VALENTINE'S SPECIAL 2023

DISCLAIMER: The events of this chapter take place in the past

A man slid down the spiral rails of a black staircase, halting just before he tipped off the edge. His black hair fell in somewhat long, curly waves down his face, and his sharp, dark eyes were tired and bored. He felt his short, rather unkept ducktail beard and twisted the hair on his chin. Alwin could sense he was thinking about something that annoyed him.

"What are you thinking about, Chand?"

Chandler looked at the blond-haired rascal and averted his gaze.

"It's nothing, Alwin. Just… thinking about how tired I am today…"

Alwin scoffed with a little too much confidence "But you were fine in the morning, right before someone mentioned-"

Just then, Anna and Brandy walked across a hallway intersecting Chandler and Alwin's view. They were giggling, as Anna held onto the arm of her lover, despite the height difference between the two. Chandler blew hot air out of his nose. Valentine's day, a day great and sweet for couples, but dreadful and sour to those who desperately want something of a sort.

"I think I get the picture, it's written all over your face." A deep voice rumbled and startled the two from behind. The towering captain of the plagues, LeRoy. A dark smile stretched ear to ear, beady eyes glaring down at the poor, hopeless Chandler, he opened his mouth to talk again.

"Don't worry, I got you" he snickered, sending a chill down Chandler's spine. "I'll set you up a blind date, no need to worry, I'll take care of allllll the setup." LeRoy waved the phone in his hand tauntingly. His eyes narrowed upon seeing LeRoy's finger's about to type something.

"W-wait, LeRoy, NO! I'm… I'm not sure I'm prepared for something like that! "

LeRoy let out a laugh so slow and bellowing, It was hard not to find it ridiculous.

Click. Who knew that just one tap of a button could sound so menacing? Chandler fell to his knees before face-planting on the floor, rolling around in agony.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, LEROY!"

"Hmph, Now you have to go out instead of moping around the place all day this Valentine's. It's a sorry sight to see, man."

"Cancel it, LeRoy! I'm going to make a fool of myself!"

"Oh?" LeRoy chuckled. "Then you tell her yourself."

As LeRoy said that, he casually tossed his phone over to Chandler. Chandler picked up the phone with sweaty, shaking hands. He looked at the conversation between them. The date was at seven o'clock today. He moved his fingers to the keyboard, but stopped halfway through. It… it wouldn't hurt to at least check out her profile.

Scrolling to her bio, Chandler's heart sank. First Fantasy Seven fan, liked working on miniature models of buildings and environments of games and anime as a hobby, good choices of clothes and appearance. she was even short and cute. One thought came to mind:

Fuck you, LeRoy, you have my type down to a science.

Grace. Grace was her name. Chandler went back to the conversation between Grace and his imposter self. He was surprised! LeRoy was short and to the point, without saying anything weird or outlandish. Chandler didn't even know that was possible for the captain!

Slowly dropping the phone down to his chest, he got up and reluctantly handed the phone to LeRoy.

"Heh, Good luck then."

Those words made Chandler sound a hmph and walk off, as if he was actually angry. Later, he fell onto his bed, grabbing and clutching a pillow that covered the slight smile on his face. Whatever direction this date would go, he would have to thank LeRoy after.

Meanwhile, Julia was commencing her own operation. She had planned for this day for over a week, nothing could go wrong now! Her silvery eyes sparkled as she rebraided her hair. As she fiddled with the jet-black strands, she paused for a moment. This was the third time she braided her hair today. First, it was the double braid, then the single, then the double again.

Calm down, Julia, you look fine! Do I really though? Yes…

Yes.

I should just move on…

Everything was ready, her appearance, her game plan, and now, she just had to take a breath. She stepped towards her door, placing her hand gently on the handle. What waits beyond this door is an opportunity. Just have fun with it! With a deep breath in, she exhaled carefully through her nose, putting on her usual stoic mask.

It was hard to go outside without the mask. Though nobody was pressuring her into donning it, she wore it for herself. She knew what it was, and what it was doing to her. But she couldn't help herself, this is what felt natural to her. It was easy to fall into its comfort. The things she valued were not the things she could have. She was on one side of a table now, with Terece Griffon right beside her.

"We need all of the intelligence we can get, otherwise all of our steps before our siege in the capital will be for nothing. We still don't know what their final course of action will be, what plans they have to survive, as well as our own plans for counterintelligence to prevent them from moving once again. Everyone coming on this mission has to be cleared by me. Everyone in this room already has my trust, so just make sure you keep everything discussed today completely confidential, even to your coworkers that have not been cleared yet…"

It had only been months since this man was presumably a civilian working an average job. Yet his presence was truly that of a leader. From the way he enunciated to his signature tone and volume, it was like he was a gymnast:

Elegant. Flexible. Experienced. Meant for the stage. But he was doing this with his words instead of his body. She was a gymnast, too. She still is a gymnast. But what she has with her body she does not have with her words. She had a very rugged way of speaking. Blunt and simple. Like a stagger compared to his dance. But she was not upset.

The way he breathed passion into other people was something Julia truly admired above all else. She was the fan in the audience who only ever dared to watch from the sidelines. But then, he outstretched his hand down towards her. It took her by surprise.

"Julia. How did I do?" Midnight shed off his own mask to become Terece. His voice wasn't bragging or proud. It was soft, maybe even a little worried. This was a genuine question. Cracks formed in the image she had of him. She always saw him as an idol, then the mask revealed something a little bit more… down to earth. As if was now reachable. "I don't know if I got through to them in that second half… I noticed less feedback from them around then. What do you think? What could I have done better?"

Julia smiled. The thought of Terece leaning on her for advice was a little…

"I think they mighta been a little too afraid to step up. You had the right setup and carried your point across very well, but you put 'em on the spot when asking all your questions. It can be hard to come up with solutions from out of the blue like that, especially when the one asking has such a strong presence. Give 'em a sense of ease when you're talking to them, relax yourself a little more. If you hog the stage for yourself, no one is going to feel confident enough to enter that stage with you. It's better to first get on their level before trying to raise 'em up to yours. I guess that's the best I can explain it. Did that help?"

Terrace was following every word she was saying, deep in thought.

"Hmm… that does make a lot of sense. So I need to be more relaxed and focus on being inviting. That should work! I'll try that next time then!" He sounded so impressed. "You're the best, Julia!"

Goddamn it. That was unexpected. Playing his tricks on her at a time like this. Julia couldn't keep eye contact with him. She didn't want to fall for it. There's no way he just said that and expected her to take it at surface value. Or is it her mind that's the problem here?

"H-hey boss" Julia's voice broke halfway.

"Yup?"

"Do you think…"

Say it. Just… Just say it. You've been mentally preparing for over a week! Come on… It can't be this hard! Why is it this hard! I can't breathe! FUCK! Here it goes-

"That after this all blows over-" Just finish the sentence "would you like get some coffee with me? I-if you catch my drift?"

Terece was silent. The kind of silence that makes one go mad. The kind of silence that's terrifying in all the wrong ways.

"Sure!"

It's happening.

IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!

LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!

Though she was tense with wide eyes and a tiny joyful smile, her mental self was bouncing off the walls of her invisible enclosure. Almost enough to shatter that mask tethering her emotions to the inside. This sense of freedom quickly made her distracted from what came next

"... But only as a friend."

Julia's mental self was shot dead on the spot, those three word bullets penetrating farther than any real one could ever reach. This was a murder, and it might as well have been third-degree. It's time to crawl back into her den, where she belonged. The worst he can say is no, right? RIGHT?! WRONG! Who even came up with that expression? They clearly need to feel bad for what they've done!

"H-hold on, I'm having a headache all of the sudden. I think I should get some rest." Tactical retreat. Critical mission failure. She, Julia, should've waited. Or never have asked at all. The latter sounded pretty promising right now…

Julia's mind went blank

I think I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now. I want zero interactions with anyone for the next forty-eight hours.

As she turned, Midnight grabbed her by the hand.

"Wait… "

In the city next to the tower, two figures were driving on a highway as the sky started tanning into a fiery red. The stark contrast between the orange-red horizon and aquamarine sky went beautifully with the feathery stratus clouds turning the sky into a collage of contrasted stripes. The radio hummed a calm, atmospheric tune. This was all a promise. A promise and a surprise. Anna didn't know what she was in for yet, but she was slouched on her seat, playing with her hair and staring at her phone before something beeped and she popped one of her pills into her mouth. That's right, be unassuming. Then, it was six-thirty on the dot. Time well calculated for. At this moment, Brandy pushed back his silver hair. With a grin on his face, he slid a case out from hiding, casually displaying it with his wrist whipped back. Anna, drawn to the movement, gave a quick glace before realizing what it was. A smile made its way on her own face as she started to get the picture

"Remember this?"

"Hell yeah I do! Put it on!"

No more words needed to be said. The music hit almost as hard as the nostalgia. It was by a lake. A handful of guests, sitting on foldable metal chairs. Nothing fancy. Nothing expensive. But for them, it was the true beginning of their lives. This song was playing right at the time they made their vows. It was just another song to many, but to them alone, it carried the utmost significance.

"I'm going to say two things…" Brandy started off.

"First…"

"Thank you for another amazing year that I got to spend with you… You helped me in ways I never could've imagined. You helped me discover the value of art, something that the old me would never care about. You took my hand when I was scared and feeling alone, and kept holding on, even during my most aggravating, depressing, and embarrassing moments. I've had the pleasure of sharing my knowledge and thoughts with someone so special to me when I didn't think I'd ever get the chance to find someone that understood me, so… I just want to say I appreciate you. Now, for the second…" Brandy pointed to the sky in the window to his side while never breaking eye contact with his wife.

Unable to hold his enthusiasm, his dimpled smirk slipped into an open mouth smile.

"I've made some of my own art, would you care to take a look? I think I'll call it… 'The Night of Raining Stars'"

At that moment, as if manifesting from the tip of his finger, An explosion of innumerous small, glowing lights burst from the background. The lights fell softly, bouncing gently and jiggly across the roofs and on the fields. They seemed weightless, but definitely solid. stars?

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM!

The explosions came from every direction, and the little stars rained down like snow falling to the earth. They pulled over and ran across the field like children rushing outside to play. Anna scooped up the little squishy stars, their multicolored glow washing softly across her joyful face. They were so round and wavy and three dimensional, their texture almost like how a bubble would feel, that is to say, undefinably smooth, but with a little bit more weight to it. As she squished one, it made an undescribably cute noise. When it popped, it eroded into sparkling dust, and then to nothing. It all felt so surreal. Brandy laughed as he scooped up many of the little stars and compressed them in his hand like snow into a snowball. The little stars then merged together, creating a palm-sized 'star-ball'. He threw it at her and it exploded into radiant dust. They took turns throwing and dodging, with consistent laughter ringing out in the darkening sky. They both landed on the star-cluttered grass, exhausted.

"How did you make these things?"

"Oh, the star-works, as I like to call them? I got the idea while studying Midnight's black HAZE material that he creates. The chemistry is completely different, but it inspired me, nonetheless. The explosion scatters the liquid material, which instantly reacts and expands into a rather unique aerogel, much like my bombs. I made it so that these little guys will pop in three days, but this one…" Brandy sat up and pulled a reflective silver-colored star out of his pocket "...is permanent. Here. Silver, your favorite color. Give 'im a squish."

He tossed the little star over to her. There were no other words to describe it but pure velvet. Their conversation flowed to another. And then another. Laying there, Anna felt as if she could stay there forever, talking with Brandy until the end of the world.

It was Chandler's turn, sitting on a bench in a park. The sun had already set, the silhouettes of mountains lining the fading horizon. He was a tad bit early, as to show up late would be a terrible thing to do. He breathed in the natural air around him, the scent so different from the iron tower he called home. He sat in silence, listening to the faint calls of wildlife. This is the place she wanted to go to. For a gamer, it surprised him that it was here of all places that she wanted to go.

Ten minutes passed, and she was now late by five. This spot was definitely the meeting place, though. In the back of his mind, fears started to root slowly. He tried to push them out, but that only brought more attention to him. His heart started beating deeply like a drum in his chest, and his lungs became burdensome and heavy.

Not again, please, not again…

A voice made the man's head shoot around,

"Hey there…" But this voice was older than he expected.

An old man with his wife beside him were walking, passing his bench. Just two passerbys.

Five minutes turned to fifteen, and then twenty.

Chandler sat there, his elbow resting on the bench's arm, face covered with his palm. The sound of his hand slapping his leg dispersed into the vast valley of air around him, followed by a sigh of contemplation. What was he even doing here.

Thirty minutes.

Chandler got up from the bench, and start making his way back.

Not this time, bud.

He started making excuses to himself as he got into the seat of his car. Don't worry, she got delayed and couldn't call or text you because of the drop in signal out there, that's got to be the case. He stared at his phone, but no updates came. The screen was so bright in this darkness, it was nauseating. He turned on the light in his car, only for his screen to turn to black, revealing in clarity the expression on his face like a mirror. Seeing his face like that only made his lip quiver as he tried to hold back tears. Come on. Shape up. Are you really this pathetic? Getting so emotional about being alone on Valentine's day.

Fuck, this isn't really about Valentine's day.

Time to get out of here.

There's no reason to stay.

As Chandler turned the key in the ignition, the engine sounded sharply before suddenly sputtering out.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

Does the universe hate me or something?

At least… At least let me use my damn car.

Fuck.

I'm crying.

I'm crying because my car won't start.

To hell with this, I'm just going to sit here, I guess.

Sit here in shame.

Just then, a car swung into the parking space beside him, and a girl quickly stepped outside, furiously typing on her phone. She ran up the trail with such vigor, it was really unexpected.

Wait, was that her?

Chandler paused to collect his thoughts. The texts then came to him, and he rushed outside of his vehicle to catch up with her. He found her searching around the trail where the bench was, clearly panicked and upset, too. She looked up at him, and he spoke her name.

"Pardon me, but is your name Grace?"

"And is yours Chandler?"

His legs became weak. All this stress, finally relieved, it felt crazy. He couldn't help but laugh it all out in this darkness.

"OOOkay, so what's the story?" He was just glad to feel good again.

"My car tire popped, and I had to change it out in the dark, thankfully I had good flashlights in my trunk! The signal out here sucks, too! I'm so sorry! I'm suprised you're still here! I'm so sorry…"

"Well, it sounds like a situation that couldn't have been avoided. Let's not think about it too much." Chandler played it off as if he hadn't been crying alone in his car a few minutes ago. "Anyways, shall we start?"

"Y-Yeah, of course!" Grace handed Chandler one of her flashlights. "Let me show you why I chose this place! So, I am a big fan of designing fictional landscapes, so I come here every once in a while because the terrain here is pretty unique. I also know about a little secret of this place that can only be accessed at night! They're, like, ruins or something!"

"Ruins, hmm? Interesting!"

Little did Chandler know, these ruins would be all too familiar…

Back at base, LeRoy was finishing up his paperwork as captain. He was alone in his office, without a single sound to be heard but scribbling. Yet he was not bothered by this. Romance was a thing that did not intrigue him in the slightest. As long as he could watch over his Plagues, as a mentor, and as a father figure that most of them never had, he would be happy. It was a long time ago that he started his reign as a feared vigilante hunting down abusers. It was so long since those days, those days that came even before Tangente found him all those years ago. He was reckless then. Impulsive, to say the least. Now it was just one of the many sides of him. He then grew and matured over the decades as his body grew taller and taller. His size and personality frightened many, which was not always his intention. One day, he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could use all of his life's knowledge to grow and empower the next generations of kids and adults alike. Age does not always breed wisdom, but an open mind and a lot of experience can. Teaching kids and adults what to do to keep learning and evolving throughout life was the next step in one of his many missions. He wanted to make the Plagues proud of him. He wanted them to be proud of their decision to come on board. And to make those who came before them proud as well.

Just then, a knock on the doors was immediately followed by them swinging open without any delay. It was Alwin, bouncing towards the desk with his hands behind his back.

"Alone again? Come on, old man. It's Valentine's day! You don't have anyone to hang out with?" It was brutal, but Alwin meant it in the purest way possible.

"I wouldn't want to interrupt the Plagues when they're busy like this."

"That's not what I meant." He said before looking around conspicuously as if he was trying to hide something.

"Well, If no one's going to give you something, then I will!" Alwin said bashfully. From behind his back, he unveiled a gift bag with a present inside. LeRoy's attention was caught. He opened the gift to reveal a dark blue sweater with a sloppily-knit cyan snowflake in the center. Above it were the words "The Bestest Captain" crudely sewn into the cloth in green. The sweater was giant, just like him!

"I've always wondered how you could stand the cold of your own attacks, and I never see you wearing anything special for it, so… me and The Plagues made this for you! I even came up with the catchphrase myself!" Alwin remarked in smug confidence. LeRoy instantly adorned himself with the sweater. A perfect fit in terms of height, but there was some loose space. He was a tad too skinny for it. Guess LeRoy had some working out to do before he could fit the sweater perfectly. His laugh rang through the halls outside.

"Thank you, boy! Now I'll never be cold again!"

It didn't matter that LeRoy had already transfigured while stranded in the arctic, which made him impervious to the cold. The gesture was almost too much for him to handle!

"I'm wrapping up here, time to conk out!" LeRoy told Alwin as he walked past.

"Also, don't worry about your bedtime tonight. You've earned it. If anybody has problems with that, send 'em to me! I'll make sure they pay for interrupting my sleep!"

Alwin giggled with satisfaction as LeRoy left the room. As he stepped into his living quarters, he turned on the light and walked down his hallway. To his left was his kitchen, and beside the foot of his bed was a table full of pictures in frames. He washed up and ate, before landing on his bed, exhausted from the day. What a fulfilling day! He was lucky to be able to be enjoying life as he was at the moment. He looked at the pictures on the table. Are you guys happy now? Cinna, Ferdinand, Tybalt, Gertrude, and Lear?

Those who came before.

Those who turned him into more than a vengeful pursuer and punisher.

They were the first Plagues, before the group got its name.

Their sacrifice gave birth to the dawn of the Plagues.

Their sacrifice led to the birth of him as a leader. As a captain of the Ethiopian Elite branch.

He fought alongside them in that war, the war that earned the surviving members the title of "Plague" and the war that humbled him down to the core of his very soul. A war where White Ash rained and nukes pulled the TA so close to the line of defeat. Their victory wasn't as flawless and prosperous as they thought it would be.

LeRoy was crying.

He knew well enough not to hold back these tears. They were full of happiness.

He would make it up to them.

He would protect the Plagues he had now.

No matter the cost.