#lametalia

“First, we need to make sure no one will find out that you’re a molly.” He takes a deep breath. “This is going to be uncomfortable but… please trust me.”

 --- Several Moments Later ---

 Well. Lovino was not wrong, this is pretty, dang uncomfortable!

 Amelia looks down at her new disguise and wonders if it will really be as convincing as Lovino says. As she waits for Lovino to get a change of clothes and finish his next, last-minute travel preparations in the Sanctuary, she feels like a bird sitting with all its feathers puffed up as far as they’ll go.

 Lovino seemed to know what he was doing though. Kinda like he’s done this before, and more than once. In fact, when he had methodically begun to strip off his cloak, belts, sash, and shirt, it hardly registered as an unusual occurrence until he stood before her, bare chested, and politely asked if she would please take her coat off.

 Yeah. She can’t put a pin on why exactly, but that’s when it started getting weird. 

 Having divested her coat, Lovino explained that he would wrap his wide sash around her torso to hide the curves on her body: tightly across her breast, loose around her waist. He then began to add layers. Her bulky coat followed by his blousy shirt, belted low on her hips. Then his cloak and pauldrons to top it off.

 Amelia has no idea what she looks like in this bulky, restrictive get up, so she’ll just have to trust in Lovino’s sense, like he said.

 The weirdest and most embarrassing characteristic of this disguise, though—and she hadn’t had the nerve to mention it in the moment— is that she most definitely smells like a travel-worn Lovino.

 Amelia is no stranger to the smell of sweat and musk. In fact, she’s surprised to find that Lovino’s clothes don’t smell half as bad as she’d expected them to. What throws her is how extraordinarily… well— intimate a thing it is to be smothered in the scent of another cat so thoroughly. The only reason Amelia didn’t question this decision was that bringing attention to it would have just mortified the two of them into dust, right where they stood. She could tell by the way Lovino determinedly refused to look her in the eyes even once. Besides as far as disguises go, you really can’t do better than covering up your scent like this. Lovino’s choice to use his traveled-in clothes was deliberate.

 Eugh. This is going to take some getting used to.

 “Ah. I do not envy you, Amelia.” Says a cool voice with a hint of amusement from Amelia’s back. “But Lovino really is quite good at scheming up covert operations on the fly. I can hardly recognize you.”

 Distracted as Amelia is by her predicament, Natalya had managed to sneak right up behind her, but Amelia can only turn to her and send her a pitiful look.

 Natalya returns a very small, but reassuring smile and takes Amelia’s hands in hers.

 “If anyone can do this, I believe you can do it.” Natalya says simply. Amelia feels her heart bursting with hope again, suddenly, and a prickle of tears threatens the corners of her eyes.

 “Yeah??” Amelia asks, greedy for more reassurance. 

  Natalya nods once and placidly raises her hands to the top of her head. Amelia watches as Natalya pulls apart her customary bow and pulls the long, pale ribbon from her long, pale hair. She then lowers the hood covering Amelia’s head and ties the ribbon gently around her neck before carefully tucking it into the cloak under Lovino’s pauldrons.

 “Sorry to burden you further, but I wanted to give you token of good luck.” Natalya says, returning the hood of Lovino’s cloak to its position over Amelia’s head. “I hope it will remind you of us.”

 “Oh! It’s no burden at all, Nat! Thank you!” Amelia takes Natalya’s hands again and nods fervently. “I will definitely remember! And I’ll come to visit after I find Mattie!”

 “Thank you.” Natalya repeats. 

  The sound of approaching footsteps catches Natalya’s attention. She turns her head smoothly to face source.

 Lovino has returned! Sporting a fresh travel-pack and a fresh change of clothes, Lovino stands beside Amelia and gives Natalya a strange look. A look like he wouldn’t have expected her to be here.

 “Natalya. Everything okay?” Lovino asks. He pulls a pair of dark, leather gloves out of his back pocket and begins to put them on. Wow, though, they are nicely made.

 “Yes, of course.” Natalya nods coolly, as she often does. “I am only saying goodbye.”

 Natalya faces Amelia again and squeezes her hands one last time before letting go.

 “Katya sends her regards, as well. Travel safely.” Natalya says with a small wave. She then makes her way back toward the Sanctuary. Amelia waves and hollers back.

 “Thanks, Nat! See ya!”

 Smiling, Amelia turns her full attention back to Lovino. He has an eyebrow raised briefly, but his face settles into something a little more like relief. Perhaps to see that Amelia’s mood has improved.

 “I see you’ve made friends.” He’s finished donning his second glove and leans a forearm against the rather fancily crafted hilt of a sword she’d never seen him wearing before. It’s quite long and has a very thin blade by the looks of its matching scabbard.

 Now that she’s looking, Amelia can see that the two-tone leather jacket he’s changed into is also of fine quality and tailored to fit him perfectly. Having been the primary crafter of clothing back home, Amelia knows her way around textiles and a needle well enough, and the stitching and seamlines are very impressive! Is this the kind of nice stuff you can find in Achena? Lovino’s old clothes that she’s wearing aren’t necessarily shabby in comparison, but they certainly don’t stand out the way he does now.

Lovino notices Amelia checking out his new style and looks away grimacing.

 “My other shirt is covered in mud… I ran out of options.”

 “Haha! No, dude, I’m just impressed!” Amelia says. She laughs again and claps Lovino’s back amiably. It’s great that the awkwardness and tension from earlier have dissipated and Amelia’s keen to keep it that way. “Ready-- ??”

 Lovino emits a strangled noise and stumbles forward from the force of her whacks. Oops.

 “Ah-- ! …Haha! Sorry, Lovi. Sometimes I forget to hold back!”

 ★ END Ch. 6  ★

A/N:

What, what? What is this?? An update?? 

HI FOLKS. I had Lamentalia on the backburner for a while cause. Well. 2020. But in light of some good news, I managed to get some words down! Did a little reviewing (against my own advice), some more plotting, and even drew a thing that I’ll post up momentarily!