previous story: Like Clockwork AT 02:00 - Digitally Accurate P1Akita bolted upright. She had woken up in a cold sweat, as she had so often done over the last few months. When she saw that she was still in her room, lying in her bed, she let herself fall backwards onto her pillow again while exhaling slowly. She couldn’t really help it. Her thoughts and her nightmares simply kept going back to that fateful day…She sighed. “For crying out loud, Akita. Just let her go,” she muttered as she let herself fall back down on her pillow. She just stared at the ceiling as the same scene that had plagued her for months played in her head once again. The clockwork giant, her capture, the desperation that Lavini and she had felt, and of course the appearance of that clockwork doll that had replaced her girlfriend. It had all been too much for her. To the point where she decided to move out of the apartment that she had been sharing with her and moved back in with her parents.A tear left her eye as she thought of the many memories she had shared with her. It was because of her that she had gotten herself invested in the goddess of time and the legacy that she had left behind. Heck, at times she had been even more invested in the goddess’ legacy than her friends were. A legacy that she now saw as more of a curse for it had taken her away…Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.“Yes?” Akita groaned, quickly rubbing the tear away.The door to her room was carefully opened and the face of her mother appeared with a meek smile on her face. Akita knew that it was just for show and that she secretly hated seeing her daughter in the state that she was in though…“Uhm… Good afternoon, honey. Lavini’s here to see you,” she said.“Afterno-... damn it!” Akita gasped. She really didn’t mean to sleep in this late anymore! She jumped out of bed and quickly reached for some clean clothes as well as her hairbrush. “Tell her I’ll be down shortly!”Her mother chuckled. “I’ll tell her.”, “Sorry for taking so long!” Akita said as she descended the stairs. She was still busy putting on her vest when she entered the living room, where her mother was talking with Lavini over a cup of tea. What was surprising though was the presence of another girl. A girl that Akita had never seen before.Lavini chuckled. “‘Twas no problem, Akita dear,” Lavini said with a smile.“I think I’ll go make some more tea,” Akita’s mom said and she quickly vanished into the kitchen.Akita awkwardly walked down the stairs while curiously looking in the direction of the new girl. “Uhm… hi,” she said.The girl appeared to have a slight frown adorning her face while she sipped her tea somehow even more delicately than Lavini usually did. Her legs were fidgeting quite a bit and she looked a little bit uncomfortable in the clothes that she was wearing. “Allow me to introduce you two,” Lavini said. “Cassie dear, this is Akita. Akita dear, this is Cassiopeiah.”As if she had practiced this routine a hundred times, Cassie placed her teacup carefully on the table, stood up, and bowed her head slightly before extending her head. All the while, that frown never left her face. “Nice to meet you,” she said awkwardly.Akita looked from the girl’s hand to her face and back again. She couldn’t decide whether the girl was just as nervous about meeting people as she was herself or if there was something else going on. She simply shook the girl’s hand and mustered up a smile of her own. “Nice to meet you too, Cassie.”“We met last month. I wanted to take her here last time but she deemed it better to wait until now while we… prepared,” Lavini continued.“Prepared?” Akita asked as she went to sit in her usual armchair.“Perhaps Cassie herself would like to explain that?” Lavini said.Upon realizing that all eyes were now upon her, Cassie was a little caught off guard right as she took another delicate sip from her tea, causing her to choke. “Ugh, fuck!” she cried out.The sudden outburst caught Akita by surprise. “Ah… huh?”In response, Cassie held her hand over her mouth and gave Lavini a terrified look. “I’m sorry!” she said nervously.However, Lavini could not help but start laughing. “You have given it your best shot, my dear,” she said.Cassie sighed as she stood up and made her way to the kitchen, her face completely red.Akita raised an eyebrow at her friend. “What… was that all about? I thought she was one of your noble friends.”“That is what she would have liked to have you believe. At least for now, to see if her training pays off,” Lavini explained.“Training?”Lavini nodded. “She and I share a common origin.”“A similar ori-... oh, I see,” Akita nodded. To her Lavini had always been a refined noble, a prim and proper lady. It was so strange to think that that hadn’t always been the case. Indeed, after a few months of hanging out with Lavini, she eventually decided to tell Akita and her about her past. For the first several years of her life, Lavini had been a mere street rat. Begging for money and stealing food, just to survive. That is, until a kind noblewoman by the name of Orketra Providence had taken her in and decided to raise her as her own daughter. Thus, Lavini was slowly taught etiquette over the course of her life and she eventually grew up to be the lady that she was today.“I have been teaching her what I know. She’s actually improved quite a lot since the first time we met. For one, she has been learning how to eat with utensils,” Lavini laughed.Akita chuckled as well herself as she imagined Lavini herself struggling to do so as a little girl. “So what brings you here today?”For a moment, Lavini arched her eyebrows but she quickly went back to her usual smile. “I simply wanted to. I do not get to see you all that often anymore, after all.”“Ah… heh… right… sorry about that,” Akita stammered.“Oh, no worries, dear. I know we both have our own lives to worry about,” Lavini chuckled.However, Akita could tell that it was a hollow chuckle. Not that she could really blame her friend. She had removed herself almost completely from, well, everything. To pass the time, she’d been helping out at her parents’ weapon shop. It wasn’t exactly the funnest job or anything but it gave her something to do at least. Despite it all though, she did miss Lavini and so she appreciated these moments whenever she would come and visit. Not that she would go out to visit her instead out of fear of encountering her. She was about to say something more again when Cassie returned from the kitchen with a paper towel.“I’m really sorry… I thought I had things under control…” she muttered as she began cleaning.Lavini laughed heartily. “I will say that it was a vast improvement already over last time.”“L-lavini!” Cassie gasped, blushing madly.“Heh, ‘fraid you’re gonna have to get used to her teasing if you’re going to be hanging out with Lavini here,” Akita giggled.Cassie sighed. “It’s… hard, okay. I’m so not used to any of this,” she said while cleaning. She had dropped her delicate act completely now.“I know, Cassie dear,” Lavini smiled. She placed a hand on that of Cassie before turning her attention back to Akita again. “Much like how my own mother caught me stealing an apple, I caught her stealing some bread. I could not stand by idly of course.”“Of course,” Akita grinned. She had always known Lavini to do her very best to help out the poor and homeless in whatever way she could.Their conversation was interrupted by Akita’s mother entering the room and refilling everybody’s cup with tea. “Here you all go,” she said. “Oh, and please don’t worry about spilling, Cassiopeiah. It happens.”“Thanks, mom,” Akita said. Meanwhile, Cassie averted her gaze in shame and continued cleaning.“Now… I still wanted to… wanted to get some garden work done,” Akita’s mother stammered.“Uh… okay?” Akita said questioningly. She knew her mother to be terrible at flimsy excuses. All it did was give her the beginnings of a pit in her stomach.Lavini picked up her cup of tea, blew on it and took a sip as Akita’s mother left them alone again. Her ever present smile vanished from her face and her eyes were closed. She savoured the sip for a moment longer while looking into her cup. Next to her, Cassie looked at her with worry on her face. Finally, Lavini looked up again and Akita already started frowning before anything had even happened.“I suppose that there is no sense beating around the bush any longer, Akita dear. You… you are unhappy here. I know it, your parents know it, and even you know it,” she spoke up.Yep, there it was. Lavini’s words stabbed into her like a dagger. Akita averted her eyes and looked at her own teacup instead.“I have tried being patient with you. I was hoping that you would come around yourself but it seems clear to me now that you require a push in the right direction. I have come to provide said push,” Lavini continued.Akita could feel her blood starting to boil at all of this. Lavini had always been so kind and she had always been there in Akita’s time of need. Now though? Did she truly have no-one left in the world? She just silently got madder and madder as Lavini continued. It almost reminded her of how she would just sit and take the many harsh words being tossed her way by the twins, Zexa and Xeza.“I miss you, Akita. I miss having you around. I miss your jokes. Your friendship. I miss seeing your genuine smiles. But I do not think I can ever miss you as much as Bridget does,” Lavini pressed on.Akita winced as her face contorted. She stood up, seething with rage. “Do NOT mention that name here!!” she yelled.“No, Akita. I am not backing away. Not this time,” Lavini said calmly. Not once did she raise her voice, which only seemed to make Akita even madder.Akita turned around. “Forget it… I don’t need this right now,” she hissed as she stomped her way back to the stairs again.“Then when do you need this, Akita? Do you really think that what you are doing now is helping you in any way? How can you hope to move on if no-one around you can even so much as mention her name? What is next, are you going to start avoiding bridges because of the similarity in the word?” Lavini said calmly.“J-Just… Shut up!” Akita yelled, starting to move up the stairs now.“Akita. You have already turned your back on Bridget. Are you going to turn your back on me as well now?” Lavini asked.Akita stopped moving, her eyes going wide. She would lose Lavini too? Even though she was very much stepping out of line and crossing all of her boundaries right now, she still cared for Lavini. She couldn’t just lose her too! It was all becoming too much for her. Far too much. She couldn’t deal with any of this. None of this was logical at all, as she felt her emotions boiling. She usually tried to restrain them as best as she could but they simply overflowed now.She collapsed and started crying her eyes out. She really did not expect to be pushed over the edge like this. Not this much…She felt a soft hand touch her back.“Akita… I am sorry I had to do that,” came Lavini’s soft voice.All Akita could really do in response was grab Lavini and hug her tightly.“Don’t leave me…” she stammered between her sobbing.“I won’t… I promise,” Lavini whispered., Akita finally sat back down in her chair again. Her eyes were red and sore from tears, and she was still sniffing.“I… feel like I shouldn’t have been here,” Cassie said.“Nonsense, Cassie dear.” Lavini said, sitting back down as well. “I do not think I would have been able to do this without your emotional support.” She turned her attention back to Akita. “Have some tea, Akita dear. It will do you some good.”Silently, Akita did as she was told, reaching for her teacup. Steam was still coming off it, so at least it hadn’t gone cold yet. Her mind was an absolute mess. Nothing really made sense anymore. The logic that had kept her going for the past few months now lay in shambles, all thanks to Lavini. She wasn’t even sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. All she really knew was that she was hurting. She had been hurting already but now she had finally come to face it.“What is going through your mind right now, Akita dear?” Lavini asked sweetly.Akita just remained silent. She didn’t even really know where to begin. What would she say? What could she say? She tried to force herself to begin talking calmly but nothing made sense. Heck, even if she did start talking, she was worried. Worried of what Lavini would say in return. Worried that she’d be ridiculed for thinking what she thought. For feeling what she felt. But why worry about that at all? This was Lavini! She wouldn’t ridicule her, would she? Well, now she felt embarrassed for even considering that scenario. And so her mind continued tumbling.“Should we… ask questions instead?” Cassie proposed in the tense silence.“An excellent idea, Cassie dear,” Lavini nodded.Akita thought about that for a moment. Perhaps that might be a good idea. She was good with questions. Questions she could answer, as if it was a math test. She had always been good at those after all. Thus, she nodded as well.“Akita. Can you put into words what you felt when Bridget stepped out of that giant, transformed,” Lavini asked.Akita closed her eyes, frowning. She had always tried to force those images back. To forget about them. She had to face them now. “I… I felt… scared. Scared that my Bridget was gone…” she admitted. Her voice sounded so much softer and weaker than usual. She almost never cried so it was an odd experience for her.“But she was not gone. She is still Bridget, you know. She is still the same klutz who manages to trip over flat surfaces. She still gets excited whenever she sees a dog. She is still a ballet dancer. In fact, she has gotten even better at that now,” Lavini said calmly. Of course, there was absolutely no ridicule apparent in her voice.Akita simply continued. “Then… I felt anger. I couldn’t… believe that she’d just choose this…”Lavini considered her words for a moment. “You do not know what occurred inside of the clockwork giant, do you?” she asked.Akita shook her head in response. Of course not. Her panic told her to run after all.“Bridget wanted to come back out. She wanted to tell us what the giant asked of her. She wanted to ask us for guidance. She especially wanted to know your opinion. Sadly… the machine did not let her do so, for the machine only had very little time on our plane. It wanted Bridget to decide for herself, by herself,” Lavini explained.Akita frowned. “But… why… Why did she choose this?”“She did so for the benefit of all. For the benefit of time. The giant told her that there were six that had come before her who are stuck in some way, and that there is only one way to save them while maintaining the flow of time. New time elementals need to rise and Bridget took it upon herself to do just that,” Lavini explained.So Bridget had chosen to save these people she didn’t even know. That sure sounded like Bridget. Akita just took a sip from her tea. It was her mom’s favourite tea and it tasted rather bitter. Normally, Akita would be all for that but now, she didn’t really know what to make of it.“Uhm… so why did you run away?” Cassie asked. “Why didn’t you just tell her?”Akita looked up to answer but she felt a lump build up in her throat, unable to find the words. She closed her eyes as another tear rolled down her cheek. In her mind, she played out how the discussion would go and she simply saw losses in all directions, so what would be the point of even saying anything at all? Did that mean that she already knew that she was wrong? Or that she simply did not have the right words to express herself?“Perhaps that is not the correct question to ask,” Lavini proposed, surprising Akita. “When I finally found you again after Bridget’s transformation you said very little, likely because you had no idea what to say. The trip back home was especially difficult since you did not want to even so much as glance in Bridget’s direction. Akita, am I correct in assuming that Bridget’s new appearance was actively hurting you?”Akita didn’t really have to think long about that one. She nodded silently.Lavini nodded, a modest smile appearing on her face. “I think I understand you. After all, you had just witnessed the love of your life change herself irreversibly.”Akita winced at that last word, still not wanting to hear it.“But… there is one important thing for you to keep in mind in all of this. At the end of the day, it was Bridget’s decision to do this. She gets to decide what she does with her own body. With her own life. That is not for you to decide,” Lavini continued.Akita’s eyes went a little wider. The words played again in her head. Of course… Lavini was right. It was Bridget’s own decision. Did that just… invalidate all of the pain that Akita was feeling? That her running away, her departure out of Bridget’s life, had all been for nothing? That it was something to be ridiculed? In fact, a part of Akita did start ridiculing her for not making this logical connection sooner. Why? Why did she not realize this connection sooner? And why did she still ache? Why did her mind not want to listen to this perfectly logical explanation?“Of course… that does not make what you are feeling any less real or valid. You are hurting because of Bridget and let me tell you, Bridget has done a lot of soul searching herself over the past months. Personally, I do not think either of you are to blame for what has happened and how you both dealt with it. Your emotions are real and valid,” Lavini continued.“Emotions…” Akita repeated. There was that word again. She gripped her tea cup a bit tighter. “Why do I need those? Emotions have only really caused me pain. Back when I was being bullied by those blasted twins, Zexa and Xeza, it was my own emotions that made me feel the absolute worst about it, even while my logical reasoning told me that words are just words and not swords. It’s always been my own emotions that tell me that I’m worthless and that I don’t deserve what I’ve been given in life. And, of course, now with Bridget… It’s always my emotions… It’s just not logical. I hate them!”Lavini once again carefully considered her next words. “The pain that you have felt was unpleasant, of course, but do not forget that emotions have also brought you a lot of joy and greatness. All of the time you have spent with Bridget and with me. The time you spent studying up on the goddess. Whenever you would make a sarcastic joke that made us laugh. None of that would have been possible without emotions.”Well… that much was true. She did experience a lot of joy and happiness in her life as well. She just made a soft sound, to indicate that Lavini had a point.“I believe the proper question we should be asking you is as follows. How can we help you reconcile your emotions with your rationality?” Lavini continued.Akita took another bitter sip from her tea, wincing slightly. “I’m listening,” she muttered.“Akita, emotions as well as our rationality are part of what makes us who we are. It makes up our individuality. It makes us special. You shouldn’t hate your emotions but rather be proud of them. I know how alien emotions can be for you but they are just as important to you as your rationality. There is absolutely no shame in having emotions,” Lavini said.Akita looked up, quite surprised. It was as if Lavini knew what was going on in Akita’s mind right now. It was indeed shame that she was feeling as part of the mishmash of emotions. “How did you…” she started.“Know what you were feeling? Well, for one, I am your friend and secondly, I am friends with Bridget and if there’s anyone who knows you the most intimately, it’s Bridget,” Lavini explained.Akita looked down and took another sip. She was actually getting kinda used to the flavour and it didn’t taste all that bitter anymore. “So… what do I do about it?” she asked.“You can talk to her. Talk about how you felt. What you felt. I am sure that both of you have things to say to each-other about what happened. Neither of you are in the wrong, nor are either of you fully in the right. But nothing can move forwards if you do not talk,” Lavini said wisely.Another tear left Akita’s eye and rolled down her cheek. Talking, huh? It really wasn’t her strongest suit but if Lavini was right, then there really should not be any sort of shame. She took one final sip of her tea, savouring it for a moment. It actually tasted quite sweet.“Alright… I’ll come,” she finally said with a huge lump in her throat., “I told Bridget to take a day off. She should still be at the spa I recommended to her where she’s getting a special oil treatment. She had been a huge worrywart about today, you know. Anxious about whether she would finally get to see you again or not. I don’t expect her to be home just yet,” Lavini explained as the three walked down the street.“I see…” Akita muttered in response, looking down at the ground.They were starting to enter the neighbourhood that Akita was very familiar with, for she had lived here for all of her academy life with Bridget. Even being here sent a rush of memories and sadness through her head again. She had told herself she wouldn’t return here but no… she was determined to see this through now.“Uhm… can I ask you something?” came Cassie’s voice from next to her.“Huh? Uh… sure?” Akita said questioningly.Cassie leaned in and started talking a bit softer. “Has lady Lavini always been this… caring?”“Uh… what do you mean?” Akita asked, chuckling uncomfortably.“Well, she always seems to want to take care of those around her. She kind of took me in and has been taking care of my needs and now she’s been playing marriage counselor for you and Bridget,” Cassie said bluntly.“... Marriage counselor?” Akita asked, stunned.“Well… uhm… you know what I mean…” Cassie answered, a bit flustered.Akita actually gave a genuine chuckle at that. “Yeah, she has been.”“I see…” Cassie nodded.“Is it bothering you?” Akita asked, raising an eyebrow.“Oh, no! Not at all! I’m just… I have no idea how I could possibly repay her for everything she has done for me…” Cassie said, fiddling with her hair.Akita grinned. “You don’t,” she answered. “Lavini takes after her mother a whole lot. She’s kind to others and does not expect anything in return. All she wants is to see those around her smile.”“I guess… I’ve just never really met anyone like her,” Cassie said as a hint of a blush appeared on her face.Akita smirked as the conversation had certainly distracted her from her sorrows and worries, even if it was for just a moment. “Uhm… I’m sorry by the way. I don’t think I made the greatest first impression…”“Oh… don’t apologize. If anything, I thought I was the one that screwed up her first impression. Plus, lady Lavini dragged me into all of this and I knew it wouldn’t be pretty,” Cassie admitted. “Right, I still have to get used to not addressing her as ‘lady' all the time.”“Heh… she does that, yeah,” Akita grinned.“You know I can hear you two murmuring about me, yes?” Lavini suddenly interjected, turning around.“Ah! Sorry!” Cassie shouted, snapping to attention as if she were a soldier. This only further amused Lavini. Akita had to admit, it amused her too., Eventually the three found themselves in front of the apartment that Akita had been sharing with Bridget. Akita froze in place as the nostalgia flooded through her head. Everything still looked the same. There were the same ugly curtains that Bridget had insisted on. There was still that one brick that was slightly out of place. There was still that same strong flowery scent hanging in the air originating from the nearby botanical gardens. It was as if time had stood still here.Lavini walked up to the door and opened it. She had apparently received a spare key. “Bridget dear?” she called inside but there was no answer. “It would appear she has not yet returned,” she said, much to Akita’s relief. It meant that she had just a little bit more time to mentally prepare herself.Carefully, Akita walked up the steps and entered the door, where she was greeted by a familiar sight. Scribbled on the wall was her own face as well as Bridget’s inside of a crudely drawn heart. It wasn’t drawn all that well considering it had been carved into the wood but it was still recognizable. Akita remembered it well. She had tried to draw Bridget’s face, while Bridget did the same for her on the day they moved into this apartment. It had been one of many fond memories that the two had shared but now it only made Akita tear up again.Lavini simply placed her hand on Akita’s shoulder and gave her a modest smile. “I know this is difficult but you are not alone here,” she said soothingly.Akita nodded and rubbed away her tears again. Her eyes had been quite sore and this wasn’t exactly helping.Behind her, Cassie closed the door and stood there awkwardly for a few moments, uncertain of what to do. “Shall… I go and make us some more tea?” she asked.“I think that would be a marvelous idea, Cassie dear,” Lavini nodded.With Cassie slipping past them and vanishing into the kitchen, Lavini and Akita entered the living room where even more memories awaited. The table that had one leg that was different from the others because it broke in the great pillow fight of their second academy year. The tea stain on the wall that just would not go away no matter how often they tried washing it off. The very luxurious looking chair that had been gifted to them by Lavini. It was almost suffocating to be here again…“Remember, Akita. Your emotions are valid. You can let them out. We will not judge you,” Lavini said.Akita’s lower lip trembled and she was about to try and speak up again about what was going on in her mind when they were interrupted by Cassie, nervously entering the room.“Ahm… could… one of you please help me out? I still don’t really understand how a kettle works…” she admitted, blushing furiously.Lavini chuckled. “I’ll come,” she said, winking at Akita.Akita just smiled back but the smile vanished again when the two left her all alone in the living room, surrounded by nothing but memories. She sighed. Bridget could be stepping into the house at any minute. There would be no running or hiding anymore. No… she wasn’t going to run. She had resolved to come here now. She was going to speak her mind and not listen to that voice in her head. The voice that would always tell her that she shouldn’t be talking about her emotions. The voice that always made her feel embarrassed for everything. She was not going to let that dominate her any longer!Nervously, Akita started pacing around the room, anxiously preparing how she was going to say what she wanted to say once Bridget got there. She could begin by talking about her feelings of disbelief. That said, she could also of course begin by talking about her feelings of anger. Or maybe her sadness? Then again, all of these emotions kind of blended in together…That’s when something caught Akita’s eye. Something that had not been here before the last time she was here. On one of the shelves in their bookcase stood a wooden box with five smaller compartments inside. Each compartment held what looked to be some sort of trinket, and they were all giving off a celestial glow.“Are these… more divine trinkets? Where did...” Akita pondered out loud. She remembered then that Bridget was holding just such a box when she emerged from the giant. “Why did it give her these?” she mused as she inspected each of the trinkets a little better now but one of them definitely stood out to her. It looked to be some sort of strange bracelet? It was dark blue with light blue lines running across it. There was also an adornment on it that had some numbers displayed on them: 16:39. If this was a timekeeping device, it sure was an odd way of displaying time.“Ah wait… the 16 must mean that it’s 4 in the afternoon,” Akita nodded wisely after doing the quick math in her head.And that was when the trinket started glowing more intensely.“What the…” Akita gasped as the bracelet actually started floating up in the air. “Lavini!” she called out.It took a few moments before Lavini’s face peeked around the corner again. “What is it Aki- ah! What in the…” she said as the trinket’s glow only intensified more and more.“I didn’t touch anything!” Akita cried out as she slowly backed off.Lavini just stood there in disbelief, her eyes wide. She looked between the strange bracelet and Akita before placing her hand over her mouth.But Akita couldn’t really focus on that too much as the DLC suddenly shot out a beam of blue light. Eyeing the beam, it actually looked like it consisted of a bunch of numbers. Well, two numbers at least: 1 and 0. The beam soared through the room and circled around several of the furniture pieces before finally flying straight towards Akita. She yelped as she tried to dodge out of the way but the beam was simply too fast and it hit her square in the chest, after which it vanished into her completely.For a moment, nothing seemed to happen while Akita inspected herself all over. “What was that?!” she asked frantically.“Akita… you have been chosen…” Lavini said almost ominously.“Chosen?! What are you…” Akita yelled but she couldn’t finish her sentence as a sudden burst of light erupted from her body, catching both her and Lavini by surprise. When Akita caught her bearing again, she looked down and was horrified to find that her right arm and parts of her left hip had disappeared in the light and it was spreading fast! She panicked at first but she soon realized that she could actually still feel her missing body parts. The realization struck her then as most of her body had vanished by now.“I HATE TELEPORTATIOOOOO-