Chapter 26 - Reunion

Lunette knelt in front of Bianca, holding her hand.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed upright, the sound of her voice as she asked a question obscured by the rainfall. Tetsuo stared from the doorway, the words catching in his throat. Her greasy hair glowed in the faint lanternlight, the light tracing the tight bun she had her hair in. Her dark circles decorated her iridescent amber eyes. Even the clothes she was wearing, though dirty and wrinkled, adorned her as if they had been invented for her. She looked towards him standing in the doorway, her red teary eyes squinting as she struggled to hold back her relief, to know he was there. She tried to say something but it came out as an incoherent mess.

Tetsuo smiled as his eyes welled with tears. He slid his gauntlet off to the side, loudly crashing onto the floor, as he reached out to her.

She leapt forwards directly into him and wrapped her arms around him. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed loudly, re-grabbing him, trying to hold him tighter than before.

He held her head, sniffling as he wiped the tears from his own cheeks. She felt warm against him, despite the leather that separated them. She smelt of sweat, yet to Tetsuo it smelled like the finest of perfumes. His legs felt weak and his knees gave, as he fell to the floor with her in his arms. He started laughing to himself, trying to wipe away the snot, and get a better look at her.

She started laughing too, snorting mixed with sniffling. She struck him playfully in the shoulder before burying her face into his chest.

He held her head against him, and tightened his grip around her, silently vowing to never let her go again.

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Tetsuo sat by the bedside, Bianca beside him, as he held her closely around the waist. She rested her head on his shoulder as Lunette and Alon stood awkwardly in front of them. She tilted her head up readying a sneeze. She outstretched her arm to Lunette, who handed her a handkerchief. She let out a loud exclamation as she blew into the handkerchief, the familiarity warming Tetsuo’s soul. She handed it back to Lunette who gave it a disgusted look before setting it on to the dresser. Alon nervously glanced at Lunette before trying to say something.

“Yeah… So I guess it was her… You know I wasn’t completely sure, because she looks nothing like the portrait but…”

Bianca’s attention was captured. “What portrait?”

Tetsuo proudly reached into his dresser and presented her with the portrait he had of her. “I managed to make a portrait of you to keep while I was here. Not with painting though, it was like through memories… I still don’t get how it really works but it looks just like you!”

Bianca examined the portrait and giggled to herself. “You overdid it again… C’mon I don’t look anything like this. And did you really have to include my freckles?” Gently she stroked her thumb over the image. To an extent she wasn’t wrong. Her eyes were red from crying and she seemed ghoulish after the months they had spent separated.

“Of course I had to, they’re your best feature!”

“You think everything about me is my best feature…”

“Because everything is!”

Bianca’s smile quickly faded into a stern inquisitive gaze. “Why were you hiding your portrait of me in your dresser?”

Tetsuo scrambled to respond. “Oh! Well… I’ve been dealing with assassins lately and I didn’t want them to–”

“Assassins?!”

“Yeah, well, among other things…”

“AHEM.” Lunette loudly cleared her throat drawing awareness back to the fact that her and Alon were still there.

Tetsuo and Bianca sheepishly apologized, but their grins betrayed them.

Alon sighed. “Honestly Tetsuo… it’s like you're a completely different person.”

Lunette closed her eyes, moving to the window, before opening gazing out of it stoically. The blush forming on the tips of her ears betrayed the knightly image she was trying to convey. “Tetsuo.”

“Er, yes?”

Bianca nudged Tetsuo’s side. “Apparently she’s a captain, you should show more respect.”

“It’s okay we’re friends. And besides those two used to da-”

“ANYWAYS!” Alon loudly interrupted. “Captain Lunette, you were saying.”

“Yes thank you, rookie Alon.

“Rookie..?”

“Bianca. Allow me to formally greet you once again. You are now a denizen of Alvania. Normally, we’d have you stay at an inn, and begin a rehabilitation program. However, considering the coincidence we have here, my colleague proposed that you may stay the night with Tetsuo should you wish.”

Alon subtly gave Tetsuo a thumbs up.

“However, if you feel uncomfortable doing so, I insist you say so. He may be a knight, but I will escort you to the inn safely myself.”

Bianca looked at Tetsuo. He was surprised to see some hesitation in her eyes. Her eyes darted to the side, and she quickly asked him, “you’re a knight?”

Tetsuo nodded. “It’s a very long story.”

She turned back to Lunette and took a deep breath in. “I appreciate your concern, and uh thank you for your… generosity. Err, captain.” For some odd reason she was speaking deeply and more enunciated than she usually would. ”However, I would like to stay with my husband tonight if that’s quite alright with you. Captain. Lunette. Captain Lunette.” Bianca looked like she was going to cry again, although this time from embarrassment.

“Very well.” Lunette gave a short bow before walking towards the exit to the room. “Alon, you’re relieved of your duties as well. Come with me.”

Alon muttered under his breath. “I wasn’t even on duty…” He moved to the exit. He took one last look at Tetsuo and Bianca, and smiled. He waved them off and exited the room shutting the door behind him.

Bianca and Tetsuo both sat together on the bedside, the only sound remaining being the soft patter of rain outside. Bianca slid her hand onto Tetsuo’s. “You know, she wouldn’t stop talking about that knight you were with. I think they still like each other.”

Tetsuo sighed, smiling to himself. “Yeah, you’re telling me.”

“Don’t be so hard on them. Remember what you were like when we started dating.”

He cringed at the many ploys he had invented instead of simply being honest with her.

“Why don’t we start getting ready for bed?”

Bianca smiled and nodded.

Sloppy poems and vague insinuations of romance returned to his mind. Tetsuo, grimacing, began to unfasten his armor. Being direct with her was never quite his strong suit. Even after they were married, he still felt like he needed to keep coming up with ploys to keep her interested in him. None of that mattered anymore though, now that they were finally together at last.