Chapter 10: Chocolates from my boyfriend
Alexia was treated and escorted back to campus. Ultimately, she and Cid didn't get into any trouble for breaking curfew. She did have to spend some time reporting the details of the attack and the location of the body. It wasn't until the following day that Iris came to interrogate her. By that time a few more things had come to light. Alexia had been ordered to take a day of bed rest and was lying in bed with her pajamas.
XXX
"We found the bodies of the other two assailants," Iris told her. "One was hacked into literal pieces. The other was mutilated and nailed up to the side of a wall. Beneath the corpse was a sign that read, 'The fate of fools.'"
Alexia grimaced. "Shadow's not one for subtlety, I guess. But at least now we know Shadow and Shadow Garden had nothing to do with the random attacks on civilians."
"So it would seem, though in the end we still don't know much about him or his organization."
"Well, we also know that they and the cult are enemies."
"That's still speculation, though the fact Zenon was a cult member and Shadow attacked him does strongly suggest that. That night, the attack on Zenon's facility was just one among many. There was fighting all over the city and it was madness. We had no idea who was doing the attacking or why they selected the targets they did. We still don't."
"Those places had to all be bases for the cult, just like Zenon's."
"You're making assumptions. There's no evidence at all connecting those other locations to the Cult of Diablos."
"I'm sure Shadow and his people wouldn't attack anyone without cause."
Iris frowned. "You seem to have quite a lot of faith in Shadow and this Shadow Garden. I'll remind you Shadow reduced someone into dogmeat and nailed someone else up onto a wall. After maiming them and possibly while they were still living. He may not be as idyllic as you seem to think."
"He's saved my life twice."
"Yes, but according to you he claimed it was coincidental. Your own testimony is that he refuses to state he's an ally. I haven't met Shadow, but I did run into a beautiful, masked elf who called herself Alpha. I was fighting the giant monster you described. I attacked it several times and even dismembered it, but each time it would regenerate. I was struggling, then she suddenly intervened and stopped it with a single attack. I don't know whether or not she was a member of Shadow Garden, but she was extremely powerful. If she is a pert of them along with Shadow, they could be incredibly dangerous."
"Or incredibly helpful! Iris, we absolutely can not make Shadow our enemy. If you'd seen his power when he unleashed-"
"I thought we already agreed that what happened was the artifact going out of control. It's physically impossible for any living being to wield that much mana."
"No," Alexia declared. "You decided that. I know what I saw. Shadow leveled that base with his Iamtomik attack. Our enemy needs to be the cult, not Shadow Garden."
Before Iris could respond there was a knock at the door.
"Come!" Alexia called, grateful for the interruption.
The door opened a crack, and a certain boy popped his head in. "This a bad time?"
"Not at all," Iris said waving him in. "I was actually planning to come see you later today." He entered holding a small paper bag in one hand. As soon as he shut the door behind him Iris gave him a bow. "Alexia told me what you did last night. It was truly heroic. You have my thanks."
"Heroic?" Cid looked confused. "Uhm, I'm not really sure how you could call what I did last night heroic."
"You are being much too modest," Iris told him with a serious expression. "Given the situation not everyone would have done what you did."
"What? Take a-"
"Take on one of the attackers so I could face off against the other two," Alexia jumped in. "I know you don't think that was enough, Poochie. But there's no way I could have fended off all three if you hadn't helped."
Iris nodded. "You're still a beginner, but putting your life in danger to protect others, even if you are outmatched is just what a knight should do! If you keep working hard and improve your skills, then once you graduate, I'd be more than honored to enroll you in the Crimson Order."
"Hear that, Poochie?' Alexia said with a knowing grin. "Your dream of glory fighting at my side is going to come true. Isn't that great?"
He glanced from Iris' face to Alexia's. "Uh… sure, I guess."
Unlike her sister, Iris gave him a genuine smile filled with warmth. "Since you've come here to pay a visit, I'll go and let you two have some time alone." She paused and the smile on her face was replaced by a look of concern. "Oh, wait, a boy being left alone in a girl's room? That's a bit, uhm…"
Alexia sat up in her bed and laughed. "What? You worried Cid's going to have his way with me?"
Cid frowned. "You don't need to worry. I'm not that brave or stupid."
"Well, you're definitely not that brave," Alexia said with a smirk. Cid gave her a look that only made her smirk wider.
"Well… given what the two of you have been through I can't really question his trustworthiness. I suppose I'll just see you both another time," Iris headed to the door. "Oh, and Alexia?'
"What?"
"Your question, about who our enemy is? Whether it's Shadow Garden or the Cult of Diablos? The answer is both. Anyone who threatens this country will not be allowed to do as they please. No matter what danger they may bring I will oppose them. This I swear on my crimson blood!"
With that she left and shut the door behind her.
"Huh," Cid muttered. "That was a nice boss moment."
"What did you say?" Alexia asked.
"Nothing. Here, catch." He tossed the paper bag he'd brought with him.
She caught it. "What is it?"
"How about you open it and see?"
Alexia did so and was immediately hit by a sweet aroma. Inside the bag were little brown bars of the highest quality candy in the whole country, possibly world.
"Oh! Chocolates from my boyfriend! All the girls in section one are going to be dying of envy when I tell them!" She looked Poochie over. "I didn't know you could be so romantic."
"Romantic?" he sounded confused. "I'm just sick of chocolate and you kept whining about them, so I figured I'd give 'em to you. It was that or toss them in the trash."
"Oh, be still my heart, you smooth talker you!"
He rolled his eyes. "Why'd you lie to your sister about what happened last night?"
"Would you have preferred I told her the truth? That while I was fighting for my life you had your pants around your ankles taking a dump somewhere?"
"Uh, not really, but I can already tell this is going to cause me nothing but problems."
She laughed. "You worried people are going to start respecting you and maybe want you to put in some actual effort now and then?"
"More or less. People are starting to notice me."
"I thought boys wanted to stand out."
"Not me, I just want to blend into the background and go through life drawing as little attention as possible."
"Wow. Even your ambitions are lazy."
He nodded looking completely serious. "I don't want praise or fame of any kind. I want to live as mediocre an existence as I can."
"But then all your plans were ruined when you seduced a naïve princess and made her fall in love with you."
He glared at her. "More like I got trapped by a wicked princess who bullied me into it."
She shrugged. "Potato pohtatoh."
"Whatever, enjoy your chocolates." As he turned to go, she grabbed the sleeve of his uniform.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, first period magical theory?"
"What?" She pouted. "You're going to abandon your beloved girlfriend as she's lying on her deathbed? Oh, how cruel!"
"You're completely fine, the doctor just told you to rest because of the blood loss."
"Don't care, I want you to stay and keep me company."
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"I'm not staying."
"If you don't, I'm telling the whole school about you shitting your pants."
He hung his head. "Fine."
Alexia laughed, then shut her eyes and opened her mouth.
"What are you doing?"
"I want you to feed me."
"What are you, a baby?"
"Oh no! I can feel the strength leaving my body. Everything is getting dark. I think I can hear the angels singing."
"I'm pretty sure those aren't angels."
Alexia laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. "Feed me, Pooch."
"Fine, whatever."
XXX
It was a bit silly and quite selfish, but Alexia had a wonderful day letting her Poochie spoil her.