October's Clan

💛💜 evren watches as nya dashes off towards the barracks. not a minute later, valain runs to him, out of breath.

"you know where she went. do tell me~"
"i don't know this base, boss."
"you're lying~ where is she?"
"over there, boss." he vaguely gestures at the buildings behind him. it's not enough to satisfy her.
"do be more specific~"
"looks like the barracks, boss." by now, hopefully nya is elsewhere. valain takes off, calling out nya's name. he wishes nya luck.

her nyanya is being shy again :sadi: valain just wants to talk! maybe approaching her in the cafeteria wasn't a good idea, but valain was just so happy to see her... and now valain is lost in a maze of identical buildings. who knew there were so many people living on base? nya could be anywhere!

nya hears valain close by. she won't find her, as nya is in the last place she'd search - back at the mess hall. her squad keeps asking her questions about "the lady", no matter how many times she told them to shut up. tch.

💜💛 everyone's wearing the dress uniforms nya had to launder, nya included. luckily, she was not tapped to be a tour guide. that won't mean much to the guest of honor, but nya will take the small victory. however, it's lunch break, which means...

"nyanya~" did she really have to say it in the crowded mess hall? in front of all her comrades?
"nyanya, why won't you answer my calls~" stop. just stop. a few people cough.
"nyanya, about that restaurant reservation~" stars above, she knows no shame. nya hears a snicker behind her. she shuts the offender up with a glare.
"nyanya, so cold! can't you say hello~" yeah. ok. nya's not hungry anymore. she gets up.
"nyanya, leaving me so soon~" whispers follow her as she leaves. so does valain. nya quickly heads into a restricted zone. she has no illusions it'll stop valain from following, but it may slow her down. she doubles back - and runs straight into evren.

"you-"
"she went that way."
"..thanks."
"good luck."
"tch."

💛💜 has valain ever said more words with less substance behind them? nya struggles to think of a time she did. what a feat. she's also crowding far too close to nya. nya would shove her away, but they're walking down a busy street. people are already looking at them. valain is nattering on about some restaurant she booked for next week. she pauses, clearly waiting for a response. unfortunately for her, nya has no interest in answering. her commander is waiting at the base entrance. nya salutes her, then walks in without a backward glance.

"ma'am, you have no clearance to enter."
"it'll only be for a brief moment~ you can escort me~"
"sorry, councilor, we make no exceptions."
"surely just this once~"
"no, ma'am." what a stick in the mud! valain is already scheming for a way into the base. perhaps a tour? yes, yes, a tour of the splendid facility. other people would've given up by now, but persistence gave valain a way back to her nyanya before. valain isn't about to stop now.

💜💛 evren's here again, an apologetic look on his face. there's a cup of coffee clutched in his hands. really? does valain learn nothing?

"she insisted that-"
"i don't care. tell her to cease this nonsense."
"she's not listening to me."
"i. don't. care." and that was that. evren leaves with coffee in hand. nya gets back to work and doesn't think about valain.

"boss, she rejected the gift and told you to 'cease this nonsense'."
"i think you're lying, my dear assistant~ you just want the coffee to yourself~"
"boss, i'm telling the truth."
"i have these forms for you to fill out~ i'm stepping out for a walk~" uh.
"boss-"
"see you later~" evren sighs and looks at the requisition forms valain laid out for him. office supplies for the next year. oh joy.

someone's doing a really bad job at stalking her. nya isn't naming them. she ignores them as she makes her rounds. they eventually leave. hmph. she finishes her shift. she's walking back to base, when -

"nyanya~" nya hates her life.

💛💜 maybe her commander was onto something. after a patrolling lap around the property - nothing suspicious besides a curious rodent - she feels less incensed. the gift still feels like a stinging insult. valain thinks she can win nya back by being all lovey-dovey and generous? hmph. valain owes her an explanation and a hundred thousand apologies first. and then, nya will decide.

"did she like the gift~?"
"no, boss."
"oh no! does she not like mango anymore?"
"she didn't open it, boss."
"ehe~ she's playing hard to get~ maybe a more extravagant gift next time~"
"with all due respect, boss, i don't think that will be received well."
"i didn't ask for your opinion~"
"apologies, boss." valain is a conundrum. she's also a very, very good actress- evren can't tell if she's being serious or not. what's very clear is valain is dangerously obsessed with nya. he'll have to be careful.

perhaps her nyanya isn't ready for gifts yet~ valain will keep trying~ hmm, maybe some coffee next~

💜💛 valain glumly makes her way to the governor's office to "discuss" recent events. it was then, as she was making the steps up to the office, that she saw a sign that everything was going to be alright. her nyanya was here~ almost as if she was waiting for valain~ no matter what outfit or headgear she wears, valain will always know it's her at a glance~ she walks the rest of the way to the office with a spring in her step.

"my dear assistant, i've had the most wondrous day~"
"i'm glad to hear that, boss."
"would you mind delivering this to a certain someone~"
"of course, boss."
"don't open it~"
"of course not, boss." evren opens the package - after checking for traps. he would rather not get glittered. it contains a (very sappy) note and some macarons. ah. as far as apology gifts go, it's pretty good. but for nya...

nya takes one look at the wrapped gift and tosses it into the nearest garbage can. what a joke. can't even take it to her in person? coward.

jgkfd what a mood yeah :D hi hi <3

the tab of cats is absolutely amazing and delightful. i now completely understand the purpose of Marva's Invisibility Cloak.

💛💜 unsurprisingly, her commanding officer was not pleased about how she handled the situation. not that she hadn't gotten into a few bar fights herself - no, it was because valain was a person of "special importance" and any incidents were sure to make headlines on this planet. nya can handle a verbal reprimand. the boss lady also knows this. that's why nya is here, doing laundry for the whole base and ironing dress uniforms. it would "give her time to think on a better course of action". to add insult to injury, she's to guard the governor's office until further notice. tch.

valain calls out sick. this development pales in comparison to the clips and articles (and memes) circulating the online world. oops. she may have some regrets. seeing her nyanya so splendid and intimidating in her uniform... valain had lost all courage. resorting to some liquid courage had predictably disastrous results. oops.

"wait, you're here?"
"guard duty."
"ah."
"not a word."
"of course.

💜💛 nya watches as evren hauls valain up from the stone bench. he turns, asking her to come help. tch. fine. she's not leaving her with the spyboy in this condition. they help her to a transport, and off they go back to the apartment. just like old times. her phone beeps thrice. her commander.

boss lady: what happened at the party?
nya: councilor valain was drunk and tried to grope me
boss lady: is this your ex?
nya: we were never a couple
boss lady: meet me first thing tomorrow.

nya glares at valain resentfully. she'll get some stupid punishment duty tomorrow, and it's all her fault. once valain is securely in her apartment without spyboy, she leaves in a huff.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE? A TANGLED TRIANGLE TALE
Dear readers, you won't believe the scoop we got late last night about the incident at the inauguration afterparty. Our writers rushed to get this article to you...

ow. her head hurts. valain doesn't remember drinking that much last night... how did she get back here?

💛💜 of course both of them are here. nya walks to the other side of the gardens. she couldn't care less about staying near valain. spyboy can distract her until she falls asleep.

"nyanya, come back...come back..." wow. valain sounds really drunk. she takes another swig of tea like a shot. for lack of a better option, he gave her tea in a highball glass. maybe she thinks evren served her alcohol?

"nyanya, i miss you..."
"she's right over there, you know?"
"she's there... her heart isn't... where did it go..." she makes a sad face at her tea.
"this isn't a cocktail!"
"yep! it's green tea."
"i want a strong drink."

"as you wish, boss." evren goes to get one. he takes a moment to check on the party. still in full swing. all good. he makes valain a cup of tea with lemon and sugar. it'll trick her.

"ah, that hits the spot... you may be a two-faced rat, but you can still follow orders."
"thanks, boss!"
"heh. where's my nyanya... i miss..." and then, she falls asleep. whew!

Congrats on the Coral/Cream/Wine gen1!! Such a lovely combo!! :D