lovely // a vocaloid fanfiction

chapter 9 // alliances

The following nights, Flower found it a remarkably difficult task to sleep. After all, how could she after discovering that Piko had been murdered? It troubled her immensely. Nightmares of the previous rebellion plagued what scarce sleep Flower got. Memories of her time before the Anarchy spent with Piko followed her though the next few days, only adding heat to the fire in her heart. Said fire raged against Miku, Piko's murderer.

As much as Flower wanted to instigate a new rebellion then and there, she knew much better. If Daina was right, then there were spies hidden in every corner of The Sanctuary. She would need to be careful starting something of treasonous form. So then what's the plan?

This thought also followed Flower as she searched for an answer. However, after much thinking, she came along a responsible, completely legal course of action.

I'll merely make more friends. If I can get to know more people, then perhaps I'll find if they're like-minded on Miku's policies.

This plan satisfied Flower. Besides, while she could survive only having Daina as her friend, she felt there were plenty more people she could include. Maybe she could even befriend that odd acquaintance of Daina's.

The following morning, Flower was one of the first ones up. She wasn't certain if it was because she was still grieving for Piko or if she was just excited to make more friends, but she was satisfied either way. Whichever one it was, it got her up, which Flower was thankful for. If I'm going to make new friends, it's best I'm up early.

As she walked out the doors into the courtyard, Flower noticed she was one of the first few up. There were a couple of Order-Keepers standing around talking, and a few Subjects were lingering on the grounds too. Flower tried looking to see if any of the early birds were alone, but all of the few seemed to already have someone to talk to.

And so, Flower plopped down onto a bench in one of the corners, waiting for someone to appear alone. While she waited, the girl tried coming up with conversation starters. After a few minutes of trying, Flower shook her head. Socialization was under no circumstances her strong spot.

It was just her luck that the next Subject to step into the courtyard was a familiar face: Daina. Flower swiftly got up from the bench. However, before she could even begin approaching her friend, Flower recognized that someone was with her. As they stepped out from behind Daina, she quickly realized it was the girl's mysterious acquaintance. They appeared to be in deep conversation, so Flower sat back down, waiting for her chance.

The duo walked away from the front of The Sanctuary, still talking as they went. Flower slumped a little on her bench. She didn't want to disturb them, so she instead watched them carefully. They might have been arguing if Daina's expression had appeared unneutral. She sighed.

Then, out of nowhere, another figure approached the duo. She was a girl around Daina's height, with light-red hair and dark skin. The duo reacted by apparently greeting the girl, who quickly became invested in their conversation.

Flower placed her head in her hands. Great. Now there were two people for her to befriend. While this might have seemed like an advantage to some, to Flower, it wasn't. Making acquaintances wasn't the easiest task for her, and two people only amplified the already high difficulty.

Flower gave a defeated sigh, instead watching the entrance to the tall building. Perhaps there was someone else who she could get to know.

Then, after a few minutes, she began to feel a prickling on her back, as though she were being watched. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Daina, who had been watching her from her own group. She smiled.