Lily's Persistence

It was 2p.m. when Richard returned home with his bag slung over his shoulder. He didn't look tired but the fact that he returned home early made Lily—who was sitting with her legs bent beneath her—check her time again.

She frowned and lowered the volume of the movie she was watching. "What happened?"

Richard threw his bag to the side and slumped into a chair. "Nothing much. I just had to get away from training for a few seconds."

"And that is totally unlike you."

He nodded. "Maybe you'll get to see the side of me you've never seen before."

"Maybe." She said and stood up gingerly. She grabbed his bag and took it to his room and went directly to the kitchen to fetch him something to drink.

"I cooked lunch," she said from the kitchen. "Do you want some?"

"Since when do you make lunch for two?" Richard chuckled. Due to his schedule he had formed the habit of eating only breakfast and dinner every day and most of the time even if he was at home he wouldn't even bother to ask for lunch.

Lily also seemed to not care much about it. The only times he ate lunch was at the military HQ cafeteria and most of the times it was free.

"Since when do you drop by out of the blue?" she returned with a glass of juice and handed it to him. Richard took it.

"Thank you." he said after gulping down the juice.

She shrugged. "Just doing my job."

Richard threw her a glance but she didn't even notice him. He nodded to himself and put the glass on the side table. He leaned back in the chair and massaged his forehead.

"What are you planning?"

The question was sudden and it made Richard think a bit hard before he understood what she meant. He smiled. "Why not take a guess?"

Lily smirked and pulled her hair back. "I would say it's because of Priscilla but I know that she is at the HQ and you wouldn't ditch her to come home to keep me company except it was something serious."

Richard held back his laughter. He glanced at Lily then ran his finger across his knee. "What if I said I came home to keep you company?"

Lily laughed so hard that she almost fell off the chair. She looked at Richard again and continued to laugh, holding her stomach as she slapped her thigh.

"Is that idea that hilarious?"

She nodded amidst choking laughter. "I have never seen a dog with horns, brother. You keeping me company is like seeing one. I mean we spend time together and banter once in a while but seriously?"

Richard shrugged. "I could be secretly in love with you."

This time Lily choked violently then stopped abruptly. She glanced at Richard but she seemed to have forgotten what she wanted to say. Richard nodded his head in affirmation and urged her to say something.

"You're crazy, Richard."

"Maybe," he said stoically. "What do you think?"

"I have no words for…"

Richard took his turn in laughing hard. He intentionally rolled to the floor and held his stomach. He laughed dryly for minutes before calming down. "You should have seen your face. Why are you so afraid of romance?"

Lily's face became as black as a pot. She glared at him. "I'm not afraid of romance you egg head. And even if you had feelings for me, I would personally beat the crap out of you!"

"Noted, bot-girl."

Lily gritted her teeth. "Don't ever call me that!"

"You just froze right now over a little issue."

She pinched her nose and sighed. "Richard, it isn't funny. I'm not a bot."

"I didn't say you were."

"Be honest," she said and looked at him straight in the face. "You've seen me fight, you've seen me bleed and you've touched me before. Do I feel like a robot?"

Richard shrugged. "As for where I'm going this afternoon. It's simple, I'm headed for Cruderia."

"And I suppose it isn't so you could see mother, right?"

"Mother doesn't live in Cruderia." Richard said grimly.

"Exactly my point," she stood up and walked towards him. "So why are you going to there?"

"I have some unsettled business to take care of."

Lily eyed him for a while then she stepped back slowly. She nodded. "I can't allow you to go alone."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, bot-girl," Richard waved his hand dismissively. "I don't need your permission to go anywhere and I certainly don't need to tell you everything I do. Get it?"

"Of course," Lily nodded. "But you realise that I don't work for you, Richard."

"And I wonder why…."

Lily clenched her fist tight and lifted her arm to his face. She held herself back and stepped back further. "I won't let you go there alone."

"Why?"

"Because I've almost lost you three times!"

"That warms my heart."

"It should!" she said with a frown. "I can't go to mother with a load of shit as to why I wasn't able to protect you."

"And how will you stop me?" Richard stepped closer to her and she stepped back.

Lily knew that Richard had never raised his voice at her since they moved in together and he had never as much as hit her when she misbehaved or engaged in a verbal conflict with him but this time she stepped back.

She lowered her eyes and said. "At least let me accompany you."

"Someone needs to be here and I trust you."

"Then you must take something with you." she said. She rushed to her room and brought a small box with her. She opened it, revealing the small blue and black pistol that sat inside. It was a biometrically controlled gun.

"When did this one arrive?"

She handed it over. "Last week. Mother says it's a prototype but couldn't wait for you to try it out. It's a reinforced blaster pistol with five rounds ammunition."

"You do realise that starting a fight in a foreign country and one that we are currently at odds with might not be a good idea, right?" Richard asked taking the gun from her.

She nodded. "Which is why you are a fool for going there."

Richard nodded and took the gun with him. He got ready and took his bag, fully loaded with the essential weapons he needed. He had booked a flight ahead of time and was due to arrive in Cruderia by 4p.m.