Chapter 367: Just Like That
Roka and Liz returned from their first costume change like actresses stepping onto a stage between acts.
Liz wore a crimson asymmetrical dress that shimmered under the ballroom lights. One sleeve covered her entire right arm, embroidered with intricate golden designs, while the other arm was bare. Her hair had been styled in a tight braid that framed her face perfectly.
Roka, on the other hand, wore a sleek midnight-blue dress that hugged her upper body tightly. She fidgeted with the fabric awkwardly.
Cero stared at both, remaining silent for a bit too long.
"You like it?" Liz asked with a teasing voice.
"Hell yes," he answered, causing her to chuckle.
"Thanks..." Roka whispered with blushing cheeks. "It’s a bit too... Anyway..."
They talked to many, shook countless hands, took a hundred pictures, and changed clothes half a dozen times, outfits ranging from dresses to kimonos, and even suits.
Pleasant hours passed, filled with laughter and teasing. All were trying their best to ignore the fact that they were splitting soon. They all focused on making the best of the time they had left together. All except one.
’Not like anyone is dying or anything.’ Rea sighed. ’They’ll come back in a month. Why should I force myself to enjoy this?’
A chime rang out, echoing across the hall.
Some expected it to signal another speech by the Prime Minister, but it didn’t.
Roka straightened up, a spark of nervousness passing through her posture as she went to change clothes one last time.
"The next one," she whispered, "Once we reach the next location...."
"Yeah." Cero whispered with a nod. He turned towards Liz and Rea, and realized that whispering hadn’t helped one bit.
The casual, teasing atmosphere had dissipated just a bit.
The spaceship began to descend slowly.
The platform extended, and as guests turned toward the new arrivals, a single woman in a radiant green dress stood out.
The air in the room shifted. The tension evaporated at once.
"She said she wasn’t coming," Liz chuckled.
A smile even crept up on Rea’s face, which she quickly hid once Cero noticed.
"Hey, hey!" She said while waving.
A hundred flashes made her emerald green dress shine like it was made of stars.
Raya walked with total and absolute confidence. She didn’t give one look to the reporters, journalists, or photographers. They loved her energy though. Despite not looking or smiling their way, dozens and dozens of pictures were taken. Her green gown was long and flowing, and her hair had been tied into a loose ponytail, allowing the neckline of the dress to shine.
"Figures," Cero muttered with a shrug. "She couldn’t resist surprising us."
"Did you tell her?" Liz asked with a smirk.
"Yeah," Roka whispered, "she wanted to know when we were leaving. I didn’t know she would come though."
Unlike the others, Raya didn’t care one bit about decorum or the advice given by the Prime Minister.
The moment she arrived in front of Cero, she hugged him tightly. "I missed you," She whispered in his ear. "Sucks that I’ll miss you even more."
Liz and Roka instantly put themselves in the way to hide Cero as much as possible from the photographers and journalists.
Roka, having learned the trick from Cero, pushed Rea forward, throwing her to the wolves.
"What? What are you shoving me away for?" Rea shouted, causing the journalists to immediately focus on her, showering her with flashes.
With Raya’s arrival, the group’s energy increased some more, and fun, cheerful hours passed.
When the ship started its descent, the group slipped through the side corridors with surprising efficiency.
"You know the layout?" Cero asked.
"We own the ship." Rea answered.
"They own everything on Wor." Raya said with a nod.
"True." Liz pressed her lips together. "Even military bases use their-"
"Alright, alright. How about we change subjects?" Rea complained, eyebrow twitching.
They arrived at a secluded hangar bay, a section off-limits to all the guests. The off-limits section started much earlier, so that there was no chance for guests to see or hear what was happening.
"Oho." A voice echoed from behind them. "So this is how you’re leaving."
Shivers ran down everyone’s spines until they realized who it was.
"You weren’t going to leave without giving me a hug, were you?" Kris asked with a joking tone, and teary eyes.
Before Cero could respond, Tina and Gina slapped the ship’s exterior.
"Get a move on!" The Prime Minister’s bodyguards shouted. "We don’t have all day!"
That shout almost made time freeze for Cero.
His gaze slowly lingered on each of their faces.
Liz, Rea, Raya, Roka, and Kris.
He was suddenly hit by visions of everything that had happened since he had first met them, since he had first seen them leave and walk off their spaceship for the first time.
Everyone was here, surrounding him, standing with him. All of the people he cared about.
Except,
"Took you a while," Raya sighed with a smile.
From behind the spaceship that Cero and Roka were supposed to take for Jin, appeared a shy Granilith that timidly walked closer.
"And that’s everyone." Raya chuckled as Lith jumped into Cero’s arms.
Following her lead, Kris moved first, but Liz was faster. She wrapped her arms around Cero and Lith, followed by Kris and Raya.
Rea fiddled with a strand of hair awkwardly, while Roka wanted to join but couldn’t bring herself to do so.
"Yeah..." Cero whispered. "That’s everyone."
"Hm?" Rea raised an eyebrow. "Did your voice just shake, or am I dreaming?"
"Uwa!"
"Could you let him have this?" Roka complained. "So what if his voice shook?"
"It did! It did!" Kris repeated as he laughed.
"Owww, our cute Cero is getting emotional." Raya said, pursing her lips.
"I think..." Liz’s voice was shaking twice as intensely as Cero’s. "I think I’m getting emotional too."
"Hm." Cero nodded. "I’m really going to miss you all."
"Uwo!" Lith exclaimed as she put her hands on his cheeks, pushing the corners of his lips upwards. "Uwa!"
"Okay, okay..." He chuckled. "I’m not getting emotional. I’m fine."
"Uwo!"
Roka pressed her lips together, frowning as she noticed Gina and Tina get agitated in the distance.
"I think it’s time, we probably should-"
"SHUT UP IF YOU DON’T WANT ME TO BEAT YOU UP AGAIN!" Liz suddenly shouted while waving her fist in their direction, interrupting Roka and causing her to chuckle.
"Try not to die, alright?" A blushing Rea murmured as she looked away.
"What kind of goodbye is that?" Raya frowned.
"What? I can say goodbye however I want, can’t I? Why should I..."
Rea’s words trailed off as Kris and Lith pushed her into Cero’s arms.
Her frown only got worse, though she did hug him tightly.
"I’ll be fine," he nodded as he hugged her.
Then it was time.
To the bitter end, Lith grinned widely. Rea and Liz got teary-eyed, and Rea was better at hiding it than Liz.
The two of them, Cero and Roka, moved toward the smaller, unmarked spaceship at the edge of the hangar.
They climbed aboard, completely ignoring Tina and Gina’s complaints, and waved at the group.
Liz, Lith, Raya, and Kris waved back energetically while shouting further goodbyes. Rea waved as well, though not as energetically.
The hum of engines filled the air, followed by a low, rising thrum. The ship detached from the platform and,
"Just like that..." Liz whispered with a shaky voice.
"Just like that." Raya nodded.
"What else did you expect?" Rea sighed as she looked away.
For a while, no one spoke.
Then,
drip- drip-
They pressed their lips. Annoyed by the fact that someone hadn’t been able to hold it in.
Their eyes widened as they noticed whose sobbing they were hearing.
"Huh..." Raya was the most surprised.
Lith’s hands curled into fists as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Liz, who had been struggling to hold it back anyways, quickly wrapped her arms around Lith and cried with her.
"If you two start crying... Then I... Then I..." A crying Kris quickly wrapped his arms around them as well.
Rea scratched her head and raised her gaze towards the night sky. Cero and Roka’s spaceship was barely visible, already swallowed by the stars. She raised her arm up, as if reaching for them. For Roka and Cero, and for the stars.
"Haha," Raya chuckled, looking up at the sky with a smile. "I guess Graniliths can cry too."
They watched the ship grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared.
Lith had been strong for a while, eager to show him her strength.
With him gone, however, she had found herself unable to hold it in any longer.
"It’s alright," Rea whispered, patting Lith on the head. "You’re alright. He’s the dick for leaving us."
"Don’t turn her against him." Liz swatted Rea’s hand away.
Lith wiped her tears, chuckling faintly.
Meanwhile,
Sob- sob- sob-
"I can’t believe he left us..." Kris sobbed uncontrollably. "Cerooo...!"
Seeing Kris so hurt and emotional over Cero’s leaving, the latter’s wives almost felt unfit.
"Should we throw him overboard?" Rea suggested.
"Sounds great!" Raya nodded.
"I’ll grab the legs." Liz offered.
"Uwa!"
"W-Wait! No, wait! I was just-"