Merry

Natia's translucent lavender and lilac-shaded eyes incessantly wandered the noodle bar establishment, frequently pausing whenever she eyed a family consisting of a mother, father, and child. The baby's bumbling childish behaviors and interactions with their food, along with their family's response to it was something Natia secretly envied all these years. Her eyes traced themselves toward a male and female alien couple drinking tequila together with their hands embraced firmly and affectionately.

This alone was not enough to break her. But with each interaction from the world stockpiling on top of her head like a nail driven by a hammer, the distance grew. She did not want to be there any longer, for there was no one there.

Even if I ran, someone would always catch up to me. But I tried anyway. To no avail.

I must have always been lonely.

"Hey," Ryo's voice broke Natia free from her trance. He took note of her eyes stuck in a position like a jammed set of gears. He placed a mango yogurt smoothie with whipped cream on the table for Natia and a strawberry passion fruit smoothie for himself. "This is for you. I know that we had eaten earlier with Akai, but I thought it was nice to just hang out with you."

"Oh," Natia spoke softly, looking down at her lap. Her consciousness and confidence to hold onto life were slowly waning away with each thought of her family's loss of existence. But somehow, she realized how Ryo's voice always knocked her out of that state and gave her a chance to wake up. "Thanks." She said, eyeing the core of her smoothie and gripping its frozen icey handle.

"You're not still thinking about what happened the other day, are you?" Ryo asked, reluctant to take a sip of his drink until Natia was clear.

"It's related to it," She said, her breath remaining steady. "So was the reason why I chose not to tell you the truth."

"So what Miss Inki said was true then?" Ryo asked. "You were lonely?"

Natia shook her head, denying the fact. "It's not like that anymore," She said. "Ever since we had that talk, I've been thinking otherwise."

Ryo placed his elbow on the tabletop, revisiting Natia's past with a clear and simple thought. His curiosity was killing him, but he knew he did not want to push Natia too far into speaking about something she was not comfortable with. "You needn't worry about that," He said. "Just don't think about it. Instead, how about thinking of what we're going to be eating?"

"Oh, right," Natia said, lightly smiling with her lips touched together. The flashing menu signs behind Ryo attracted her attention as she sipped on her mango smoothie. The taste alone was able to cheer her up. "What did you even order?" She asked.

"Classic Japanese stir-fry," Ryo said, sipping on his drink to cleanse his mouth-watering spirit. "Yakisoba, they call it. It's been a while since I've eaten it. I was surprised that this place even had it."

"Yaki-what?" Natia asked, lifting her eyebrow in confusion.

"Yakisoba," Ryo replied. "You'll see. It's going to be really good."

Natia exhaled a breath out of her nose and traced her eyes back to the civilians eating merrily and minding their own business. Out of all of the tables in the establishment, only Ryo and Natia were silent and reserved. Envy began sprouting out of her heart again, prompting her to focus back on Ryo while he was sipping on his fruit tea.

"J-Jinrai's... something else, huh?" Natia's voice stuttered momentarily as she shyly swept her hair part to the side of her forehead. It was her mindless attempt at conversing and lightening up her mood to match the atmosphere. Her daily talks with Ryo were evidence of that.

And Ryo completely caught on. But he tried hiding his excitement despite this fact. "Yeah, he is," He casually replied. "He told me something this morning before you came to help me dry myself."

"What was it?" Natia asked.

"He told me he had an ex-girlfriend in the past that reminded him of you," Ryo said, rolling his eyes. "I guess that's why he hasn't been a big fan of you."

"Well, that explains it," Natia chuckled, sipping her mango smoothie again. "Honestly though, who would want to spend their entire life with him? Top operative, my ass."

"He's serious about the mission," Ryo said. "We went into a whole talk about decision-making at all that. It was a little difficult following along with what he had to say, but I think I got the whole message. I think he was trying to sound as wise as he possibly could."

"And how did that turn out?"

"The complete opposite."

Natia snickered at the mere thought of gossiping about someone vital to the mission. Ryo did the same, admiring Natia's ability to test the waters of loosening up. Natia settled her light chuckles down and focused on something entirely different; something Ryo was not expecting whatsoever. "Hey, I have something funny to tell you," She began. "Do you remember the day when we ate pizza?"

"Yeah, I remember," Ryo stated. He remembered all of it. It was the first time that he and his new friends ever spent glorious quality time with each other to celebrate April's survival. The roaring flames glazing the toasty scent of freshly baked pizza, the cheerful laughter, and bright smiles, along with the intent of challenge between her and Sumire were clear as day. "You were obsessed with wanting my nanosuit. It was a little scary, you know."

"The truth was that I wanted all of your attention," Natia confessed. "You were all so busy zoning out and having fun with each other that I wanted you all to see me too. I didn't care about the challenge. I cared about all of you."

"You... did?" Ryo asked, eyes wide open from her genuine honesty. The fact that she was able to confess the truth astonished him greatly.

"Of course," Natia admitted, rubbing the back of her hand. "Admittingly, I'd always been hostile to everyone, and I think I still am. But that's because I was raised like that. Raised to blame others... raised to shoot higher than everyone else. But I found out, because of you, that if I were to keep doing that..."

"Then no one would be able to keep up with you." Ryo finished for her.

"Y-yeah..." Natia nervously admitted. She then lightly chuckled once more, placing her fingers against her lips as she gradually enjoyed her time. "It's weird. When I was young and living with my sisters, I never wanted attention. I was always so quiet. Sometimes, when those typical siblings blame you for things you didn't do, my parents would never accept it when they blamed me."

"They sound like amazing people," Ryo admitted. "Now you're growing up."

"Yeah, I guess I am," Natia said, optimistic about the present. "It's weird too, that out of all the people I tried talking to about this, you're the only one who listens to me. It's..."

"Yakisoba for two?" The noodle bar's waiter arrived with two steaming bowls of Japanese stir-fry ready for Ryo and Natia. The two of them put aside their conversation as their food arrived piping hot. A blend of firm noodles, freshly cut vegetables, and barbecue chicken was ready to eat. The mere vivid color of it all was presently exquisite. "Please enjoy the food!"

"Thanks," Ryo said, moving Natia's yakisoba over to her. He clasped his hands together in prayer, closing his eyes to pay his respects to the food. Natia observed his unusual behavior and attempted to do the same thing. "Thank you for the meal. Let's eat!" Ryo voiced out, grabbing a set of wooden chopsticks from the table.

"Let's... eat," Natia feebly stated, unsure of what Ryo's intentions were. But then, a wave of reality struck her. It was for cultural purposes, and she had completely disrespected Ryo by not understanding it in the first place. She silently dug in her food with her fork, ashamed by her inability to pick up on social cues. "Um..."

"It's a Japanese thing," Ryo said, taking his first crisp bite of yakisoba. "Don't worry about it."

"R-Right," Natia stammered, caught in the act. She realized he was so quick to accept her mistake by merely brushing it aside like nothing. It seemed that Ryo wanted to be as optimistic as possible, even though his presence seemed grim to most individuals who spent time with her. She dug in her food and took her first bite as well. "Oh, whoa," She voiced out, salivating over the flavor of the noodle blend. "This is really good."

"Yeah, I'm actually surprised," Ryo said, taking another bite. "I thought they would mess it up."

"This is my first time eating Yakiboba," Natia said, eyes glimmering with how delicious it was. "I've been too used to eating your sister's and Claude's food all the time."

"Yakisoba, not yakiboba," Ryo chuckled with his mouth full. He nearly spat out his food in laughter.

"Hey, swallow! What are you doing? Stop laughing!" Natia laughed with him, handing him her smoothie. "Drink it. Drink it!"

Ryo doused his mouth in mango. He then swallowed all of his food and clenched his forehead in tightness. "Shit, shit, brain freeze!" He cried, holding in his tense reaction.

"Hang on, hang on, let me get you some hot water!" Natia handed him a cup of ice water beside her, giggling uncontrollably together with Ryo. Other customers inside the noodle bar were attracted to the two's presence and laughed along with them. They seemed to enjoy their relaxing vibes and continued along with their time nicely. Natia's eyes scanned the room and took notice of it. "Oops, it's cold water." She said.

Ryo wiped his forehead with a napkin and glared at Natia with evil eyes. "Because of that, you're going to give me some of your food." He said, pulling her plate closer to his.

"Hey, no way," Natia cried, pulling it back. "I was the one that was hungry!"

The duo continued bickering with each other until they finally settled down. They took turns taking bites of their yakisoba while freely enjoying their time with each other. Ryo's bright smiles combined with Natia's comfortable nature made their time much more invaluable than ever. It was an experience that Ryo had missed ever since April's incident. A time to fully kick back and relax with someone who cared deeply was all that he ever wanted.

Several minutes later, their bowls were empty and finished.

"You ate that like it was some kind of competition," Ryo joked around. "It's always a competition with you."

"You're one to talk. You finished first," Natia stated, kicking herself back and relaxing. She eyed the giant clock in the back of the noodle bar and realized that only half an hour had passed. Her eyes tracked back to Ryo's. Only thirty minutes had passed and she had so much fun eating. Natia kicked herself forward and spoke softly. "Is this what you meant by proving to me that dying wasn't shit?" She asked, reminding him of their conversation in Kathuz.

"I guess it was," Ryo admitted, placing his chopsticks down. "We still have to buy our clothes. Completely forgot about that for a moment."

"You're right," Natia said. "We should probably..." She paused, looking at her and Ryo's unfinished drinks. "We should probably finish these first."

"Dessert menu, anyone?" The waiter approached their table and handed them a red velvet-colored menu with a golden inlay trim. He placed it beside Natia and grinned enthusiastically as her eyes twinkled in excitement.

Ryo caught her excitement and nodded with a smile on his face. She opened the menu and was immediately invited and attracted to the cream-filled strawberry mochi. She puckered her lips together, gently lowered the menu down to the table, and pointed to it with her index finger as she lightly blossomed in happiness.

"We can grab it on the way out," Ryo proposed, being aware of the time that they require to purchase their clothing. "Come on."

Several minutes after paying for their meals, Ryo and Natia exited the noodle bar with two cream-filled strawberry mochis wrapped in a small handheld paper bag. The tingling frozen sweetness was too much for Natia to handle as she sunk her two front teeth into the edge of the delicacy. Ryo witnessed Natia stretching the mochi apart with her teeth, attempting to force it apart as ice cream soaked her mouth in sweet goodness.

Ryo found Natia's attempt at eating mochi hilarious, as she struggled to retain the mochi's original shape and circular structure. Her dreamy and large innocent lavender eyes filled with cluelessness about her poor knowledge of Japanese culture. She blinked in rapid succession, and Ryo sensed his stomach tightening and his body temperature rising. They maintained eye contact as Natia nibbled on the mochi.

Natia nudged her shoulder against Ryo's, catching him and observing her. She noticed Ryo's changed perspective when she was with her by his behavior, lack of formality, and cheerful optimism. Ryo held in his laughter and let out a slight scoff, moving toward the tailor shop where Haufert suggested. Natia's beady eyelids closed themselves slightly, recognizing Ryo changing by the second.

At the tailor shop, after they had finished their dessert, Natia remained by Ryo's side as he searched for a black suit to wear to the casino. Her eyes frequently shifted from Ryo's type of suit to other types of clothing around him, such as silly casual clothing one might find on a scorching hot day or a winter wonderland. While Ryo would find his suit, Natia's peaking curiosity often found her detracting from Ryo's side to experiment with different clothing that suited her tastes.

Each time she disappeared, Ryo would always take himself out of the shopping experience to find Natia wandering on her own. Despite this, he found it enjoyable to watch Natia switch between her black tank top and gray gym shorts combo into a more vibrant approach, such as wearing a feathery green hat, or a baggy white sweater that matched Ryo's classic appearance. It seemed as if Ryo was intruding on her privacy as Natia frequently checked her appearance in one of the mirrors beside her since her excitement for fashion completely overshadowed her awareness of Ryo's eyes.

As soon as Natia became aware of Ryo gazing at her from a distance, she immediately panicked and tore off all of the tailor shop's clothing in a flushed manner. She turned away from him on purpose and hung all of the clothing away in its proper area. Both of them turned around with an unknown tingling feeling in their stomach, unsure of its emotional significance. Because of this, they chose to brush it aside.

Minutes after they had split up to search for their respective clothing, Natia found two dresses that were suitable for the casino invasion. One of the dresses was a silky slim and seductive long black halter dress with a see-through tribal pattern through the sleeves. The other was a puffier black dress that resembled more of an unorthodox wedding dress. She tried both of them on and seemed to favor the first one more based on its comfortability.

Conflicted behind their exquisite design, which was something that she never found herself doing in a lifetime, she approached the front desk seeking guidance from an elderly seamstress and her young granddaughter.