Juniper, grabbed it from her. Effy held on tighter.
“N-No… I got it,” she said, breathing heavily.
“Effy, c'mon, I have places to be.”
“Ooh, Woah, I… I got it, I got it.” she let out a high-pitched eep. Then stumbled backwards.
The girl tripped, her foot landing, sending her half flying. Juniper caught the comically large grocery bag with her left arm, squatting and grabbing Effy with her right, just barely preventing her from falling head to the ground.
“Alright, we’re never going shopping again, filling up this cube of a bag worse than getting up in the morning.” Juniper stated, half annoyed.
“Jeez, are you still mad about the VR thingy?” Effy asked. “You’re like rich, no now, it shouldn’t bother you that much.”
Juniper folded her arms, face tight with frustration. She pointed at Euphemia, her words laced with stern vigor. “You’ve been spoiled too much for the last week. I’m drawing a line in the sand right here and right now. It’s one thing to enjoy a little money now and then, but you keep going overboard, Effy.”
Effy stuck out her tongue, her focus locked on the bag, clearly tuning Juniper out. “Whatever you say, mom,” Effy mocked her.
Juniper winced. “What?”
Hurt flashed into her eyes, and she swallowed. Caught off guard. She went quiet, she didn’t always want to be reminded of the past. Juniper knew she didn’t mean it seriously, but it was like a needle in the heart. Remy had said the same thing a few times when she had started mildly ranting, fortunately for them, she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” Effy said, her eyes half pleading.
“I know,” Juniper sighed. Her face contorted, a face that said, she was going to do terrible things to Effy. “Get in the apartment, asap.”
Effy in her typical fashion bolted. It appeared to be her signature move. She was good at running, juniper hoped, that she’d never lose out on that. And that if the day comes, where Juniper gets put on the back end of life, If Juniper failed. Effy would know when to run.
Juniper pretended to channel mystical energy in her body. It was a coping mechanism for when she was alone. She’d pretend magical energy would course through her veins to cure her anxiety, settle down her problems. While she rationalized a way to fix them.
She was going to see Kanako within the hour, and the constant wait and interruptions were edging her in all the wrong ways. When she left Matriarch base, she got held up in traffic, had to take a detour because of an accident on the road. She made it home, only to get trapped by the landlady. Then time slipped away, and she was off to grab Effy. Then more traffic difficulties, that made Juniper decide to her to the park for a while, which was another mistake as she had to fight to get out of the parking zone.
She took the bad luck as an opportunity and when to a supermarket. Then Effy started making puppy faces, and she got into a queue for some off-brand expensive indie VR headset.
Honestly, sometimes it felt it would be so much better if she killed the human in her. Throw away all human norms and convention, give into the godlike idea the traveler had urged on to her about. Why drive when you can fly. In fact, why stop at utilitarian convenience? Build her own 100 square mile city, rule it as the queen and only resident of the country. Tune out everything else and the outside world.
And– she was spiraling again.
[Oh death and despair, O woe and sorrow, won’t you come get me.] Sys-chan added. [Come on, Juniper. Don't turn into a brooding, existential disaster. Would Lady Yamato nadeshiko approve, will she be happy when she sees this gloomy edge lord.]
She stretched her legs, sighed and climbed after her sister. Syschan was right, she needed to ease up, focus on what matters.
Juniper listened with her super hearing passively, she’d been awfully alert since her encounter with Aegysthos. There was no telling when the next hero wanted to give her a piece of their mind, she’s going to have to move soon as well, get the bullshit out the way.
Get rid of nonsense, get rid of stress.
She crawled up the stairs, the bag strapped to her back. Something which might’ve hurt her a month ago.
“Come on, what are you stalling for.” Effy stood on the top of the walkway.
Juniper stuck her own tongue out in reverse, her moods doing a total one 180, she started jogging up the stairs, taking great care not to trip or misstep.
The moment they stepped inside the door, Effy burst forward like a hypercharged battery, running up and around Remy with stars in her eyes. All giddy like the little manic bubble of faerie dusts she was.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Finally, the day was over, at least.
“Guess what I got! Guess, guess, guess!” The girl started jumping, juniper thought a few more and she’d hit the ceiling.
“Um…a detention form?” he teased.
“C'mon, at least try, I’ll have you know I’m well-behaved at school.” She said with pride.
But not at home.
“Guess, or else, I’ll give you a double suplex.”
Remy held out his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. My guess is… new headphones?”
“Nope.” She flicked his nose with her finger. Ran over to the counter, taking the grocery bag from juniper, digging through it like a raccoon until she reached the small box.”
“Ta-da!” she shouted, displaying it like a trophy. “They say it’s got, like, 2.5% full-dive capability! Isn’t that awesome?”
“Totally, awesome!! He parroted.”
Remy smiled–genuinely smiled at her excitement. But there was something else. Juniper noticed it, perhaps it was her overactive imagination. He was a bit too cheerful, at the appearance of her device and her excitement. Almost forced. He stared too long, an unfocused smile–head elsewhere.
Effy, oblivious to Remy’s odd behavior, started unboxing the device, strapping it on—still uncharged—right there on the floor.
Juniper leaned on the counter, watching her brother with increased scrutiny. She turned towards the mega grocery bag, fixing up what Effy had tossed and rearranged everything, rolling her shoulders but keeping her brother insight.
She almost relaxes before Remy turns his attention to her.
“You making something tonight?”
“Nah, I’m going out.” She stretches. “I brought some snacks, take your pick.”
“Out?” He lifts an eyebrow. “Where?”
“Kanako’s office.”
Now the second brow joins the first. “Kanako works?”
“She has an office?” Effy inquired
Juniper frowned. “Wow, that’s rude. Both of you. She did a lot for us, did you forget?”
“No, you– I didn’t mean it like that, but I mean—where?”
“Kagetsu-Gumi”
That gets him. A double-brow raise, full skeptical mode.
“Are you sure?” he hesitates, face panicky. “That’s weird, because. That company resides in the shadow district. You know, a full on villain group operates around there.”
“Yep, Pretty sure.”
“ That company’s sketchy as hell.” he complained.
“Aren’t Most?” Juniper asked. Hell, she was working with a sketchy woman, who thought timeline bugging her was an appropriate test of character, and yet she put her trust in her anyway. Into that strange group.
Juniper shrugged, she couldn't care less if Kanako worked for the scummiest companies, she needed to see her asap.
[That’s a major oversight, Jun. Huge red flag, like neon-lit and blinking. You can’t just be tossing out statements like that. I get you’re frazzled, but... come on.]
She ignored Sys-chan. Juniper started putting away the groceries, Euphemia froze in motion, she carefully put the headset down as if it was diamond coated Jewelry.
Effy sniffed the air like a bloodhound, nose upturned, eyes narrowed. Juniper was always surprised by how sharp her instincts were.
“Something smells weird.”
She sniffs her blanket. The couch. The walls.
“Okay, Ms. drew, what’s wrong?”
Effy zeroes in on something near the couch. She could see Remy visibly panic, as Effy started searching. She found it near the couch—a pill capsule. “Hmm, this smells like candy.”
Juniper rushes over, immediately picks it up, then gives Remy a slow look.
“Remyyyyy… she folded her arms frowning. “
“Oh, come on. I’m tired. I must dropped it there earlier.” he complained. “Effy is smart enough to know what a pill does?
Where was this coming from, why was he so argumentative.
“You know better.” Her voice turns soft. Almost disappointed.
He shrugs. “Well, I’m sorry, haven’t been feeling great. You know, got a freak disease in my head. “
Juniper frowns. He’s been out of character, too. Utterly alien. Still, if Effy swallowed the medicine, there’s no telling how her body would have reacted. This infuriated her.
[Perception Alert– Something’s definitely off. Yeah, he’s totally hiding something. I’d watched him with every eye.]
If Sys-chan noticed it, then there was absolutely something wrong.
Juniper moved a blanket aside and spotted it, an empty liquor bottled tucked away half out of the prying eyes. They exchange a stare, he half displays his panic. Before she could open her lips.
He’s drinking Too!? Does he have a death wish?
Her phone alarm blared. She panicked.
Oh, dammit. I’m Late.
She hesitates, then glanced at him again, his demeanor returned to his usual hesitation again, glancing at each other. The mask was placed firmly on top again. She’ll deal with it when she can.
Effy lay on her stomach, VR toy plugged into the wall, eyes locked on the charging status.
Juniper shoved down the nagging feeling, that things were falling apart again. She threw everything down. Kanako was the only thing that mattered at the moment.
Effy caught wind of this. “Can I come? It was fun outside.”
Juniper’s already grabbing something warm from her room. “No.”
Effy grabs her leg. “I’ll be real quiet. I haven’t seen Kanako since last week, I really miss her.”
“Effy. No”
“Juuuuuuuuuuniper~” She ran over, then she started mock crying. Twirling on the floor again. “I wanna come along.”
Juniper groaned, shoving on sturdier shoes and darting for the door before Effy could latch onto her like a face hugger. Missing her lunge by inches.
“Nu uh! Stay!”
She planned on flying there anyway, she didn’t want to expose herself to Euphemia’s blabbering mouth.
“Remy, keep the doors locked. No exceptions.. AND–” she didn’t say another word, but glanced at the spot she found the bottle.
He tensed up.
She shuts it.
As she leaves, she hears Remy mumbling something about her to Effy.
“You gotta stop pushing your luck with her. You make her angry, she gets angry at me.”
“Is this because of the beer bottle she just found, don’t blame me for your sins. Dude.”
“Yeah, and you milk yours.”
Juniper shakes her head, turning towards the rooftop. She exhales, she tried not to think about what Kanako wanted to say. She had something heavy on her heart that much was obvious but why resign her to secrecy, why call her now, why ghost her day after Fire day.
What if it was bad.
What if this is where it ended.
[What if you’re overthinking.]
No. I’m not.
A memory flickers. Kanako’s voice, concerned, begging her to come along with her. Her car totalled and turned over. “You don’t have to play a hero! Come with me!”
Juniper took off to the sky, maneuvering through the air. She was heading for the truth of the matter, whether she cared or not. Juniper flexed her fingers against her wrist. No time to overthink.
Ambulance and police sirens blared. Her body tensed, almost steering her straight into the chaos.
[Easy, partner. Cops are on it. Hell, maybe even super cops. Focus on your destination]
She almost dove in, instincts screaming louder than reason. She swallowed hard. If she made a detour now, she’d never forgive herself. Whatever truth Kanako was hiding, it was waiting for her at the end of this flight.
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