Black Rose

Because We Are Rivals

Yami was beating himself up after that. Though he had no idea how, he - without a doubt - made Charlotte Roselei cry. He never knew what going on inside her mind after all these years. If she hated him that much, she didn't have to cry, did she?
He took a whiff from his cigarette. Just remembering the look on her face when she left turned his mood sour. It was the first time she had seen her like that and he admitted to himself he didn't like it. In fact, he hated it.
"Shouldn't you apologize, captain?"
Finral sat down next to him in the common area of the Black Bulls' hideout. The other kids already retired to their respective rooms except for Vanessa who went out to drink somewhere.
"How troublesome," he scoffed.
"You're troubled by it, aren't you?"
"Hey, why do you even know about it?" He glared at him.
Finral immediately put his hands up. "I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, I just happened to see Captain Charlotte when she was leaving. She looked very.. upset. You did something, didn't you?"
"I don't even know why she was upset, she'd probably flip again if I apologize now."
Finral gave him a disgusted look. "Captain Charlotte is so pitiful."
"You just sneered at me, didn't you, you punk?"
"Of course not, I wouldn't even dream of doing that to you, captain!" he vehemently denied. "I just thought Captain Charlotte must be going through a lot, I'm guessing she has an unrequited love."
"Huh??"
Finral scooted away from his captain. "I told you, Captain Charlotte said she loves someone, why are you glaring at me?"
Oh yeah, he did say that before.
"I can't believe someone would break a goddess' heart, the guy must be a total blockhead. A moron. A scum. A disgrace to humanity."
He didn't know why but he was getting more and more annoyed with every insult Finral was throwing at Charlotte's man. He didn't even know who the fuck that guy was.
Fuck, he needed a drink.

Vanessa was drinking at the bar she usually go to that same night. How she missed this place after three long years.
"I see you still have quite the stomach for alcohol, huh, Vanessa-san?" the pub owner in his late forties commented as he cleaned up some drinking glass.
"Oh c'mon, master, I had to hold back on drinking while we were on that mission. You wouldn't believe the torture it was for me."
The owner just laughed. "It's your first day since you came back but I heard your captain already made quite a scene at a noble's wedding today."
"Our captain?" She couldn't believe Captain Yami would voluntarily involve himself with the nobles' affairs - and a wedding at that!
"Yeah, I don't really know the details but apparently another squad captain stopped Yami-san's rampage without anyone getting hurt."
She had a bad feeling about this. "Which captain was it?"
"You know, that beautiful Blue Rose captain, I heard they are trying to find a husband for her but she turned down every single suitor."
"Is that so?" Vanessa replied quietly. Of course, she would turn them all down, she thought to herself. Somehow, she saw it coming. Captain Yami never associated himself with a noble unless his duty as a magic knight called for it and Captain Charlotte's a beauty and a respected magic knight squad captain. If there's a noble Captain Yami would go all that trouble for, it would be her.
The pub owner mentioned about someone reserving a private room there but she wasn't really listening anymore.
A patron called out for the older man so he excused himself, leaving Vanessa alone at the counter.
She emptied her mug of beer in one go. It's not like her to be so down. It's not like she expected something from her relationship with Yami. From the beginning she knew she was nothing more than a simple squad member for him. She slapped her face a bit hard to get a grip of herself and decided to go to the restroom to wash her face.
She was on her way back when she heard someone bawling from one of the private rooms caught her attention as she was passing by.
The door was ajar and she locked eyes with the person who was causing all the commotion, the Blue Rose captain herself. Her subordinates were with her, trying to console their superior.
Before she could decide what to do, Charlotte was already in front of Vanessa, clasping her hands in her own. Her eyes and nose were red from crying, she had never seen the regal Charlotte Roselei so pitiful-looking before. "You're that woman, aren't you? Yami's subordinate? I'm so jealous you could be with Yami everyday, why am I not a Black Bull? Why??" She was whining and sobbing like a child, tears kept flowing out from her eyes.
So she really did like Captain Yami, was Vanessa's first thought. She felt a little pang in her heart.
A hefty Blue Rose mage came to take their captain back in. "Captain, you can't do this. People can't see you like this, you'll surely regret this tomorrow."
But Charlotte wouldn't let go of Vanessa's hand. "No! No, no, nooooo!" Charlotte chanted like a drunk person that she was. "I want Yami! Bring me Yamiiiii!"
Vanessa couldn't believe her eyes, she knew from past experience that the Blue Rose captain was a terrible drinker but not this bad. She was acting totally out of character.
The rest of the Blue Rose looked at her with puppy eyes. She sighed.
"So, why is she like this?" Vanessa asked the women as soon as the door closed behind them. She had no choice but follow them inside the private room.
A girl with dark hair in a large bun answered her albeit very reluctantly. "The captain seemed to be very stressed after getting into a fight with the Black Bulls' captain earlier. We just wanted her to let all her worries out."
"But she likes to keep everything bottled up, not even alcohol can make the captain open up even to us." Another girl with light brown hair chimed in. She recognized her from the Royal Knights Selection Exam, she's called Wainsley. "She feels she's not suppose to show any weakness to us - her subordinates."
As they talked, Charlotte fussed over Vanessa, offering her beer and snacks. It was creepy how hospitable she was to someone she considered her rival - or least she'd like to think the noblewoman thought of her that way. Vanessa remembered how Charlotte glared at her whenever she got close to Captain Yami before.
"So? You did something, didn't you?" she got straight to the point.
Wainsley took out a vial from her pocket. "It's kind of a truth potion. We only put in a couple of drops in her drink but she got like this in a matter of minutes."
Her head started spinning. "A potion as sketchy as a truth potion is very unpredictable especially when mixed with other substances. I'm guessing that potion doesn't go too well with alcohol. Plus the fact the she's already pretty weak to alcohol." Their intention was good but their means was pretty stupid. "Well, in any case, potions like this usually loses it's effect after a good night sleep."
She started to leave but Charlotte wouldn't let her. "No, don't leave! Let's drink~"