Affection and Tenderness

The Sanguine Rose docked near the PTS port of the Acropolis — which seemed dynamic. Yumiko lowered the anchor next to Timothy, who sat on the guardrail.

He wobbled his head back and forth, smiling at Ayuka and Chiaki. "Hey, guys! Long time no see. You changed. Especially you, Chiaki."

Chiaki placed her palm on her hip and appeared more confident than in the past. "I sure have. It's not that bad, is it?" Timothy became ecstatic, glistening with his bright-white teeth clenched together. "Not at all. Honestly, you don't look as silly as before."

Chiaki shared a puzzled countenance, wondering about Timothy's opinion that proved to her he kept his cheery nature. "I bet it feels abnormal seeing her so different and not as cute," Ayuka added, embarrassing Chiaki from the gecko. "Hey... It's not my fault. I couldn't do anything about it. Please, don't say you're upset with me."

Ayuka denied, giggling at Chiaki's frazzled thoughts, and gently rubbed her shoulder, "No, there's nothing to *get* upset about, really. We're just not used to seeing you more 'fierce' and 'attractive.' I personally did get used to it, but for someone like them who hasn't seen you in years is a wholly different story. Didn't you look in the mirror? You're an adult now, and your body developed a more mature impression. You're still the same Chiaki we learned to accompany, though."

Chiaki felt awkward — but satisfied at the same time. She didn't hold any horrible opinions about herself and looked at the others, who greeted them in unison.

Yumiko and Kou vaulted over the ship and sprinted in Chiaki's direction. She witnessed Yumiko become overexcited. "You must be strong now, Chiaki! You're giving me *all* the fearless and self-assured creeks of ideas! I bet you're an expert — a specialist in soul-linking powers now. And look at yourself! How many men did you entice with your new looks?"

Ralphie squeezed between Yumiko and Kou, seduced and joyful, "She lured my heart for sure!" He sang and wiggled his rear, whirling on his feet. He irritated Yumiko and coerced her to pound his head, hushing him and letting him rest in his own puddle of compassion.

"Before, I was delighted to see you again, and now I regret everything," Ayuka answered despondently and indifferently about Ralphie's over-the-top empathy.

"Found ya, captain!" Someone's well-familiar voice circulated through the air, luring everyone's attention over the rooftops. Timothy recognized him immediately, waving at the person riding the flying cloud, "Oi! Tarot! Come, greet, and meet the others!"

Tarot rode the flying cloud to the very bottom and prepared to land. "Coming in hot!" he yelled, but it didn't go well for him. He crashed into the Sanguine Rose's hold and cracked the wood.

Timothy lost his balance on the fence and fell rearwards, wailing, "Woah!" and tumbled atop Tarot. The wooden planks piled onto them, and once they stood up became shrouded with dust, provoking them to cough repetitively.

Yumiko and Kou glanced at Tarot unamusingly, blank and pouty, "Good to know that our new crew member is a mole who can't see obstacles or regulate his own ride." Yumiko nodded at the end of Kou's response and heard Kyora scream in a high-pitched voice, "My navigation equipment! It scattered all over!" She became frustrated and impatiently grabbed Tarot and Timothy, shaking them back and forth with a ticked-off expression, "You better clean this mess up and put everything in the *exact* spot it was before! You got that?!"

They watched Kyora getting inflamed and stars churning over Timothy and Tarot's domes. Ralphie silently wiggled beside Ayuka and Chiaki, disturbing Ayuka and baffling Chiaki. "Ralphie..." Ayuka spoke. "Yes?" He responded.

"Move aside." Ralphie tiptoed away, dancing into the distance, "Okay, Ayuka-swan!" Surprisingly, he listened and perplexed Ayuka.

"Ah, you're here. Good to see you back in Acropolis." Ralphie and the others glanced at the man simultaneously and noticed Kheer walking closer.

Everyone appeared composed and casual, but Kyora continued holding Timothy and Tarot around their collars, pupilless due to extreme, harsh, and severe frustration.

She looked scary.

-

They were brought to Kheer's brand-new apartment. They stepped into a lobby with a long, curving counter at first sight. It had kitchen gear, furniture, and equipment behind it and a few spheroidal tables in front of multiple glassy windows with a door that led to the patio and terrace. There were stairs in the next room leading to the second floor.

As they entered, they got astounded by the sheer size of the room. "Wow, Kheer. You got a new place? Does that mean you moved to Acropolis?" Timothy inquired as the others searched the lobby. They examined artifacts and other furniture, such as bookshelves and bookcases.

"Correct. It's time-consuming to traverse between Itto-Itto Lands and Acropolis back and forth. I'd run out of funds to how many times I had to board the PTS. I settled in Acropolis and decided to live here instead. I also invited Aurora to live with me after she graduated from the academy."

Aurora's name pleased Timothy instantly, becoming proud and enthusiastic. "She finally finished the academy? Awesome! I can't wait to see her. She had to have gotten more relaxed now that the tension's gone." Kheer agreed in silence and allowed Chiaki to proceed with her statement. "Actually, Aurora's been dying to see you again. She seemed relatively glum, but she hauled through it. You should go into her room, say hello and see what she's up to."

Timothy folded his arms, cocking his head to the side. "Sure, I'd like to see her too. I'll go check on her." He rushed up the stairs, bewildering Yumiko and making her wonder about Aurora. "Who's Aurora?"

Ayuka peeked at her, inhaled, and exhaled. "She's a friend Timothy met after arriving in Acropolis. She was unwell, and we helped her out before parting ways again. But now she's as healthy as she'll ever be and doesn't need to ingest her medicine."

-

He [Timothy] knocked on the door a few times, but nobody responded, even after calling out to her. He decided to let himself in and got blinded by the sunlight that branched into his eyes.

He saw an eminence purple-haired woman catnapping on the chair behind the desk that had been placed in front of the large, glassy window. She was leaning her head on its flat top next to a pair of glasses.

The bedroom was nicely cleaned and had no mess. The bed was made and had a kitten plushie beside it — the plushie Timothy won at the carnival two years ago.

He ambled behind her and crossed his arms with a big smile. "Still like to zone out, huh? Let's fix that." He carefully clutched Aurora's right shoulder and gently shook her. "Oi, Kate. No time to be napping. There's someone here who'd like to see you." She didn't react other than mutter strange words, making Timothy become blank and unimpressed.

He sighed, "Fine then..." and tickled both her hips. "Aaah!" In less than a second, Aurora woke up and lost her balance on the chair. She fell backward and unintentionally slumped back onto Timothy. However, before she could touch the ground, he clutched her in his arms and stood calmly.

She needed to blink multiple times while watching in front of her and then gradually tilted her head backward, looking up at Timothy from under his jawline. "Hi, there. How was your nap, siesta queen? I hope it's not too snappy to say this, but you look great with the new hairstyle."

Aurora needed a few seconds to freshen up but finally beamed with happiness and excitement. She seemed more than content; she was passionate. "Thanks, but better yet." She instantly stood up, turned around, and without a second to spare, drove herself into Timothy and embraced him with love and care, ensuring to keep it a friendly hug. "It's really you! It's been so long since the last time!" She looked up at him and finally backed away as Timothy set his hand on his hip. "It was, wasn't it? Nice to see you again, Kate."

To be continued...