'Master sure is taking a long time...' Pethant said, when suddenly a notification popped on their table showing that their order had already been processed, 'ok, maybe the bar is just busy...'
Another notification popped up, and Pethant immediately looked down at his phone. He had recently just downloaded Gymder, the perfect workout partner scanning app, and he had just matched with another hot female lifter with thighs of the gods.
'Pethant...I-want-to-ask-you-a-question.' Ally said suddenly, and Pethant glanced up briefly confused before returning his attention towards his phone. Struggling to put the words together despite her hyper-intelligence, she stuttered for a while before going silent again.
She wanted to put forward her question in the best way possible without drawing any suspicions from Pethant that something may be going on between Jon and herself, and yet...why is this so hard...Ally wanted to ask how she can be with Jon just like the best girls in the anime ending up with the main protagonists, but.....she just can't say it.
Was it a mechanical fault in her design? Ally wondered, touching her silver lips with her fingers, and why is her artificial heart going into overdrive?!
'If.....if-there-is-something-you-want-to-do.....how-do-you-do-that?'
Framing the question as vaguely as she could have, Ally managed to squeeze out those words at last.
'I would go ahead and just grab it.' Pethant said, typing his reply back in his phone as his potential training partner asked about whether if he is results or process-oriented in his training.
'But-how-do-you-know-if-that's-right.....?'
'If getting it is something you really want to do, your heart will tell you.'
'My-heart...' Ally looked within, and all she saw are her fragments of memories. There was the one when Jon freed her, stopped her from her rampage against her experimenters, and all those happy times after he took her in. The training he offered, the thrilling mission to the abandoned city, the endless meals, and the warm nights...She wanted to be with Jon for the rest of his life, and she wanted things to be like this forever.
However, is this what Jon wanted? Does Ally really want to be with Jon because Jon is the first one, or is it because Jon is Jon? Would she still like him if he changed, or if the circumstances have changed?
'What-if-my-heart-had-too-many-questions?' Ally asked.
'Then just take it one step at a time.' Pethant said calmly as his fingers danced furiously on his phone screen, 'one PR at a time, one rehab at a time.'
'One-step-at-a-time...'
'It may not be smooth sailing every step of the way, but if as long as you are happy in the end and throughout, it will be worth it.'
'My-love....' Ally rose up from her seat with her heart pounding and her body warm. She wanted to see him right now! Activating her scanning functions in her eyes, she quickly looked for the energy signature that she had grown so accustomed to, and found him standing up at the bar. Walking towards him with haste, she found him standing in between two objectively beautiful women, one with white skin and red medium hair and another with golden bronze skin and puffy black hair.
Strange anger and painful sensation welled up inside of her, and Ally's first instinct is to reach out with her hand and form it into long claws, dragging Jon away from the bar. Or she will eavesdrop at the very least.
Digging her fingernails deep into her palm until her flesh is dented by her own power, she stopped herself.
That was what she wanted to do...but would Jon like it? Would Jon be happy with what she did?
For once, her hyper-intelligent and over-analyzing brain is making sense.
Burying the pain, she forced herself to turn away and shut off her ears as she strolled back towards her seat.
Glancing back in the direction of the bar's door, Jon thought he spotted Ally for a moment, but Imogen grabbed onto his forearm and gotten his attention back towards the two of them.
'We were alerted of an extremely popular stream done by one of the lower level cameramen from the C Institute, and our correspondent from the Superhuman Association lets us know that a quick operation is to be formed.' Imogen explained with her usual formal tone, 'that was my part of the story, and the rest I learned slowly. Freya, what about you?'
'Same.' Freya doesn't seem too talkative after what happened between her and Jon, though Jon doesn't seem to mind having a little hole through his clothes. She looking to the side of the bar away from Jon and Imogen, though she's paying close attention to the conversation with her hearing.
'So you just went straight to the head of the two countries and asked for a ceasefire?' Jon asked as he couldn't believe how simple their missions appeared to be, 'but how do you know you need to intervene, and that the business with the Red Blob will go like this?'
'Well, our basis of the intervention was the violation of the treaty by both countries, so we just offered them an easy way out in the end.' Imogen said, 'this was Freya's idea too, asking for the help of the two National Treasures to take care of the monster.'
'And what do you know about the Red Blob?' Jon asked.
'All I know is that if things are too good to be true, they probably are.' Imogen said, rubbing her temple and hoping the motion will jolt her memories with little success, 'with that much concentrated power...it is only sensible that they are costly. But beyond that, I do not know much. Sorry.'
'What about you, Freya?' Jon asked, and she turned with a red face and shook her head.
Realizing that nothing useful is going to be gained from here, Jon nodded his head and decided to put this back for now and continue to enjoy his much-needed break. Moving back from the bar table, Imogen waved her hand with a lovely smile while Freya suddenly reached out and pinched Jon's clothes.
'I...I am sorry about...your clothes...I will make it up...to you...' With a blushed face, Freya said before returning to her normal self, 'now LEAVE!'
'....don't worry about it, haha....' Jon chuckled and smiled. He didn't know that one of the Ten Fingers can get nervous and awkward like this, but he is too nice of a cameraman to write up a piece about it and publish it every. Guess this will be stashed in the memory compartment of his in the areas designated to the Ten Fingers.
Returning to the table, Pethant has buried his face in his phone texting while Ally is sitting restlessly and only became calm and relaxed when Jon returned. She wanted to say something right away, but somehow find it too embarrassing to talk...Just what...what is this strange fire inside of her...
'What...what-were-you-doing...my-love?'
'Ah, I was just talking to a few people that also was involved in the Abandoned City incident.' Jon said, shaking his head disappointingly, 'but there was nothing useful.'
'I-see!' Brightening up right away, Ally returned to her happy mode, 'That's-awesome!'
Jon looked at her strangely, and she scrambled to cover it up.
'Because-we-can-enjoy-the-holiday-in-peace!'
'I guess you are right...'
'You aren't usually like this, Freya.'
After Jon left the bar, Imogen moved in to fill the space between herself and Freya, and her face was still red to the point that Imogen suspected she's already drunk this early in the night.
'What...what?!' Freya looked at her quickly as her side strands wobbled back and forth, 'what do you mean!'
'I know you have been looking for a man to take a hit from you...' Imogen said, tapping one of her fingers on the side of Freya's arms and sending a jolt of electricity throughout her body.
'That's just your IMAGINATION!' Freya quickly denied, 'that's what you do!'
'Not this time.' Imogen said with a smile, 'not this time...'
'You aren't any different!' Freya shot back, 'you are never this nice to an outsider.'
'What do you mean? He was a colleague back in the case, wasn't he?'
'My ass!' Freya glared at Imogen who's met her gaze straight on, 'you are also onto him, aren't you? And you are still trying to shit on me for wanting to get with him?!'
'I guess it's all fair games from now on then.' Imogen said with a knowing smile, 'but I will be the one tonight.'
'Not gonna happen.' Freya put up an equally fake smile and the two girls both down their drink before bumping forehead to forehead.
'Let me tell you something, Left Index.' Freya growled lowly, 'Do not attempt to steal the first worthy man away from me!'
'I don't think you understand how first impressions work, Left Middle.' Imogen stood her groun and growled back, 'when the time comes, he won't be choosing you.'
'Huh. We shall see.' Standing up and storming away from the bar was Freya, and Imogen simply chuckled while reaching forward and grabbing another drink from the bar.
'We shall see indeed...'
The meals continued on as normal, and Pethant finally put his phone down when the protein bowl is put in front of him. With Gymder now closed up and a gym partner sealed for the next few days, he immediately noticed the hole at the front of Jon's clothes.
'Master! Your clothes!'
'Ah, don't worry about that.' Jon said, waving his hand quickly.
Ally looked up in shock, and she made up her mind.
After the meal, the trio returned to their rooms with Jon doing some maintenance work on his camera and Pethant going on a walk with his gym partner. Ally then hurried to the resort clothing shop and picked up a black hoodie with silver linings through it before returning to their suite.
Then, as she made the final turn in the corridor, she spotted two girls standing face to face with one another with an aura of hostility whirling around them.
'I will be taking him tonight!' Freya said, poking her finger into the shoulders of Imogen.
'You? With your lackluster boobs?' Imogen shot back, and Ally caught the scent of alcohol in the air, 'A fine man like Jon belongs to a fine lady like myself, thank you very much.'
'No chance!' Freya shoved Imogen back, and she dug her feet into the carpet underneath without budging even a centimeter.
'None! Zero! Nothing! Ziltch!' Ally shouted, swinging the shopping bag she got with her, and both girls turned to look at her, 'MY-LOVE-IS-MINE!'
'You would want to stay out of this.' Freya threatened without turning her attention away from Imogen, 'do you not know who we are?'
'We are two of the TEN FINGERS.' Imogen continued on, 'so bugger off!'
'And-I-am-Ally, a-weapon-designed-to-destroy-the-TEN-FINGERS!' Ally shouted back, and both Imogen and Freya turned to look at her.
'Say what?'