"Okay... so I don't have a flashy appearance or anything, so no one noticed I was a Maledictus until I was a teen. I accidentally healed a classmate during gym. The school reported me to the authorities immediately, and my powers seemed useful, so I was drafted into Alpha without attending the Maledictus Academy."
Veil slid his hand along her side, making her jolt.
"This is fascinating so far," he muttered with his eyes drifting down.
"Y-you seem distracted," she commented.
"Nonsense... now carry on," he protested immediately, with his hand moving lower.
Flow took a deep breath, then struggled to get back on subject.
"My squadron was led by Pierce. Unlike many of the other generals, he looked out for his subordinates... he was stern but kind."
She looked contemplative, then added, "His aspirations moved me... so I was eager to join his revolt."
Veil's hand stopped on her hip, and he pressed a kiss against her neck. She tensed.
"Is that all?" he inquired, his voice laced with amorous intent.
Flow swallowed hard.
"Is there... something you want to know specifically?" she muttered. Veil blew against her neck, causing her to shiver, then put his other hand on her hip as well. Flow's longing for him spiked.
"Yeah... did you date anyone before me?" he asked. His voice was calm, but the implications were heavy.
After all... he just revealed that she was his first girlfriend.
His question nearly knocked her out. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as she thought over how to answer.
"Hmm... let's start with something easier... how many friends did you have?"
Flow relaxed for a fleeting moment, only to tense back up immediately at feeling his fingers moving into her shirt.
"I-I..." she stuttered nervously, and a mischievous grin tore across Veil's face.
"No need to rush... you can take your time answering me," he assured, moving his hand up to the clasp of her bra.
"I had three friends!" she blurted.
Veil froze.
"Oh... now answer the other question," he demanded. He then trailed light kisses on her neck while unhooking a clasp.
Flow thrust him away shyly. He looked stunned and disappointed all at once.
"I had... two other relationships," she confessed. It was embarrassing admitting this to him... "I can't claim they meant nothing to me... but... I don't miss being with them either."
Veil tilted his head back, thinking for a bit... After a few seconds, he rested his head on her shoulder again, and he hugged her tight.
"... So... you really cut ties with those other guys? No one is going to come after me, right?" he asked in a playful voice.
She nodded.
"Good..." Veil sat up, placing his fingers under her chin as he said, "Though, if they aren't over you and try something, I'm not opposed to putting them in their place."
He looked at her with such intensity that she couldn't turn away.
Time seemed to stand still for her.
Meanwhile, his hands were subtly moving toward her backside when an announcement came over the intercom:
"The arena is repaired. Everyone, meet up in the training room."
Veil groaned loudly and muttered,
"That's some shit timing."
Flow scrambled from his lap. She then lifted her shirt, attempting to fasten her bra.
Veil watched her struggle for a while before deciding to assist her. He placed his hands on hers and guided her slowly.
Her blush crept down to her nape, and as the bra got rehooked, he pressed a kiss against the back of her neck.
Flow had intended to thank him for the help but became too overwhelmed to vocalize anything.
"...We'll finish this later," he whispered, as he stepped away and left her alone.
Once he was gone, she remembered how to breathe.
Two hours earlier...
Vision had left the cafeteria after Flow and Veil created a tense atmosphere. He opened up his LoveNote and stared grumpily at the onslaught of messages Clair had sent. He tapped his pen against his desk, then sighed before getting to work.
"I have to go to training soon. I'm free right now," he wrote, deciding to avoid replying to anything she'd already sent. Clair got back to him within minutes,
"Yay, I'm free too! I just got out of the shower!"
Vision's face turned red, and he closed the LoveNote, took a deep breath to compose himself, then replied.
"Oh, cool. Glad you're free."
"So what do you guys have planned today?"
"We're doing training exercises."
"Oh, are they hard?" she asked almost instantly.
"I'm not sure, mine hasn't started yet. I'll let you know tonight."
There was a slight delay, then she wrote,
"Do you miss me?"
"Didn't I already tell you that?" Vision wrote, with a furrowed brow.
There was another short pause before she replied,
"Yeah... BUT you have to tell me that you miss me every day! You haven't said it today!"
Vision groaned. First, he responded with,
"Why are you so dramatic?"
Then his pen shook in his hand, and he wrote more words slowly,
"I miss you."
Back on the island, Clair hugged her book against her face, squealing and kicking her feet.
After taking a moment to calm down, she replied,
"Oh yeah, baby, I knew you couldn't resist me."
Vision promptly closed his book and went to read a novel until it was time for training to resume.
Back on Talitha, Clair screamed into her pillow, embarrassed by her own boldness.
While this was going on, Cantarella found Barb standing outside the utility room and charged in to tackle-hug her from behind.
"Hey girlie! How are you doing?" she cooed.
Barb sighed and in a deadpan voice replied,
"The same as I was yesterday."
"That's what you said yesterday," Cantarella remarked and Barb clicked her tongue.
"What do you want?" she asked while walking down the hall and submitting to Cantarella's embrace.
"I'm booooored, play with me," Cantarella pleaded. Barb clicked her tongue again and paused in her steps as she replied,
"Fine..."
Cantarella beamed and let her go.
"Oh, thank you! I have no one else to chat with other than a bunch of freakishly athletic kids."
She then put her hand on her hip, smirked at Barb, and whispered,
"Do you have any alcohol?"
Barb frowned.
"This is a strict ship, of course we don't have anything like that."
Cantarella's gaze intensified. Seconds passed, and under the pressure of that gaze, Barb cracked,
"I do have one bottle stashed away, but don't tell anyone," she muttered.
Cantarella hugged her again.
"Don't worry, the secret is safe with me," she assured.
Barb's quarters were on a lower area of the ship, but the layout was similar to the ones of the left and right wing. After locking the door, Barb uncovered a sixpack of flavored vodka screwdrivers, as well as a large bottle of whiskey.
"... I think I love you," Cantarella confessed gleefully.
"Good for you, now, which one do you want?"
"Um..." Cantarella tapped her chin, while sitting down at Barb's desk. "I want a glass of whiskey first then a one of those bottles after."
Barb narrowed her gaze but only sighed while grabbing a pair of glasses from her closet shelf. She pulled a chair up next to Cantarella and poured them both a glass.
"Isn't it unwise to get tipsy before training?" Barb chastised lightly, as she took a sip of her drink.
Cantarella chugged hers down in one gulp then shook her head and said,
"I make poisons and medicines inside my body, based on things I have consumed. I only feel tipsy for a few minutes at the most." She stood to grab one of the bottles then sat back down before continuing, "If I had something recently, it's easier for me to produce... if I'm being forced to display my abilities, I need ingredients."
"So... let me get this straight. You plan to make alcohol with your body to impress Pierce?" Barb asked calmly.
"Well, I have to do something!" Cantarella shot back. Barb looked to the floor for a while before responding,
"Where exactly will this alcohol be coming from?"
"... Well, my fingertips... or sweat."
Barb wrinkled her nose and replied,
"No one is going to want that."
"Don't knock till you try it!" Cantarella countered while gently nudging Barb.
"... Please cross me off your list of test subjects."
A faint smirk crossed Barb's face, and she felt warm, the alcohol finally hitting her.
"I'm gonna make a special batch just for you," Cantarella replied while lifting the bottle to her lips.
"If you do that, I'll report you for harassment," Barb said, while trying to keep cool, but a wide smile betrayed her. Next thing she knew, she was laughing.
The laughter was contagious, so Cantarella joined in.
Once they had calmed, Barb said,
"Do you truly not get along with any of the others in your group?"
Cantarella gripped her bottle and turned her eyes down into the depths of the liquid inside.
"... There is one I used to get along with... but I screwed that relationship up. There's another that I adore as a fantastic student, Aura... but it feels awkward talking to her one on one. Fenix was an excellent student too... but he wasn't in my class long and even though he had good intentions... he and his father tore me from a life I thought was comfortable, my feelings are so complicated I can barely speak to him."
Barb refrained from prying further and they drank silently until the intercom announced it was time to resume training.