❖ 11 ❖

“Io~cchi!” Yuuki grinned, playfully rushing up and slapping Iori’s butt the instant she saw her strolling through the garden. “What’s up? You just vibing?”

"Ahaha, someone's really got a thing for butts, huh? It's like you can't keep your hands off of mine!" Iori chuckled, giving Yuuki's a playful squeeze of her own.

"Hwha~?!" Yuuki moaned, more than a little caught off guard by the gesture coming from the usually reserved Iori, and…also by how firm her grip felt.

Shit, Iocchi, that's good…

"Didn't think you were the type who can dish it out but can't take it," Iori laughed, before catching herself and quickly pulling her hand back. "But…my bad, I'll cool it for a little bit."

"No no, you're good Iocchi!" Yuuki giggled. "I'm just surprised by how lively you are today, that's all. Figured you'd be bedridden after last night

She looked hella fire, or at least that's what Yuuki would have said. It was impossible to tell she'd been on the verge of collapsing the night before, or that she ever harbored an ounce of reservation regarding herself considering the revealing outfit she'd chosen.

She was wearing a pair of tight denim cutoffs that were cut so high that you could see the inside of her pockets peeking out from under the hem that bit into her thighs. Despite that, she was totally owning them, like they were nothing at all, despite the definite shyness about her hips and butt that Yuuki had so fondly been taking advantage of.

In fact, she'd gone all on in an outfit that the yuki-onna had chosen largely as a gag, something to tease her with later. She had a simple, black sports bra on, with a looser, sheer white off-shoulder crop top over it, adding a sexy appeal that was far beyond what the unadorned bra could have accomplished alone.

Her sex appeal was reigned in a little bit, bringing her down from full slut to sporty-hot, by some athletic-looking white knee-high socks and an black and white ball cap, which gave her a bit of an aggressive air when she wore it backwards.

It was a damn good fit, and Yuuki couldn't help but feel proud at how good it looked on her, but her success was truly a double-edged sword, requiring a firm presence of mind and biting her lip to avoid getting down bad from the bestie in front of her.

"I've felt pretty good, actually! A little…restless, I guess? Antsy?" Iori mused, scratching her arms. "Ah, and my skin's been a little itchy today, nothing major. The air's just a little drier here and I'm having a hard time with that, I suppose."

"No fireballs?"

"Not a one!" Iori cackled. "This whole garden would probably be ablaze by now if I'd had any trouble there. So don't worry, I wouldn't be out here if I wasn't sure it'd be OK."

"Glad you're thriving, Iocchi!" Yuuki grinned. "You were so downbeat last night, but your mood's done a total 180, huh? I like it! Your smile's really sexy."

"Mm, I guess watching the fireworks with you left me feeling pretty refreshed," Iori winked. "I'm not sure I've ever woken up feeling so energetic. Hell really knows how to make a festival worthwhile."

“Right?!” Yuuki giggled. “But like, no other problems? No fever? Haven’t gotten dizzy or disoriented?”

“That worried about me? It’s cute, you know?”

There was something about the way Iori looked at Yuuki as she said that, with a sly grin that just bordered on being a smirk and ever so slightly narrowed eyes, that made the question feel so much more teasing. It all made the yuki-onna’s heart skip a beat for a moment.

But yes, of course she was worried, after all…

“Just checking in on the bestie,” she giggled, hiding her own surprise as best she could.

“Well, I can’t say I don’t appreciate it, thanks Yuuki, you’re the best,” Iori winked.

Yuuki paused yet again, swallowing the feelings that even a gesture that simple left her with.

Where’d all this hunk energy come from, huh?! You pivoting to being a heartthrob, is that it?

“Y-yeah! Totes! You’re uhhh, kinda flirty today, y’know that?”

“Flirty? Am I?” Iori froze, furrowing her brow for a moment, before breaking into a smile. “Ahaha, I must be spending too much time with you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you checking out my ass today, Yuuki! I don’t blame you, it looks great, right?”

???????

‘Flirty’, it seemed, was a drastic understatement. There was a bluntness to everything she was saying that was at odds with her usual demeanor. She seemed to bury everything behind layers of formality and worries about being taken seriously, but now she was totally unguarded, grinning happily and chatting openly, without a thought for whoever might listen to her. If anything, she was being kinda cocky.

Well, whatever! If Iocchi’s feeling good, then I’m happy.

Not writing this off as not being part of whatever’s going on, though…

“Well, I’m glad you recognize it too! You’re a hottie, Iocchi! How could I keep my eyes off a bod like that?”

Iori puffed out her chest at that, smiling haughtily.

“I’ll have to try on more of the clothes you bought me, I’m sure they’ll all look fantastic.”

“Perfect for catching Rinarin’s heart, huh?”

“Mhmm!” Iori nodded confidently. “Don’t take this the wrong way, I had a blast with you last night and wouldn’t change that for anything, but I should’ve really tried to spend more time with her at the festival.”

“No prob! I’d be surprised if you weren’t thinking that kinda thing, bestie.”

“Did you see how adorable she looked in her kimono? She’s so precious, I want to steal her away some days, you know that? Just wrap her up in my arms and hoard her away, all to myself, ahahaha. She’d be my treasure. Not that I’d take her away from Haqua and Mio, but…I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for, and she’s just too cute for me to not feel a little selfish when I think about her… I want to pin her down so badly…”

She had a hungry look in her eye, arousal slipping into her words before she even realized it. And then, as if a spell had been broken, her cheeks turned bright red, and she buried her face in her hands.

“Just…pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Yuuki couldn’t help but cackle. She was way too cute when she was flustered.

“No way! No putting that back in the box, Iocchi! You’re down real bad for that girl~! It’s cute! You should be that honest all the time!”

“...It’s not my fault Rina’s so beautiful…” Iori pouted, feeling a little too proud to deny her feelings.

“Makes sense! You’re a big eater, Iocchi, doesn’t surprise me that you’d wanna eat that cutie right up, too!”

“Am I a big eater? Rina always used to tell me I could stand to have more of an appetite…” Iori pouted, feeling strangely defensive as Yuuki stared back at her blankly. 

Wait, is that a serious question, Iocchi? Did you see how much meat you tore into the other night? Did you forget how much you ate this morning?!

Yuuki chuckled, and pulled up a photo she’d taken of Iori at the breakfast table, bacon and eggs piled absurdly high. She had a ravenous expression in the photo, and even just staring at Yuuki’s phone now, she started to drool, smiling happily.

“It was all so tasty…You all eat so well here, it’s-”

Iori caught herself, and quickly pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, wiping away any trace of drool.

“...Point taken.”

“But I bet you’ve got a separate stomach for Rinarin, huh? She’s your real meal, isn’t she?”

“...No comment.”

For as blunt as she’d been, Yuuki had a talent for making Iori shy, it seemed. So, she decided to turn up the pressure, to see how far her bluntness would really go.

“It’s cute! Be as horny as you want around me, girl, I get it. Tell me how you really feel, hit me with some real pervy thoughts.”

“You know how I feel about her, Yuuki,” Iori chuckled, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.

“Mm! And I know how long you’ve been holding it back for, too! Chances are, if you ran into Rinarin feeling as down bad as you are right now, you’d get waaaaaay too worked up to do anything.”

Iori grumbled, oddly annoyed by the suggestion that things wouldn’t go great.

“So let’s try something, Iocchi! Think of me as Rina, let out alllll those pervy thoughts, and you can confess to her with a clearer head! Sound good?” she asked with a wink.

“Yuuki, I-”

“C’mon, bestie. You don’t need to hold back around me!”

Iori sighed, and gave a small nod.

“It’s just…kinda hard to picture you as Rina, you know that?”

“‘Cuz she isn’t a gyaru?” Yuuki giggled.

“Among many, many other things, yes,” Iori sighed.

“Ehehe, that’d be cute though, right? Imagine how fire she’d look in my fit? We could totes make it happen, too. Succubi can will their own clothes up, so all you’ve gotta do is suggest something hard enough and you can force a new wardrobe on ‘em! I’ve done it to Riri a few times, and Rinarin’ll be waaaay easier than her.”

“That’s true, she crumbles so easily, it’s so precious…” Iori mumbled, once again drooling slightly as the thought of gyaru Rina ran through her mind.

“Shut your eyes for a sec?”

Iori did as she was asked, and not a moment later, felt Yuuki’s chilly hand wrap around her own. It wasn’t anything like Rina’s, but it was comforting all the same. She caressed Iori’s hand for a time, lovingly teasing it with her fingertips, before guiding it down to Yuuki’s butt, forcing Iori to cup one of her cheeks.

“What would you do if you had Rinarin close to you like this, huh? Flaunting her cute little ass juuust for you,” she whispered.

Iori stayed silent, sure that her expression showed exactly how excited this was making her. It didn’t matter that she felt nothing like Rina, Yuuki was staggeringly sexy, her body felt incredible. She couldn’t hold herself back from squeezing a little. Why would she? Yuuki clearly wanted her to.

She caressed her soft, supple flesh for a moment. It was cool to the touch, yet full of life and vibrancy, sure to have the most wonderful bounce if Iori slapped it. Rina would want to be spanked, so maybe then, if Yuuki wanted Iori to see her as Rina…

She slowly raised an open palm, preparing to bring it down firmly. She wondered what kind of moan Yuuki would let out, if she would at all.

She's probably the type to giggle at things like that. She'd call me a pervert and ask me to spank even harder. Shit, Yuuki, you're so much fun, I bet that in bed, you'd-

Iori pulled herself away from Yuuki, smiling softly.

"Ah, no fair! Iocchi, you can't just stop before we've even started!"

"Sorry, Yuuki. I just couldn't picture you as Rina for a second. I wouldn't be sorting out any of my feelings for her like this," Iori chuckled.

Yuuki couldn't hide the disappointment she felt at hearing that. She'd really just wanted to tease Iori, but now, she really wanted to know what Iori might do with her in the bedroom.

"But that's OK," Iori started, grinning at the gyaru before gently resting a hand on her shoulder and kissing Yuuki deeply.

She’s cold inside, too… Iori thought.

She’s so warm… Yuuki smiled, leaning into Iori’s comforting grasp. 

As the two held each other close, each savoring the other’s taste for a while, they looked into each other’s eyes. They knew this couldn’t go much further. They understood that with Iori getting ever closer to finally telling Rina how she felt, they just couldn’t do any more than this right now. But they both understood that there was something here, a bond forged that would never be broken.

And they saw no reason to not enjoy this moment to the fullest.

Surrounded by birdsong, Iori and Yuuki held each other close, and fully understood just how important they were to each other.

“Thanks, Yuuki. For being here. I don’t know what form these feelings ultimately take, but I know that I’ll always want you in my life.” Iori smiled and winked.

“Yeah,” Yuuki smiled back at her. “I want that too. No matter what, you’re my bestie.”

“Always will be,” Iori nodded, before her stomach started loudly growling, breaking the mood between them.

“Ahahahaha, you dork!” Yuuki cackled, practically doubling over from laughter. “How are you still hungry after that breakfast, huh?”

“Maybe I just want to sample more of Hell’s food! Anyone’d be this ravenous after the meals I’ve had,” Iori protested with a grin on her face.

“One of them looked like it was going to kill you!”

“And it was delicious!”

Neither Yuuki nor Iori could hold themselves back from laughing. No matter how serious things got, knowing that they’d always be able to kick back and relax like this with one another was why they were certain that their relationship was unbreakable.

“C’mon, dummy. Let’s head to the city, ‘k? I’ll treat you to something spicy again, if you’re up for it.”

“You know it,” Iori grinned and chuckled, following as Yuuki led the way toward what would surely be another amazing day out together.

As upbeat as she felt, though, Yuuki couldn’t quite stop her brows from furrowing as she thought about Iori’s behavior.

Getting so forward, kissing me out of the blue, talking about Rinarin that way…

It’s amazing. If you’ll always be this confident, maybe it’s a good thing, but Iocchi, you’re…

She looked at Iori, quickly fixing her expression into a smile when she looked back at her.

You’re definitely changing.

Doesn’t matter though. I’m gonna help you through it, no matter what. 

That’s what besties are for, after all.

❖❖❖

Rhodolite the helldrake always got her days off to an early start, long before the sun’s rays had even begun to peek through her apartment’s blinds.

…Depending, of course, on what a "start" is to you.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Her alarm, as always, was set to the kind of extra loud, unpleasantly high-pitched beeping that could wake the dead. To Rhodolite, though…

"Just five more minutes…"

That alarm was only the beginning of her journey, and not even the first step. It served only as the realization of, "Oh, I need to do this," with everything that follows after before setting off on a voyage only coming after time.

That time was about an hour, give or take a few minutes, in fact, full of a constant beeping that, lacking solid soundproofing, would have gotten her thrown out of her apartment a week into her lease.

Today ran a bit on the shorter end, with Rhodolite's eyes slowly beginning to flutter open, 57 minutes after the droning had started.

“Nnn~!” she moaned, lightly stretching. Through the gap in her blinds, she could see the sun shining over the city. She was painfully late for work, but she didn’t pick up on that at all.

She never did.

“Good morning!” Rhodolite cheerfully greeted the sun, followed by her favorite houseplant. “Let’s all do our best today!”

Sleepily, she picked herself up and flopped out of bed onto her feet. She spent a few more minutes stretching, ensuring that all of her limbs–tail included–got the TLC they deserved before she yawned her way through to the bathroom for a shower.

She ran the water extra hot, as usual. Many couldn’t withstand this sort of heat, but she always loved it. It made the bathroom nice and steamy, perfect for sweating out any unwanted weight she may have put on the day before.

Still, she couldn’t help but notice that her hips and bottom seemed ever so slightly fuller and squishier. It was nothing she couldn’t work off with a bit of effort. So she made a promise to herself.

Mm, I'll only get one crepe after work today! Just one!

…Not that she’d keep it, but she’d give it her best shot!

She then focused on her daily skincare routine. Though her self-esteem had never been terribly high, she took a great deal of care when it came to maintaining her looks, and worked extremely hard to ensure that her skin and scales were always at their absolute loveliest. Once that was squared away, she got dressed, put on makeup, and did her hair, smiling pleasantly at her reflection when all was said and done only to be interrupted by a particularly loud growl from her stomach.

“Ufu~! I understand, don’t worry, breakfast will be extra tasty!”

She wasn’t lying, though the meal was extremely simple: A plateful of fried eggs doused in a frightening amount of hot sauce. She took her time eating, letting the meal’s wonderful heat spread through her body, readying her for the day ahead.

“Sho ghood!” she cried through a mouthful of egg, before shyly preparing seconds for herself.

Fully satisfied and ready to head out for the day, she waved her houseplant a quick goodbye, and left her apartment with a spring in her step.

Today, Rhodolite thought, will be the day I really show the city what I'm made of.

"U~fu~fu~! Today's going to be wonderful, I can feel it!"

Of course, that could only happen once she reached work, and, well…

"Let's see…I want to get on at…this platform? And I’ll take the…Gehenna line? Hmm…is that it?"

Rhodolite's tail lazily drifted back and forth as she tried, for what felt like the thousandth time, to figure out the specifics of her journey to the office. A few passersby turned to stare, wondering why the helldrake hadn’t moved so much as an inch away from the subway map in minutes, but she didn’t notice any of them.

She was far, far too focused for that.

It was just too big of an adjustment for the poor helldrake. The village she'd come from was tiny compared to this city. There hadn't been anything nearly as complex as the train system here. Everyone else seemed to manage it as easily as breathing, but she couldn't even begin to wrap her head around it all.

She knew that she had a cheat sheet with her specific schedule in her purse, but she was determined to not let herself check it. She wanted to get things right from memory this time. Inevitably, though, after what felt like an eternity had passed…

"Just a small peek…"

She unfolded the cheat sheet, only to find that all of her best guesses about where she should go were pitifully off the mark.

"Gosh, I'm just hopeless!" she playfully chided herself, giggling as she made her way to the train she really needed to board. Silently, she made another promise to herself, swearing to get it right next time.

It'll get easier! I'll have it memorized in no time!

Undeterred, she boarded with a smile on her face, and soon found herself sandwiched between seemingly endless hordes of demons. Soon, the train was well beyond maximum capacity, and the poor helldrake did everything she could to avoid being in anyone else’s way.

"Ah! E-excuse me! Sorry! I know I'm in the way! Oh gosh, sorry! My apologies! My tail sometimes moves on its own, I'm sorry! It didn't mean to hit you!"

A bevy of excuses for her mere presence tumbled from Rhodolite's lips. Though she was far from the largest demon on the train, she still couldn’t help but feel like a nuisance, taking up everyone else’s space. As more and more people boarded, she slowly squished herself up in a corner, holding her own tail close to her chest.

I hope I get used to this someday… Gosh, I wish I could ride the train with someone else. That'd make this so much less scary…

Still, shy as she felt, the gentle clack of the train along the tracks was enough to lull the poor helldrake into a pleasant slumber, where she dreamt of all that glitters with an adorable smile on her face.

“Ehehehe, it’s all so pretty…”

Over an hour later, she showed up painfully late for work. Her nap, it seemed, had caused her to completely miss her stop, as it had almost every day since she’d moved to this city. Her boss, as always, yelled at her for what might as well have been the entire rest of the morning, and Rhodolite was left with no choice but to glumly nod and robotically pretend to agree with every single thing he said about her.

"Frankly, the lack of dedication you show is shocking, Ms. Desco."

"Yes sir, you're absolutely right. I promise that I'll do better."

"If you hadn't come so highly recommended, I'd think that there had been a serious clerical error in your hiring. You seem confused by even the simplest tasks, you lose focus far too easily, and…"

"Yes sir, you're absolutely right. I promise that I'll do better."

"And another thing, Ms. Desco, if you keep on…"

"Yes sir, you're absolutely right. I promise that I'll do better."

I’m doing my best… You don't have to be so harsh…

Once the lecture had wrapped up, she headed to her desk and finally began her work day, unglamorous as it was. She'd been, from the very first day she'd started, bombarded with far too much that lay far beyond her particular area of expertise and to top it all off, she’d never been given even the most rudimentary job training. It was completely beyond her control, but it all led to her feeling incredibly lost and confused with most of her workload, so she hadn’t felt like she’d been able to accomplish much at all in her time in this position.

She’d thought, on multiple occasions, about quitting, but she was determined to really give the job her all, to prove to herself that she couldn’t be pushed down by something like this. Her pride as a helldrake wouldn’t let her. She had to be able to tell the people in her village that she could overcome anything the city threw at her.

Though she had to admit, it was getting ever easier to consider taking the hit to her pride.

Still, lunch brought her some small degree of solace. Work was stressful, but that hardly mattered when she had a huge burger from her favorite fast food place, and the latest entry in her favorite series of romance novels. It was, as it turned out, a particularly spicy volume, and more than a few insert illustrations of the lead love interest had her sighing and giggling like a schoolgirl.

"She's so sweet, and so determined, too!" Rhodolite smiled, taking a huge bite out of her burger. "I wish I could pamper someone like her. Ufu, maybe she'd even try pampering me! Gosh gosh gosh~!”

“Desco, you’re making too much noise!” her boss called from his office, getting far louder about things than she ever did.

“Y-yes sir, my apologies…”

Shyly, she shut her book and ate her meal in peace. She’d considered spending lunch with some of her co-workers, but…making friends had proven rather difficult. Back home, her open, familiar nature was treated as a charm point, assuring her that Rhodolite Desco was one of Hell’s biggest sweeties. Here though, it just came across as too forward, scaring most people away before she’d even really had the chance to get to know them. She couldn’t help it, though. She’d never really had to keep her distance in the close-knit community she’d spent her life in, but it seemed that a big, bustling city demanded it. She hoped she’d be able to adjust someday, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to.

Come on, no feeling sorry for yourself now. It’s been an alright day so far, hasn’t it? You slept really well, breakfast and lunch have been lovely, and the novel’s getting better and better with every chapter! Plus, we’ve got lots of new minifigures to paint, so there’s that to look forward to!

Rhodolite nodded, and kept her head held high.

And remember, whenever you’re feeling lost…

Rhodolite reached into her purse, seeking her biggest source of comfort, and suddenly remembered a far bigger concern than any issues she had with her job.

Right, it’s not there anymore, huh?

She let out a small sigh, and glumly continued munching on her burger.

I can't believe I lost it. That ring was so special to me, and now it's just gone… I was doing my best to take care of it, too. I polished it every single night, made it shine as bright as it could, and now…

Rhodolite shook her head and slapped her cheeks, getting rid of the awful frown she’d been wearing.

That’s no reason to get despondent! It’ll find its way back to me, I know it will! I’ll go searching for it soon. I’ll check the alley where I bumped into that gorgeous human, it’s bound to be there somewhere!

Gosh, she really was pretty, wasn’t she? She seemed so nice, too! Iori, huh…?

Annoyed as she’d been about the ring, the airheaded Rhodolite’s mind was always quick to wander, and it had found a wonderful distraction in the form of Iori Kizaki.

She was dressed like…umm, a gyaru? Is that what they’re called…? Ehehe, she was so stylish! She thought I’d look good dressed like that too.

Could I be a gyaru like her? What do they say again? ‘Totes’, ‘whatevs’, umm…'spill the tea?’ Mm! I could totes be a gyaru! I wouldn’t want to spill any tea though, that’d be such a waste, ehehe!

Rhodolite wore a ditzy smile, fully convinced she’d nailed it.

We could be gyaru friends! Besties! That’s what they say!

Ooooh, but I called her ‘sweetie’ the moment we met, didn’t I? Iori must think I’m so strange…

Ehehe, but she said she didn’t mind, so maybe…

Buoyed by the distraction, the gentle helldrake did her best for the rest of the workday, her mind constantly flitting back to her run-in with Iori. That meeting, sadly, happened the day she’d lost her ring, but she refused to believe such a nice girl would have stolen it. This surely came down to nothing but her own clumsiness. Still, she refused to beat herself up for it, choosing to believe that somehow, it would find its way back to her. She just had to keep looking.

She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see Iori again, but it was hard not to dwell on their meeting all the same. That was one of the friendliest, warmest interactions she’d had since she moved to the city, and Rhodolite was certain that it was a sign that someday soon, her life here would turn around for the better.

“Gosh, there was so much work today…”

At the end of the workday, Rhodolite stepped out into the quiet city streets. She’d been forced to do more than a few hours of overtime, staying far later than any of her co-workers, so she'd expected things to be a little less bustling than usual, but even so, she was caught off guard by how still everything was. For as scary as it could be to someone used to a slower-paced life, Rhodolite had always loved how vibrant and full of life the city was at all hours of the day, but now, she could barely see another soul anywhere else.

Still, she didn’t let that bother her. She was worn out, sleepy, and in dire need of a crepe or three. That would surely perk her up.

So with a spring in her step and a swish in her tail, Rhodolite happily made her way towards her favorite crepe shop, only to find-

“They’re closed…”

Nothing but an empty storefront, a cutesy paper note taped to the wall.

“Closed for the Avarice Festival! Come on by, it’ll be a blast! - Alisa”

“The…Avarice Festival? But wait, that's not for-"

Rhodolite checked the date on her phone, then froze. It was suddenly abundantly clear why the streets were so empty.

"Oh gosh, it's today! With work and losing my ring, I completely lost track of the date, but…I missed it, didn't I…?"

The helldrake frowned, as she looked to the horizon and saw a distant golden glow over part of the city, the unmistakable, lively glow of the Avarice Festival itself. There’d be crowds of people there, all having the time of their lives, and all Rhodolite had done was work through it.

The Avarice Festival is my favorite, too… back home, I…I…

Bittersweet memories of festivals spent with family and friends back home flooded her mind. Whiling away the evening at all the stalls, devouring plenty of yummy food, amassing the biggest hoard of gold in her entire village. It was all so fun, but now it just left her feeling hollow. She'd heard so much about how grand the festivals were in big cities, how they put her tiny village's celebrations to shame, and now she'd gone and missed the very first Avarice Festival since she'd moved.

I know they're not nearly as fun if you don't go with other people, but…I still wanted to see it… I could've been eating Ever-Burning Flame right now…

And yet, as the whistle of fireworks filled the air and the blasts lit up the city streets, Rhodolite couldn't bring herself to feel much of anything. She wasn't even sad, she just felt…empty, drained of all emotions.

Funny…

Everyone says the fireworks are so much better in the city, and they certainly look bigger…

Rhodolite furrowed her brow, she couldn't see more than a few stray patches of sky through all the explosions.

But they're sort of…dull, aren't they? I'm not sure what it is, but that gold isn't as vibrant as it was back home…

She didn't understand it at all. It should've been captivatingly beautiful, but now, she only spared them a few more seconds of her attention, before turning and heading in what she hoped was the direction of the right train station.

But come to think of it, were they even all that bright back home? Maybe they've always been a little duller than I think they are, ehehe…

She was too tired to really think about it, so she stopped and turned to head back to her apartment, eager to give her fatigued body and mind some much-needed rest.

She couldn't help but notice, as she boarded a train home, that she had more space to herself than she'd ever had before. She wasn't packed in tight like a sardine, but that didn't really provide the relief she thought it would.

“I’m hoooome…” she called into her empty apartment once she'd finally made it back. Rhodolite kicked off her shoes, peeled off her somewhat sweaty tights, and flopped straight down onto the couch, feeling an absurd amount of tension begin to leave her body.

“Did you miss me?” she asked her houseplant, predictably getting no response from it.

“Ehehe, thirsty, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you in a moment. Just give me a few minutes to relax, cutie.”

The rest of her night was tremendously quiet. She took care of her plant, made herself a simple meal (covered in hot sauce, of course), and spent her free time relaxing in front of the TV, playing some variety show as a source of inoffensive background noise while she painted a set of minifigures. Most of them were from games and shows she'd never played or watched, but that was fine by her. Painting them was one of her favorite ways to unwind. It was hard to feel frustrated or drained when she had one of them to work on.

As she wrapped up her evening and crawled into bed with a gentle smile on her face, a thought suddenly crossed Rhodolite's mind.

“I never went out to look for my ring, did I…?”

A pit began to form in her stomach. The ring she'd lost a few days ago was extremely precious to her. It was a keepsake from her mother, and one of her personal guiding lights, pushing her towards a bright, happy future where she wouldn't ever have to be alone again. Without it, she couldn't help but feel somewhat adrift and lost, her future suddenly seeming far less clear.

She shook her head, dismissing the glumness creeping into her mind, and wore a gentle smile once more.

“I’ll go and check for it as soon as I can. There's no way I won't find it!"

With a head full of nothing but optimism, Rhodolite slowly began to drift off, sure to have another wonderful dream. She’d wake up late again the next day, but for a few lovely hours, that didn’t matter to her in the slightest.

Even with life's ups and downs, Rhodolite was certain of one thing: Despite all the loneliness and frustration she'd felt since moving to this city, that was all just a bump in the road. Everything would turn around in short order, she knew it.