One Last Attempt for Love

The cafe had been reduced to the sound of intermittent sniffles.

After Shanna's tearful outburst, for some reason Mayor Bunby had joined her in crying and so they'd bawled together.

All in all, it had been an incredibly trying time for both parties.

They'd only found it possible to stop once the owner had loomed over their table, huge shadow landing across both their faces… As she slid a box of tissues across the table.
Truly, the pinnacle of grace.

As they both left, (leaving 5 stars for service) they turned to face one another.

"Give your wife a chance…" Shanna said with a huge sniff. "I think she'll surprise you. And as for the shop… Well, with the way things are maybe it's better to not renew the deed after all." She said looking at the horizon.

Mayor Bunby seemed to mirror her somber mood as he looked away. "…M-My blackmail ended up being too effective… And now you don't want the house anymore so I've lost my leverage…" He sighed.

"I knew I should've read the next chapter in How to Be Corrupt: Even YOU Can Do It… I bet they had warnings about this type of thing in the Blackmail Chapter…"

"Hey, would you listen!" Shanna said with her hands on her hips. "And I don't think our mayor should be reading that kind of stuff!" 
He inched backwards as he reflexively reached for his handkerchief.

"Y-Yes, I will…" Mayor Bunby said after a while. "I-I'll talk to her when she returns for the festival..."

As the birds cawed in the background, both of them sighed deeply.
It was tough indeed…

Having parted ways with the Mayor, Shanna weaved her way back to the main streets of the town. The gradually departing sunlight that warmed her, almost felt a mockery for how she currently felt.
Rain would've been better, even grey clouds would've.

Maybe the new Rondy was rubbing off on her, she mused.
The "new Rondy", huh…?

Even her mind seemed to come to that conclusion freely now.
A new Rondy. Different than the one she'd known. One that was permanently gone.

She'd come to realize that one of the reasons she hadn't taken Rondy's accident poorly, even with his changed personality, loss of memory, and lack of any love towards her… Had been because of her own unwavering love.
That even if he was "changed", he was still "her Rondy."

But it all seemed childish now.
A selfish love forced onto a stranger.

She stood still a moment as she looked skyward.
Maybe there was a way to see if some remnant of her Rondy remained… To prove that there was still some merit to pursuing her Re-Romance.

There was once a dish she'd made, a very long time ago. A dish that had so much meaning between them, that even if every memory was gone hopefully this at least would remain.

"Okay…" She said aloud. "…I'll try one last time."
She hoped some ethereal entity heard her, and wished her solemn prayers well.

As she turned, walking with purpose towards the market a large dark shape flew overhead, the wind causing her hair to whip about furiously from the beat of its long wings.

What was that???
T-The ethereal being…? She thought hopefully with her hands across her chest.

A bell rang out from one of the watch guards around town.
"Winged Beast! Winged Beast over town!!" They continued to ring bells and make ruckus in order to ward off the dangerous creature and warn the fellow townsfolk.

"I… I guess maybe not…!" Shanna said with a weak chuckle.

The creature gave off shrill shrieks as it was warned away by the joint alarm of the townsfolk, eventually flying off.

Shanna searched the market stalls seeking and picking out the finest ingredients for her last attempt. One for her special dish. The other, something they'd never had before. And the final dish, something he'd hated.

For the dish neither of them had eaten, Shanna settled on simply getting something from Brava's cookshop. As she entered his shop, she was hit by a palpable wave of devastation.

She'd underestimated his misery… The orc had been completely hollowed out in the face of Lilipa's departure, Shanna having to force the money into his limp hands.

There was nothing sadder than a dead-inside father…
Doubly so, when it was an orc.

Considering her mission complete, she made her way home.
Noelle's stall had remained closed, but as she passed her house she could hear her from within, prepping food for either tonight or tomorrow.

Maybe she'd have the chance to ask her about Yvessa later.

Shanna entered the shop and immediately set about her cooking.
With two dishes to make, she needed all the time she could get.

Surprisingly, in the midst of it Rondy had poked his head into the kitchen.

He pointed at the kitchen table as he spoke.
"Norri brought us dinner..." Rondy said observing her. "He said it was as thanks for our help with the old potion book."

"Oh…" Shanna said. The hands that had been firmly stirring a pot suddenly went limp. "I-In that case I suppose I can sto-"

"…If you're cooking something, we can just eat Norri's food tomorrow." He said.

Shanna turned to face his way, but for once he was looking aside, avoiding her gaze.
And after a brief pause, he'd retreated away.

Was it stupid to get her hopes up after all this time…?
To believe that he'd pick the right dish, and remember it…?
She hoped on a being (that was not a winged beast) for such a miracle.

After hours of work, night had now solidly fallen.

Rondy and she sat at opposite ends of the kitchen table as the dishes were placed in front of him in a random order.

Her nostalgia dish, the dish he'd cried while eating… Her vegetable casserole was on the left.

Brava's cookshop chicken bake sat in the center.

And his hated dish, the dish he'd cried eating for an altogether different reason… Turnip and lentil stew. Two ingredients he had hated tremendously.

Shanna stared intently as her heart beat passionately. After a moments pause she decided to ask. "Well? What do you think? Which one's your favourite?"

His eyes squinted as he pushed himself back a bit. "What's this all about…?" He said warily.

"What? Nothing."

"…Why aren't you eating then? …Why is the food just around me?" He put a hand on his chin as his mind quietly set about trying to puzzle through the answers himself.

This was exactly the problem with amnesiac boyfriends that changed personalities.
They might become more discerning than their original counterparts.

"Why are you so suspicious?" She chuckled, trying not to look at the dish that mattered most to her. "I'm eating later. Come on… Pick one and tell me what it's like." She said with her hands resting behind her back.

His eyes narrowed, before he gave up with a sigh.
He dragged a dish forward and after a few seconds pause, he took a bite.

"And?" Shanna said trying to seem nonchalant. "How is it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Serviceable… Why? Is it poisoned? Have you finally decided to be rid of me?" He asked sniffing at his next spoonful.

But Shanna merely released the breath she'd been holding. Released it all.
This had been the result she'd suspected.

Rondy lowered his spoon into the turnip and lentil stew, seemingly noting the strange finality in Shanna as well. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Why are you asking that?" She said waving her hands with a laugh. "Go ahead and eat! Enjoy it, I made it all for you, okay? I'm just gonna go pop out for a second, enjoy them, yeah? I mean it!" She said in her usual flurry, leaving the room in a similar tempo.

This was fine.
This was the proof she'd been looking for.

It was fine, right?
It was fine.

Her feet carried her outside, to the cool air of the night, as Noelle finally manned her stall.
She released another pent-up breath as she went to her friend.

"…What's wrong with you?" Noelle said with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing's wrong." Shanna said doing her best to keep her voice level. "Why is everyone asking me that?"

Noelle simply shook her head in reply. "It's okay, you know. Relationships are difficult to navigate no matter how old you are."

Shanna said nothing.
She simply sank into her seat as she pondered the failure... Pondered the loss of the familiar.

Her eyes winced shut as she tried to allay her mood by massaging her long ears. "…Of all the dishes, why the turnip and lentils…"

"Vegetables again, eh." Noelle said like a hard-boiled investigator. "They always seem to be at the scene of the crime."

Shanna breathed out as Noelle pushed three chocolate sweets her way. "It's from my pantry." She said. "An 'eat if in dire need' kind of thing."

"...Do I look like I need it?" Shanna asked.
Noelle nodded.

And so Shanna picked up the chocolate, unwrapped it and then placed it into her mouth. As she tried to let the flavour wash away her sadness, a different figure loomed closer to the stall from out of the darkness. It was Lilipa.

"Can I sit?"
Both women nodded.

"Do you have a crush on me, Shanna?" Lilipa asked as she sunk into the seat.

Shanna slowly turned her head, still chewing the sweet. Lilipa's expression looked as dead as she felt. "No, I don't." She said flavourlessly. "I don't have a crush on anyone anymore."

"Oh. Okay. Just wondering about that 'Together Forever' icing." Lilipa said dully. "...I don't have a crush on anyone anymore either."
After a brief pause, she continued.

"…Cano never showed."

Noelle gave her a knowing look as she slid three chocolates her way as well.
"Love, eh?" She said.

"Love..." Lilipa said twirling the candy in her hands.

"Love." Shanna said looking skyward.

And then all three of them sighed.

After a few hours spent mostly wordlessly commiserating in each of their shared romantic tragedies, Shanna dragged herself away. She somehow hadn't had the heart to ask Noelle about Yvessa. What did it even matter, anymore?

Heck, maybe it really was an accident. Maybe it'd been her denial and optimism fueling her this entire time.

Rather than continue to think about something as fanciful as a midnight thief, maybe it was time to start thinking about what to do in a week when the lease on the shop ran out.

Would she really leave? Go back to her parents, or elsewhere?
…Never see Rondy again?

But even now, she had to remind herself…
This wasn't the person she knew.

He was tolerant to things he'd hated, and hated the things he'd loved.
Things like me, Shanna thought miserably.

As she climbed the steps and opened her bedroom door she shook her head.

There he lay, on her bed, deeply asleep.
As if she needed more reminders about how different the two of them had been… It didn't matter how many times she told him, he just needed that east-facing room, eh?

In faaaact, I know exactly what he'd say! Shanna thought to herself in amusement. You said 'not when I'm there!' therefore, it's okay when you're not there~!

She shook her head, false smile plastered on her face.

What does it matter, she thought mildly.
Shutting the door to her bedroom she decided to sleep elsewhere today. After all, there likely wouldn't be too many more of these days left for her.

And so she opened his door.
Rondy's door... And walked through his room.

Her hand touched the spines of the books, the chair pushed into his desk, the fabric of the curtain left open, garnishing the room in moonlight.

She fluffed up the pillows.
Organized the blankets as she liked, and then she laid down.

…And then all at once, she began to cry.

Crying from the memories of her forgotten boyfriend.
Memories that only she had now.

Crying from the once familiar and everyday scents of her forgotten boyfriend.
Scents that would fade.

And crying from the death, the loss of the person she'd loved most.