The blazing sun alongside the cold eastern winds blowing over the plains of Nautilus marked the beginning of summer. Aylin and I stretched ourselves, watching as the Fivindus estate grew smaller with each passing second. Summer break had arrived with the spring blossoms, and two months of rest awaited.
Aylin remarked how she had been missing the Royal Academy and Nautilus. It had been such a long time since she could sit by the docks, taking in the whiffs of the salty sea.
"Did you know, Vivshi? Summer is the busiest season for Nautilus. Travelers across the world come just to buy our fish!"
I didn't know what to think about coming back to Nautilus. In any case, I should check up with Devina first and then maybe talk with Fiviana if I meet her.
The carriage stopped in front of the gates of the Royal Academy and we were led in.
Aylin was running around like a little kid in a candy store.
She kept happily spinning around, shouting that we were back. Fiviana was standing by the entrance, expecting our return.
As we walked together back towards the clubroom, Fiviana asked us how our practice program at the Fivindus estate was.
A feeling of dread washed over both me and Aylin.
"It went good!" I replied.
"I heard from my sister that you met my other sister, Eirlys."
"Ah, yes, her." I looked away, biting my tongue.
"I hope she wasn't too much trouble, but otherwise, how does it feel to be back?"
Aylin grabbed Fiviana's shoulder and told her that it felt like fairies were carrying her up by her feet. She pushed Fiviana forward, trying to usher her faster towards the clubroom. The both of them disappeared around a corner and I stared out the window, seeing the administration building.
The girls sat down, taking out celebratory drinks and snacks. I sat on the sofa while Fiviana was telling us about all the drama that had been happening in the Royal Academy since we left. Then Fiviana told us to wait so she could retrieve something. She hastily vanished, and Aylin pushed the table to slide her chair back. Carbonation could be heard sizzling as Aylin poured some cider into a cup and handed it to me. She poured herself a cup before sitting down next to me.
"Things have been chaotic, but let's all wash it away in the waves of summer, alright Vivshi?"
I nodded.
"Wash it all away!"
A mischievous grin grew on Aylin's face as she gulped down the rest of her drink.
"Is there alcohol in this?"
"Who knows…" Aylin hiccuped.
HIIII-CK
"Vivsh…iii doesn't it feel a bit warm in here?" She started to fan her face with her hand, her face growing even more red.
"Did Fiviana even check if these drinks have alcohol in them?" I gently nudged Aylin to the side and stood up to open the window. Chilled Nautilus air flowed into the room, making Aylin mutter about the ocean. 4.5% alcohol it said on the label of the bottle—how did she get drunk after only 3 cups of this? The better question was probably how Fiviana even got her hands on this.
I sat back down on the sofa and Aylin reached out for the cup on the table. Her face was flushed red, and another drink would probably mean she wouldn't sober up for a while. So I grabbed her wrist before she could get her paws on another cup.
"Heeey… it's a special occasion! Let meeee~"
HIIII—-ICK
She then collapsed under her own body weight and fell onto the floor with her legs still on the sofa.
"Aylin, I'm gonna keep alcohol far away from you next time."
I crouched down to get her back onto the sofa. That's when she struggled free and landed on me.
"It's so warm…" she was nuzzling against me like a cat trying to keep warm.
I thought to myself that maybe a minute of this wouldn't be too bad, and just let her lay there on my stomach as I gently caressed her hair. Her cheeks were soft to poke at. My finger sunk deeper as I squished her cheeks together, making a funny face.
"It tickles!" Aylin turned her face away.
"Okay okay, sorry, it was just irresistible not to squish."
"Why do you wanna squish my cheeks?"
"Maybe because you look silly and cute right now."
Aylin pressed her face against my shirt before looking up at me.
"Fine.. you can squeeze them."
With that, my hands reached down at her face and began pulling on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed and calm as I stretched and squeezed her.
That's when the door suddenly swung open and Fiviana shouted that she had made a board game for us to play. But when she saw us in that position, the board game that was raised high in the air was lowered down to her waist. She stared for a second before taking a step back and closing the door, trying to be as quiet as possible.
"Aylin! Get up!" I pushed Aylin off of me and laid her down on the sofa before rushing out. With her back leaning against the wall and her arms crossed, Fiviana looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"Hmm? In our club room as well."
"It's not like that! And you—you gave Aylin alcoholic beverages!"
Fiviana looked up at me, confused.
"No? I just took out what was in the cupboards."
"No matter, Aylin is now a drunkie. You are gonna deal with that."
"What? Why me?"
"Because you took out the drinks."
"I gotta go take care of something, take care of her for a moment alright?"
"Wait wa-?"
Before she could ask me where I was going, I was already gone like the night at dawn.
Standing outside the head Professor's door, I knocked several times, and a face that I somewhat missed seeing peered out of the crack.
Once she saw me, the door opened fully and I entered her room. To my shock, there wasn't a single piece of paper lying around, clothes were neatly folded and hung up. Even her hair was neatly combed and straight.
She explained that she had disposed of all the documents she didn't need anymore and, because summer had arrived, she could finally relax again. Gently tapping on the cushions of her sofa, she beckoned me to sit down.
"So, how was your trip to the Fivindus estate?"
"A bit chaotic family, I would say."
"Pff.. chaotic would be an understatement."
She sat down on the armrest, eyes wandering down onto me.
"And how about Wien?"
My body jumped as I heard her mention Wien.
"How did you-"
She put her finger over my lips and hushed me.
"The eyes of Dexterity see everything," she smiled before turning around.
"Well, just say it was a learning experience."
I should have felt uncomfortable at the mere mention that she is always watching over me. That she knows everything about me. But for some reason, I felt reassurance knowing that she was there to aid me if anything were to happen.
"Devina, I actually have something for you."
I take out a letter written by Eirlys Fivindus and hand it to Devina.
She carefully read through the letter. I sneakily crept behind Devina and peeked over her shoulder.
The letter detailed the current situation of Wien and the defeat of the Umstürzlers and the disappearance of 3 Fivindus members. She asked the head of the Royal Academy to look into it and theorized that the Royal family was planning on making weapons in Wien and that war was most likely coming soon.
Devina sighed before putting the letter to the side.
"Those Royals never learn their lesson."
"What do you mean?"
"Conflicts between the Luvian empire and Fukviyu have been happening for hundreds of years. From land disputes, cultural, political, economics, they have always been at each other's throats. But every attempt to subdue the Luvian Empire has always led to failure." Devina sat down at her desk and began scribbling.
"You are writing back?"
"Why wouldn't I? She put her heart into this letter for me, I shall return the favor."
As Devina's pen danced across the paper, I stared out of the window. The ships docking at shore and the tidal waves of people rushing back and forth in the markets. The Serenade Mary was surprisingly docked as well, and I asked Devina about it.
"Sekito? Well, she had to take care of some business on land. She will probably leave in a few weeks."
Devina finished writing her letter and peeked up from her desk, spinning around while leaning her back against the chair.
Now that I think about it, life was so simple while I lived in alleyways, searching for food to live another day, every day. Back then all I had to think about was survival, nothing else. But now, I have so much to worry about, so many things to take care of. It was true what that author had written in the book: the more you gain, the more you have to lose.
I look over my shoulder and see her scrutinizing expression.
"Devina, what do you think about war?"
A pause.
"It's stupid, but such is humanity. We can't help but be angry monkeys pointing weapons at each other."
"I saw it with my own eyes for the first time. It's nothing like those epic tales in books."
Devina scratched her temple with one finger.
"So do you believe that a world without war would be better?"
"That question has a two-faced answer that no one likes. Though I believe there is a third alternative that would benefit all of us."
"That being?"
She leapt up from the armrest and removed her shoes. She stood in the middle of her office and invited me for a Nautilian dance that marked the commencement of summer. The dance is thought to originate from sailors dancing to the Aeon of Serenity for calm waves. Her hands reached out towards me, waiting for me to accept her invitation.
"Could you indulge me? I have been missing you for quite a while." She smiled with her hand still out.
My hands wrapped themselves around her tiny cold hands and she gripped my fingers tightly.
I threw off my shoes and, with what I remembered from the lessons at the Royal Academy, I began to dance the national dance of Nautilus.
"Do you know how the lyrics go for this dance?" Devina smirked.
"I have only heard the music, not the actual lyrics themselves."
"Pff… it goes something like…"
As we began to move around on the carpet, I tried to avoid stepping on her feet.
"Seas quell the waves caused by dragons. Seas enrich those eggs from which new life shall spring. O Aeon of Serenity, be our tranquility, our net, our food. Children shall dance on your beaches and fish shall swim in your rich corals. Waves shall swallow barbarians that wish to steal the land you bestowed."
As the final lyric came out of Devina's mouth, I was holding her by her waist with one of her hands high up.
"Not bad. May the Aeon of Serenity bless you with years of peace," she smiled before releasing her grip.
"So… why the sudden dance?" I asked, confused.
Her golden hair fluttered in the wind that blew in through the open windows. Her blue ocean eyes stared at me, content.
"The third answer is-" she paused.
"Can you imagine a world where everyone gets along?"
"Not really, no. No matter how the world changes and grows to accept each other, there will always be those who are unsatisfied."
"Correct, we will always be unhappy no matter how much changes for the betterment of everyone. No one will truly get what they want."
"So what does this have anything to do with the third answer?"
Her eyes now diverted towards the docks and ocean. She bent over and put her body weight onto the window frame.
"My answer. A world of perfection. A world where no emotion gets in the way of important decisions. A direct way to freedom for all."
"That sounds good actually, a world where emotions don't meddle in important affairs. But what about those scenarios where you need emotions to determine what is best?"
"Those won't exist."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that there won't ever be a need to use emotions nor thought to go through with a decision."
It had completely crossed my mind that Aylin and Fiviana were still waiting for me. Before I left Devina's office, I waved at her and rushed back to the clubroom.
But when I arrived there, the both of them were out cold on the sofa. Fiviana was still holding onto her board game on her lap with closed eyes. Aylin was huddled up like a baby penguin, her face still red from my earlier shenanigans. I poked her cheeks again and they were just as soft as before. My hand ran down her soft rosy pink hair, then I began rubbing the top of her head, which made her let out small satisfied hums.