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Nice Nature tried to hold it in, but her control was beginning to waver.
Worst of all the other woman was unrelenting in her endeavors and with every crack Nature was losing more control.
“I’m sorry, I really am but I can’t really stop making airport jokes, I went to a doctor to see what can be done.” Nature moved to the edge of her seat. “He said it was Terminal.” Nature was on the brink. “I really hope that that joke takes off, I wouldn’t want it to fly over your heads, that would be plain awful.” Nature couldn’t resist it anymore and let out a wheeze of laughter, she was the loudest in the whole bar. Symboli Rudolf sent an appreciated glance her way.
After wrapping things up Rudolf made her way towards where Nature was seated.
“Enjoy the show?” She said as she sipped on her drink.
“It was enjoyable, I know some of those jokes didn’t land well on some of the customers but what can we do?” They giggled at the joke.
“Well, regardless I appreciate the invitation, I know I wasn’t who you expected to see when you put that flier on the board.”
Nature looked around her family bar, it was her father’s idea to have an open mic night and like the dutiful daughter she was she invited some of her friends and colleagues at Tracen, working as a counselor after retirement had filled some of the space the turf had left behind.
She was disappointed that none of her friends had the time but understood their circumstances, it was a busy period of their lives. Nevertheless she was grateful that one of her coworkers had the time to show up.
“The pleasure is all mine, President Rudolf.” She smiled up at her senior.
“Please, we are not at Tracen, Counselor Nature.” She smirked as she looked at her. “But do tell me, how is the position treating you? From what I can see you are already one of the students' favorite staff members.” Nature blushed at the compliment.
“Well I don’t know about that, but so far I like my position, seeing some of the younger students having some of the issues I had when I began my own career makes me want to do better for them.” She smiled at the thought.
“That is an admirable goal. It seems we share more than our delightful sense of humor then. To the future of all Umamusume.” They clinked their glasses and Nature couldn’t help but feel that a change was in her near future.
Things began to change slowly during their work hours, the change was slow and gradual, a longer chat in the break room, a shared cup of coffee, making appointments to discuss some of the students. It was nice.
It was during one of her pain episodes on her leg that she thought about looking for the comfort of her new friend. She had debated within herself if it was the right choice, she could have gone with some of her other friends, Canopus had more than once opened her arms, Teio would make time and let her vent while making training plans, she knew her friend understood her circumstances better than anyone, but ultimately she found herself on the President’s office, it only took one look at her grimaced face for Rudolf to let her relax inside.
They shared tea while Nature rested on the couch, she tried to relax as much as she could.
“It still aches up for me too.” Rudolf’s words made her look at her. “Being president numbed the pain for a while, I tried looking out for everyone and it brought me satisfaction but seeing new students tearing the track, running freely, makes the ache worse.” She looked out the window before looking back at Nature. The younger woman didn’t have to think much about her own response.
“I was supposed to race the Arima Kinen before I retired as you might know, racing for as much as I could began to be my only purpose, I was the last vestige from my generation and the last member of Canopus still on the track, I was lonely, so having one last hurrah on the biggest stage was something to look forward to.” She looked away, trying to hide the tears forming on her eyes. “When the results of my medical evaluation came and Minamizaka refused to enter me, I lost it, I began screaming at him for taking the only thing I had left, I said things that I regret everyday and he just stood there taking it all in.” She dabbed her eyes while her voice broke. “It took me a while to see things from his point of view and for me to apologize to him.” She let out a light chuckle. “He just accepted it and told me a joke, he called me the best trainee he could ever have.”
The silence remained for a while before the bell signaled the end of the period. They looked at one another, a new barrier lifted and a new bond formed.
When Nature reached the door she looked back at Rudolf only to be caught in a light hug.
“Don’t doubt coming in here if you need it, my door will remain open for you, Natie.”
When they separated, Nature took note of the light on Rudolf’s eyes, along a glint of a question.
“I will, thank you, Rudolf.” They smiled at each other before departing for the day.
Their break time was moved to either Nature’s empty little office or Rudolf's more larger one, their chats began to involve parts of their past, more personal. And through all of them the question that seemed to swirl in Rudolf’s head kept showing on her face. She seemed to find an answer as one day she invited Nature to meet someone.
“I would like you to formally meet my partner, Nature, this is Mejiro Ramonu.” She indicated to the woman sitting on the couch in Rudolf’s office.
“Ah, it’s a pleasure ma'am!" She tried to control her nervousness, she knew the woman in front of her, the first Triple Tiara Winner was someone you had known about.
“Please, none of that, Rudolf here has told me about you in detail and I wanted to meet the young woman that has been keeping her company is all.” Her sultry voice made Nature blush.
“Ahh, I assure you, it is not like that, we are just coworkers and friends is all!” She tried to deny the accusation but the light smirk on Ramonu’s face told her she was messing with her. On the back of her mind she noted how her own denial made her sad.
“Oh, I seem to have forgotten something in the break room, please start without me. I'll be joining you two soon.” With that Rudolf exited the room, leaving a flustered Nature behind.
She made her way towards her usual spot on the couch, conscious of the eyes following her every move. She looked at the tea set that Rudolf usually used, Nature knew that her own abilities to brew were disastrous, she was saved from making a disaster when the older Mejiro spoke up.
“Not one for making tea I assume?” The question was accompanied by a raised eyebrow that made Nature’s tail flick as she shook her head. “Well, it’s been a while since I taught someone so please pay attention.” With that Ramonu began to move around the pieces on the table. Once finished, Nature took a sip of the cup and couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sound. “I’m glad you appreciate it, I love Luna, but every time we have our tea I have to be one serving, she is a great apprentice but she still has ways to go.” Nature nodded, she agreed, it was nothing alike.
They sat in silence for a few minutes before Nature was addressed once more.
“I followed your career, you know.” The statement caught Nature off guard, her? “Not at the beginning mind you, I started to follow you after your third Arima Kinen, anyone else would choose to retire at that moment, but you kept going and added two more entries on the most prestigious race in Japan, almost six in total.” She nodded at a still Nature. “I thought it was admirable, to keep running for so long.” She looked at the window before turning back to her. “For us who had less time on the turf was something to long for or a ray of hope to try again.” She moved her left leg carefully. “You have my thanks for refueling that hope. You certainly are an inspiration for the Umamusume of Japan.” Her smile showed warmth for the first time since she entered the room.
“Ah you flatter me, but I didn’t intend for that to happen, I didn’t even win a major trophy, I just… ran as long as I could.” She tried to avert Ramonu’s gaze but a light chuckle made her look back at her.
“And that is exactly why you are an inspiration, you just did it. And I know coming from me takes the value out of the words but I don’t think the number of your victories matters much, I’m sure you agree after seeing that little Pink squirt running around. A shining star they call her.” Nature couldn’t help but agree with that point.
They stayed silent for the next few minutes, the atmosphere less heavy. When Rudolf came back, their conversation remained fluid and despite the two showing their affection with each other, Nature didn’t feel left out, not entirely, it felt like just another barrier to reach.
Nature wasn’t stupid, ever since the time she broke down in Rudolf’s office she knew that something was forming on her mind, the following breaks and their more deep conversations only began to cement the fact further, it felt like the time she had caught feelings for Teio back when they were students, and just like last time, the recipient of her affections was involved with a Mejiro representative, except this time she was brought onto the fold.
Nature didn’t want to assume things but the whole thing was confusing her, more so when Ramonu began to join more often into their break time, as if building something with Nature in it.
Her suspicions only grew when Ramonu asked her to join her on the turf for a light mock race, Nature had been hesitant to agree, both of them carried burdens from their time on the series, Ramonu had insisted on it, claiming one can know certain things about the other when they are racing.
When the day arrived Nature was fiddling with her workout jacket, she still ran to keep the itch away but it would be the first time since her retirement where she would race against someone else.
“Are you ready kitten?” At the sound of Ramonu’s voice she turned around only to see the woman accompanied by Rudolf in her own tracksuit.
“I hope you don’t mind the intrusion, but once Ramonu told me about it I couldn’t help myself.” Rudolf smiled down at Nature, once again she felt the warmth behind those eyes and couldn’t help but feel that this was just another step in the right direction.
“None at all. So… What do you have planned?” Nature looked back at Ramonu, who was watching her face intently.
“I know we are not at our peak anymore, 2000 meters, something we are all familiar with.” She nodded at the track.
As they lined up, Nature couldn’t help but notice the two pairs of eyes following her.
Once they took off the feeling of emptiness vanished, she was free once again.
The smell of the turf, the sound of their steps, the pressure on the grass. It all made Nature smile.
She looked at her two companions at her sides, they were both watching intensely at the road ahead, they had been the most prolific racers of their time and now Nature was racing with them, she wasn’t going to disappoint them.
As they made their way towards the final straight they began to make their respective moves, Nature began to pump power to her legs in a way she hadn’t done in a long time, she kept side by side with her companion until they reached the finish line.
They slowed down to a stop and Nature looked at Ramonu, searching for an answer for the unspoken challenge. Ramonu herself only traded one look with Rudolf before looking back at her.
“Say kitten, would you like to share dinner at our apartment this weekend?” The look on her face was lighter, more open.
“I would love to.” And the three of them smiled.
That Saturday night, Nature stood on the foyer as the couple arranged the table swiftly and without words, a carefully constructed routine, Nature began to doubt herself about her suspicions on the whole thing until a voice put her out of the pit.
“Nature, would you like to help me out in the kitchen? I assume you have some experience after your work at your family’s bar.” Rudolf smiled at her.
“Please do so, whenever we have someone over she tries to go all out and ends up making a disaster in there.” The couple laughed and Nature couldn’t help but join in.
Rudolf and Nature worked the rest of the dinner with a precision that only comes with knowing one another well enough. It didn’t escape Nature’s notice how Rudolf would let her hands’ touch linger when they passed her something or how she stood closely to her when they worked on their preparations.
At this point Nature knew that something was going to happen that night, she just needed more information to make her move without regrets.
Once they sat and began to eat, their conversation began to carry on swimmingly in the same way it had for the last couple of weeks, and so Nature threw the first bait.
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, how is it that you began to see one another?” She noticed Ramonu’s light nod of approval before Rudolf responded.
“Ahh, that is quite the story. We actually dated back when I was starting my position as President and when she was racing for the Tiaras.” She looked at Ramonu with a nostalgic smile. “We didn’t last long, I still carried some of my Emperor’s persona trying to assert my authority and all that.”
“She was insufferable. She sat on that chair in her office like it was a throne.” She chuckled at the embarrassed look on Rudolf’s face. “We had our disagreements and eventually fell apart, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that we reconnected, we took things slow, trying not to fall on old patterns but it wasn’t necessary, we both grew from the people we were back before.” They smiled at one another before she looked back at Nature. “So far things have been good, that is until a little kitten began to wander into our lives.” She smiled and Nature began to feel her tail swishing back and forth excitedly. The rest of their meal passed with more light hearted topics and occasional glance towards her.
After the table was properly cleaned the three of them sat in the living room, with Nature sitting right in front of the couple, this was the moment. It was Rudolf who reached the topic.
“Nature, I know you’ve noticed the subtle hints we’ve been throwing your way and if I dare to say you have more than enjoyed our time together, so we’ve been talking.” She turned to Ramonu.
“I know you’ve seen situations like this during your time in Tracen but let me make things clear.” She moved to sit right next to Nature and reached at hand to lift her chin. “We want you kitten, all of you. Do you accept this proposal?”
Nature looked at her, the rhythm of her heart increasing, she looked as Rudolf moved to her other side and felt her presence, she looked at Ramonu once again and saw the warmth in her eyes.
“Yes…” Her response was left out with a heavy breath, one that was captured by an earnest Ramonu, the feeling of the kiss made her toes curl. When they separated she looked back at Rudolf only to see her usual smile accompanied by intense eyes, the hairs on the back of her head stood, once their lips touched she was once again fighting for control, only this time, the Emperor was working with something different than jokes.
“Prepare to enter the cockpit, Natie.” A snort came out of Nature’s mouth, it seemed like she wasn’t going to stop even now.
Their interactions didn’t change much from their usual format, except for the lingering touches being present and the casual kiss in closed rooms. Nature knew that her partners were giving her the choice of how open their relationship was going to be, they had their own outings outside of the Academy individually and together, but their most affection remained with closed doors.
It was up to her to change things up, to let them know she was okay with things being out in the open.
It was during one day after one of her sessions with one of her students that she went to Rudolf for help regarding one of them, when she entered unannounced to the room she saw that one of the Vice Presidents was also present.
“Ah Nature, what can I do for you.” Rudolf’s smile was earnest as always. Air Groove looked at her for a moment, and Nature made her decision.
“Hey Rudi, I was hoping that we can talk about one of the students, her name is Admire Vega, she has shown some disturbing tendencies and I wanted your input on things.” She walked towards where her girlfriend was seated and left a kiss on her head before giving her a folder containing the information.
“Of course I will look into it.” Rudolf smiled up at her, receiving the message, with a light dread she looked into Air Groove direction only to see her massaging her temples.
“Please, I will request for you to not give the president another pun book in the future.” With that she sent them a tight smile before exiting the room.
The tension left Nature’s body and slumped down in Rudolf’s chair and arms.
“I see you’ve made your decision then.”
“It wasn’t hard, I just had to gather the courage.” They smiled at one another before their lips met once again, Rudolf turned them apart for a moment, she seemed to be pondering something on her head before finally speaking.
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something. There is a girl that it seems I practically adopted, her name is Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, she reminds me of Teio when she first entered the Academy and is almost glued to my leg. Would you like to meet her sometime?” There was a glint on Rudolf’s eyes that reminded her of whenever she told a joke.
“Uhh sure. If it is important to you then yes. Dinner at yours this Saturday?”
“Of course. Trust me, you are going to love her.” Even as they kissed again, Nature couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread, her girlfriend was planning something.
Tokai Teio was confused, the dinner invitation had come out of the blue, while she and the president had gone out a few times it had been a surprise to receive an invitation to her home, even then she was happy she was considered to be so close to her idol.
Another thing was that she had found one of her juniors, Tsuyoshi, to be also invited, she knew that the two of them had been close, with Rudolf almost resembling a dad to the younger girl, it almost made her jealous, but now they both stood in front of the house, unsure of what to do.
The door opened and Mejiro Ramonu stood in the doorway.
“Are you going to stay there all night or are you coming in?” She lifted an eyebrow while looking down at them.
Once they entered, Ramonu guided them towards the living room.
“Please sit, the dinner will be done in a few minutes.”
With that she left, Teio watched her retreating figure for a moment. She had seen the older woman whenever she visited the Mejiro Estate to see McQueen, her girlfriend had said that she barely spent time there, preferring to live with her partner, she knew that the president and the Mejiro woman had some back and forth but having confirmation about it made her eyebrows rise up.
“Hey, do you know what this is all about? Da- I mean Rudolf said that she wanted to introduce me to someone, but I already knew Miss Ramonu.” Tsuyoshi’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Eh, not really, I received the same message, I thought it was Ramonu but if you say it isn’t then-” A voice in the kitchen made her stop suddenly.
“I’m telling you, this is more than enough for a dinner of four… What do you mean you invited someone else? Are they here yet?” Teio knew that voice and a slight sense of dread began to fill her over.
Once the doors of the kitchen opened and the two occupants came out a pit formed on Teio’s stomach.
“Natie!?”, “Teio!?”, “Nature-sensei!?”
The four of them stood up, with Rudolf being the only one unbothered. The count increased when Ramonu came out carrying a tray of tea cups and putting it on the table.
“How about we sit and talk about this?” Rudolf’s voice made everyone turn to her.
Nature, whose ears were pinned to her head and was bright red on the face, was about to speak, when she was interrupted by Rudolf stealing a quick kiss. A whine was the only sound she made before she moved towards the couch, being surrounded by Rudolf and Ramonu.
Teio stood mouth agape at the situation in front of her, she looked to the side only to see Tsuyoshi in a similar situation.
“Now why don’t you take a seat, I would like you to introduce you to our partner, Nice Nature. Teio, you already know her.” The smile on the president’s face made her know she was doing this on purpose.
If Teio and Nature could find some common ground that night, it would be their shared wish to be swallowed up by the ground.