Fantasy Moments in Time

Serena hummed, eyes fluttering closed as he lulled her to sleep. ". . . You're so cute . . . It's just smelly socks, Seth . . ." With her cheeks flushed red, the violinist slacked against her ninja-enthusiast and napped. She was probably tired from jumping so much in the temple while defending from the crystal monster.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Minnie let out a quiet yelp as Sen pulled her in a hug, eyes wide in surprise. Then she laughed as she heard his whine, wrapping her arms around the silly inventor. "Let's cuddle then~"

Leaning her forehead on his gently as she lay next to him, the gunwoman pulled Sen closer; her metal hand teasing the hair at the back of his neck.

"Like this, my spark of lightning?" Minnie whispered on his lips, her expression softening to adoration as she wrapped a leg over his waist; as if she wanted to be closer then humanly possible.

". . . Maybe as if they were inspired by something . . . unworldly?" She mumbled quietly, going back to the temple conversation. "I mean . . . it seems the monster is there for a reason if it can't even chase after you and Serena." She rubbed her nose with his. "It's like it's protecting something . . . maybe we should check on the other temples too?"

Zer0

"But I don't want your hands to be tainted, Serena." whispered Seth, squeezing her le hand. "Your hands create moving music."

When she slacked, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to warm her in this weather, then kept as still as he could, only moving to caress her cheek or comb her hair every now and then, until he too fell asleep.

The herons watched the couple as they walked along the banks. Maybe because it was cold, or because the people around the castle were friendly to herons, but one of them with a white and black pumage and a red feathered crown with one smaller storkling came bobbing up to them then bent down to rest behind Serena's back. It's little one snuggled under its feathers and rested too.

"E-exactly like that, my Von Ironheart." said Sen, smiling at how close they were and the pleasant teasing that sent shivers down his tummy. He wrapped his everything around her and hugged her tight, now humming happily. He gave her soft lips an affectionate nibble as they settled all cuddly.

Sen nodded. "Mm. I admit I'm curious too. But the concert is tomorrow right? Perhaps afterwards? Or maybe later today? What time is it?"

Minnie must have dazed him good with her tease if he forgot the time.

Her giggle chimed quietly as she continued to tease the back of his hair. "It's tomorrow night, Sen." Minnie smiled softly, just enjoying Sen's dazed company and the quietness around them.

A few quiet moments, just a few minutes of just playing with his hair and snuggling, the sniper's voice piped up quietly and asked. "Sen? . . . Have you noticed that we only talk about issues?"

Zer0

"Issues?" said Sen, still a bit dazed as he snuggled with her. He hugged her and was quiet for a while in thought. " You. are right, Minnie. I think all we've ever talked about the past few weeks was this peace treaty and how we could establish trade here, though the assassination wrecked all our schedules and plans . . ."

Sen began to look distracted as he mulled things over, and stretched out an arm to pull open the bedside drawer and take out his business ledger. It was a tome full of guild secrets, numbers, names, accounts, and plans.

"It's too late to arrange anything now, though we could perhaps try and introduce ourselves to the most influencial merchants in the nobles' districts." He read aloud a list of things they could offer, as he rubbed her back.

"Why do you ask, though? Did we miss something important we were supposed to do?" He checked their old schedule.

Katsuya

Minnie deadpanned when Sen took out the tome, her smile from before wiped away as her blue eyes stared at the book. Then she looked at Sen as she listened to him reading out loud. The bottom of her eyelid twitched.

"This is what I mean."

She cupped his hands and closed the tome before sliding it out of Sen's hands. Her lips frowned. "We talk about work all the time. We don't talk about ourselves, to each other." If he still doesn't get it, Minnie would sigh and tried a different approach.

"What's my favorite dessert?" She asked, staring right at his green eyes. "My favorite color?"

Zer0

Sen immediately looked like a confused man who believed he did something to make his lady mad, but did not know what it was, and was now uncertain of what's going on right now.

"You're favorite color is blue and your favorite dessert is . . ." Sen paused, then realized that he did not know the answer to that. He knew that he should know because it's what fiances should know, but he didn't and now he's in trouble because he doesn't know?

" . . . Er . . . Strawberry shortcake?"

Katsuya

"It's lava cake with vanilla ice cream on top." Minnie corrected calmly, raising her brow at his confused and panicky face. Why is Sen panicking? It was just a question.

". . . What's my hobby?" She asked some more. "My favorite drink?"

Zer0

"Your hobby is writing romance, shooting, and having those secret meetings with Echo, Serena, Renee, and for some reason Kenren . . . Um . . . And your favorite drink is . . . is . . . milk? Cold milk? I-I think? . . . Errr, what's going on, Minnie? Did I do something?" he asked apprehensively and sincerely concerned.

Katsuya

Minnie blinked owlishly, surprised at what she heard. "My hobbies is writing, competitions with Seifer, going on shopping sprees with Seifer, and have very educational meetings with Echo, Serena, Kenren, and Seifer . . ."

"My favorite drink is temperate water." She sighed again, listening to Sen's apprehensive concerns. "No, you didn't do anything wrong . . . or well it's more like we did something wrong. I'm trying to show you what I mean: you don't know me . . . and I don't know you." This is where she sat up, crossing her legs as she listed off calmly.

"I know you like bacon and eggs. You love to see how inventions work yet . . . I don't know what's your favorite color or what's your favorite type of soap or what other possibly hobbies you might have." Her shoulders drooped a bit as she tried to explain.

"Do you even know what my uncle's name is? What he does as a job? Do you even know why I love writing romances? Because I certainly don't know why you love to build machines."

"I know you think machines are cool, but what inspired you to want to be an inventor? I want to know about you more and vice versa . . . don't you?" Minnie asked sincerely, showing her concern about this matter.

Zer0

When Minnie said they did not know each other a look of quiet alarm crossed Sen's face as though he just noticed that now and after all the eight years they've been together.

"I-I know you're close with Seifer." said Sen, attempting to redeem himself a bit. As she kept on talking, his apprehension of possibly being in trouble gave way to anxious care about this making her sad.

"My favorite color is copper." he said immediately, sitting up to face her properly. " I like soap scented with milk and honey, Minnie. And apart from tinkering, joking around, and trading, I like going on lazy flights when you're away and there's nothing to do; flying around clouds to swirl them into ice cream or airship figures. And I also like thinking about how to make your arm better even though my ideas are more along the fun side instead and sketch them out --- oh! Also make stuff up about people in my head when I'm bored."

"I- I don't know your uncle's name?" He said in a tiny voice, "But I know he's a smith! And--and you love writing romance because you like it?"

" And I do, Minnie, of course I want to know you." He budged closer to tentatively hold her hand if she let him. " I just . . . I got comfortable with not talking about ourselves since we never did that much when we were just starting out with the guild, and . . . I was okay with how we were. "

Katsuya

As Sen tentatively held her hand, Minnie sighed, squeezing his hand in quiet comfort.

" . . . Then can we . . . can we separate our work from our private time and talk about ourselves instead?" She asked, hesitant about suggesting anything to him. The gunner can suggest and formulate a battle plan or guerrilla warfare tactics without much issue, but when it comes to their own relationship . . . It seems she's still very timid and shy, almost like a baby deer that's contemplating on following their mother across a solid frozen lake.

"We can ask random questions about each other as a start?"

Zer0

"Yes, of course!" said Sen, relieved, eager to be able to fix this alarming state of their relationship. He made a mental note not to propose a marriage date to Minnie until they knew each other better.

Actually . . . Sen glanced at his engagement ring that was hanging from a necklace on the bedside table all gleaming and polished. He did not regret promising himself forever to Minnie, as he loved her company, but he believed now that he had been moved to propose by passion that had no real substance in it. Why did he like Minnie?

"Hmmm . . . Can you . . ." Sen looked embarassed and tentative again. " Can you tell me about your childhood, Minnie? How did you end up being with your uncle?"

Katsuya

Upon Sen's embarrassed face and tentative question, Minnie gently smiled again, cheeks turning red as she nodded silently.

"I was dropped by an orphanage worker in Kingsbury with just a note and blanket when I was a few months old. My uncle told me that's the reason why he let me stay with him, because he recognized my mother's handwriting on the note and our blue hair color . . . It's a family trait, it seems." Minnie started off, taking a deep breathe as she let her memories carry her words across.

"My uncle Arthur . . . he never told me that I was a girl, never treated me as one, and never made me act like one. He taught me how to shoot guns and how to handle weapons safely whenever I handled them to costumers. He would scold me for crying or getting angry or scared. He never complimented me or encouraged me; he would just stare at me and then sighs as if I was a disappointment." She chuckled dryly as if she was used to it and she probably was. Her eyes dulled from talking.

"When I first had my monthly, I was horrified and tried to ask my uncle about it. Even begged to let me go see a doctor or a healer, but he just told me to go wash up instead. He didn't look at me for months after that incident and I figured it out by overhearing some older girls talking about their monthly experiences."

Realizing that this memory might be too gross or depressing for Sen's taste, she decided to switch the topic at hand.

"Did you know that I didn't even know how to read or write when I was ten?"

Zer0

Sen shook his head. "Why was he like that? Was he a sullen man who wanted a son and thought you a burden?" He looked confused as to why Minnie wasn't treated better.

"So . . . How did you learn to read and write? He didn't abuse you, did he?" Sen started to look dangerously annoyed, as though if her uncle did he was going to do something to him.

Katsuya

"He never had any wives before and I don't think he wanted children." Minnie answered, shrugging her shoulders awkwardly. "Either way, I felt like I was a burden to him."

When she noticed how close Sen was to being annoyed, she squeezed his hand and trying to comfort his frustrations. "No. No. He never touched me . . . As to how I learn how to read and write . . . well . . ." Her cheeks flushed, her brows furrowed, and she sheepishly grinned.

"I started to learn on how to read when the same orphanage, who dropped me off, was having an outdoor reading session for the younger kids. Imagine the scene: a ten year old surrounded by two or three year olds and listening in to the worker reading a very simple 'Goodnight, Moon' book." She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck with her metal arm nervously.

"The worker noticed how I would come by whenever she read to the younger kids and offered to teach me how to read . . . and then taught me how to write after reading the same 'Goodnight, Moon' book without stuttering . . . I was so proud of myself that I could finally read what my uncle and the apprentices were writing. I even showed it off to my uncle, believing maybe that I would impress him . . . but all he did was look at me and told me to open the shop again. I got so . . . angry. Like it had built up over the years and it all just came out." Minnie sighed, smiling happily.

"That's when I ran away and stayed at the orphanage. Best thing I've ever done. It took him a few weeks to find me and when he finally did, the worker at the orphanage told him off. Even made him sign a co-adoption papers, so I would live with Mrs. Abigail on the weekdays and visit my uncle on the weekends."

Zer0

"Mrs. Abigail is the worker who taught you to read?"

Katsuya

"Yep! Ms. Abigail is the one who taught me how to read." Minnie smiled brightly. "Her living room can rival a grand library with how many books she has right now."

Her thumb rubbing his hand comfortingly, she stared at Sen. Still smiling brightly. "Tell me about your childhood, Sen. What were you like when you were small with chubby cheeks?"

Zer0

"I must meet her one day --- together, us, and tell her I asked for your hand, Minnie." said Sen. He maybe a prankster, but Sophie was still able to pound some manners into him.

He met her stare with a content look. His tentativeness had fallen away now in this comfortable lull in their conversation. At chubby cheeks, Sen grinned. " I was a hyperactive ball of energy! Me and Seth would explore the places outside the portals and we did daredevil stunts and got into so much trouble together! Because of all the travelling, we were exposed to a lot of different cultures, and so we didn't think the same way most of our classmates did back in Kingsbury. We had our own opinion and we did't fit in the rules, so we ended up making enemies of goody-goodies like our brother dear, which was also the start of our pranking."

"We didn't care about school, we just attended classes we thought were actually useful and snuck into higher level classes to learn. That's how I knew advanced alchemy. We'd switch during each other's classes to let the other have free time, and we also switched on girlfriend dates just for laughs!"

" Though we stopped when we were around fifteen and the ex I had then got pretty upset. We were . . . kind of evil that time." he looked away guiltily.

"We were homeschooled until we were eleven and old enough to go to Kingsbury. Dad and Markl were our teachers while mom was busy with the house. Those times dad was away for long periods of time mom would teach us basic stuff like how to cook and make bread. The Witch of the Waste would teach Seth some secret magic, while I'd sneak into my parent's room to get on of dad's stuff and take it apart. I'd put it back though, he had so many weird thingamajigs in his room."

"Minnie, did you ever find out more about your parents and what the note said?"

Katsuya

Minnie perked up when Sen insist on meeting her teacher and nodded excitedly. "Of course!"

As she listened in to the inventive twin's childhood, the gunner chuckled a bit when he mentioned the twins switching and sneaking in classes. She can see that happening with them, always deciding for themselves and be recognized for their independence. Though she tilted her head in surprise when he talked about his and Seth's exs.

" . . . I didn't know you would do that to your exs. Not with the way you cared about the people you cared for." 'Like me' she silently added, muttering honestly before frowning when he looked away. Probably feeling guilty. As she listened, gently smiling at the thought of Sen sneaking in his parents' room to tinker around, she blinked at his question.

"N-No, I haven't asked about my parents. I would ask my uncle but . . . " Minnie grimaced at the idea, already knowing he would't help her. Not after so many years of not caring about her. "But I do know about the note. Mrs. Abigail showed it to me and it only said my name and who my mother's brother is. I sort of figured my mother and father was either dead or just didn't want me."

"What made you two stop being . . . mean to your girlfriends before?" She was curious, he can tell by the way she tilted her head.

Zer0

"We felt bad. That girl was a good person. Renee and James found out and gave us a good telling off too. They had a point when they told us she didn't do anything to me, that she cared about me for real and that's how I treated her. So we stopped." he said simply.


Katsuya

"Ahhh~ I see. That makes sense." Minnie sagely nodding, rubbing her chin. Suddenly, she leaned in close. Curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

"Remember our time together when you first proposed? I told you why I liked you at the time." She mentioned quietly. "Why do you like me?"

Zer0

Sen went red, flustered at the sudden closeness. "Because you care about me, and you're cool and cute at the same time." He surprised himself with how easily that came out.

"A-and," he touched her hair, "you're a secret romantic. And short but scary. And funnily clumsy. And because you have a cool tattoo and look so solid with it with your pony tail. And you turn into a blanket burrito sometimes in the mornings." Sen looked a little insecure. " I'm sorry if they're shallow, Minnie, but I really like those simple things. You make me happy too." he added reasonably.

Katsuya

Pleased about making him happy, Minnie hummed, leaning her head in his hand more so she can nuzzle it. "Don't be sorry, Sen. It's not shallow at all . . .If anything . . ." Letting go of his hand, she cupped his red cheeks, and rubbed with her thumb.

"It sounds more like a beginning. We have all the time in the world to discover new things about ourselves and each other . . ." Then her lips grew into a grin, looking very mischievous and confident.

"So . . . I suggest you should tinker me too, Sen~" Okay, maybe she was having too much fun teasing, but in a way, she hopes that he does become curious about her too. Just like how she will start asking questions from now on.

Zer0

"Y-yes." Was all a dazed Sen could say. Then he became thoughtful. " Do you want to play a game, Minnie? We just ask random questions about each other and then after answering, the one who answered can tell the other where to smother on some loving?"

Katsuya

Minnie giggled at his dazed answer, finding him cute again. She hummed at the idea before nodding in agreement as she leaned back to give Sen some space. Not because she wants to but she wanted him to have some thinking room.

"Sure! I love games!" She chimed quietly, bouncing on the bed and making it rock a bit. "Who should ask first?"

Zer0