“Ready to go?” Vivio asked, watching Hayate finish off their sashimi dish. She looked up and raised her hand for the bill, checking her watch at the same time. They weren’t exactly pressed for time yet, but they should be off soon to get to the concert hall for when the doors opened.
Hayate let out a happy hum as she chewed on the last tuna piece, turning her attention to the bill the waiter placed on the table beside her.
“I got it—” Vivio stole the bill out from under Hayate’s hand, smiling as she carefully counted out enough yen to cover their meal plus tip. She took a second to double-check her bill denominations, then closed the bill and handed it back to the waiter. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay.”
Hayate held up two hands in surrender. “I’m flattered, but…”
“I insist,” Vivio said in her best Takamachi-stubborn voice, grinning as she happily took Hayate’s hand and placed it in the crook of her near arm as they walked out. “Besides, it’s thanks to you that I even have a job to be able to pay.” Even though as a student intern, Vivio only made two-thirds the salary of any other GFDC officer, it was still more of an income than she could use as a teenager who still lived at home and was fed by her mothers.
“Not really.” Hayate stumbled a bit on the sidewalk, and Vivio consciously slowed her pace, remembering their height difference. It was hard, learning how to walk in close proximity with someone else. Military marching drills weren’t quite applicable in date situations. The brunette glanced up at Vivio, her blue eyes sparkling with open mirth. God, Vivio’s stomach just back-flipped right there. “I wasn’t on the selection panel.”
“What?”
Hayate nodded, laughing. “I wasn’t. I had no say at all in who the Ground Forces chose to fill the single internship spot for the Strike Team.”
“You…really?” Vivio gaped.
“Is it that hard for you to believe? Your school record speaks for itself, Vivio.”
She blushed, feeling a strange giddiness in her stomach. Oh, Vivio knew that her grades were good, but…wow. She had written the hell out of that application, and Nanoha had very patiently looked it over for her after every nervous correction or rephrased sentence. There had been 200 applications from various schools, and Vivio had been given the only placement by a panel of people who didn’t know her at all.
Hayate chuckled, patting Vivio on the arm as they stopped by the curb to hail a cab. “I told you then, didn’t I? You did a fantastic job, and you deserve the position, ‘
Wolf-1’,” Hayate winked.
Hearing Hayate’s voice say her call-sign always made Vivio twitch while in the field, but this time she shivered, going red when she realized that Hayate would have felt that through their joined arms. Could she be any more embarrassingly obvious? “Um,” she stuttered, “A cab? I mean, sorry, how do we—”
“Right,” Hayate said, shivering a little as the wind picked up. She dropped her grip on Vivio’s arm to button up her jacket, and Vivio felt the cold keenly. She covertly stood behind Hayate, letting her taller frame act as a wind-block—that is, if Hayate was actually cold and hadn’t just used it as an excuse to let go of Vivio. Calmly, Hayate lifted a hand, facing the on-coming traffic and leaning into the road. It looked like madness, and Vivio restrained the urge to grab Hayate’s collar to keep her from falling onto the street.
Like magic, a black taxicab appeared and halted aggressively in front of them. Hayate opened the door, took one look at Vivio’s borrowed, straitjacket-like hundred-thousand yen dress, and decided to get in first, sliding across the leather seat for Vivio to clamber in after.
“Crystela Concert Hall,” Hayate told the cab driver, and they were on their way.
“It’s strange how—” Vivio shut her mouth, flushing as she realized that she had nearly blurted out how the cab system was different on Mid-Childa compared to Earth. That would have been an incredibly stupid breach of TSAB security on an Un-Administered planet! “—how drivers can so easily memorize maps of whole cities.”
“It’s a little weird,” Hayate conceded. “I haven’t ridden many cabs before, but I’m always surprised by that too.” She explained further, “I either didn’t go out much, or Nanoha-chan’s family or Suzuka-chan’s family would drive us around. Or we bused, you know, like normal teenagers.”
“I can’t wait to get my licence,” Vivio said passionately, daydreaming about one day being able to drive Fate-mama’s sleek car. She and Nanoha both admired Fate’s car, even if they weren’t as obsessed with it as Fate was. Immediately, Vivio wanted to kick herself. Hayate had blinked and bit her lip, and Vivio could practically read the unease as the older woman suddenly remembered just how old Vivio was—since Vivio had stupidly reminded her of it.
“Um,” stammered Vivio, “I think we’re almost there?” The streets were getting busier and busier as this district tended towards more personal vehicles and richer clientele, meaning that the curbside was loaded with limousines and luxury cars. Somehow, the cab squeezed up between two shiny cars, and Vivio held her breath as the car came to a halt without causing an insurance nightmare.
“Here,” Hayate said before Vivio could act, handing the cab driver a bill through the partition.
“Fine,” Vivio sighed playfully. “Thanks.” She hopped out, stumbling a bit as she landed on the road instead of the curb. Although if the cab had turned in any closer, its front wheels would be on top of a very expensive-looking car, so Vivio forgave the driver for that. Vivio stepped back, then held out a hand to help Hayate out.
Smiling gratefully, Hayate put her fingers into Vivio’s palm, jumping out considerably more gracefully than Vivio did, clutching onto Vivio’s hand to help her balance after the awkward jump. Vivio pulled Hayate forward onto the curb as the cab engine growled as it drove off.
She didn't think about it; she couldn't help herself. Vivio's thumb slid downward, stroking the delicate bones of Hayate's hand.
Her skin was so soft.
Vivio felt Hayate's hand jerk an inch away, and she let go, letting their hands fall limply apart.
Hayate's breath quickened; she seemed about to say something, and her hand twitched. The crowd by the concert hall entrance were facing the other way, but other latecomers were approaching from both sides of the street. Vivio waited.
Then she said, "Here, your ticket."
“Thank you,” Hayate said quietly. She took the ticket and reached forward, but Vivio had already walked over to the door, holding it open for Hayate and the other patrons. They were mostly silent as they walked into the glass and white stone concert hall, collecting programmes from the door attendant and passing their tickets over. All of Suzuka’s complementary tickets were in the front section of the theatre, but Vivio had specifically requested for tickets that were to the side and behind her parents’ seats. She adored her mamas, but sitting beside them while on a date was just a bit
too uncomfortable of a thought.
Vivio swallowed, then touched Hayate’s arm gently, guiding them down the stairs. “This way, Hayate-san.”
The hall was nearly full; the concert would begin in just a few minutes. Most of the patrons looked to be about Hayate’s age or older—understandable, since most youngsters like Vivio either weren’t interested in classical music or couldn’t afford the high price of tickets to a Kaioh Michiru concert. As a result, Vivio was getting a lot of curious looks from the people they passed by, making her a little uneasy. Would they make assumptions about how Vivio was holding onto Hayate’s arm?
Or worse…would they think nothing of it, thinking that it wasn’t anything unusual between a teenager and an older guardian?
She scanned the row and smiled when she saw the backs of Nanoha and Fate’s heads—with that unnerving mother’s instinct, Nanoha turned around just as Vivio and Hayate reached their seats. The Ace of Aces beamed and gave them a small, friendly wave. Hayate grinned and lifted a hand in greeting back, while Vivio bit her lip and tried to subtly drop her grip on Hayate’s arm without seeming too rude or too obvious, blushing.
Fate smiled warmly, and Vivio felt her ears burn as her red-eyed mama gave her a little wink, barely visible in the dimming auditorium. Damn, she could never hide anything from her Fate-mama. Vivio tensed, looking down at her shoes as Hayate stepped into their row and sat down next to a tall blonde woman in a white tuxedo. Would it be too childish to wave back? She definitely wouldn’t shout a happy hello across the row, like she would if attending a pop concert with her friends.
Too late—the lights swiftly dimmed and refocused on the stage. Vivio hastily dropped into her seat as the curtains drew back, clapping along with the audience as the two violinists walked onto the stage, both of them in similar elegant gowns and bowing to their appreciative audience.
Michiru and Suzuka began playing, and the twin violins sounded different to Vivio’s ears although the music blended to form something nice. The entire concert hall was as silent as a midnight stake-out, and Vivio could practically feel the sound waves filling the air with energy like magic. At the end of the first song the audience was frozen as the last note faded, before clapping a thunderstorm of appreciation.
Hayate leaned over, half-yelling into Vivio’s ear to be heard over the din. “What did you think?” She looked just as excited as if she were about to close an important negociation.
“It was…nice!” Vivio shouted back, unable to think of a more descriptive word. She fumbled for something more intelligible to say. “Um…they sounded good…”
Of all the times for Vivio to feel like a six-year old child, awkward and ignorant and anxious, it had to be
now?
“Did you hear that counterpoint?” The tall blonde on Hayate’s other side remarked, still clapping along with the crowd. “I haven’t heard something like that since the Bach concert in Kyoto.”
“It’s an original piece!” Hayate replied enthusiastically.
Vivio opened her mouth, but right then Michiru started playing again, and so she shut up as the audience stilled again to listen, now with an excited tension. Vivio swallowed, straining to try and pick up anything special in the music.
It sounded good, but Vivio didn’t listen to enough classical music to know much about what Suzuka and Michiru were doing to make their pieces spectacular.
When the second piece finished, Vivio said quickly, “I liked the middle part. It sounded kind of different.”
“You mean when the meter changed?”
“…Yeah?” answered Vivio, slumping a little lower in her seat.
“I liked that part too,” Hayate said, although there was a hesitance in her voice. It was hard to tell if that oddity was from a polite lie or from some other reason. Vivio had a hard time reading Hayate’s face then, under the dimmed lights of the auditorium.
“Both Kaioh-san and Suzuka-chan did a great job alternating rhythms.”
“Yeah, they did.”
Hayate didn’t answer. The violinists started playing again.
“…That one was quite different—is it more modern, or something?”
“I think it was more Romantic.”
“…Oh.”
“Um, Romantic, as in, the Romantic Era. There are more…well, more expressive parts compared to Classical pieces.”
“Oh, I see. You can tell?”
“The first two were more traditional, but I think Suzuka-chan told me that most of their songs are Romantic ones.”
“Ah, okay. Yeah, I liked this one better.”
“You did?”
“The earlier ones were nice too, but this one just felt more emotional.”
“You like the more emotional ones?”
“Um, yeah, I guess I do. I think that might be why, um, I usually like songs with lyrics better. The good ones, I mean. I empathize with them more.”
“I see.”
“…um, do you like classical music?”
…
“Sorry, what did you ask before?”
“What? I can’t remember…oh, wait. I asked you if you liked classical music.”
“I—”
“I mean, if you
like classical music—sorry, I, uh, interrupted you there.”
“It’s okay. Yes, I do. I used to listen to it when I stayed at home a lot. It was relaxing, and I never got tired of it.”
“Oh?”
“That was when I was alone, before I met my knights and your mothers.”
“Ah, okay.”
…
“Suzuka-chan did a great job on that last one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. She…well, that solo part is really difficult, and she performed it flawlessly. That’s…pretty great.”
“I thought that she nailed it, yeah. I liked it.”
…
“Michiru-san is
really good.”
“She is. That was amazing.”
“Yeah, it really was.”
“Her style is…well, it’s different. Than what most people do.”
“I see…in what way?”
“She’s quite famous for…well, her technique. Um, how she plays.”
“Oh?”
“Yes…”
“…okay.”
“Okay.”
…
“Wow, that was…Suzuka-chan and Kaioh-san really played something amazing! I wonder which of them wrote that piece?”
“…”
“…Vivio?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, I, uh…um, could you repeat that?”
“I…it’s nothing.”
“…”
“…I just thought they did a good job on that last piece.”
“Really? That’s…that’s great.”
“Hm.”
“Yeah! They must have played really well, if you think so. I mean, since you know a lot about it and all, so you have a proper critic’s judgment.”
“I guess so.”
“…yeah.”
…
“…”
“…”
“…So, how many more songs until the intermission?”
“What? Oh, I wasn’t looking at the program for…I’m not…um…after the next one.”
“I see.”
“I was, uh…did you know that this would be Michiru-san’s seventh album?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Um, do you like her songs?”
“Um…yes. I bought all her other albums before.”
“Oh…how? I mean, here…”
“Suzuka-chan would ship them to me.”
“Oh.”
“…Yeah.”
“Um, that’s great. Good.”
“…”
…
Intermission.
The curtain pulled shut. People started getting up. The aisle filled as guests moved towards the exits.
“…um, Hayate-san…do you want to go out and get drinks? Everyone else is…”
“No thanks. Um, drinks here are alcoholic, and I think I’ll pass for today.”
Vivio blushed, realizing her stupid mistake. Even worse, Hayate knew it too, and had deftly provided an out for Vivio to save her pride. If she weren’t wearing a fancy dress, Vivio would have hunched down in her seat in dejection.
“Good choice—I never understood the need for people to be drunk when listening to great music,” their neighbour remarked.
Hayate turned to her left, politely curious. “Do you attend concerts often, miss…?”
“Tenoh Haruka,” introduced the stranger, smiling charmingly as she held out a white-gloved hand to Hayate. She was handsome, but still looked undeniably feminine to Vivio’s eyes. Her wavy blonde hair seemed constantly wind-swept, and the hand that she was extending was fine-boned like an artist’s but strong like a fighter’s.
She unnerved Vivio in a strange way.
Vivio wasn’t sure she liked that.
Hayate put her hand into Haruka’s, but instead of shaking Haruka bent and kissed Hayate’s knuckles in a utterly proper knightly fashion. Vivio breathed in and out, watching the white-suited woman’s lips pressed briefly against Hayate’s fingers.
“I’m Yagami Hayate; nice to meet you.” Hayate pulled her hand free from the tall blonde, her cheeks lightly pink, and half-turned to include Vivio in the conversation. “This is my—”
“I’m Takamachi Vivio,” Vivio said quietly instead. She’d rather not have another moment like the restaurant. She held out a hand, her wrist angled, and Haruka shook it firmly.
“Pleasure, little kitten,” she said charmingly, winking. Vivio nodded back, unimpressed. Haruka raised an eyebrow, then her expression turned thoughtful. “Takamachi…are you related to Nanoha-san?”
Vivio smiled a little. “My mother.”
“She’s Suzuka-san’s friend,” Haruka nodded, smiling as she was able to place them. “Michiru is quite impressed with your friend’s talent.”
“Oh?” Hayate perked up, her eyes assessing. “It sounds like you and Kaioh-san are close, Tenoh-san.”
“Haruka,” came the husky correction, complete with a smile that made Vivio’s heart jump involuntarily even as she bit her lip, tense.
“I can’t possibly call you that, Tenoh-san,” Hayate laughed, tilting her head with equal charm. “How could I talk with such a famous pianist so familiarly?”
“Ouch,” Haruka winced playfully, “You recognized me.”
“Any fan of Kaioh-san knows of you too, Tenoh Haruka-san.”
“I suppose there are worse ways to be recognized,” Haruka laughed again, but the mirth couldn’t disguise her undercurrent affection. “And I suppose there are worse ways for a pretty woman to address me than ‘Tenoh-san’?”
“It could depend on how Vivio addresses you, Tenoh-san,” replied Hayate, reclaiming Vivio’s attention when she heard her name.
Vivio shrugged a little. She hoped they didn’t think she was being rude. “‘Tenoh-san,’ of course. I would hate to embarrass my parents by being discourteous.” She went silent again.
There was a moment of awkward silence from Vivio’s heavy comment dropped into the levity. Then Haruka said, “Well said—the new generation still has some polite young people, yes, Hayate-san?”
“Our generation isn’t
that much older, Haruka-san,” Hayate returned easily. “An artist is always young, aren’t they?”
“If Michiru asks, my answer to that is always yes,” Haruka faux-whispered, and they laughed.
Vivio glanced at the stage. The curtain was fluttering. They may be ready to resume. But while the lights stayed on, Haruka and Hayate kept talking, a teasing conversation mixed with learned commentary. They were relaxed and intrigued by each other. The casual wit hid cunning minds.
This was the kind of conversation Hayate excelled at.
Vivio stayed silent.
Hayate’s Lieutenant-General and Commander nature really shone through. Especially when Hayate was dressed so beautifully. Shining with expensive jewelry and revealing her quiet sophistication.
It wasn’t a mask.
All part of the amazing Yagami Hayate.
Vivio laid her hands in a fold of her borrowed dress.
**O**
"Vivio-san," Haruka said, halting the younger blonde's movement with a single hand on her wrist. Vivio waited, watching Hayate move away through the crowd as they stood in the emptying aisle. Even the last of the most enthusiastic applauders had stopped and were finally exiting alongside excited murmurs.
"Look," the tall woman said quietly, "I didn't meant to tread in on your girl—"
"It's alright."
Haruka raised her brows, her handsome features clearly dubious.
Vivio sighed. "I'm not jealous, Tenoh-san. It's really alright. I'm glad that Hayate-san could talk with someone who's interested in the same things and can speak at the same level." She dropped her gaze. "Is that all?"
Slowly withdrawing her hand, Haruka stayed in front of Vivio for a moment. "...Okay. I just wanted to apologize for my inconsideration."
Vivio shrugged it off, smiling politely.
Haruka's teal-blue gaze didn't waver. "Have a little faith in yourself, little kitten."
"What?"
Haruka chuckled, her carefree teasing tone back in place, but the hand that she laid on Vivio's shoulder was affectionate like an elder sister's. "She likes you. It doesn't matter that this isn't something you're interested in." She gave Vivio a final smiling nod before heading towards the stage, disappearing behind the curtain looking for her partner.
Hayate liked her? Vivio bit her lip, feeling her heart rate jump as she hurried up the steps towards the lobby. Even after seeing clearly how far apart they really were? Of course Hayate liked her—Vivio knew that Hayate loved her. But it seems like that gap in ages and standing couldn't be jumped, not truly, and especially not in Hayate's eyes, for Hayate to love her in the way Vivio wanted.
This wonderful day would become just another tick in Hayate's list of awful first dates, Vivio knew, her head hanging as she glanced around for Hayate and her parents. She found them standing together by the entrance, chatting as they waited for her.
Nanoha-mama's hands were wrapped around Fate-mama's arm, the two of them blissfully oblivious to the odd looks from the other theatre patrons. They looked so comfortable with each other, and even with Hayate, who was turned towards them with a long-standing ease that spoke to their old friendship. What Vivio wouldn't give to one day be able to stand next to Hayate like that.
But it wasn't just up to her.
And there was no point in dreaming when they all had to go back home, to the real world. At least Vivio had tried. That was something, right?
Right then though, Vivio wished that she could go back to a week before, when she at least had the hope of what might be. Anything but the cold facts that she now had to admit to.
Time to grow up, Vivio.
**O**
The limo was unnaturally silent. Even though Suzuka had to stay longer at the concert hall for interviews (and Arisa had stayed behind to wait for her), their friend had generously asked Falin to pick them up in the Tsukimura limo, saving them all a trip back to the mansion. Vivio scuffed her shoe sole silently against the floor mat, engrossed with the motion. Maybe her parents and Hayate had picked up the atmosphere, since they were also oddly quiet—or simply communicating telepathically. No doubt her parents were talking that way; they had been remarkably sensitive and restrained so far, the only indication of their curiosity in their alternating gazes between Hayate and Vivio, which Vivio avoided deftly.
Seated next to Vivio, Hayate was staring out the window, also pointedly avoiding eye contact with Nanoha and Fate. Vivio just had to look over and see the gorgeous fall of Hayate’s hair over the curve of her neck to be cowed into looking away again.
She felt bad for bringing the mood down. The adults probably wanted to talk about the concert or gossip about their friends, but Vivio was keeping them from feeling comfortable.
The limo seats were wide, but Hayate was sitting a little closer to Vivio’s side than to the limo panel, so through the thin material of her dress Vivio could feel the agonizing warmth of Hayate’s thigh radiating to her skin, making her muscles quiver as she tried to ignore the sensation. Unsuccessfully ignore the sensation.
The vehicle slowed, then rolled to a gentle stop. Falin opened the door, cheerfully announcing, “We are back at the mansion. If it is alright, we’ll have a late dinner today so that Miss Suzuka and Miss Arisa can join us before the evening performance.”
“That sounds fine,” Nanoha answered for all of them, climbing out and gallantly giving Fate a hand out. Vivio sighed, dejectedly envious. She started to rise but was stopped a second time that day by the weight of a hand on her wrist.
“Vivio,” Hayate said quickly, as if she had to blurt out words she had been rehearsing over and over in her head. “If you don’t have anything you want to do while we wait, um, there’s somewhere I’d like to take you to. If you like.”
“Oh?” Vivio tilted her head curiously, a smile tugging at her lips. “Where?”
Hayate smiled at Vivio’s intrigued excitement, a playful glint shining through her composed expression. “You’ll see. Let’s get changed to some comfortable civvies, and meet in front in, say, ten minutes?”
“Sure.” Vivio tried to keep her expression calm. What was Hayate up to? She practically skipped up to her room, dropping her dress on her bed and yanking open her closet to grab a pair of jeans and a Strike Team polo shirt. Where were they going? Hayate had said civvies, but should Vivio still wear something nice? But Hayate had said comfortable…
“I guess I’m going with comfortable then,” Vivio decided, pulling on her jeans. She grabbed a sweater, then winced at seeing the wrinkles in the sleeves. Replacing that one with one that Falin-san had ironed, Vivio yanked it on and quickly ran a brush through her hair, checking her appearance in the mirror.
She looked like she was about to go run ten laps around the training field. Or about to lounge around at home on the couch. Then again, Hayate had seen her in worse before, right?
…Maybe she should change?
No time. Vivio bounded down the stairs, taking the last few ones in a jump as she slid towards the foyer. She turned the corner and nearly ran into Hayate.
“Oof!” Hayate didn’t even have a chance to stumble before Vivio had caught her, nearly lifting the lighter woman up in her arms.
“Sorry!” Vivio reluctantly let go after she set Hayate back on her feet. It was a little weird how she was bolder with her hands when wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Or maybe it was just the situation that had her doing less “thinking” and more “doing,” which seemed to work best for Vivio.
But that wasn’t how adults had relationships.
Vivio dropped her hands, stuffing them into her sweater pockets to keep them out of trouble.
“Let’s go,” Hayate said, seemingly unfazed by the previous situation. She was a little underdressed for the weather, only wearing a long-sleeved shirt over top of a blouse and dark pants. But then again, Hayate handled the cold differently than most people—she would either be quite affected as slight people were, or utterly oblivious to temperatures that would cause other people to shiver. It never ceased to remind Vivio that her crush was the master of an ancient ice-based magic that held enough raw power to blow up spaceships and chunks of planets, and that she controlled that power effortlessly every day.
“Where are we going?” Vivio asked.
A wide, honest grin was her only answer, and Vivio swallowed a few times to wet her dry mouth as she followed Hayate out the door. They walked down the street, and Vivio noticed the number of pedestrians thinning as they walked on, heading towards a quieter district along the main roads.
“There,” Hayate tugged on Vivio’s sleeve to stop her, keeping hold of a fold of Vivio’s sweater as she happily pulled them over to the glass doors of an open air, quaint little teahouse. The warm-coloured wood and wide, comfortable space immediately made Vivio’s tension ease, as the tranquility of the place seeped into her muscles.
“Welcome to the Amber Teahouse!” The young server greeted from behind the counter. “Please, sit anywhere you like, I’ll be right with you.”
Vivio let Hayate guide them to a seat by the open wall, her eyes still transfixed on the careful attention the teahouse girl was spending measuring out tea leaves. She had never thought of tea as such a precise art, from the focus that the other girl was spending on the dried leaves! No wonder Nanoha always winced whenever Vivio and Fate made their tea instant or from store-bought teabags.
“Did you use to do that?” Vivio asked in an undertone, finally turning from the sight to sit down across from Hayate at a small round table. The table was shielded from drafts by a wall, but still situated nicely to be warmed by the sunlight slanting in from the open store-front.
“Not like that,” Hayate replied, amused at Vivio’s fascination. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands, watching Vivio with a gentle scrutiny. “I couldn’t drink much tea when I was younger—Dr. Ishida wanted to avoid any adverse effects from the herbal components and my medication, so I never learned about tea-making.”
“That sounded like a lonely time.”
The empathic statement made Hayate tilt her head thougtfully. “I suppose it was, even though I hadn’t noticed how much so until after my knights came to me. But it’s not just me—you had some lonely times too.”
“It’s weird,” Vivio frowned thoughtfully. “I can barely remember. I’m not even sure how much of that was
real, then.” She gave a weak smile. “Fate-mama understands, but we don’t talk about it much.”
“I’m sorry,” Hayate said, contrite. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
Embarrassed, Vivio coughed. “It’s okay—I kind of started it, didn’t I?” Still, she thought that they were both relieved when the long-haired teenaged server stopped by their table with two menus, placing it before them perfunctorily.
“Good afternoon—I’m Sarasa, your server for today. Do you have any questions about anything?” The server asked, smiling warmly. This was a girl who really liked her job, Vivio thought. She couldn’t imagine working such a sedate job and enjoying it, but then again, the older teenage girl probably hadn’t grown up in a military life like Vivio had.
“Vivio?”
“Um, I’m alright,” Vivio said. “I don’t really know about this stuff—I’ll have whatever you recommend.”
“My recommendation? Hm,” Sarasa looked between Hayate and Vivio carefully. “I think…a nice silk dragon jasmine blend for you, miss.” She pointed to the picture in the menu in front of Vivio. “It’s a mixture of traditional green tea and jasmine flowers—light but flavourful. And for you, ma’am, I would suggest the golden pu’erh. It has a nice earthy taste from being aged for 5 years in China’s mountain caves, and has a taste that is unlike anything here in Japan.”
“Done,” Hayate said, handing the menus back to Sarasa. “Thank you.”
“Would either of you like to order from the desserts menu?”
“No thanks,” Vivio laughed. “My mama’s family owns a bakery in the neighbourhood, so I have to work off all those sweets first.”
“A bakery?” Sarasa furrowed her brows, thinking. “Ah, St. Germaine’s or Midori-ya?”
“Midori-ya,” said Vivio, taken aback at the other girl’s reply.
“Ah, you’re a Takamachi! They make amazing cakes—we’re lucky that they are on the other side of the neighbourhood,” Sarasa grinned, “or else Seriho-san and I would be out of business. Anyway, I’ll be back with your orders, please relax and enjoy yourselves.”
“Wow,” Vivio remarked to Hayate, pushing up her sleeves and leaning back in her chair to balance with the front two chair legs slightly off the floor. “I didn’t realize that Nanoha-mama’s family is so well known around here! That’s twice today I’ve been recognized, and I’ve never even visited Earth before.”
“A skewed sample,” Hayate chuckled, resting a cheek on her fist. “Besides, shouldn’t you be used to it? Both your mamas are quite famous back home.”
Home. Yes, Vivio remembered. They were on vacation right now.
She stifled a sad sigh, instead letting her chair legs drop back to the floor. When Hayate’s expression shifted into curious concern, Vivio gave her a smile, not quite successfully screening the wistfulness from it.
“It’s nothing. I’m just…thinking about how we’ll have to go home soon.” Vivio shrugged, looking away before forcing herself to meet Hayate’s gaze again. “Did…did you have fun on our date today?”
An un-encouraging blend of emotions swirled on Hayate’s face, and this time it was Vivio’s turn to observe her quietly, noting all the little changes in the older woman’s countenance. In a different place and time, Vivio probably wouldn’t have been able to see past Hayate’s polite politician’s mask, but here they were both in casual home clothes and on a planet far away from anyone who matters in their daily lives. So Vivio saw a lot more than Hayate probably realized she was showing. Hesitance, confusion, reluctance, guilt…and underneath it all, a hint of fear.
Well.
That fear was a hopeful sign, in a twisted way. After all, if Hayate didn’t care, then she wouldn’t be afraid, would she?
But Vivio couldn’t see the one emotion she was hoping to see.
So that was that, she supposed.
“Never mind,” Vivio said quietly, exhaling slowly to still her quivering chest. “Don’t worry about it. I think…maybe we should be going back now.” She pushed her chair back, reaching into her sweater pocket for her wallet. “Besides, it’s almost tim—”
Hayate caught onto Vivio’s hand, her fingers curling tightly around Vivio’s.
Vivio stopped.
Hayate closed her eyes for a second, then opened them, looking directly into Vivio’s red-green eyes with her deep, unfathomable gaze. Vivio was bespelled—even if the world exploded around them, Vivio would not have been able to look away from those blue, blue eyes.
“Sit,” Hayate murmured, somehow making the word an order without a semblance of command. “Sit with me for a while.”
Vivio breathed in, then out. Slowly, she sunk back into her seat, still unable to look away. “Okay.”
They sat there silently, even after Sarasa came back with their tea. The tall teenager took one look at them and quietly placed their teapots and cups down and swiftly left again, leaving Hayate and Vivio to sit in the yellow-orange light from the skyward sunset.
Hayate was the first to break their eye contact, although by then something had
changed so that it wasn’t so intense, so breathless, as before. Yet Vivio didn’t miss the sensation, because whatever had happened didn’t disappear, it just changed into something she couldn’t quite name.
It was a nice day, Vivio decided, watching the play of golden light burning across the pale bark of the bordering trees. From where they sat they could see the sunset through the empty arms of the tall pines, and where the sun met the horizon starbursts of red, pinks and purples ribboned out across the blue sky. It was glorious yet cold, and distant yet warm. Her forearms, bare below the scrunched up fabric above her elbows, prickled with goosebumps from the chill wind, but that didn’t bother Vivio.
From the corner of her vision Vivio could see Sarasa and another woman step out from behind the counter to rearrange the porch furniture for the evening customers, both of them working with the silence of familiarity. Vivio watched them, seeing their relaxed postures and unguarded smiles when they brushed up to each other in their work. The older woman was surely the master of the teahouse, but she and Sarasa were evidently more than just coworkers. Even when working, they weren’t
really working, but enjoying their time spent with each other.
Surprising, how easily Vivio could forget that. Forget that enjoying time didn’t always have to be the same as doing things.
She had done a lot of things during this week of vacation. She had actually enjoyed doing most of it, even if her emotions had been sent up and down like a flight test.
They were all going home tomorrow, and then things will go back to the way they always had been, because that’s what people did when they returned to work and routine life. Right now, Vivio didn’t even worry about that—she was content. The worry was something in her mind, not in her heart, and since she knew that it couldn’t last Vivio was going to bask in the sensation while it was present.
Like a good dream, Vivio didn’t have to forget this past week once they all woke up from the lassitude of vacation time. And she wouldn’t forget.
She couldn’t.
Unfortunately for her.
Maybe one day, it’ll all make sense, and she would have been glad over the risks she had taken, and the bravery she had tried for.
Vivio looked at Hayate, and saw the brunette commander staring far, far away, her expression blank with the same dreamy mood that had settled in over them both. So Vivio turned her gaze away too, breathing in the crisp evening air and watching the tree shadows dance across the pavement.
They had to go back to the mansion for dinner soon.
And right then, Vivio realized that Hayate was still holding onto her hand.