Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 45: Storm of Hearts, Part One

{October 1, 239 2E}

{Lianna}

The crimson-haired girl woke up to the scent of vanilla.

Enverna was still asleep, currently wrapped in Lianna’s arms as the girl noticed while her eyes slowly blinked open.

Lianna inhaled deeply, burying her face in Enverna’s hair. How they’d arrived at this position over the course of the night was irrelevant, what mattered was that Lianna was so comfortable like this she could melt.

[Aahh~ I feel so fucking good!]

After how the last night went, waking up to a warm body like this was exactly what she needed. But, as greedy as Lianna wanted to be, she knew that if Enverna woke up and found them in this position, she’d freak out.

Or... Would she? It was hard to tell, really, given that Enverna seemed to have been getting more comfortable with Lianna, lately.

The casual touches here and there that the two of them shared now and then, while clearly just friendly, were things Enverna herself sometimes initiated these days.

[... I hope I can keep being a good friend to you,] Lianna thought as she finally removed herself from Enverna’s back, wandering to the living room in a baggy white shirt and black shorts.

As she usually did, Lianna first made coffee for herself and Enverna, and then sat down to watch the news.

Naturally, the attack on the Watchful’s guild hall was the first thing Lianna found the anchors talking about.

"... and, of course, we must draw a comparison here between what was reported last night by the police and eyewitnesses and what was shown in the viral clip of Jack Caldwell’s possible murder. Witnesses say that they saw students being absorbed into a young boy’s body through his hands, much in the same way..."

Lianna sighed.

[From the start, maybe it should have just been Enverna going to the gala and I should have just stayed home to fight off Jack, in case he came. But... I just didn’t see that move coming. I didn’t think he’d ignore the gala completely.]

A minute passed and, just as the coffee was finished, almost like Enverna had been shaken by the coffee gods, the girl emerged, walking out of the bedroom in her pajamas with a yawn.

"Good morning." With a smile that bloomed naturally as a result of that endearing sight, Lianna passed Enverna a cup full of coffee.

"Good morning... Thank you."

"You can sit down if you want. I’ll get our breakfast ready."

"Lianna Velcross, cooking breakfast? No take-out? What a rare treat," Enverna remarked as she kicked her feet up onto the coffee table, mug in hand.

"I like cooking but, you know, with how hectic our mornings can be sometimes, I just can’t be bothered."

"... Well, I have grown quite used to Sandy’s egg sandwiches, so you do have quite the standard to live up to."

"Oh? Are you doubting my abilities?" Lianna asked, wriggling her eyebrows.

"Indeed I am."

"Fine. Wait for a moment. I’m gonna cook the best omelet you’ve ever had."

"I look forward to being proven wrong."

A while later, Lianna and Enverna both had their plates in their hands, omelets, and bacon gracing their porcelain as Lianna handed Enverna a fork and a knife.

"I don’t know, Lianna... Sandy’s sandwiches do smell so much better."

"Yeah? Well, wait till you take a bite. All I’m gonna say is there’s more than one kind of orgasm I’m good at giving people."

"L-LIANNA!?"

Putting her bacon in her mouth, Lianna gave Enverna a mischievous grin.

"Ugh..."

Putting her embarrassment aside, Enverna introduced the food to her mouth and...

"Okay, it does taste great..." She admitted, having another bite. "But, I struggle to comprehend how such a vulgar mouth can accompany belong to such a skilled chef."

"I’ve been practicing," Lianna stated. "And, besides, it’s not like my vulgar mouth has anything to do with cooking. No, I use that for other things."

Enverna rolled her eyes as someone knocked on the door.

Lianna put her plate down, gesturing at Enverna to let her know that she could remain seated, and went to go answer the door.

Mel was there, standing before Lianna with a box of chocolates.

[Huh?]

"Um... H-Here."

She all but shoved the chocolates into Lianna’s chest.

"Oh, um... Thank you."

Mel shook her head. Breathing in deep, Mel calmed herself down and said:

"You saved me last night... I should be thanking you."

Lianna shook her head, bringing the girl in for a hug. She could feel Enverna’s eyes on her, but, well, it wasn’t like Lianna was doing anything wrong, so she had no clue why Enverna was staring so much.

"I’ll always be there if you need help," Lianna told her. "That’s what friends are for."

"I... see..." Mel took a step back, shyly. "Um, that was all. I... I’ll let you get back to your meal."

"Thanks again."

Soon, the door was closed and Lianna was walking back to the couch with a box of chocolates in her hands.

"Mel was in her room when the attack happened last night. I helped her out, so..." She held the box up.

Enverna nodded, bringing her finished plate over to the sink to wash it.

There was a noticeable silence that stretched on for a while. Enverna didn’t look mad or anything, but Lianna could hardly tell what was causing this slight awkwardness.

"... By the way, I was given a card last night by an organization that is apparently composed of children of mana. Do you know of them?" Enverna suddenly asked, pretty much ignoring Mel altogether.

"Uh, who?"

"The Starsign Association."

"Nope," Lianna shook her head. "Don’t know anything about ’em."

"Here," Enverna materialized a business card from her Inventory.

[A System-generated business card?]

"I was wondering if you might be interested in checking them out, given that you are one as well."

"I could," Lianna shrugged. "Guess I could hand their info to Mel, too."

"You could, yes," Enverna responded with apathy.

"Okay," Lianna nodded. "I’ll call them. Let’s, uh... See what they’re about."