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9S stared, gobsmacked at the sight before him. A little glass bottle in the shape of a heart sat on the large oak dinner table that sat in the middle of his kitchen. The cork had been removed, and the contents were gone.
He rubbed his eyes, hoping it was simply his sleep-addled mind fooling him into seeing something that wasn’t there. Yet there it remained, what was left of the love potion he had placed there just last night; its sparkling pink contents drained to a drop.
From what he understood, it was quite the potent potion. Just a sip would make the user fall madly in love with the first person they lay eyes on. He could only imagine what kind of symptoms one might feel from taking it all at once.
He vividly remembered putting it there. It had been a gift from 6O, a nearby apothecary, for retrieving some rare ingredients for her. More of a prank than anything, but he had put the healing and haste potions that came with it to good use, so he couldn’t complain too much.
Much to his shame, he had been contemplating using it last night, and there was only one person who could lead him to such tortured thoughts: 2B. She was a warrior of unparalleled skill and grace, his partner in the local adventurer’s guild, and his closest companion.
He was in love with 2B; she was kind, beautiful, and always willing to humor his passing fancies. Whenever she laughed at one of his jokes or thanked him for coming to her aid, it sent his heart aflutter and left him desperate for more. Yet as far as he knew, the feeling was unrequited.
He had sat at that table late into the night, contemplating what to do with the potion. The allure of her being his was almost overwhelmingly strong. It would be so easy to pour a bit of it in 2B’s drink when she wasn’t looking. She often supped with him. She wouldn’t notice until it was too late, and at that point, she wouldn’t care.
Ultimately, his good sense won out, and he went to bed. He could never do that to 2B; she deserved so much better than being manipulated like that. Not that it would have mattered in the end. Someone had already drunk it before he could use it.
9S jumped a bit when the very subject of his thoughts rounded the corner and walked into his kitchen. He had been so distracted that he had not even heard her approaching.
“Good morning, Nines,” 2B cordially addressed him.
She wore simple traveling clothes: leather boots that rode up her calf, black pants, and an ornate white shirt with intricate black lace embroidery. It was simple yet elegant, a perfect blend of style and practicality that embodied 2B perfectly.
“2B! What are you doing here so early?”
“I came to collect you. We have a meeting at the guild, remember?”
“Right…” 9S fidgeted for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how to phrase what he wanted to say next. “2B…Would you know what happened to this potion?” he asked, gesturing toward the empty glass vial.
“Oh, that? I thought it was a drink. Did I do something wrong? You said I could help myself to anything in your pantry.”
“Nope!” 9S all but yelped. “You’re totally good. Just curious.”
2B cocked her head to the side in confusion at his response. 9S nervously swallowed, hoping she wouldn’t inquire any further.
Thankfully, she let it slide, “Okay… Well, we should get going soon.”
“Of course. Just let me finish getting ready, and I’ll meet you outside.”
2B nodded and walked outside. Only when his door creaked shut did 9S allow himself to deflate, grabbing ahold of the table to keep himself upright. She had drunk the whole love potion. Not only that, he must have been the first person she had seen, and yet she had no discernible reaction. Nothing had changed.
9S grabbed the bottle again, hoping he was missing something. Snapping his fingers, the instructions flashed onto the bottle in glowing blue words.
Yet as he re-read it, it was just what he expected: the user falls in love with the first person they see after consumption. Except she hadn’t. No grand confession, no throwing herself at him, nothing. Just the same old 2B.
In the midst of his increasing panic, the jet black tressym sleeping in his armchair, surrounded by loose scrolls and stacks of books, finally began to rouse. Stretching and yawning, Pod slunk toward him before jumping onto the table, using her wings to get the height she needed.
“You should tell her.” Pod flatly told him, her green slitted eyes piercing into him.
“What? No!” 9S hissed.
“And why not?”
“Nothing about this is natural. I need to figure out what is going on. Telling her is only going to make things worse.”
“That is not a good excuse. Besides, I was talking about you being in love with her.”
“How exactly is this relevant to the situation at hand?” 9S shot back.
“She would make an ideal mate for you,” Pod intoned.
“One more word out of you about that and I’ll polymorph you into a hairless tressym.”
“Nines? Are you coming?” 2B called out from the doorway, interrupting his argument with his less-than-helpful companion.
“Be right there!” 9S called back, sparing one last glare at Pod.
Fumbling around for his essentials, 9S grabbed his staff, threw on his flowing black and gold mage’s robe over his simple white shirt and black pants, and shoved his feet in his boots before dashing out of the door to join 2B.
Their trip to the guild hall was a quick one. The two of them grabbed a bite to eat together at the mess before getting the details of their upcoming mission from their local guildmaster, Lily: something to do with kobolds stealing a holy relic from a nearby monastery. It was small-time work, but it paid all the same.
Once they were done with that, the two of them stepped back out into the busy street. It was now midday, and the city of YoRHa was wide awake. Throngs of YoRHan’s shuffled about, heading off to work, plying their wares, or simply enjoying the midday sun.
“I need to collect my armor from Masamune. Would you like to come with me?” 2B asked over the din of the crowd.
“Sorry, I have another errand I have to run. How about we meet up at the south gate in an hour and go from there?”
2B frowned but nodded her head in understanding. 9S could not help but feel bad about declining her offer. Normally, he would have jumped at the opportunity to join her, but he needed answers and could not wait.
With that, the two of them turned to go their separate ways. 9S wound his way through YoRHa’s maze-like network of streets and packed crowds. He let memory guide him through it all until he came upon the narrow cobbled alley that held what he wanted: a small shop, nestled in between far grander buildings. Its double doors were swung wide open, allowing the inviting aroma of potions and alchemical ingredients to waft out into the street.
Stepping inside, he lay eyes upon the owner: a young blonde half-elf stood behind a large cauldron situated in the middle of the shop, humming away as she worked. A large foppish hat sat on her head, matched by a flowing set of robes. Two golden pigtails fall down from her hat to frame her face, giving the woman a youthful, bubbly appearance.
“9S!” 6O cried out. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“6O, I need your help,” 9S hissed under his breath. “It’s an emergency.”
6O gasped, letting go of the stirring stick and rushing to close the door behind him, flipping the sign that hung on it and closing the latch shut. Once all that was done, she turned to 9S.
“Tell me everything,” she demanded in a hushed voice.
“Remember that love potion you gave me? Well, I accidentally left it out, and 2B drank the entire thing!”
6O’s eyes went wide, and a gasp spilled from her lips, “And? What happened?”
“Nothing! She’s acting exactly the same as she always does! Was the potion a dud?”
6O took a moment to take in what he said. 9S watched in utter confusion as a devious smile began to grow across 6O’s face.
“Nope!” she finally answered in a sing-song voice. “The potion is working perfectly.”
“But that makes no sense!” 9S cried out. “How can someone take such a potent potion and have no symptoms?”
“You’re a smart guy, 9S. You’ll figure it out. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have potions to brew, and you have monsters to slay.”
6O practically shoved him out of her shop, despite his protests.
“Good luck!” she cried out before flipping the sign back to open and ducking back into her shop, leaving 9S to process what in the hells had just happened.
Before 9S could do anything else, the great bell of the cathedral at the center of the city rang out, marking the start of the next hour. Only now did 9S realize just how late he was for their meeting. Without a second thought, he rushed off to the south gate. He didn’t want to keep 2B waiting.
The trip to the cave was far more nerve-racking than it had any right to be. 9S spent the whole time silently racking his brain for an answer to what was going on. 6O had been the exact opposite of helpful. If anything, she confounded him even more.
If 6O was telling the truth, which he assumed she was, 2B was currently experiencing the effects of the potion. But 9S simply could not accept that at face value: she showed no symptoms, no change in behavior, nothing. And all of the potential explanations he could muster as to why led to similarly unsatisfactory conclusions.
Maybe she had a natural immunity to potions, and the effects were so faint as to be unnoticeable. 2B certainly was hardy; that much was indisputable. Yet she took elixirs to enhance speed or help her heal wounds all the time with seemingly no drop in effectiveness. Why would this one be any different?
He also considered whether the response was a delayed one that slowly ramped up as time went on. If that were the case, he figured 2B would have shown some sign of it hours after taking it. Besides, it contradicted the instructions on the vial and 6O’s explanations.
The deeply unwelcome thought occurred to him that she had somehow seen someone else in the short time between drinking it and greeting him. He quickly dismissed that thought as well. If 2B had seen someone else and fallen madly in love with them, she had totally ignored them.
No matter how he thought about it, 9S could not square that circle. He had examined and reexamined every possibility and every explanation and had nothing to show for it. He had to be missing something. Some quirk or some exception that made this puzzle fit together.
“Is something wrong, 9S? You’ve been unusually quiet all day.”
9S took a moment to process what 2B had just said, not realizing she had been speaking to him, “Something wrong? Not at all. Just thinking. You know how I am.”
2B hummed, seemingly content with his answer. Only now did he realize that they had arrived. So caught up in his thoughts, 9S hadn’t realized he was now standing in front of the gaping maw of the abandoned and now kobold-infested mine.
2B had finally donned her armor: a brilliant black steel alloy plate with gold inlays to accentuate it covered her from the neck down. A warding spell he had imbued into her armor protected her head, allowing 2B to forgo a helmet in favor of better visibility. Her favoured silver sword was slung over her back, held in an ornate sheath. All together, she cut a stunning figure: regal, elegant, and deadly.
He always loved the way she looked in that armor. In no small part because of the labor of love he had put into enchanting it and imbuing the metal with runes. Then again, he had always found her breathtaking.
2B turned expectantly to 9S, waiting for him to go through with the usual routine of warding and enhancement spells he placed on her before risking combat. 9S raised his staff toward her: a tall black steel rod with strands of gold spiraling up its length until it met a brilliant blue magic crystal inlaid at the top. He tried to channel magic, but his mental clarity was more than lacking at the moment. His brain felt utterly fried from the ceaseless dissecting of his current conundrum. Nothing happened but a shower of sputtering blue sparks flying from the magical crystal of his staff.
His embarrassment only continued to grow with each continued failure. These were simple spells. He wasn’t some second-rate mage initiate, but an esteemed member of the Mages Academy of YoRHa. The fact that he was doing this in front of 2B of all people made it all the worse.
“Nines, I need you focused. I can’t do this without you.”
“R-right,” he garbled, feeling even more flustered than he was before.
Redoubling his efforts, 9S finally finished up the preparation they needed to tackle the kobolds, after a few more false starts. He breathed a sigh of relief once that was over and shifted his focus to their mission and the kobold lair before them.
“Are you sure you’re up to this right now?” 2B asked, concern dripping from her tone. “I know A2 could use the extra gold.”
9S shook his head, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine in there. It’s just some kobolds. Nothing we haven’t faced before.”
“Okay…”
2B looked like she wanted to say something more, but the words never came. The two of them silently stared at each other before 9S made the executive decision to lead them into the mine. Whatever it was, it would have to wait.
The mission went without a hitch. 9S opted for a stealthy approach and cast invisibility on himself, sneaking right past all the kobolds and straight to the treasure hoard. Grabbing the artifact, a radiant golden orb, along with some other loot that caught his eye, he snuck back the way he came all without raising the alarm.
All 2B had to do was wait in the wings in case 9S got detected and needed backup. But that never came to pass. They were out of the infested mine without ever raising a sword or alerting a single kobold. 9S could only imagine their indignation when they finally figured out their hoard was a few trinkets short.
The monastery that the artifact was originally stolen from was less than a mile away. The kobolds wouldn’t have been able to dig their way in from their underground network otherwise. The upshot was that their journey to return the orb was a quick one.
The monastery’s abbot, a genial old man named Pascal, came to meet them at the entrance. He was thrilled to have the stolen artifact back, profusely thanking them. Supposedly, it held a piece of the soul of the patron saint of their cloister. Doubtless, that significance had been lost on the kobolds.
Pascal did give 9S quite the shock when he went on to gush about how happy he was to see a young couple doing good in the world, forcing 9S to explain that they were simply colleagues. Of all the times to get a comment like that, now was the most smarting.
Reward collected and with nothing else keeping them there, 2B and 9S said their goodbyes and made for YoRHa.
By the time they were back within the thick stone walls of the city, the sun was just starting to dip beneath the horizon. The lampposts lining the main boulevards flickered and danced, bathing the streets in warm orange glow. The bustling streets had thinned out as most of YoRHa’s denizens had either retired to their homes or were enjoying the hospitality of the many taverns scattered throughout the city.
2B’s home was the closest of the two, so they ended up stopping there first. It was a small abode, but it suited her minimalist tendencies. Even still, the small window garden, armor racks, and bookshelf of poetry gave it a nice personal touch.
9S stopped himself at the doorway as 2B stepped inside, having left the door open for him. She quickly recognized that he hadn’t followed her, turning around to face him as she cocked her head to the side in confusion.
“I’ll…uh…see you tomorrow then?” 9S told her, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Will you not sup with me?” 2B asked in confusion.
9S shook his head, “Not tonight, I have some pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps tomorrow?”
This time, 2B did not let the subject drop. Stepping back out onto her doorstep, she asked, “Nines, what's wrong? You’ve been acting off all day.”
9S waved off her concern, “It’s really nothing, 2B. Don’t worry about me.”
“You keep saying that, but all it does is make me worry even more. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
“There is nothing going on, truly, 2B.”
“Then why won't you answer my question, Nines? Why are you so intent on keeping this a secret?”
“It was a love potion,” 9S finally blurted out.
“What?”
“The potion you drank this morning,” 9S elaborated. “It was a love potion: it makes whoever consumes it fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on, and you drank several doses of it.”
“I know.”
9S nearly choked on his spit, “Huh!? What do you mean you know!?”
“I knew it was a love potion,” 2B matter-of-factly stated.
“But that doesn't make any sense!” 9S cried out. “Why did you drink it!? Why is it not having any effect on you!? What is going on!?”
2B nervously swayed side to side, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
“I was hoping it would give me the confidence to say something,” she sheepishly admitted.
“Huh? What do you mean? Say what?”
Grabbing 9S’s hands in hers, 2B softly rubbed the tops of his hands with her thumbs. His words died on his lips. He felt paralyzed by the sudden and unabashed closeness. He roughly swallowed back his nervousness as she intently stared into his eyes, inching ever closer to his face.
9S’s eyes went wide as he felt 2B’s lips against his. Despite his utter bewilderment with 2B's sudden and inexplicable affections, he at least had the good sense to reciprocate them.
When 2B finally pulled away from him, 9S was utterly breathless. He stared at her, bewildered, hoping for some kind of explanation.
“That,” 2B whispered just inches from his lips, her soft, warm breath tickling his face.
9S looked in silent awe at her, eye to eye, as they stood there. He could feel 2B’s hands trembling in his, her face red as she struggled to look at him.
“The offer for supper still stands,” 2B quietly said, before promptly spinning around and all but sprinting through her door.
“2B! Wait!” he cried out before dashing in after her, the door to her house slamming shut behind him.