Side Chapter Metous 6: Troubles

  “Thanks for coming along, Mel,” Li said gratefully. No matter how many times she met Nina, she was always nervous.

  Mel smiled. “All good; I’m just happy you asked.”

  Nina was in the area again, or she didn’t leave. None of them really knew what Nina’s schedule was, besides the fact that she was busy and seemingly everywhere.

  When it came to the Stel family, Nina only talked to Tel, so it was a surprise when she invited Li out this time. Mel hopped along with Li, she did want to ask Nina a question, but the main reason she came was to support Li.

  “Anyway, Li. We need to pn our revenge on Tyell.” Mel clenched her fist.

  “What for…?” Li tilted her head, confused.

  “Tuesday.”

  “Tuesday?” Li paused for a moment. “Oh, bowling! Are you still mad about that?”

  “Yes absolutely! He destroyed us! Then he looked at us with those eyes that spewed disappointment.”

  Three days ago, on Tuesday night, the Stel family and Li went out bowling at Mel’s request. They did many group activities together, and this was supposed to be just one of many. However, the one particur thing about bowling was that Mel hated losing in it, even though that was always the only outcome.

  Li shrugged, “I haven’t pyed ten-pin bowling since I was a child; I’m really mad that I lost.”

  “W-ell! I am, so we need to pn something.”

  Li sighed and shook her head. “Sure, we’ll think of something.”

  “Thank you.”

  It didn’t take long for them to reach the location of Nina’s request. It was the same pce Tel went to before, the rge garden was closed off from the outside world and filled with all colours of flowers.

  Li could gasp in amazement, “What a fancy pce…”

  Mel took another sip of her tea cup and said, “I think the food is the crazy part.”

  “Why thank you; the people who built it certainly did a marvellous job.” Nina accepted the compliments and pnned to give them to the correct people once the talk was done. Nina wore a bck dress with a blue flower pattern yered on top of it.

  Li hadn’t been to a pce like this before. Her parents were never ones to take her or her sister out to pces like this for the view, maybe a restaurant, but that was it. And once she left the house, she also lost interest in visiting pces like gardens.

  Li was still a little nervous, she had been feeling that a lot since arriving on Metous. She had been guessing all day about what the conversation would be about. Nina did say in the invitation it was just a check to see how she found life on Metous, but she felt that couldn’t be all, right? Besides the light interrogation when they first met, Nina didn’t ask about Li’s activities within Dominous Hood, so that was her best guess.

  However, it was just a simple, small back and forth. Nina asked her about time on Metous, what parts she liked and didn’t, and simply how everything had been. Not a word about Dominous Hood was spoken, and it seemed that she just wanted to see if Li was adjusting correctly.

  Nina’s face glowed with happiness. “I’m really gd to see you being loved.”

  Overall, Li really enjoyed the talk.

  Then, after a while, Mel couldn’t hold back her question.

  Mel fumbled her words, “Um… Nina… have you gotten any word about–”

  Nina interrupted, “It’s okay; I know you love her very much.” Nina spoke in a soothing tone that calmed Mel. “I do have to apologise for not being able to grab any good news sooner.”

  “No, you don’t.”

  “No, I do. My personal goal was to locate her quickly, but I failed.”

  Li said, “That’s nothing to be sorry about.”

  Nina expined, “Truthfully, no, it isn’t, but when I set out to do something, I do my best to complete it. So, in a way, I’m more upset at myself than anything. But I am sad you and Tel haven’t gotten back your family member yet, you all deserve to be happy after everything that has happened.”

  Li felt her heart shake. She didn’t know if she deserved to be happy, but after everything… she wanted to be a little bit, for her sister’s sake.

  Mel asked, “Mum mentioned you would be meeting someone about Ceel soon, right?”

  “Yes, he should be around soon…” There was a minuscule hint of unease in Nina’s movements.

  Mel asked a seemingly weird question, “Is he a good person…?”

  Nina questioned, “Why do you ask that?”

  “...Because I was wondering if he came to you.”

  “Fascinating assumption.” Nina leaned forward, intrigued. “What makes you say that?”

  Mel paused, “Well… you mentioned earlier about your…”

  Nina casually mutters, “Ego?”

  “I-I-I guess that works, but if you could’ve called upon them earlier, I think you would’ve.”

  Nina didn’t answer; she closed her eyes and smiled, “Well, a good person, huh…” She opened them. “Hmm… a [Witch] would be the correct description.”

  Li asked, “A witch? How is that a descriptor?”

  Nina smiled. “Not much, I can really say, besides the fact that they really just do their own thing. But because of their nature, hopefully, I will be getting an answer.”

  Mel slightly bowed. “Thank you for answering.”

  “Please don’t do that,” Nina stood up to stop her, and they all had a quick ugh about how over the top the talk was becoming. So they sat back down to enjoy some more food.

  The conversation didn’t st much longer, as it was already te in the afternoon when they arrived.

  On the walk home, Li noticed Mel seemed a little off. “You feeling good?” She asked.

  “Yeah… just thinking about stuff?” Mel barely tried to deflect.

  “What kind of stuff? You’ve been lost a lot recently.”

  Mel returned an honest answer, “Love.”

  Li flinched for a moment. “...Love huh…”

  “Yeah… sorry for bringing this up… It’s just embarrassing to talk about this with Mum…”

  “...I’m going to assume she would be too excited?”

  “Knowing her… yeah, that’s what I’m expecting.”

  Li said, “I’m surprised you are thinking about love after that talk.”

  “...Just a lot of thoughts in my head, and with the ones about my sister calming down for a moment… these ones just resurface.”

  Li thought about the idea for a few moments.

  “Love…” Li muttered, “I have never been in love before, but my sister was.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, she was even preparing to confess.”

  “Wow…” Mel’s face then turned sour, “I’m sorry for–”

  Li said, “Don’t be; I have fond memories of those times. Keep this a secret, but my first Vocation was a [Flower Maid].”

  Mel replied again, “Really?”

  “Yeah, they are sometimes used in weddings, and I thought it would be nice if I could be one for my sisters. I didn’t even mind changing it ter, once it was done. Though I kept that bit of information a secret from her and the girl she loved.”

  “I see.” Mel nodded. “I know Ceel dated a few people, but I don’t think she ever reached the stage of truly loving someone–maybe just really really really liking them.”

  Li asked out of curiosity, “So, how was her romance life?”

  “She dated a few boys and girls, but pretty much all of them were bad apples.” Mel sighed, “If you ever ask her, all she will say is that it was a good learning experience.”

  "Haha, that sounds like Aunty.” Li chuckled, “So, what stage are you at?”

  “For?”

  “Love.”

  “Oh…” Mel twiddled her fingers. “Whatever one makes me embarrassed.”

  “So have you asked anyone or been asked out?”

  “I nearly kissed a guy…”

  “Wow, moving fast.”

  “We didn’t actually do it though.”

  “Why?”

  Mel kicked a pebble on the side of the street hard and said, “Because of my breath.”

  Li, who had no experience dating, or kissing, and only knew a little about romance, could only mutter, “That’s… so stupid.”

  “I know, Sam, Mike as well as the guy’s friend ridiculed him about it after the fact, saying it was stupid to not kiss something because of mint.” Mel froze, realising she had said way too much.

  “That’s why you didn’t eat the mint cookies.”

  “Yes okay…” Mel’s face flushed completely red. “Please don’t tell Mum.”

  “Sure, only if you promise not to tell Tel or Tyell about what I told you.” Li was sure those two would understand the parts Mel completely missed.

  “Deal!”

  With a promise set, Mel and Li continued to walk down the street.

  But along the way, one woman turned around to confirm what she actually saw.

  “Li…?” She mumbled quietly under her breath.

  Someone who had been believed to have died on a previous mission on Earth was simply walking down the street on another pnet.