Chapter Text
Crossing his arms over his chest for comfort, Arlo stared into the hard, gray eyes of his long-time friend and mentor.
‘I don’t know what’s right,’ he murmured. ‘Should I go for it, or would that put a stop to my other plans?’
He paused.
‘I know I can’t give up on my goal… But does that mean I have to neglect everything else? Even personal relationships?’
His mentor seemed to frown at him. Arlo nodded slowly.
‘I figured you would think that… I wish you wouldn’t always be so predictable.’
Something rustled behind him. He spun around, getting into combat stance, but when he saw what had made the sound, his muscles relaxed again.
‘Olivia,’ he said, relief filling him as the bright green eyes of his favorite builder turned to him. He hadn’t even considered her as an alternative to the Flying Pigs statue, but now that she was here, he realized how happy he was to see her. If anyone could help him make up his mind, it would be her. She had an engineer’s mind; no one he knew was as good at coming up with creative solutions as she was. ‘Do you have a moment?’
She glanced in the direction of the abandoned ruins nearby. Arlo felt his heart sink. Of course, after having proven her talent to the entire population of Portia, she was getting more and more commissions every day. She was way too busy to have time for his silly problems.
‘It’s fine, I don’t want to disturb you,’ he hurried to say, but to his surprise, she looked back and cocked her head to the side in the way that she always did when she was analyzing something—usually a building component, sometimes a human being.
‘What’s up, Arlo?’
Her attention now fully focused on him, he started feeling self-conscious about the whole thing. ‘It’s... a little personal,’ he began, rubbing his neck. ‘I would like your opinion, but can you promise me you won’t tell anyone else?’
Olivia nodded without hesitation. ‘I promise.’
‘Thanks.’
He took a deep breath, shaking his shoulders in an attempt to calm his nerves. His gaze was drawn to the horizon, where the light of the sun had begun coloring the sky red. He’d been way to antsy to get any sleep; in fact, he hadn’t even tried. After hesitating with his hand above the handle on the Civil Corps’ front door, he’d taken a long walk around the city, chased away a few monsters by the Southern gate, spent some time by the river, and then slowly made his way back toward the Civil Corps without really believing he’d be able to sleep. No idea what time it was now, but apparently it was early enough for Olivia to make a visit to the abandoned ruins. It made him wonder if she always got up this early… which, in turn, made him think about what he might miss while he was passed out in his bed in the morning. He was supposed to protect the citizens of Portia—what if something happened to her in the ruins? He wouldn’t find out until it was too late.
But why was he thinking about that now? Of all the opportunities to distract himself throughout the course of the night... He couldn’t let his mind slip now; he needed to get this over with and make a decision.
‘How about we walk to Central Plaza first?’ he suggested, running a hand through his hair. ‘Some scenery would help ease the mood.’ At least he hoped it would.
‘Sure,’ Olivia said, already starting down the path. ‘I need a break, anyway.’
Arlo stared after her. A break…?
When she realized he wasn’t following, she paused and looked at him over her shoulder. ‘You coming, Arlo?’
Breaking out of his stupor, he managed to make his feet work and stumbled after her. ‘Sorry, what time is it?’
‘About half past five, I think,’ she said without missing a beat.
‘And you… need a break.’
It wasn’t a question, but Olivia seemed to register the disbelief in his voice.
‘I couldn’t sleep, so I worked on some constructions instead. But then I ran out of materials, so I thought I could just as well go to the ruins and mine a bit before breakfast.’
Despite himself, Arlo smiled faintly while he walked beside her. ‘Do I have to work it into my nightly routine to put padlocks on all the ruin doors? Because I will.’
Olivia rolled her eyes and pointed her thumb at the large iron sword strapped to her back. ‘I can take care of myself, you know.’
He did know. He’d made the embarrassing mistake of underestimating her before, and it had ended with her kicking his ass in front of a small crowd in Central Plaza. She hadn’t used to be that good—he knew that because she’d challenged him only a few days after she moved to Portia, and she hadn’t been able to get a single hit in back then.
He couldn’t help smiling at the memory. Such a typical Olivia thing, to go and challenge the Captain of the Civil Corps before she’d even introduced herself to everyone in Portia yet. It had annoyed him back then, both because it was reckless of her and because he didn’t have time to play around, but it was obvious that she’d taken her defeat to heart and trained steadily since then, because when she’d asked for a rematch a few months later, he’d found himself shoved to the ground within seconds. He could still picture the victorious smirk on her face when he thought back to that moment; could still feel the insides of her thighs press against the sides of his torso.
‘I know,’ he told Olivia in the present. ‘But sharp tools and sleep deprivation don’t go well together. Safety—’
‘—first,’ she finished with a small sigh. ‘You’re right. I’ll try to get some sleep.’ She turned her head to give him a soft smile. ‘After our talk.’
Oh right, the talk… He’d almost managed to push that out of his mind.
They reached the plaza, where Olivia sat down on a bench and patted it with her hand to invite him to do the same. He hesitated for only a moment before taking a seat beside her, making sure to leave some space between them.
‘So.’ Olivia rested her hands in her lap as she turned her green gaze toward him. ‘What’s bothering you, Arlo?’
He smiled faintly and shook his head. Why was he nervous about this? Olivia wouldn’t make fun of him, he knew that.
‘You see... last night,’ he began, considering his words carefully before continuing, ‘Nora, y’know, the missionary, laid out her feelings for me.’
He glanced at Olivia from behind his bangs. She had turned forward now and was silently staring at the large tree in the middle of the plaza.
‘I see,’ she said after a pause that felt eternal to Arlo. ‘What did you tell her?’
His fingers clenched the edge of the bench. ‘I haven’t really given her a response yet... It’s all a little sudden.’
‘Do you like her?’
‘I like telling her stories about my adventures, but I always saw her as…’ His voice trailed off, and he sighed deeply. ‘I mean… I’d be lying if I said I’m not attracted to her at all. But she’s a bit younger than me, and we’re sort of worlds apart. I’m all about the Civil Corps right now. If I got into a relationship, I’d have to make sure to prioritize her… Not to mention that my job is very dangerous, and I don’t want anyone to worry about me.’
Olivia only hummed. He fiddled with his belt. ‘So what do you… what do you think?’ he asked, almost in a whisper.
After another long pause, she finally answered.
‘This is all very… personal, Arlo. I don’t really know what to say.’
He swallowed. That’s what he had feared she would say. Had he made a fool of himself? Was this too private for their friendship?
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,’ he said, tensing his muscles as he prepared to leave.
‘Why did you even ask me?’ she continued, her voice growing hard.
Arlo frowned, turning to her in uncertainty. ‘You’re my friend,’ he said slowly. ‘I just wanted to hear your opinion.’
‘Really? You wanted to ask me for advice because we’re friends?’
Her voice had taken on an obvious bitterness now. What the hell was going on? Why was she so upset all of a sudden?
Arlo couldn’t help getting infected by her change in mood. ‘Yeah. I did. Is that really so strange?’
Olivia’s lips straightened into a thin line. ‘No, not for you, I guess.’
‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’
‘Nothing,’ she snapped, getting up from the bench. ‘It means nothing. Good night, Arlo.’
And then she left, stomping in the direction of Peach Plaza without another word. Arlo was left staring after her. He’d been nervous about telling her about it all, but he never thought she’d react this strongly. What had gone wrong? Was it something he said…?
He mentally backtracked through their conversation, but he couldn’t figure out where it went wrong.
‘Well, thanks for the chat,’ he muttered to himself. He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, massaging his temples with his index and middle fingers. He was more confused now than before. The Flying Pigs statue had been way more helpful.