprising.”
“What exactly?”
“With such neat little hands you manage to swing a sledgehammer and carry heavy things. And then you come home in the evening and embroider all sorts of custom-made jewelry.”
“Oh, so did you see the brooch I gave to Phyllis today? I spent two weeks fiddling around and barely managed to finish it. People don't usually order things like this from me. That’s exclusive for my friends.”
“I saw it, yeah. Out of the corner of my eye. You know, considering WHERE the girls pin such decorations, I didn’t get much time to look at it,” wow, he blushed deeply. Looks so handsome.
“Yeah. She has great distraction unit,” I said with envy, “at least she liked the gift. I was very worried.”
“By the way, why aren’t you with them? I thought you'd be invited.”
“Maybe because I’m with you now?”
“An unexpected choice.”
“Why? I feel good with you. Moreover, you invited me yourself. And you also got me a royal gift.”
“Which one? I didn't seem to do anything special today.”
“Memory of my mother. And very cozy night gathering. It’s not often that someone can just find you at home like that.”
“More often than you think. But I'm usually not able to have long conversations when I'm so tired that I’m all but crawling.”
“Then I’ll take advantage of the moment. Tell me something funny, okay? Surely you have a whole load of all sorts of interesting stories from your time in Corps.”
“Well, okay. But at first I wanna hear one of yours.”
“Which one?”
“About your Civil corps badges. Why didn’t you mention before that you were in Corps?”
“Oh. You didn’t ask. And I thought you would notice such a detail in my profile sooner, Mr Great Detective. Why does it bother you now?”
“Cause I think you’re qualified enough to lead Corps here. Well, when I’ll finally get my promotion and leave that is. I need to make sure my successor will be a reliable person. I thought of Sam at first, cause Remy wants to leave to Periphery once. So... it could be your position instead, I can do that.” He thoughtfully scratched his beard while loading those thoughts onto me. “Would you accept such a job offer then?”
“FUCK YOU, red-block-head!” Or better yet fuck me instead! “No way I’m taking your place here. Don’t even dare to ask me again!” I stood up abruptly, took a few steps and heavily hit his shoulder with another pillow. I just don’t wanna think about him leaving Portia. Not NOW, I almost finished that dumb heart knot! At least give me a chance to confess properly!
“But why not? You’re good fighter, also smart and quite diplomatic. And my team admires you as well. You’ll do just great!” He tried to take the pillow out of my hand.
“I said STOP it, please,” my voice broke cause I was trying to hold my tears back and turned away. “I’ll go and make us some tea” I muttered and took a step away.
“Wait.” Arlo grabbed my wrist pulling me back. Then he sat me down on the coach beside him and hugged me from behind. I was caught completely off guard and almost bursted into tears.
For some time nothing more happened. I just sat there enveloped in his arms and listened to his heartbeat. Despite the fact that it was beating very fast it managed to calm me down. Maybe it will change pretty soon, but now he is with me. Right here. And I hope he enjoys this as much as I do. Otherwise he wouldn’t hug me, right?
“Well, now I wanna know about YOUR great plans for the future. When you’ll pass your exams and finally join The Flying Pigs.” I leaned my head a little bit back so I could rest it on his shoulder more comfortably.
“I just...Didn’t think that far. So. I don’t know for sure.”
“Understood. Right now nothing keeps you here except for your duty.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Please, prove me wrong, captain. “But now that I think about it...”
“I really like spaghetti. Oh, with hot sauce.”, I couldn’t help myself but continue his catch-phrase. I’ve heard it so many times that my imitation turned out quite good.
“Ha! You got me!” He laughed softly and released me from the hug. “Now we’re in a proper mood for funny stories, let’s get some tea and finally start.”
So we stayed there almost until dawn, comfortably sitting on the sofa. Arlo told some stories about work, I listened attentively, sipping fragrant tea. They speak the truth in the city, he’s a good tale-teller, I listened as if enchanted.
I was awakened by the strange sound of a mechanical click. Lazily opening one eye, I saw Remy, barefoot, sneaking upstairs. What a bullshit, I’m probably dreaming. The click was repeated. A more detailed inspection of the surroundings revealed that an extremely happy Sam was standing opposite the sofa with a camera in her hands. With gestures she first indicated ‘quiet’, then nodded upward, drew a heart in the air with her finger and smiled smugly. Then she touched the camera hanging on the neck strap and nodded again. What a pantomime! Why is she so happy? Following the direction of my grinning friend’s gaze, I found Arlo sleeping peacefully next to me. He still didn’t go to his bed. Instead, he sat with his back leaning against the corner of the sofa, his elbow resting unsteadily on the armrest. Trying to move as little as possible, I realized that my head was resting comfortably on his shoulder and I was partially hidden by the blanket wrapping us together. The top of my head was tickled by his red fluffy beard. He seemed to put his other arm around me, holding me close to him. I didn’t even remember when he managed to bring the blanket yesterday. After thinking a little, I settled back down to get some sleep over the strong and calm beat of his heart. I tried not to wake him up; if he wants to, he’ll get out on his own. Releasing one hand from under the blanket, I pointed my finger first at the camera in Sam's hand, then stuck out three fingers. Having waited for an affirmative nod, I showed her where my bag was and, fidgeting a little, fell asleep.
The next time I was alerted by the creaking sound of the door. Sam was doing something in the boss's bedroom. What a sly cat! I’ll find out what kind of a mess she’s done there later. She'll tell me everything anyway. I hope at least she didn’t forge his signatures.
I finally woke up when I realized that I my head and hair were gently stroked. That feels so nice! I decided to pretend to be asleep to prolong the pleasure. It might have worked, but one strand tickled my nose. Arlo recoiled, pretending that he had nothing to do with it. I jerked up sharply and sneezed deafeningly.
“Bless you!”
“Thanks. Have you been awake for a long time?” “I woke just now. I didn’t want to wake you up, it just happened,” he answered in a guilty tone. “Don’t worry,” I crawled away and stretched sleepily. I tried to look at the clock above the front door, but I couldn’t see it from here. “What time is it? Don't you need to save the world at once?” “A little after noon. Saving not required just now, so we have enough time to wash up and have a breakfast.”
“Okay,” I rubbed my eyes with my fists, “is the order arbitrary?”
“I recommend starting with your morning routine. In the meantime, I'll see what we can cook.”
“Sure. And what’s your plans for today?”
“I'm gonna ruin dive. It’s my turn.”
“Oh, yes. It’s Sunday. Well, be careful down there. Remember, safety first!”
I cleaned myself up and changed clothes and that’s when I found new photographs in my bag. Sam is an angel! Oh, how cute we turned out! Just like two sleeping kitties. I'll hang it right on the closet door! So every time I change clothes, I will recall this wonderful moment. Me and Arlo had a breakfast and went about our businesses. Now it's definitely right time to finish my special gift for him.
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter twelve. Tough fight.
“Well, buddy, are you ready to warm up?”
“Always ready! Oh, our girls have arrived.”
“How are you feeling, soldiers? Don’t overdo it there, I don’t want to be on duty at headquarters for another week all by myself.”
“That rich. You should firstly remain intact.”
“Aren’t you afraid of rumpling a skirt, baby?”
“Only yours, sunny.”
Accompanied by the roar of the crowd, our guys entered the arena. They cheerfully roughed up each other a bit and brought the first round to a draw. I would have thought that they have a match-fixing if I hadn’t known better. But really, they are about equal in strength, so no surprises here. The next two rounds passed quickly, intensely and spectacularly. It ended in a victory for the redhead. My bet worked out well.
“You caught me cleverly, boss.”
“A couple of times I was already sure of losing.”
“Well, it’s our turn. Get ready.” Sam said.
“Ha, let's see who wins.”
“Just don’t cry a river later, baby.”
“You told that you will not give in to me!”
Sam and I climbed onto the mats. Well, losing to her won't be such a shame.
“Why are you hesitating? Just attack, don’t be shy,” she teased.
“You know, it will be kind of awkward sweeping the arena with you.”
“We’ll see about that,” Sam said and rushed to attack.
We exchanged blows and parted. I was distracted and received a heavy kick in the knee. I almost fell, but managed to resist. Lucky me. I caught the moment and twisted Sam's hand, pushing her slightly. Victory.
“That was impressive.”
“I tried to. Shall I help you up?” I extended my hand.
“I'll do.” She smacked me with her palm and quickly stood up.
“Shall we rest?”
“Nah, I'm ready.”
And now I was very glad that I had such a small stature. Sam immediately jumped up and tried to kick me in the head while turning around. I just bent down slightly and moved away. While she was regaining her balance, I hit her in the side with my knee. Then I jumped up and threw her onto the mats.
“Well, how do you like it?”
“And you were well prepared! Congratulations. Arlo is yours, little fella.”
“I hope so, just let me catch my breath.”
Somehow, completely unnoticed, the time came for the final round. Confident Arlo stood opposite me in a relaxed stance. Such a handsome guy, I'd like to do a sculpture of him once.
I’ll ask journalists for photos from the event later.
I barely managed to bring the first match to a draw. Perhaps it would be much easier if I was not constantly distracted. During the break, I noticed Nora jumping around with a poster. I, of course, understood that the whole city already knows that she is in love with Arlo. But why demonstrate it so bluntly? Seriously, a banner with hearts? She should just also write: “notice me, brother.” It's annoying. Next round went by so quickly that I didn’t even have time to understand how I managed to win it. Rising up, the redhead grinned slyly.
“I see someone has been practicing a lot!”
Now I’ll wipe that smile off your impudent face.
After missing a couple of blows, I quickly ducked under his arm and knocked him down with a neat sweep. Take that. He seemed angry. In two movements, he grabbed me like a toy and laid me on my back on the mats. Hm. I wouldn't mind doing it again but in more privacy. And without prying eyes. Unless, of course, Gale is wrong and we're not siblings.
“So what, a decisive match?” I asked, wiping the blood from my broken lip with my sleeve.
“Don't you need a doctor first?”
“Maybe a shrink. I'm fine. Let's continue.”
It was a tense battle. Pretty beaten and almost exhausted, I finally knocked him down. Just in case, I leaned over and pressed my elbow on top of his chest. The crowd buzzed. Just in time, otherwise a little more and I would have kissed him. I was eager to.
“How do you like my skills, teacher?”
“Awesome! Congratulations! Now maybe you can let me out?”
“And what will I get for this hard work?”
“A Cup. And let's go celebrate your victory. Right after Xu takes a look at your injuries. You’re still bleeding,” he stroked my cheek with his palm, carefully examining the damage. It felt so good, and was definitely worth all the minor pains. I could barely restrain myself from leaning into his touch.
“Hey, lovebirds, are you going to continue to grope each other in front of everyone? The city is waiting for its champion!” Sam said, approaching us. I embarrassingly crawled away and stood up. Arlo didn't seem to react to the remark. Is he satisfied with everything?
Having settled the formalities and listened to tons of congratulations, we headed to the Round Table and threw a fun party for four. Django stared strangely at our cheerful company all evening long, but said nothing. I was very grateful for his silence, actually. Even Sonya was somehow quieter that usual, what a nice girl! So it was a wonderful holiday.
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter eleven. Martial arts
“Kid, are you ignoring social calls again?” Sam asked reproachfully as she leaned on my fence.
“Has it already started? I signed up yesterday.”
“Almost, and your match is scheduled after lunch. But Arlo was real upset that you didn’t even come to cheer for him. His fight is coming soon; shall we go?”
“Well, since the boss wants to see me, let's run. Wait, how do I look like?”
“Good enough to crush just everyone. But I won’t give in to you, don’t get your hopes up.”
I climbed over the fence to her side and we quickly ran across the field. Oh, here are the standings. Wow, looks like I'm going to have a tough fight today. Sam and I pushed our way closer to the arena.
Qualifiers. First round. Arlo vs Russo. What a competition! Right away, two of the most powerful fighters in the city opened the festival. I watched in fascination as they thrashed, threw each other around and on the mats. Alas, as expected, the butler won the first match. My redhead (Bro? I wish he isn’t!) had only recently recovered from an injury, and he is still nursing his hand, so this is why he has a clink in his armor. For such an experienced fighter as Russo, noticing that was not a problem.
Break.
“Come on, Arlo! Beat him!”I shouted, finally making my way to the first row. Why not? I’m the smallest one here, I can hardly see behind other people’s backs.
“Oh, you’re here! I didn’t notice you in the crowd earlier,” but he clearly perked up. Arlo smiled at me, stood up and began the second round.
This time it turned out much better. It looked like Russo was already tired. Or the support of friends had such a serious impact. Arlo was very dangerously close to losing a couple of times, but managed to level up and even win, albeit with a minimal advantage in points. The third round ended as a loss to Russo. Everything happened so quickly that I almost missed the ending by simply blinking at the wrong time. I greeted my hero with a standing ovation.
“YAY! And you said there was no chance. I KNEW you could do it. How are you?” Where did Sam go?
“Fine. I should go rest on the stands. Let's go to the shade, this heat is killing me.”
“Well, yes, going home is not an option now. All of us are in qualifiers today. Do need some water?”
“Yep. Did you submit your application at the last minute? I haven't seen your name in standings this morning.”
“Remy said, I now have to. Well, I comply. By the way, am I not entitled to your beautiful uniform now?”
“We don’t have any uniform! But you really should order stripes with medical information.”
“Which ones? I didn't pay attention to it.”
“So here it is. On the shoulder,” he pointed to what I thought was just a decoration on the jacket. So, height, weight, date of birth. Oh. Blood type, AB +. I have to remember it; it might come in handy later.
“Our Corps wears badges. I still have mine if it's needed. So I didn’t take a closer look at those stripes. Do I have to sew this on all of my clothes? Will you help me to review Regulations?”
“What do you mean about having your own badges?”
“And I see you still didn’t read my profile careful enough. Don't go off topic. What should I do with these patches?”
“Evening gowns don’t qualify, if that’s what you’re asking. Just add it on your outerwear in a visible place. How much patches should I order for you?”
“Based on the number of jackets I guess it should be four. That’s all I’ve got except my copycat one, I just won’t ruin it. For that one I’ll just put a patch in my pocket. Will it work?”
“Then go see Phyllis and sign the permission. I'll arrange everything. Let's go, Remy is going to have his match soon.”
The fight between Remy and Paulie did not bring any surprises. Even though they are nearly even, the furniture maker was efficiently dispatched two rounds in a row. Flawless victory.
“Well done! So, it turns out that tomorrow we will spar, won’t we”
“That's right, Captain. I try to keep up.” Remy smiled cheerfully and punched Arlo at his open palm.
“Well, kid, you're next. Are you ready?” Sam appeared from somewhere and hugged me from behind by my shoulders.
“Yes. Would you hold my bag for a moment?”
Putting on a calm expression, I slowly walked into the arena. My opponent today is Django. Well, that will hurt. If not physically, then emotionally, for sure. I also knew that he's as bouncy as desert hopper. Looking at me, he somehow immediately shrivelled, but got ready for battle regardless. Seems that I greatly offended him with my refusal.
Signal to start fight sounded.
Breathe deeper!
It was strike, turn, retreat. Step, kick, rebound. Almost like a dance. Another blow, left, right, bend down, strike from bottom to top. I was going well. Distracted by Arlo, who was looking very carefully, I missed a very sensitive blow which Django landed on my belly with a knee. Ouch, that hurts! The stands became agitated. I resisted and didn’t fall down. My opponent was speeding up. Great. I crawled under him, rolled over and kicked him in the back of the leg. Django lost his balance and fell onto the mats. The first round was mine.
Break.
Oh, here came pacifists, what a dubious honor. It's surprising that SHE wasn't here during the first battle. But now she has cheerfully joined the Civil Corps team. What are they whispering about? And why do I so want to show her an obscene gesture? Jealous, or what? What nonsense, they're not dating so I have no need to be jealous.
“Melissa! You can do it!” My redhead shouted and waved his hand at me, smiling encouragingly. Take that, Nora.
I flexed my fists, stretched and stood up. It was time to settle this matter. Django quickly rushed to attack. I missed a couple of blows but broke through his defense on the right. Did he guess who I had in mind when I returned his heart knot? Well, by now, everyone probably had already guessed it, except for Arlo himself. But that doesn't matter right now. Ouch, it hurts so much. He got me again. I should try to go around it on the left. Jump, turn, hit. Wow! I didn’t even know I can do THAT! Django received a powerful kick to the jaw, took a few hesitant steps back and sank down. Didn't I break him any bones?
“Are you alive? Are your teeth intact? Should I call the doctor?”
“It's okay, my princess!” He stroked the bruised area and slowly stood up. “Victory is rightfully yours. Losing to you is a great honor.”
Yell louder, I'm not your princess! I'll kick you for this! Oh, yes, I already did it. Well, okay, I won.
Next is Sam so I need to take my bag from her. While I was going down to my friends, Nora got lost somewhere. Scared? It’s better for me, I don’t really want to stand next to her. My friends met me and immediately hugged me all together. Sam rubbed the top of my head and went to prepare for her fight, after having returned my belongings.
Sam's opponent was Sanwa. I had no doubt at all about her victory, although the hairdresser is very agile for his size. That’s all spectacular. Wow, what a great jump and strike. I wonder if I looked just as cool?
Oh, did she finish with him already?
“Well, little fella, now there’s no escape. Tomorrow at lunch, second round. It will be tough.”
“Do you promise?”
“I guarantee it.”
“In total, it turns out that... The entire Corps team is in the finals? A tournament for our own people?”
“Ha ha, so funny. I didn't expect that.”
“Maybe we can agree on two by two?”
“And we’ll get a scourge of redheads against everyone? No way, kid, we’ve already been through this in the winter.”
“And guys against girls isn’t too fair,” Remy said.
“I would suggest a celebration, but the restaurant seems to be closed today.”
“You knocked him out great. It's like you've been possessed by an imp.”
“Plierimp,” I joked, taking pliers out of my bag and clicking them with a clanking sound.

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Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter ten. Kinship investigation.
“Hello, Phyllis. That's all you asked for.”
“Thank you.” Finishing deftly filing a hefty folder with documents she tied an elegant knot and checked the order. Wow. I didn't know she could do that.
“Listen, I need your help in researching things. On a personal matter.”
“Everything that is within the framework of medical confidentiality will remain there, you know.”
“Understood. I need some old documents. Archived ones. Do you keep registration cards for residents somewhere?”
“If there was no request from a new place, or they didn’t take it with them. What is it?”
“How long are they stored? I need ones from about thirty years back.”
“It’s unlikely to be stored for that long. Except for the dead or missing.”
“What if they left for the Periphery?”
“We transfer it to the Corps. This is their thing. Who are you looking for?”
“Maurice. Former owner of my house.”
“And why do you need information about your father? As you are the heiress, I would give it all to you if I find it. But this will take some time, and a permission from Xu and Arlo is needed. Or papers from Gale, if that's easier for you.”
“So to speak. I'm not very good at medicine, but I heard that you can somehow test people for kinship. What is required for this and how big is the probability of an error?”
“First of all, you will need permission from those you are comparing. As for the accuracy of the research, you’d better ask Petra. She'll probably have ideas.”
“And can I be completely nosy, huh? Could you please show me how do you tie a knot after filing papers? I could use this skill when making photo albums. The way you do it is just outstanding.”
“Sure, no problem. Look here.”
Phyllis and I spent some time stitching stacks of papers into neat books. I got really good at tying several types of knots with her help. At the same time, I helped her with boring monotonous work. Oh, was it already lunch? I must run.
I almost knocked Sam down at the door.
“Kid, where are you going?”
“You won’t believe it, but to the Corps. Is chief at home?”
“He just went to the abandoned ruin on the hill. Gloomy and very thoughtful. Run and catch up, just don’t fall under his bad mood.”
“Thank you. Bon appetit, girls,” I flew in the right direction, fortunately, it’s very close to here.
Redhead was just leisurely strolling around the entrance to the ruins and having a nice conversation with... Is this Nora? What did she need if she has already received a refusal? Doesn't give up, or are they just friends? Well, let them be friends, no one forbade that. Maybe now I won’t get much better either.
“Arlo! Hello, I have something important to do and I need your help. Oh, sorry, did I disturb YOU?”
“It’s okay, I’m already leaving.” Nora chuckled and sharply turned away, hitting me in the face with a braid of her long hair. Is this some kind of competition between sisters for their brother’s attention, or what? What a weirdo.
“What's the matter?” Arlo said wonderingly, following Nora with a disapproving glance.
“A huge piles of papers. Just like you prefer.”
“Unexpected request. Please do explain.”
“Archival medical records for departed residents of Portia. Very old and very decrepit. Do you have any?”
“Where they departed, who are they, on what basis?”
“Periphery. Maurice. Certificate of inheritance. Theoretically, alive.”
“If alive, then his written permission is required. Who is Maurice, and why do you need it?”
“Haven’t you looked at my profile at all? Previous owner of The Workshop.”
“This changes things. Fine. How urgent is this? I'll have to dig around there a lot. And I doubt that something has been saved actually.”
“The urgency is moderate. Let's say I would like to know for sure before the fall. Also, if I successfully find the papers, I need your permission for Phyllis. For decryption. And a request to their archive, if possible.”
“Permission is not a problem. But the preservation of documents from such a long time ago is a big question. I'll do my best, but you owe me one.”
“No problem. Just don't ask me to accept your job offer, okay?”
“For what? You are already enrolled as a freelancer. After the mine incident Gale ordered that.”
“What?! He should have asked me at first! That's a nasty bun!”
“Don't yell, someone might hear you. I'll have to put you in a cell, and I really don't want that.”
“Why? Didn't you like my gangster face?”
“No, you bite when you’re detained,” he made a ‘bite’ gesture with his hand and winked at me slyly.
“Should I bring you any documents for my request? I have everything with me. Well, what's left of it.”
“Throw it on the desk in my room. When I'm free, I'll take a look. And before you run away. I think I didn’t say thanks.”
“What for?”
“For your help in the mine. We wouldn’t make it without you.”
“I was told that entire Corps was sent there for investigation. And Mint said YOU are in danger. Do you really think I could do the other way and abandon you there?”
“No. Of course I don’t think that. But I’m very grateful. You took a huge risk there. And you dropped everything and rushed to us. And you even managed to get us out before that terrible machine dismantled us piece by piece. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you had obeyed my order to stay away.” “Well, looks like now I MUST obey your orders, right, Captain?”
“Oh, come on! Stop teasing me, or I’ll add you to the permanent staff, you know.”
“Then you shouldn’t be surprised when I’ll break your orders again.”
“Why is so?”`
“You’ll find out pretty soon.” I pulled a stack of papers out of my bag and defiantly shook it in front of Arlo’s puzzled face. Then I turned away and went to Headquarters.
Since I’m still at the Center Plaza, I decided to drop by Petra and explain the crux of the problem. She listened to me calmly, asked for a small favor in return, and went to look at her notes. Of course, she didn’t let me into the archives, but she told me that such method existed. At least, it was found in the remnants of the Old World data. Well, that's encouraging. So, I've put out some feelers, it's time to get back to work. With new knowledge about tying knots, I returned to designing a unique thingy. But if my fears are confirmed, I will no longer need the heart knot at all.
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter nine. Ingall`s mine.
After some time I remembered that stupid dream and realized that it was literally prophetic. Mint, the manager of the construction of the road to Sandrock, came running to me in that morning. He said that while drilling the tunnel earthquakes started, and the Civil Corps team was sent there. I was asked to give an expert assessment of what was happening. Mint told me the details and rushed to catch a Dee-Dee, which conveniently just approached the stop near my house.
Naturally, I grabbed the tools, a large first aid kit, and a repair kit, saddled up Shifter and rushed there as quickly as I could. Concern for friends is the best motivation in such matters. Remy met me at the entrance.
“Arlo ordered that no one be allowed in until he and Sam figure out what’s going on.”
“Mint sent me, he said you need my help.”
“You’ll have to wait; I can’t break Arlo’s order.” The walls of the tunnel began to shake and collapse, and workers ran from inside in panic.
“It’s good that I don’t obey his orders. Let's go.”
A significant part of the ceiling of the new tunnel has collapsed. Piles of stones, dust, dirt and clay. The remaining walls and vaults shook slightly. Are my guys trapped inside? How long will it take to clear the rubble? Can they be saved?
“Can anyone hear me? Arlo, Sam? Is there anyone alive?!” Remy shouted. His voice was filled with concern.
It was quiet for about a minute while the dust settled. Then a rustling sound was heard.
“Hey, DAMN RED BLOCKHEAD, if you don’t get out of there, I’ll dig you up personally, understand?! And you will REALLY regret this,” I screamed with all my might.
A cough was heard from somewhere above, behind the rubble.
“Kid, we are alive. Almost intact. Mint was hit in the head with a stone, but was conscious. Arlo swallowed some dust. Alive, but not in the best shape.”
“How can we help?”
“There is some kind of airlock door in front of us. Possibly part of an old mine. Air comes from there, so we are not going to suffocate. Can you try reaching the door controls from the other side?”
“We will try. What are those scary sounds there?”
“We’ve got company. Hurry up, I won't last long.”
Remy and I rushed towards the desert into the mines. On the way Gale intercepted us, listened to the report, and promised to bring help from the city. There was no time to listen to him, I needed to hurry up!
“Remy, let's ride! Lead the way, I don't know where to go.”
Deep wide shaft. Powerful vaults, smells of dampness and dust. While we were running through this labyrinth of winding tunnels, Remy warned me that mutated people might still live here. He gave me a huge sledgehammer with notches, and we continued to scout the area. Some nasty shell worms inhabited every corner here. I tried out the new weapon and smashed couple of especially fast ones. Not bad. Finally we reached a large hall with lattice gates. We scattered the crowd of worms and made our way into a small nook entangled by hanging bridges. At the top I saw something that was to be a generator.
“Remy, can you give me a hand? I need to get over there. This looks like door controls.”
“You'll need power stones.”
“I took some with me.”
Swinging on the rope, I somehow climbed onto the nearest bridge. I got up the rock and grabbed onto another bridge. Phew. My hands were all covered in cuts, scratches and were bleeding and painful so much that, I’ll probably will not be able to work for a week. But that will be later. Now we need to get the guys out before some local horror eats them up. Okay, here's the generator. It's functional. I launched it.
“Check if anything changed.”
“Yes, something is moving. I can hear it from here. Can you go down?”
I cut the ropes of one of the bridges, grabbed onto what looked like a railing and flew down like on a swing. Scary, but fast. Where do we go now?
“Those doors have opened, let’s run.”
Almost every large round hall had its own generator and a brood of monsters. In one of the halls the Mechanism was especially grandiose, but there was also an appropriate security. A huge fat... man attacked us? This thing was very similar to a regular person, only it was big, and it seemed to be very dumb. We made it through without any problems, but it delayed us quite a bit. I just hoped that this was the right way. Behind the one of the doors we found the remains of worms and... a pink boxing glove? They were here! So, they were able to pass. But the last generator turned out to be faulty. I had to tinker a lot to launch it under the current conditions. It’s good that I took with me everything that I could quickly collect and stuff into my pockets.
“Remy, buy me some time, this repair may take a while!”
“Got it, do what you need to do.”
Focus, Melissa. Think. That's it, this contact is here. Press that wire over there. Power it up, check. No. Change a bit. I really do hope we are not late.
“Pull that lever below!” Another gate went up. Behind it was a steep spiral staircase down. Okay. Sam is distracting a...Robot? Most of all, this thing looked like a bunch of telescopic tube legs with stingers, or should I say fingers? Also intelligent, it seems. Definitely smarter than previous enemies. Mint, with his head bandaged, hid behind the trolley. Reasonable. As I descended, I looked for Arlo in vain. Anxiousity drowned me almost completely just in a blink of the eye. Ah, here he is. He bandages his hand, so he is injured but alive. I grabbed the sledgehammer and rushed to help.
“Melissa, Remy, you are just in time! I thought we were dead.”
“Hold on. We'll tear this thing apart and I'll give you a first aid kit. Sam, how are you?”
“Alright, but tired.”
“Tentacle, from behind!”
“Hit the central drill, it looks like it has controls there.”
“Run up, it's spinning!”
“It’s a pity I don’t have a pickaxe with me. It would be convenient. Remy, get down!”
“Kid, left!”
“Cover me, it’s almost dead. The steam has already started. Take cover, it's exploding!” BANG. The fragments scattered throughout the room.
“Soldiers, roll call! Is everyone safe?”
“Fine. Except for the knee.”
“I was just sprinkled with sand, Cap.”
“Better tell me how are YOU? What medications are needed?” I asked Arlo instead of answering his question.
“Blood halt. A couple of bandages. And water, if you have it.”
“I have a plenty. Do you need assistance with all this stuff?”
“Yeah, please. Sam, check that passage there, it seems like there's a draft from there.”
“Looks like this thing caused the earthquake when we woke it up by our drilling. From now on, we will be more careful when working,” Mint said.
Sam returned and invited us to come with her.
And that's the meeting committee. Mayor and doctor, which was logical. Gust and Albert are fine too – this is their project. But why did they bring Higgins?
“We got out, mostly intact, Xu, please take care of the civilian, I’ll come to you later. The earthquake was caused by a relic AI awakened by drilling.”
“Well done! Everyone is free for today,” Gale said. The people began to disperse. The mayor narrowed his eyes suspiciously, looked at our badly beaten team and continued, “Melissa, you and Arlo look so similar! I noticed it just now. Are you brother and sister, by any chance?”
Wow, what a claim! The redhead turned completely pale. Maybe I should blame the blood loss? Sam giggled nervously. But that's not funny to me at all. We need to find out. Not that I mind having a real older brother, especially one this cool. But I had completely different plans for him!
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter eight. Little ride
I threw aside another unsuccessful heart knot prototype and decided to take my wonderful horse to do some riding. I took my bag, put some treats in it, checked the first aid kit and went out into the yard. A beautiful warm spring evening greeted me with lovely weather. I checked all the fastenings on the saddle and took Shifter out to take a ride around the pond. Then we can ride to the waterfall and return home before dark. Moving leisurely along the ranch, I noticed one incredibly familiar rider on a white horse coming from the harbor. Just like in fairy tales. Ouch, he's moving towards me. Is HIS route here today? But I thought it was Sam's turn.
“Hello, girls! Have you decided to get out of seclusion? We,” Arlo pulled on the reins and ruffled the horse’s mane, “were just about to lure you out to get some air.”
“Well, hello, yourself. Why would you need to lure us out? We already walk at least once a day for exercise. And we are almost inseparable because of work.”
“Are you getting used to riding? I promised to help you with this.”
“Well, you can just arrange me an exam. In autumn, for example. That time the victory will not be by mere luck.”
“You know that I CAN cancel your participation? I need to know that you're ready for it.”
“Again your stupid baseless threats. Aren't you tired of playing bad cop with me, huh? I haven't been fooled by this for a long time. Come up with something new, OFFICER.”
“You are a red pest! So are you going for a ride with me or not? I had to switch two patrols for this, you know.”
“Such great sacrifices! Let's go, of course. Around the pond?”
“Yeah. Just let's not rush. Try to gallop along, the road is wide enough for that.”
“Only if you’ll stop your sausage shop from trying to bite my leg.”
“Spacer! Shut it! Turn around!”
“Go ahead, girl. Let’s show these brutes our teamwork,” I lightly squeezed Shifter’s sides with my thighs, and we began to speed up gradually.
Now I can see that a leisurely ride can be really pleasant. Soft breeze, aromas of herbs and sea water, an intoxicating feeling of freedom! My ears were a little stuffy and my heart was racing.
Is it all because of the nice company today, or am I really starting to enjoy horse riding? – I asked myself.
Just… that felt like a date again. I wonder when I will finally be done with the “pillow”, will I also be mercilessly rejected? My entire house is already littered with these thingies, but I still don’t understand the basic principles of waving and knotting. I just hope no one else will dare to try their luck with him again while I'm making it.
Somehow I sped up. Ah, I need to go smoother. Do not be distracted, Melissa. It’s difficult, especially when he smiles SO much, looking at me. Wow, have we come full circle already?
“Aren't you tired yet?”
“No, I'm okay. Another circle or should we change the route?”
“We should let the horses cool down a little. Let's slow down.”
“Is that enough?”
“Great. You're doing well. Take it to the right. We can relax by the pond and then continue our ride.”
“Accepted. Almost there.”
“Should I help you get down?” Was he courting me like that or was he hinting at me being vertically challenged?
“What for?” I deftly jumped from the saddle while carefully freeing my legs from the stirrups.
While Arlo dismounted and rummaged through his saddlebag, I treated my mare to a fragrant apple. Spacer also seemed interested. Well, I still had some more of it, if, of course, he will stop offending me.
“Go graze, my dear.”
“And you girls seem to get along well.”
“Perhaps. But your stallion is trying to make a mess. Is he jealous of you?”
“I think it’s the other way around. Hey buddy, keep an eye on the lady. Just no funny business!” Redhead lightly flicked the horse on the back and put something on the grass... Blanket? Wow. He spread it out, sat down and patted it next to him invitingly. So cute.
“I see you’re prepared,” I sat down next to him and clasped my knees with my hands.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to agree so easily. You've became quite popular.”
“What are you talking about? Is a couple of dinners with girls a measure of popularity now?”
“I think so. It’s just that no matter when I pass by, you’re not home. Or you refuse to come out under questionable excuses. I'm already starting to miss our shared adventures.”
“What kind of adventure do you want to get me into this time? Dunk into the mud at a Sewage Plant? Climb into some old ventilation with a lantern? Picnic in an abandoned ruin? Oh, I figured it out! Jet-pack Race!”
“Wow. Almost a sound idea. Just too dangerous. Something might jerk, fall from above, or you might get caught in a narrow tunnel. Besides, we don’t have enough jet-packs for such entertainment. It's a shame though.”
“Come on, sometimes a peaceful stroll is also a great option. It's going to get dark soon, maybe we'll have enough time to get to the waterfall? It’s always very beautiful there at sunset!”
“Let's go!” He jumped up. He shook himself off and offered me his hand, helping to get up. Now it looked even more like romantic courtship, and I’m daydreaming again, right? And while I was thinking about it he pulled me towards him, hugged me, leaned over slightly and kissed me. Wow! It was completely his initiative, I was so impressed. Does this mean that he likes me, I wonder. I reached out and stroked his cheek with my palm, and then buried my hand in the hair at the back of his head. In response he made a strange growling sound, continuing to kiss me very greedily. He seems to really like it. I should remember this for the future.
“Arlo, I…” I broke away a little and said hoarsely.
“I know that you wanted to admire the sunset from the waterfall. We should go there before it’s too late.” He said and released me from his hug, then made a few steps away from me.
DAMN RED-BLOCK-HEAD! I almost said that I love you! A little upset, I stepped aside so as not to interfere with him rolling up the blanket. A whistle sounded behind me. A capricious horse sausage walked proudly past.
“Arlo, can I give him a treat? Or do I risk having my hand bitten off?”
“Try it, I’ll back you up.”
I fished another apple out of the bag and placed it on my open palm.
“Come here, jealous creature. Take this. It's for you.”
“Spacer, you allowed to. Well done. Pet him now, look, he asks you to.”
I obediently patted the stallion behind the ears. This caused my mare to neigh jealously. And the girl, it turns out, has character. Not surprised. I took out another apple and threw it to her. Shifter, accustomed to such tricks, immediately caught the treat and shook herself joyfully.
“So, I'm ready. Let’s mount and go before the sun goes down.”
“Race?”
“Ha, do try it. Just don't swallow any dust.”
This was more like our usual entertainment. We moved, anyway, almost synchronously. Only the wind whistled in my ears. We flew past both of my bridges and galloped towards a hill with an elevator. How beautiful is here. In the rays of sunset the water shimmered with all shades of red, blue and green. The noise of the waterfall was almost drowned out by the clatter of hooves. Absolute delight. Unable to contain my emotions, I laughed loudly. Then I blew a kiss to my companion and spurred the mare. Let him tingle too. I don't want to be the only one who is blushing so much.
“I won!” I stopped on the plateau and shouted to those lagging behind.
“It’s not fair,” the redheaded said offendedly as he caught up with me, “this was a forbidden technique!”
“Why is so? It was not specified by the rules. Dismount, otherwise you’ll have to yell,” I carefully dismounted myself. Rocks can be slippery. Arlo tied the horses to the nearest tree and came close to me and very carefully placed his arm around my waist from behind. That is, pulling me tightly against his chest.
“Well, how do you like the view? Was it worth cheating in the race?”
“Sure thing! Look how the river sparkles. We made it to the most beautiful part. Now the sun will disappear into the sea. The clouds will turn dark blue and the stars will appear. Before moving here, I had never seen so much water and bright colors at once! And now I can come and admire it every day. Actually, that's what I do. Well, I try to do this at least a couple of times a week. How are you? Aren't you tired of messing up with me?”
“What a nonsense. I will never get tired of your company. It's so great you accepted my invitation today. Oh, look what kind of fish can flew across the Amber Bridge? I just saw one.”
“Delicious kind, probably. And there's another one, see? But I wouldn’t eat this one, it’s kind of weird.”
“Bad for you. This is a rare delicacy, by the way. Someday we’ll go and catch it. Will you cook it for us?”
“Yep, I’ll just stop by Django’s and ask for the recipe,” at this point the hug ended abruptly. What did I say wrong?
“Well, okay. Let's ride back before it got completely dark.”
We reached the gate of The Workshop in complete silence. I dismounted and said goodbye. Zero reaction. He didn't even wave his hand. He looks like he swallowed something nasty. I wound up and unsaddled the mare, checked the feeders, thrashed the punching sacks a little, and, very upset, went to wash myself and sleep. I dreamed of all sorts of strange nonsense, like of terrible, horrifying robots who burrowed into the ground and from there attacked people moving on the surface. What a bullshit.
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter seven. Bright sun
Persistent and loud knocking on the door distracted me from an important engineering problem. Who the fuck is that? The third prototype was ruined! Covering the needlework with a blanket I went to find out what I am needed for this time. Definitely that’s not my red blockhead. He would simply take the door off its hinges and walk in as if this house was his own.
“Here you are! I’ve searched the whole city for you! Why didn't you come to catch gifts from the sky?”
“What should I do there? I have already donated gifts for the city so there are lots and lots there with my logo. It won't be fun to catch two more umbrellas or three more jewelry boxes.”
“You're are overthinking! What about the spirit of competition? And don’t you believe in miracles?”
“It would be a miracle not to get hit in the head with a desk lamp. The broken one.”
“Whatever. Oh, you’re bleeding, kid,” and it’s true, apparently, I pierced my finger somehow.
“Damn it. I’ll treat it now, and it will heal in a couple of days. The main point here is not to catch any infection. That would be just the best thing to catch on that Day of the Bright Sun of yours.”
“An injury like that is quite unusual for you.” Sam looked around at the blanket-covered mess on the dining table. “What are you making?”
“Secret device for neutralizing blockheads. Do not touch! It bites as you’ve seen.”
“Okay,” my beloved friend pulled her hand back and made a funny face. “You didn’t come to the feast, so WE were worried. Cap sent me to check on you and, if possible, bring you with me back.”
“Whose princess am I supposed to be this time? And they even gave me a guard of honor. I'm impressed!”
“I have no idea. You have more and more heart pillows here. Who showed off this time? Gust, Dr. Xu, Albert or someone else?”
“Nobody. I bought it myself. I got used to sleeping on them on my lonely cold nights. What is the dress code?”
“Any, even oil stains on the face would do. But it’s going to be a group photo there. So take the blue uniform and let's go out. They are waiting for us. Wait. No. Not a uniform. Blue shirt, cargo jeans and sneakers.” Sam pointed to hangers one by one.
“I obey your orders, comrade escort! Should I send gifts for friends by mail? But they are over-sized,” I muttered from behind the screen.
“Oh, so you are prepared. Can't wait to see.”
“Certainly. Practical, useful or something for the soul. Children will get toys, certainly. Adults...well, you'll see soon.” I left my shelter and looked into the mirror. “Well, how do I look?”
“Intimidating! Just fit for a ‘wanted’ poster.”
“Fine by me.”
There was a typical celebratory chaos in the Central Plaza. Cheerful townspeople showed off their prizes to each other. The airship flew majestically over the waterfall, having completed its mission. That’s nice - I missed the whole dull part. Now Gale will begin another solemn speech and will herd people onto the platform under the tree. And Sam took me to a bench near the school.
“Captain Arlo, on your orders, the dangerous recluse has been delivered! She did not resist the arrest. Please take this circumstance into account when passing your sentence.”
“At ease, soldier! I promise to file a report on additional days off!”
“Well, I'll catch you later, you cunning cat!” I pretended to have my hands tied behind my back and trying to kick Sam in the knee.
“And this is an insult to the authorities,” Remy added with a sly smile, coming to my other side.
“So exceeding official powers for personal gain does not offend your authorities enough? I'll file a complaint! To your boss directly.”
“Don't kick up the heels” Their so-called boss muttered through his teeth. He threw his arm over my shoulder and pulled me against him by the neck. His palm was now resting on my breast. Mmm, his familiar scent. I'm starting to melt again just fro, that! Wait, what did just happen? “Your lady love,” I nodded towards the church robes flashing through the crowd, “doesn’t mind that you're groping dangerous criminals in front of everyone?” I said in exactly the same conspiratorial whisper.
His reaction exceeded all of later my expectations. Arlo immediately blushed deeply. He hiccuped nervously and abruptly let me go, straightening up, to the roar of laughter from the rest of the team. Worth it! I might regret this later, but not just now. Nora giving away a vibe of a jealous wife, pouted like a huge duck and ran away as I was watching her attentively. Hm. Friendship with her is l definitely out of the question now. I hope she will not stand beside me this time for a group photo.
“You promised not to tell anyone!” It seems that Arlo was seriously insulted and angry.
“Don’t you think it’s already too late to care? The whole city is talking about it. I was the only one who was silent. The statute of limitations should have expired three times already,” I retorted without raising my voice. So are they dating or not? If so, then why am I here? So cruel. Why do you, red blockhead, still insist on giving me false hopes?!
“Stop it immediately! Or I’ll lock you both in a cage, you dumb redheads!”
“Let’s go,” Remy added, “everyone else has already taken they places, they’re just waiting for us.”
“Civil Corps! Do you need a special invitation?” Our good mayor yelled.
Oh, what nice gangster faces we made for the photo! I'll hang this picture on the wall. I can almost see the steam coming out of Arlo's ears. Nora took off her hat and crumpled it in her hands, looking at the floor. Sam, standing behind me, put her elbows on my shoulders, almost like her boss had done before, but much less intimately. Remy, as always, smiled cheerfully, but for some reason it looked very scary today. Django...yes, he is sad. Apparently this friendship is over. Well, okay. I'll survive. The mayor tried to put his arm around my waist. And pet a little just below. WHAT?! Is this a harassment already? I'll kill you, nasty old pervert!.. I couldn’t wait to wriggle free from him!
I was brought in specifically for this photo, wasn’t I? So that Gale has somewhere to put his hand. Old fart, I'll kick a shit out of you! But why it is me who are feeling SO ashamed now? In order not to do something terrible, I decided to flee.
“Hey, guys! Your accusations are void, so I’ll go about my business. Bye-bye,” I made a teasing gesture with a hand and walked towards the Western Gate.
“Stand down! Nobody’s let you go!” Wow, what a statement! I wish I could hear this in a different situation.
“Ha. Try to catch me! Your princess is in another castle!” The gaze Nora gave me definitely deserved a separate photo. That’s a pity I don't have camera though.
“Fuck it!” The unlucky dragon swore. He abruptly gave out several commands and rushed to catch up. I wonder if I have a chance of sneaking away? At least he won't see me bursting into tears.
Now here is the opportunity to check if I have surpassed my personal trainer. And where should I go? At home they will quickly catch me. So, lets go to the left. Rushing past the Papa Bear's home, I headed towards the Bassanio Plateau. Elevator. A great opportunity to get lost in the forest there. All that was left was to climb up the hill. I should hide my hair – it’s too noticeable against the fresh grass. Why didn’t I think to grab a cap? Okay, I’ll hide it with my shirt and turn up the collar. Out of breath, I finally made it to the elevator. I was lucky that it was downstairs. Breathing heavily, I poked at the controls and pulled the lever. Now you can only get here through the Wasteland. Or from a cave on Amber island. By the way, that’s a great plan. I can go down there through the ventilation and return home by nightfall. Surely by this time the supposed siege on my ‘castle’ will be broken. No matter what I am guilty of... It is unlikely that such seriousness is due to the disclosure of his unclassified great secret. Well, they are dating. So what? Here in this small town near everyone is somebody’s significant other, a relative or an ex. What does he want from me now? And why does this very thought make me cry and want to throw sharp objects? I already decided that we are friends. True, after today’s prank it’s no longer a fact.
Oh, the hatch into the caves is not pressed tightly. I can rest there. And I won’t even reveal where I'm hiding with noise. Great. The coolest thing is to climb a tree, but, my height does not allow me to do this quickly. I made my way inside, found a shelter behind some half-broken boxes and sat down in the shadows, clasping my knees with my hands. If something happens, I can even clearly see the stairs to the hatch from here.
I have no idea for how long I sat there in the twilight. For some reason I felt very painful and disgusting. The guys are probably worried. Seeing the stopped lift they should have realized that I had been here. Maybe even Higgins was called in for repairs. What if Arlo went through the Wasteland? What if he got hurt there, it will be my fault! Wiping away my tears with my sleeve I nearly already decided to follow the planned course, but then the roller rails of the hatch began to move with a nasty squeal. I hid back, covering my ears with my palms.
“Well, she definitely passed here, Cap. There's traces in the dust, do you see?”
“The question is where to look next. And what if she needs our help?” Sam and Arlo walked briskly down the stairs and along the wall opposite of my hiding place.
“She herself can help just anyone. You know that.”
“I’m still worried.”
“Why were you so angry? It’s true, Nora’s crush is not a secret for a long time already. And everyone already knows for sure that you mercilessly blow off any girl who dares to bring you a heart knot. Why should Nora be an exception?”
“Oh, leave me be, little thorn. Better take a closer look.”
“I see something. Let's go ahead. Little fella seemed to have rushed into the haunted cave direction through this corridor.” Sam walked past my hiding place, pushing Arlo’s back with her palms and guiding him into a long passage. “Come on, move.”
Then she turned around and winked, supposedly into empty space. In response, I made a closed-mouth gesture. So I have an accomplice, cool! Let them go. It's definitely safe there. And I’ll have time to get out and at least wash myself clean. Wait! Sam DID say that he blew Nora off TOO?! At that time, she already realized that I could hear everything, so this is a hint for me! And what should I do now? First, get out and make my way home to hide the handicraft I have started. In case of unexpected guests, that is.
Great, it's even not dark yet. I can rush through the Eastern gate and up the hill, for example. Most likely, they will come to my house a little bit later. I hope that Sam will effectively hide my trail giving the redhead some extra loops so I can restore some peace of the mind.
To my incredible surprise, there was no ambush near the house. And I didn’t even meet anyone on my way home from the waterfall across the field. Climbing into the window through the hole in the stable I found myself in my kitchen. I listened. I looked out. Silence. Just in case, I blocked the front door with a bedside table and went into the shower. Even if they hear any noise, they will at least not break in right away. Oh...that's right, I almost forgot. I grabbed the blanket from the dining table, threw everything into it, rolled it up in a knot and stuffed it under the bed. Looking in the closet, I took out some sportswear and finally went to the bathroom.
I barely had time to change clothes when I heard the clatter of hooves from behind the fence. Remy? The rest could have came on foot. Judging by the fading sounds, he is now galloping towards Amber island. Did he guess everything too, or I’m delusional? Well, what a show is going on! I’m hiding in my own house from those who swore to guard and protect me here, from my best friends and from the guy I’m in love with. They were so unlucky with me. I myself didn’t notice how I dozed off, sitting behind the screen near my closet. I was awakened by a knock on the kitchen window. Three long, two short. And repeat. Okay, that’s Sam. I carefully peeked out.
“There is no tail. Let me in. I know you're here.”
“Then climb through the window. The door is blocked. Then we’ll tell everyone that there was a rummage here,” following my instructions, Sam successfully climbed inside.
“Where did the chase go?”
“They rush around the field and around the pond. Don't worry, it's good for them. Why did you run off?”
“I won’t tell you, definitely not now. I haven’t really gotten my head around it yet.”
“As you wish. Are you okay now?”
“I doubt it. I told you it was a bad idea to drag me to a party. I was just sitting here and was not bothering anyone. Why did you need to drag me in?”
“You’ll find out when our pepper-breather will finish blowing of steam and will cool down. You should have seen Higgins in his pajamas at the elevator! He yelled, he swore and he absolutely demanded a double price for urgency.”
“What a moron. There were only three buttons that had to be pressed on the panel down the side. How long did he fumble?”
“About two hours exactly. Then he just pried open the plug with a knife and connected the wires directly.”
“Was he at least electrocuted? Now I have to repair this crap nearly from scratch all over again after this.”
“Certainly. Phyllis also have had some extracurricular work. Sooo nasty. Let's dismantle your barricades, okay?”
“Your boss won’t destroy my door later, will he? After his kicks I merely have time to repair the gates.”
“If we don’t sort it out ourselves, he’ll take it out along with the furniture. And, perhaps, with walls, if he understands that I found you a long time ago and now hiding you from him.”
“Won’t you get punished for this?” We carefully lifted the bedside table and dragged it to its place.
“I’ll get away with a couple of extra shifts. Trivial matter.”
“But can you not drag me out of the house?”
“Certainly. Let me get out and run around for show. Then we'll turn on the light. And pretend that this is my first time here. It's already dark enough that I won't be noticed ahead of time.”
Sam left. After some time, the sound of hooves became clearly audible. - from the kitchen side. There are more than two horses. Are those some kind of glitches or else? One of the riders dismounted. His steps were heavy and nonrhythmic. Remington. And the other is Sam. I can hardly hear her steps at all. Oh, here came the wide brusque steps. Predictably, the door was thrown open with a powerful kick. It’s good that I managed to open the lock and didn’t come close.
“Alive,” Arlo breathed and rushed forward. He abruptly grabbed me like a doll and pressed me onto himself, burying his beard on the top of my head.
“You keep squeezing me like this, and this will change pretty soon,” I squeaked in response. He relaxed a little, but did not release me from the hug. What's wrong with him? He stroke my back. And since this is already a pretty long physical contact, now I will either blush, or burst into tears, or suffocate. Or maybe all at once. Well, at least I'll die happy.
“Hmm. We're all ready, Cap.”
“I'll be back soon. Close the door. From the outside,” wow, his heartbeat is at extreme rate. Now I can even feel it with my cheek. And my blood is pounding in my ears so terribly. I just wanna bury my face in his chest. Maybe forever. Should I probably say something?
“Sorry for causing so much trouble. I don't know what came over me.”
“It's okay. The main thing is that you are safe. I don’t even want to know how you got here before us.”
“Agreed. And what do they have ready?”
“You'll see now. Let's go.”
Arlo took me by the hand and led me out into the yard. We walked around the house and found ourselves near the stables. I was not mistaken, there were more than two horses here. But Teddy isn't here. This white one is Spacer. Brown mare in dapples is Arrow. And for some reason, some balloons were tied to the saddle of a cream-colored young filly.
“Surprise!” All three shouted in unison.
“Come and greet her.” Sam lightly pushed me in the back. The redhead released my hand with obvious reluctance.
“What?” I was surprised to recognize the very same filly for which I had been saving money since last fall. I asked McDonald not to sell her to anyone. “Guys, have you all gone crazy? I planned to go buy her next week!”
“Now there is no need. So what will you say?”
“I say – welcome home, Shifter. I hope you’ll like it here as much as I do,” the horse trustingly poked her wet nose into my neck. That looks like a start of a new friendship. I would really like that
Spacer whinnied and tried to bite my ear. That's a nasty horsemeat sausage!
“What kind of tricks are there?! Calm down! If you behave like this, we’ll miss the land run!” The mischievous horse stiffened and calmed down. What a commanding voice Arlo used. I'm so impressed.
“Admit it, whose idea it was?”
“You won’t believe it, but it’s yours. I just remembered and organized everything. The rest of us supported. And besides, if you’ll decide to join Corps, you won’t be able to do this without a horse. And the territory will soon get larger so we will probably have to expand our staff.”
“I love you guys!” I extended my arms invitingly for a group hug. “Thank you all so very, very much!”
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter six. Something fishy.
The dust on the road in front of my house has finally settled. I hope it will be quieter now. Won’t it?
“Hi kid! Why aren’t you going to Fishing Day?” Sam shouted to me from behind the fence whilst returning from training.
“I still have a distaste for fishing. So why should I go?”
“I see. That's bad. There will be no one to put our arrogant one in his place. He walks around, boasting to everyone about a HUGE fish he caught.”
“Arlo? Then I really should not go. He’ll just start teasing again. Why did he even go there?”
“Some kind of fly bit him, no less” or didn’t bite, but kissed him, and not a fly, but some kind of a bee. ‘Melissa’ means ‘a bee’, right?
“Have you had your breakfast yet? If you're not in a hurry, come on. Todays’ special is rice with a pumpkin.”
“I definitely have a couple of hours before my duty will call.”
We entered the house discussing work, news, clothes and everything. Suddenly my friend pointed her finger at the pillow on my couch.
“Wow. From whom did this come?” Sam asked.
“Huh? Is this important? Say, do you want some extra food?”
“I do. But don’t change, it’s important. I'm wondering who you're dating now.”
“In terms of? I'm not dating anyone. I would probably know that I have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, you know.”
“This just can’t be happening. Wait. You don’t know what this thing is, do you?”
“Just a pillow I suppose. Nothing remarkable as it seems. I don’t really like such things, but since it was gifted to me...”
“Then let’s do it the other way. Do you even like the person who gave it to you?”
“Well, we're good friends. He just came, brought this thing, said that I would understand everything and left. A couple of times later he tried to ask me out, but I had no time to talk about culinary.”
“Okay. So it was Django, and you had absolutely no intention of dating him, hadn’t you”
“Of course not. Why?”
“This ‘pillow’, as you call it, here in Portia stands for a confession of love. You give it to someone you like; if it is accepted, you are considered as a couple.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?! In Barnarock everything was much simpler.”
“Do tell.”
“Well, look. There is desert all around, wastelands nearby. If you fiddle with such toys for a long time, some monster can surely devour your crush. Or someone else will be the first to make it...”
“And what's next?”
“Well. You just come and say “I like you.” It's scary, of course. But our people don’t really into ceremonies. Just open your mouth and confess. And wait. Refuses are casual. But sometimes people even got married the very next day. So if something happens there are will be no problems with the inheritance.”
“Damn it! I'm so sorry I didn't enlighten you earlier.”
“It turns out that now I need to return this pillow, apologize and explain everything, right? Or do I need to add some other symbolic crap to it?”
“A withered branch. But this can really offend him.”
“Well, let him be offended. Why couldn't he just tell me directly? Fantasized only God knows what!”
“How long ago did he give it to you?”
“I don’t remember exactly. At the beginning of spring, somewhere. I'm in trouble, right?”
“Looks so. Sorry, I should get back on the route now. Remy is probably already worried.”
“Okay. Thank you! Say hello from me.”
After washing myself and changing clothes, I went to look for the owner of the restaurant. The most logical place was of course the Round Table itself.
“Sonya, hello. Don't you fish?”
“No, I'll go tomorrow. Today I am in charge here.”
“By the way, about being in charge. Where did your boss go?”
“He’s probably hanging out somewhere in the crowd near the waterfall. Buys fish while it's cheap. Should I say him something for you when he gets back?”
“No, I’ll go look for him myself then. Thank you.”
After running the entire main street, I headed to the western gate. The less adventurous fishermen had already started to disperse. Just great. And it turns out that my endurance has noticeably increased. Looks like jogging with Arlo has its benefits. I’ll have to say thanks to him at the very least. Maybe he'll invite me again someday. Oh, I can see his red head at the Amber Bridge. Quite far from the waterfall. It’s convenient. Having caught my breath, I began to look around more carefully. It’s good that Django isn’t red-haired—he can’t blend in with the crowd so easily. I think I noticed him. Without attracting too much attention, I slowly walked to the right place.
“Django. Can I see you for a minute?”
“Anything for my princess!”He bowed ceremoniously and tried to kiss my hand.
“Don't shout like that, please. Let's step aside.”
“As you wish, my lady love.”
“There was a terrible misunderstanding,” I handed him the heart knot pillow and blurted out, “I’m sorry, I can’t accept it!”
“But you ALREADY accepted it, my beautiful maiden!”
“How should I put this? I had no idea what that meant. And you didn't explain anything to me. And the cultural code did not match.”
“You’ve been here for a year and you didn’t know anything about this tradition?”
“Absolutely nothing. In my homeland, this all happens differently. If you want, I can fetch a withered branch and make everything official.”
“It is not necessary. So you don't accept my feelings?”
“I didn’t even know anything about them until today. I would like to remain friends with you. If possible. You are a wonderful friend, and I don't want to lose you as such.”
“It's clear. Fine. But if you suddenly change your mind...”
“Hardly. Sorry. I like someone else.”
“It's a pity. Then I wish you luck,” Django deliberately slowly took the pillow from me, bowed, turned sharply and went about his business.
And here is this ‘someone else’ looming nearby. Strange, is the event over? I hope he didn't see anything. Or at least didn't hear the end of the conversation. Although, why not? Let him hear. He is not the only one to be the most popular here. Sonya has probably already told everyone that I am “dating” her boss. So that’s why she had such a sly look.
“Melissa! You missed all the fun!”Arlo shouted, approaching me. Here comes a HUGE fish. Wow, what a strange thing. Why are you dragging it to me?
“Don’t yell like that, you’ll scare away all the fish for your opponents. Or is this your cunning plan?”
“Almost everyone has already left. However, I never broke my last record. Check it out!”
“Isn't this one a jumping dancer? Otherwise I’ll go and complain to the judges that you’re cheating.”
“I'm not cheating. Wanna go for a walk with me?”
“Just take this smelly monster away from me, please, it stinks,” I sniffed pointedly.
“Yeah, you are right. And looks like I need to change clothes. Do you have time in the evening?”
“Depends on what you have to offer.”
“I promised you a haunted cave, how does it sound?”
“Hm. Okay. And will Sam not eat me because you haul all the work on her today?”
“I’ll definitely speak with her.”
“Fine. What time, where, what's about dress code?”
“Again, your hobby-horsing. It will be cool in the evening, bring a jacket. I can fetch you at eight. Or meet me at the bridge at seven.”
“Let's go to the bridge. I heard that after my last visit the difficulty in the cave was greatly increased. We could be stuck there for a long time.”
Having left the Dee-Dee at the desired stop, I noticed Arlo almost immediately. He slowly walked in circles not far from the bus stop. He wasn't even late. Nice change. But I also arrived early, so I wonder just how long he’s been walking here?
“Ha! You are a copycat!”
“No! You are! This is a uniform. Team uniform. You told me to grab the jacket. I only have one like this for spring,” and of course I put on the bandanna he gifted me, despite the fact that I was tired sick of learning how to tie it properly.
“I didn’t even think about it in that way.”
“Now you should. How long have you been waiting?”
“My patrol route ended here today. There was no need to wait.”
“Clever. Let's go in before someone gets ahead of us.”
“So you're wearing it” Arlo nodded while staring at my bandanna and smiled. “Yeah. For special occasions only.” “Like what?” “Like when I'm going out with someone I really like.” “Oh, how often?” “Let me count” I pretended to count on fingers. I could see growing concern in his eyes now. “Is it that so often?” He raised his eyebrows questionably. “Well. Since that specific person doesn't have much spare time to ask me out, this will be the first time, actually” “I see. Well, how is it going?” “You can see it yourself,” I waved my hand towards the bridge under construction. “Two spans done. One entirely mine”
“With your job you’ll turn into a complete recluse.”
“You could definitely say this about yourself, too, Mr Evasive. At least it’s not a problem to find me in my workshop. And sometimes the only way to communicate with you is through the commission boards, you know.”
“So it was you who drew the dirty pictures there?”
“What dirty pictures do you mean? It was a Slurpee!”
“So it WAS you. Definitely. When did you have time for that? And for what reason?”
“When I placed the order, of course. Well, it worked! You sent it out way before the deadline. For almost the first time, you know.”
“Why do you need so much blue leather? Do you have an underground studio?”
“No, I have a huge demand for jewelry boxes and photo albums. Liuwa, two tickets please.”
The cave which was familiar almost down to the last pebble, enveloped us with pleasant coolness. There was almost no smell of dampness, meaning that the ventilation system had already been reconfigured to summer mode. Well done. We went to the table and took Scare Soaker Guns.
“What mode are we going in?”
“You can say it yourself, but we're wearing a uniform. So I suggest a team mode. Two of us against all,” I definitely like the way he says it. It’s good that it’s dark enough here, and I don’t have to worry about my blushing too much.
“Ready? Launch it. Just don’t try to knock down this gate with your foot. It has roller rails.”
“Do you really think I won't be able to?”
“I think you will break it. And I'm the one who will have to fix it later. And drag you to the doctor. Don’t dawdle, let's go!”
We cheerfully bursted into a long wide corridor which was stuffed with traps. The opponents had not yet appeared, so it was enough time to notice activation signals, tripwires and other little things Not a problem. But airlock in front of the main hall (which I still stubbornly call the “generator room”) has abruptly been closed so we were forced us to weave between traps in a narrower passage.
“Don't push me! Tripwire at three hours.”
“Accepted. I'm lunching, get back.”
“There's a fork. Which corridor are we going into?”
“I'm all about playing around, so this way.”
“Smokey! Ugh.”
“Come here, catch your breath. I'll cover you.”
“Enemy, at nine! Cough cough.”
“Stripped off. How are you?”
“I've been sniffing a little. Not too bad. I’ll wash my face and everything will be fine.”
“Should we continue, or should you go outside?”
“Are you kidding? Such little thing won't stop me now.”
And finally, the hall. A large two-level grotto with a bunch of boxes, decorations, lamps and, yes, hostiles. Finally.
“Hey! Why are you shooting at your allies, aren’t ghosts enough?!”
“Sorry, I missed.”
“Bullshit. I won't believe it in my life. Behind you! Get down!”
“Two more. The left is yours.”
“Got it. To the top?”
“Be careful, there are balls rolling out under your feet.”
“Now we’ll figure it out,” I grabbed a stone from the floor and accurately threw it into the trap’s affected area. “Let's wait a little and we can go.”
“Good move. Let me in.” Arlo quickly ran up the inclined path and motioned for me to follow him. Wow, he looked so cool.
We quickly ran through another corridor, neutralizing a bunch of ghosts. We’re almost there. It’s even a little sad that it will all end so soon. Lost in thought, I fell into the stupidest trap right at the exit. I was thoroughly doused with water from the ceiling. A small thing, but unpleasant.
“Fuck! Well, my face is washed,” I said, shaking myself off.
“Sorry, I didn’t notice this tripwire. Let's go, I'll take you home before it gets too cold.”
“Oh don’t worry, the jacket isn’t particularly wet. And we haven't collected prizes yet.”
“Choose,” I examined the display case with souvenirs: candlesticks, figurines. Oh, plush ghosts. I already have a girl, but I don’t like the other one. Redheaded one is nice, though.
“I wanna redhead!” “You'll get your a redhead.” “Promise me” I stepped closer to Arlo. I looked straight in his eyes and grabbed his chest belt. I pulled it tight forcing Arlo to lean down to me. Then I pressed my lips against his. To my great surprise he didn't hesitate to return a kiss. So softly and tenderly that my mind gone boom. I really hope that this way he'll be able to figure out what's happening. “I'll help you carry it.” He broke away from me and just continued his last sentence as nothing has happened. I stopped him with another kiss. This was longer and surely deeper. He caressed my cheek with his palm but then he broke away again. “You're completely soaked wet. Let's go quickly before you catch a cold. It will be a shame to be sick all the next holidays.”
“Let's wait for the Dee-Dee. They are still running. And the station is not far from my home.”
That was quite an awkward ride. The jacket may not have gotten wet, but for some reason the shirt underneath was dripping wet. Oh yes. Friendly fire. Who knew that this garment was so translucent when wet? I had to zip my jacket closed and pretend all the way that I was incredibly interested in the window view.
Here is my fence gate – we’ve arrived.
“We had a great time. Thanks for coming.”
“Thank you for the invitation. Will you come over for dinner? It's salmon soup today.”
“Fish day? It sounds tempting, but I had to refuse. It's time to get back on duty.”
“It's a pity. And I should go and get warm.”
“Yeah. See you. Take care.”
Finally, hot shower. How great it is that I don’t have to be stringy with water here. Lathering up and standing in a cloud of steam I couldn’t help but wonder: “was this maybe a date?” In my opinion, very much so. Even if HE denies it later. Maybe he just can’t tell the difference without that stupid pillow, huh? So, I'll have to get it. It seems that Alice was making them. I'll buy myself a couple for decoration or something. But just buying and giving as a gift will be boring... If I ask directly how to make it, this will rise some unnecessary suspicions. Should I try to barter for a small batch? No, for the sake of just one little thing – that’s also unreasonable. All that remains is to reinvent. Perhaps this is even more interesting than building bridges. With these thoughts, I changed into pajamas and went to rest.

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Arlo is a sharpshooter
Confessions you didn`t notice
Chapter five. Solstice thingies.
The next week was quite routine. A bunch of small tasks, replenishing the warehouse, hunting for all sorts of monsters outside. Nothing special. And then on Sunday fireside Gale announced the grandiose construction of the century. According to him, the neighboring government had finally agreed with Portia to build a road to Sandrock. For this purpose, a huge bridge and transport network were designed. That sounded like tons of interesting orders and it was promised that orders will be posted tomorrow. For now, I can check materials and prepare.
So on Monday morning I already got the first specific task. Wow, that's a big deal. Fortunately, the deadlines are not as tight as is it customary with external investments. I made a plan, ran around abandoned ruins, and returned home. In the evening I heard a familiar stomp at the gate. Wow, who got here! And I already missed him a lot by now.
“Melissa, are you home?” Arlo kicked the gate a couple of times. Red-block-head, I'll just kill you! I just fixed the fence!
“What, smoking furnaces in the yard are not enough evidence for the great detective?”
“Well, knowing you, they are not. You can easily fire up the grill and go somewhere. I have to look after your stuff from time to time.”
“Come in, stop yelling over the fence. You'll scare away the neighbors' chickens.”
“You asked to knock. So I knock. But usually it doesn't help.”
“OK. What do you need now? Some great feats or something simpler?”
“Personal,” oh, that’s a smile. Okay, red-block-head, you’re off the hook.
“Did you broke new dummy within a week, or is something rotten in the warehouse?” I inquired, while trying not to show embarrassment and excessive interest.
“No! Are you going to the fest tomorrow? I got busy and completely forgot that there was also a snowball battle there.”
“Fest? Tomorrow?”
“Well, yes, Winter Solstice. We celebrate the end of the year, make wishes, and share plans for the next year. This kind of stuff.”
“We just didn’t celebrate this. There was something similar, but it was in the fall. Tell me about what will happen there.”
Redhead told in detail how they celebrate here in Portia the date that I usually call the New Year. The part with the big pot of shared soup is a little unclear to me, but overall it sounds very interesting. It's probably worth going. Wait. He just invited me to a public event. It doesn’t seem like a date; I don’t even dare to consider it so. But it turns out that we will be together in front of a crowd of people all day long, won’t we? Well, if I will not blush too much and stutter, no one will really notice anything. At the same time, I’ll piss off Nora. Moreover, I still don’t know what he decided about her, maybe he has a harem of little sisters formed through my efforts.
“How does it sound? Will you go?
“With you? Yes, with you I'll even go through the jaws of Death. And back.”
“I hope it's unnecessary. So, meet me at Alice's store in the morning.”
“Fine. Why there?”
“Approximately equal distance.”
“Fair point. I don’t need to run to the guild in the morning,” I nodded at the traditional chaos around the assembly site. “I have full bunch of orders until the end of the spring.”
On Tuesday morning I dresses up, grabbed gifts for friends and headed to the meeting place. Holy Mr. Peach, just how nervous I am! This is definitely NOT A DATE, why am I so worked up? Oh, there he is, waving his hand. Somehow I got there too quickly.
“Hey!” Arlo offered me his hand, inviting me to grab his forearm.
“Glad to see you so cheerful. That’s your favorite event, I guess?”
“Sure thing. A city hotpot is a big deal, especially when it's so cold and snowy. That’s nothing better than a hefty pot of hot, spicy soup in such a weather!”
“Is it so very spicy?”
“It depends on how much pepper and ginger the townspeople throw in there. And what?”
“Do they usually throw a lot? I don't really like spiced food while I can still stomach ginger or mustard. But I was sick tired of hot pepper even in Barnarock. For some reason everyone there was obsessed with it. What a nonsense, there is a wild heat all around, and they are still have to put it inside themselves also. Brr.”
“Then it’s better not to. Or grab a portion at the very beginning. Well, it's a pity. I thought you liked it somewhat spicy too. You've been cooking spicy food recently.”
“There was almost no pepper there.”
“And it still turned out very tasty. Maybe you can share the recipe?”
“No way! Then you will stop dropping by.”
“You don’t think I have no reasons to visit you other than dinner, do you?”
“Well... I don’t disturb public order. I don't eat kids for lunch. I don’t slander my neighbors. What else is within your responsibility?”
“Fires, for example. A disgusting thing. In summer, the meadows often burn. Come, help yourself before they fill it up. And I'll wait.”
I poured myself a portion, threw in a communal pot a couple of peppers myself, and together with Arlo we walked away from the cauldron to the bench so as not to disturb anyone. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed church attire in the crowd. I wonder if Nora was staring at me or ogling the redhead now? She was probably not pleased that she wasn’t invited by him. And Arlo didn't seem to notice anything yet. Great.
“Well, is it okay? Not too spicy for you?”
“It'll do. But after my intervention, it probably became much more scalding.”
“What did you add there? I'm not familiar with this type.”
“Duvos pepper. Two full pods. Remy once asked for a spicy crepe with duvos powder. Well, I still had some spare pods lying around.”
“Then I’ll run to try it before it was diluted. Be right back.”
While he was pushing towards the cauldron and fiddling with the plates, Nora suddenly approached me. Surprise. And what for?
“Are you enjoying the holiday?”
“Yes, we don’t celebrate that one where I am from. A curious event. Did you want something?”
“I wanted to challenge you!”
“To challenge me? Such an honor! Aren't you afraid of denting your robe?”
“I mean snowballs,” she hesitated. “After the hot pot. On the field.”
“Don’t you think that you and I are in very unequal conditions?”
“Elaborate.”
“As far as I know, you are from a region where snow is common. But this year, I think, is the first time I’ve seen snow myself.”
Very flushed Arlo loomed behind Nora. I wonder how much did he manage to hear? And how will he react.
“That didn’t stop you from running with everyone else at the last festival.”
“It didn’t hurt to run. But it was inconvenient for you to hide.”
“And I wasn’t hiding at all! Everything according to the common rules by the way! Well, do you accept the challenge? Or are you afraid of embarrassing yourself?”
“Ha. No way I'll refuse! If you want a battle, you'll get it. Just don't cry too much.”
“Are you chatting, girls? Great. I hope you two will become good friends.”
“We'll see, honey.”
Nora shuddered. She chuckled and, looking like an insulted princess, headed towards the gate. What a spirit! I hope Arlo won't be too upset when I’ll make her spit snow. Again.
“What were you talking about?”
“Didn't you hear?”
“In outline. It's quite noisy here.”
“Nora wants a snowball fight with me. Is it time for me to run scared?”
“Just drop it. She's a nice girl. Try to get to know her better and you'll see.
“I will try. But I don't promise anything. Cause I think we have nothing in common, you know.” Well, except for the same crush I guess.“Do tell me what do you think of my secret ingredient? I remember Remy even cried. I didn’t get if it was from nostalgia, happiness or l from mucosal burn.”
“It’s a fine brew. You should at least have given a warning, you hooligan. Otherwise you will have to be detained for sabotage. The children, over there, are just spitting from it.”
“You understand that your flimsy cage won’t hold me, right?”
“It shouldn't. But the fine to the workshop’s rating and the ban on taking government commissions will do better.”
“Oh, so you’re a sly one! You’re looking too pleased for such serious threats,” feigning offense I lightly hit him on the shoulder with my fist.
“Let's go, people have already gathered on the field.”
Now it dawned on me why no one cleaned the scenery from the last feast. The decorations were the same, except that the children had built more snow fortifications around. Today's snowball battle had half the time allocated compared with the last feast. I need to use it wisely.
“Well, are you ready?” Nora inquired capriciously. “I can give you a ten-point head start.”
“I reject. Make sure you don't need an advantage yourself.”
“Redhead, do calm down. You'll scare away all the townspeople.”
“Fine point from a redhead yourself. Are you on offense or defense?”
“I hope to have time to play both parts. Besides, I promised you.”
This sly blockhead first went to the side of defense and throughout the battle looked after and protected Nora from my tried. So, are they dating or not? If they are dating, then why did he invite me? Lost in thought, I missed the hard hit. Ugh! Well, now you BOTH will hear from me.
“Keep your eyes open!” Arlo shouted, made a funny face and rolled into another shelter.
I took the opportunity and landed a fine projectile into his “little sister”. Hey, he didn’t have enough time to cover her this time. And she asked for it herself! I'll make her cry later. I dodged her retaliatory projectile without any problems, as well as the Arlo's attempts to provoke me into a rash attack. Changing my position, I took careful aim, pretending to be aiming at him. As I had planned, he deftly dodged, exposing my real target for my attack. Nora was left without a hat. And then that sly redhead got hit in the face. Victory is mine!
“Kid, is it just me, or are you too aggressive today?” Sam slapped me on the shoulder from behind.
“Blame the hot pepper. Don't worry, I'm cooling down quickly.”
“Ugh, I'm not playing against you anymore.” Shaking out the snow from under his jacket, Arlo said, coming closer. Nora was not with him, so I can hope that she will not dare to take revenge soon.
“You signed up for this yourself. There is sparring. There is the Land Run. There are snow-fights now too. What's left there?”
“Fishing.”
“Ugh, disgusting! Any other options?”
“Ghost hunt. And the harvest festival.”
“You don’t participate in that two. I have a hard time imagining your attempts to grow a champion pumpkin.”
“I can eat up a champion pumpkin. But I do not want to. It's too sweet so I'll have a terrible headache.”
“Guys, the second round is starting, we’re dividing into teams again,” reminded Sam, who had observed our skirmish from sidelines earlier.
I didn’t want to go to the defense of the “castle”. Arlo kept his promise and didn’t play against me either. Somehow, completely imperceptibly, the game turned into “escape from the redheads.” Almost our entire team dropped out early, and the two of us really gave our opponents a cold one by the collar. Take that! Quite suddenly, evening came and it was time for the annual group photo. The townspeople flocked back, gathering under the Wishing tree. Wait, why did Nora decide to stand next to me? Is she trying to befriend me now? Was it HE who advised her to stick up to me? Hey, my opinion is not taken into account? Okay, girl, just smile. Hmmm, well, my face got somewhat too ghastly. I just hope Arlo won’t lay this photo on his dresser.
“Sam, don't go away yet.”
“I wasn’t going to; I’ll just gather our team.”
“Okay, I'll wait by the swing. Let the crowd disperse a little.”
Taking advantage of the respite, I rummaged through my bag. Luckily, all the packages are in place, so I can hand them all over.
“Remy, this one for you. I think it will come in handy,” I handed my friend the package, through the packaging of which the fabric was visible.
“New jacket. Cool, thank you, this is exactly what I wanted. And this is for you, open it quickly.”
Inside the small box I found brand new blue boxing gloves. Unable to contain my joy, I hugged my friend tightly.
“My turn! Here you go, little fella. It's your size, I checked twice. I know that your old one is completely worn out.”
“Wow! It's good that I didn't have time to order it myself. I'll be back in my favorite uniform jacket when it gets warmer. Now it’s your turn. It wasn't easy to get.” Sam pulled out a warm blanket with a picture of a horse from the bundle, beamed and hugged me.
“Thanks, kid! Remy, let's go. I'll help you with your knee, you’ve put a lot of strain on it today.”
“Arlo. This is for you. I thought you could use a replacement. This one should be sturdier and fit for a slightly heavier load,” I handed him a brand new arm stretcher with reinforced springs.
“You noticed then? I was just about to order a new one from you. Thank you! Now wait a minute.”
He began to rummage through the inner pocket of his jacket.
“Come closer. Here. Freeze,” he took a bright blue piece of fabric from the package.
Is this... Bandanna? Is it the same as his? While I looked at his gift in surprise and delight, Arlo carefully folded the bandanna in half and began tying it around my neck. He fiddled with it a little, straightened it, smoothed it out, and walked back a couple of steps to admire it. I'm sure I'm blushing A LOT right now. He carried it with him all day after all.
“What, Am I supposed to get hugs? Or did I guess wrong?”
“Why not? You guessed just right” I looked around, but no one seemed to be trampling around. So...OK.
“Then I’m waiting,” he spread his arms invitingly.
Gathering all of my courage, I rushed to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, reached out and quickly kissed him on the cheek, quietly saying “thank you.” Wow, his beard was so soft. And his herbal scent made me melt. Oh. Stunned by my determination, I just as quickly let him go, walked away to a decent distance and started running away, hiding my completely blushed face in my hood.