Volume 10 - Extending Family, Chapter 70 - Moonlight Blossoms

Quess loved her new job at the flower shop on Main Street, and she was proving to be quite good at tending to and selling flowers. Since the shop was normally closed for the winter, the shop's owner, Mrs Kawahara, was thrilled with the extra business, but it only took three days for the first person to complain. Unexpectedly, the complaint was from Agent Will.

He stomped up to the little shop and peered around, trying to find Quess amongst all the colorful flowers. "Quess!" he yelled. "Get out here and explain yourself." He was wearing his standard black suit and dark sunglasses, but he was uncharacteristically flustered.

Quess slid out from behind a display of mixed flower bouquets and leaned on the wooden counter, brandishing her semi-transparent pink cleavage. She smiled and fluttered her magenta eyes as she said, "How nice to see you, Agent Will. Is there a problem?"

He frowned from under his dark sunglasses. "Yes, there's a problem. A woman came to me saying her husband went all weird and perverted after he shopped here," he said with a scowl. "What are you doing to your customers?"

Quess blinked demurely. "I'm just using the tools at my disposal. With a little motivation, people become very eager to buy gifts for their significant other."

"Motivation… You're getting 'em all horny with your pheromones, aren't you?" Agent Will said with a sigh.

"Perhaps. And perhaps I'm adding some pheromones to the flowers too, for the lady," Quess admitted. "I tell people that my flowers are sure to get them some action, and I wouldn't want to be a liar, now would I?"

Agent Will took off his sunglasses and rubbed his brow with his other hand. "Quess… How could you possibly think that this is okay? You can't go around enchanting the populace!"

Quess stepped back and dramatically held a hand over her translucent breast. "Oh! You wound me, Agent Will. I counter that I am in fact doing good for the country. Japan has a serious low birth rate problem, and I'm doing my part to help." She raised the corner of her mouth in a mischievous grin. "I don't see you adding any babies to the next generation."

While Agent Will was struggling to find a response, Quess continued on, "In any case, I'm not doing anything illegal. Just adding an optional service with my sales." Quess thought back to the harsh lecture she'd received after trying to tempt Yuisu, then added, "I'd never dream of doing it without permission."

With that, Quess grabbed a piece of paper from a pile on the counter and offered it to Agent Will. "See? They all signed a consent form, as well as a waiver of liability for any pheromones contained within the bouquet."

"What? Let me see that!" barked Agent Will, grabbing the paper.

While he scanned it, Quess said, "Our new succubus friend Lethe helped me out with the legal stuff. Meeting a lawyer with her specialities was so very fortunate."

After a moment, Agent Will slowly set the paper back on the counter and peered at Quess suspiciously. "Alright, Quess," he finally conceded. "Please just try to be careful. I don't want to hear about someone using your flowers to prank someone, or worse…"

Quess set a cool, smooth hand on Agent Will's arm. "You needn't worry about that, darling. The type of pheromones I'm using will only amplify attraction that is already there, so the older the relationship, the better. They'll do wonders for struggling marriages, and they won't lead to any unpleasant date-rape situations. I promise." The look on her face made it clear that she took that matter very seriously.

Agent Will nodded slowly. He was satisfied with Quess's caution, but still a bit unsure about the whole situation. "Thanks, Quess. Well, I'll see you around. Say 'hi' to Iormu and the other girls for me, and little Pwess too."

As he turned to leave, Quess called out, "Wait! Would you like some complimentary flowers? With or without pheromones."

Agent Will turned back and pushed his sunglasses up, fully hiding his eyes. "No thanks. I've got no one to give them to," he said, then he strode away quickly.

As he left, Quess frowned in thought. So, he's single… and he doesn't seem happy about it.

That evening, a different loveless soul was out alone. Chione flew high above the Nakahara house, gliding and enjoying the peaceful and still winter night. The air was so crisp and clear that Chione could see for miles, all the way down to the small town at the base of the mountain.

Her thick, stony skin had no problem with the chilly air, but she had no defense against loneliness. As the only woman in the bustling household without a romantic partner, Chione felt more alone than ever before. Going flying on a nice clear night could certainly calm her mind, but it did nothing to ease her heartache.

As she was considering turning back and heading home, something caught her eye. Far in the distance, over the town below, a white speck was flitting about in the light of the full moon. It sparkled beautifully in the pure white moonlight as it danced and dove through the air.

Is that Haru? What's she doing out in town so late? Chione wondered. At first, she wanted to fly over and ask Haru directly, but then she recalled the rules about leaving the property without a host. Haru is allowed to travel alone for work, so maybe she has an excuse to be out there, but I definitely do not. Maybe I'll just ask her tomorrow.

In the end, Chione just returned to the house and wasted the night rewatching the Gargoyles cartoon, then fell asleep at dawn. By the time she awoke next evening, she had entirely forgotten her plan to question Haru. She spent some time with Mara and Mimi, but eventually they retreated to their bedrooms. Even Haru went to sleep, leaving Chione alone for the rest of the night.

After eating a very lonely 'lunch' at midnight, Chione took to the air again, trying to distract herself from her loneliness. Almost immediately, she saw it: the white object over the town. But this time, she knew it couldn't be Haru.

Then who is it? she wondered, her curiosity tugging at her furiously. A very uncharacteristic rebellious urge took hold and she thought, Well, a while back, Haru did say that no one would really care if I leave the property. I'll just fly over there and back, never touching down. No one will even know I left. No harm, no foul.

Chione swallowed heavily, flapped her large, colorful wings and crossed the property line. Her pulse quickened and she broke into a smile. I broke a rule! Is this what Mimi feels all the time? Riding that rush of exhilaration, Chione soared down the slope toward town and toward the mysterious white object.

Before long, she was close enough to see what, or who, it was. While Chione was still a hundred yards away, she got her first good look.

A white-winged woman darted through the air, flitting and changing direction with extreme agility. The way she moved was totally unlike the way Chione or Haru flew, and after a moment, Chione realized why. She's got four wings, like a butterfly… or a moth!

The small mothgirl darted and danced, reveling in the moonlight with the innocent glee of a child at play. Chione flew closer to get a better look and when she did, she became transfixed.

Moonlight reflected off the girl's white, grey, and pink wings, creating hypnotizing patterns of light and motion. Her adorable leaf-shaped antennae angled around, and they must have sensed something because she turned and looked right at Chione.

The girl had big red multifaceted eyes and she was wearing a thin t-shirt and shorts despite the crisp winter chill. She didn't seem to be cold, however, thanks to the natural fluffy covers on her arms and legs.

She's absolutely beautiful, Chione thought. But in her moment of revelation, Chione lost momentum and forgot to flap her wings. The stony gargoyle immediately dropped like a rock.

As she plummeted through the sky, Chione fought to right herself, but it was too little, too late. The last thing Chione remembered was the crunch of tree branches and the sudden enveloping cold of a snowbank.

Chione awoke in an unfamiliar place, lying on her side and looking at an unfamiliar wall that was decorated with glow-in-the-dark stickers of stars and planets. Chione turned her head and realized she was in a tiny one-room apartment, tucked snugly into a bed. The ceiling and the other walls were all covered in glowing stickers, as well as posters about astronomy and the universe. By the sliding glass door, its curtain pulled closed against the bright sunrise outside, there was a massive telescope with numerous lenses and attachments.

"Your name's Chione, right?" a soft, raspy voice said.

Chione sat upright and looked around for the source of the voice. She found it at the foot of the bed where a petite mothgirl was kneeling, facing away and apparently typing on a laptop. She wore a plain white t-shirt with cutouts for her wings to fit through, and she was either unaware or unconcerned that her pink and white striped underwear was in plain view, showcasing the perky tush underneath.

Chione quickly averted her eyes, focusing instead on the girl's white bob-cut hair and the fuzzy leaf-shaped antennae sticking out. After a moment to collect herself, Chione managed a response, cheerfully saying, "Yeah, that's me."

The mothgirl turned around and looked at Chione with an unreadable expression. "Mara's told me a little about you. Your ComicMon plan sounds amazing, by the way."

"Oh, thanks," Chione said, blushing at the praise. But then she remembered more pressing matters and she asked, "Who are you? And, uh, how'd I get here?"

"My name's Actia. I'm a friend of Mara's," she said flatly, "And you just dropped out of the sky and fell into the park. You must be really sturdy, because you didn't get hurt. Other than passing out, that is." A faint smile appeared on Actia's face and she added, "No offense, but you're really heavy. It took hours to carry you here by myself."

Chione squinted as she started to remember the night before. I left the property, and saw this girl flying around, and then I forgot to keep flapping… Then Chione said, "Oh, wow, I just don't know what came over me and—" She stopped and her eyes went wide with disbelief. "You carried me, all by yourself?!"

Actia had been watching Chione closely and she laughed out loud at that, "Hahaha, I'm just kidding you. I'm way too tiny to do that." She crawled closer on the bed and patted Chione's knee through the blanket. "I called my friend Flare and she picked us up in her car. She's a total motorhead, so she was happy for the excuse to drive around, now that the roads are clear again."

"Oh! Okay. Please tell her 'thanks' for me," Chione said in her standard chipper tone. "But why didn't you take me to an Exchange Program coordinator, or a hospital?"

"I could tell you weren't hurt, and I didn't want you to get in trouble for being out on your own. I remember what it was like to have to go everywhere with a host, so I understand your desire to wander around alone."

"I don't normally do that!" Chione blurted out, louder than she intended. She lowered her voice and continued, "I don't normally break rules, but I saw you in the moonlight and I just got so curious…" Chione looked up directly into Actia's eyes and asked, "Do you always fly at night like that?"

The slight smile returned to Actia's lips. An intense passion was hidden in her quiet, calm voice as she said, "Only when the moon is full. I love the moon even more than I love the stars, so when that storm cleared out, I just had to take advantage of the calm, clear night."

Chione loved the night, but she didn't know much about the moon or stars. Actia, on the other hand, was a living encyclopedia about all things astronomy and once she got started, she could talk about the subject for hours. That's exactly what she did as she and Chione sat on her bed and exchanged facts, then stories, and eventually phone numbers.

As Chione entered Actia's number into her cellphone, she had a sudden realization. "Oh, no! I bet Yuisu and the other girls are worried sick about me! I need to call home, even if it does get me in trouble." She jumped up from the bed and frantically paged to the 'Nakahara House' contact in her phone. As the phone started to ring, she whispered to Actia, "Sorry, I'll just be a sec."

"Hello? Watchu want?" said a familiar, young-sounding voice.

"Mara? It's Chione. Is Yuisu home?"

"Chione?" Mara said in a puzzled tone. "Where are you?"

Chione blushed and paced around the tiny apartment with the phone to her ear. "It's a long story, but I'm at Actia's place. So, is Yuisu around?"

"Actia, huh?" Mara said excitedly. "Nah, Yuisu has been at work since before I woke up. You want to know if anyone realized you were gone, dontcha?" Mara teased.

"… Yes," Chione admitted softly.

"Nah, I don't think anyone noticed. We always assume you're asleep in your room all day." A mischievous tone came into her voice and she said, "Have you been sneaking out like this every day? I always thought your twelve hours of sleep was more than necessary…"

"No! This was my first time!" Chione insisted, which made Mara giggle.

"I know, I know. Just giving you a hard time. You're so easy to tease, Chione. Anyways, I'll let you get back to hanging out with Actia, and I'll cover for you too." Chione got the feeling that Mara was winking three of her eyes as she added, "Have fun!" and hung up.

Since Chione's eyes were far too light-sensitive to fly during the day, she stayed with Actia until sunset. She said goodbye to her new friend feeling happier than she'd been in weeks. She felt a little guilty for sneaking out and breaking the rules, but that was also kind of liberating.

Chione landed on the back porch a bit after nightfall. She quietly opened the glass door and slipped inside, hoping to reach her room without running into anyone.

She was almost to her bedroom door when Quess sauntered up from the kitchen. She looked very tired, and a little out of it as she said, "Hi, Chione. How are you today, er, tonight?"

Chione fidgeted and said, "Uh, good. You?"

"Eh, just tired. I just got back from work, and Pwess kept me up all last night, refusing to settle down."

Chione stepped aside, inching closer to her door, and said, "Well, I'll let you get to bed then."

Chione thought she was home free, until Quess smiled knowingly and said, "So… while Pwess was keeping me up, I was watching out my window all night. I saw you fly off, but you never returned. What's up with that?"

Chione froze. She hadn't prepared any cover story, and she knew she was an awful liar. Maybe I'll just stick to the truth. Parts of it at least… "Uh, I visited a new friend, down in town. Once the sun came up, I was kind of stranded, so I waited 'til sunset to fly home."

Quess nodded, still wearing that knowing smile. "Ah, alright. Well, how was your visit?" she gently pried.

"It was great!" Chione responded, her mood skyrocketing just by thinking about the fun day she'd had. "Actia's really fun, and we share a lot of interests. She taught me all about the moon and stars, and she's a really good friend."

Just then, Chione grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands. "Oh, no! I never properly thanked her for helping me! Should I call her? But that feels too impersonal…"

Given her line of work, Quess's thoughts immediately went to flowers. "How about you give her some flowers to say thanks? Maybe something that blooms at night, like 'moon flowers'. I can even buy them for you with my employee discount," she said with a grin.

Chione blushed. "Wouldn't that be, uh, um… romantic?" she stammered.

"Do you want it to be?" Quess responded.

The way Chione continued to fret and fidget with her skirt was all the answer Quess needed. She stepped closer and put a hand on Chione's shoulder, then said, "I'll get those flowers for you tomorrow, and you can give them to her in person tomorrow night, okay?"

When Chione nodded enthusiastically, Quess added, "You should probably tell Yuisu first though. Wouldn't want to damage your good-girl image too much, Chione."

Chione stood up straight and said, "Of course. Thanks, Quess. I'll let you get some sleep now. I'm really tired too."

'Really tired' was an understatement. The last 24 hours had been a rollercoaster of excitement, rule-breaking, danger, and friendship. As soon as she approached her bed, Chione flopped onto it face-first and fell asleep. She dreamed of white flowers blooming under the moonlight, of dancing in that cool moonlit night, and of Actia smiling her subtle, beautiful smile.