Granblue Fantasy: A Skyfaring Were-shark in Auguste

The next morning, an overcast sky greets the people of Auguste, sending a chill through the isles as a certain trio heads to the main plaza of the nightlife district to meet up with their friends.

 

“Shark! Shark! Shark! SharkShark!” Ursula grumbles as she floats along.

 

“Do you think Ursula’s okay? She’s been like this all morning.” Mari asks. Due to today’s colder weather she’s opted for a hot pink sweater in place of her usual outfit.

 

“Maybe she’s sick or something?” Meg answers.

 

“She’s never gotten sick before, has she?” Mari goes to put a hand on the shark, only for her to recoil and increase the distance between the two of them. “Do you think it has something to do with that Primal Beast yesterday?”

 

“I don’t know… My headache went away last night, so I thought it’d be the same for her.” Meg sighs and gives Ursula a sympathetic look. “I wish it was easier for me to understand you, it can be so hard to tell what you want sometimes.”

 

“Shark! Sharrrrrrrk!” Ursula yells before suddenly flying off towards the sea.

 

“Maybe she’s just, like, grumpy because she wants something to eat?” Mari wonders as she watches her fly away. “I’m not sure why she didn’t just eat earlier though.”

 

“Yeah, I hope she’s okay…”

 

Mari takes notice of Meg’s downtrodden expression and grabs her arm.

 

“Come on, if there is a problem with Ursula, I’m sure we’ll be able to sort it out. In the meantime, let’s just try to enjoy our holiday. You didn’t come all the way out here just to mope around, did you?

 

“R-Right! I came here for… s-something else…!” Meg starts to blush.

 

Mari grins as the two of them start walking again, hand in hand. “Exactly, so let's meet up with the others so we can get to the fun stuff!”

 

---

 

Meg and Mari arrive at the main square to find that they were the last of the crew to arrive. Vira waves them over when she sees them coming, while the other three intently study a sign with a map of the island and a list of tourist attractions, comparing it with the placemat from yesterday.

 

“Good morning!” Vira says. “I trust you two are well?”

 

“Y-Yeah!” Meg says back, still quite red in the face. Vira raises an eyebrow at her, but has no time to dwell on the situation.

 

“Those three are still set on the whole buried treasure thing, huh?” Mari asks, pointing to the captain and her companions.

 

“Yes, do not expect them to lose sight of that anytime soon.” Vira answers. “They’ll come along with us, but don’t be surprised if they get sidetracked by their little hunt. Speaking of which, what are our plans for today?”

 

“Well I’m happy with whatever. I get to see Auguste every day, so if there’s something any of you are interested in I can give you the low-down.” Mari says.

 

“If that’s the case, I’d be interested in learning more about nearby places I could take my darling Katalina during the day. It’s one thing to enjoy the nightlife, but I must ensure that there are facilities with which I can make sure she is properly rejuvenated the morning after. I’m certain she’ll need it after some of the things I have planned for her, hehehe…” Vira giggles.

 

“Wait… Is she…” Meg quietly mutters to herself as she starts to think.

 

“I know just the place!” Mari declares. “There’s a cafe just down the road that’s exactly what you’re looking for! We can go check it out if you’d like.” She points to a road they didn’t get a chance to explore yesterday.

 

“I guess I’ll just have to take my chances.” Meg says to herself with a determined expression.

 

Vira nods to Mari. “Yes, that sounds wonderful. Let us-”

 

“Yeah that sounds great!” Meg suddenly says. “Let's go check it out, Vira!”

 

Meg grabs Vira’s arm and starts leading her in the direction of the cafe.

 

“Wow, you’re pretty eager about this, Meg.” Mari says. “At least wait for me to-”

 

“Don’tWorryMariICanTakeHerYouCanShowTheCaptainAround!” Meg quickly says as she hurries off. All Vira can do as she’s getting pulled along is give Mari her best ‘I do not know what’s going on either’ face.

 

“Ohhhhh-kay then…” Mari takes a few moments to try and understand what just happened, but gives up and walks over to the remaining crew members as they continue to study the map.

 

“Sooooo… what do you three do when you aren’t like going on adventures or whatever?” She asks.

 

“We go to the Jewel Resort Casino a lot.” Djeeta answers.

 

“...Are you old enough to be doing that?”

 

Vyrn shrugs. “Nah. She’s not.”

 

---

 

Meg and Vira are seated at a table inside the cafe. Meg fidgets nervously while Vira admires the venue’s rustic decor, and the smell of her freshly brewed Megguccino, the cafe’s specialty. She takes a moment to appreciate the picture of a shark that the barista made in the foam before taking a sip.

 

“Well, this place is quite nice indeed. But Meg, is something the matter?” Vira asks after lowering her mug. “If I can be frank, you look like a nervous wreck.”

 

“S-Sorry for dragging you away from the others like that, there’s just… something important I wanted to talk to you about.” Meg struggles to look her in the eyes.

 

“Of course, we may not have known each other for very long, but we’re still crewmates.” Vira gives her a reassuring smile. “You’re always welcome to reach out to me if something is bothering you.”

 

“Thanks…” Meg takes a breath before continuing. “I just want to check something first, and I could be totally wrong here so I’m sorry if that’s the case, but I’ve kinda picked up a few hints that you’re maybe… you know… into girls?”

 

“That’s hardly a secret.” Vira says casually. “I thought I had firmly established how I feel about Lady Katalina already.”

 

“And you know about how that sort of thing usually goes?”

 

“It would be fair to say I’m well versed in the subject, yes.”

 

“Cool. So…” Meg sighs. “I think I need help...”

 

“Whatever with? Did something happen between you and Mari?” Vira asks concernedly.

 

“No, it’s nothing like that, it’s just…” Meg takes a moment to collect herself. “There’s something really important I want to ask her, and I wanted to do it on my own but I’m too scared to go through with it… I was hoping I could get some advice or something if that’s okay.”

 

Vira’s face lights up. “Oh, of course! I’d be more than delighted to offer my assistance.”

 

How wonderful! Vira thinks. Mari was right to hope that Meg would propose soon, I can only imagine how happy she’ll be! I can’t blame Meg for being nervous about such a big step though, I’ll do whatever I can to help!

 

“Tell me everything, Meg.” Vira says.

 

“Okay, so basically… You’re the first person I’m telling, but…” Meg takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. “I h-have… a bit of a… c-crush on Mari… and I want to ask her out on a… a d-d-date... Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually saying it out loud...”

 

Meg opens her eyes again, only to be met by Vira staring back in stunned silence.

 

“V-Vira?”

 

“P-Perhaps I misheard you…” She eventually says. “A… crush… you say?”

 

“Oh, I knew it!” Meg slumps over the table in defeat, and Vira only barely manages to pick up the mug before Meg knocks it over. “It’s hopeless isn’t it? A boring ol’ girl like me doesn’t even have a chance with someone like her…”

 

“Oh, no no no! You’re sorely mistaken, Meg. I apologise if my reaction gave you such an impression. I think the two of you would be an excellent fit for each other” Vira reassures her.

 

“R-Really?” Meg looks up at her pathetically from the table.

 

“Really. Now pick yourself up, and we can talk about what’s going on here.”

 

“Okay, thanks…” Meg sits back up. “But if you don’t think she’s way out of my league, why were you so surprised to hear I have a crush on her?”

 

“To be completely honest, I was under the impression that the two of you were already dating.” Vira answers. And it would seem that Mari was as well…

 

“Yeah, I guess I can see how it’d look that way, but Mari’s just kinda like that, you know?” Meg scratches her head.

 

Vira raises an eyebrow. “...Like what?”

 

“Like, really friendly with people. Honestly, it only makes telling her how I feel even harder. I’m terrified that it’ll ruin what we have if I try talking about relationship stuff…” Meg explains.

 

Vira sighs. What in the skies have I walked into with these two? They’re both on completely different pages. Perhaps I can give Meg a bit of a push to help her close that gap…

 

“So, Meg, have you noticed any signs that Mari could potentially be interested in you as well?” Vira asks.

 

“I mean, not really…” Meg answers. “Sure, we like, hold hands and hug a lot, and I stay at her place whenever I’m in the area, but that’s just like regular friend stuff, isn’t it? I’m not sure she's into me romantically or anything…”

 

Vira claps her hands together in front of her face. “Friend stuff… you say…” She thinks back to the detailed floor plans Mari had shown her for their future home the day before, most notably how there were two extra bedrooms ‘just in case we figure out how to have kids after all’, in her own words.

 

“Well, perhaps there are other things you could think of?” She asks.

 

Meg thinks for a moment. “I mean, yeah, there’s also how she’s still wearing that toy ring I gave her a few months back, and the whole thing with the charity concert, and how we sleep in the same bed together, but none of that means she’s actually interested in me, right? Mari’s always been the type to speak her mind, there’s no way she wouldn’t have said something if she felt that way!”

 

Vira just stares at her for a few moments. “Unbelievable! You’re sleeping in the same-” She stops her outburst before it goes too far, and takes a long, deep breath before placing a hand on her forehead. “No, never mind. Just… tell me about this concert.”

 

“Right, so the last time I was in Auguste was not long after all that Sumo stuff happened. Mari had put together a charity concert to help raise funds for the recovery efforts and asked me to go up on stage to sing a duet with her as the final act.” Meg explains.

 

“I see, and did something happen during the concert?” Vira asks.

 

“No, it went really well actually. It’s just… she said she wrote the song herself, but the lyrics were really weird.” Meg says.

 

“How so?”

 

“Well you’d think if she wrote it for the concert the song would be about Auguste, right? But no, it was about how our love for each other makes us both stronger, I don’t really get why she wrote a song like that for a charity event…” Meg looks very confused as she recalls the event.

 

Vira sits there motionlessly for a few seconds before taking a very long sip of her Megguccino, finishing the beverage.

 

“So!” She says as she slams the mug back onto the table. “Allow me to make sure I have the facts straight here. She wrote this song herself?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“For the two of you to sing together?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“And the lyrics are explicitly about how much you two love each other?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Vira looks at Meg with a frustrated expression. “...You do not think that could be some kind of sign that she has feelings for you?”

 

“But it’s just a song, right!?” Meg exclaims. “What if she meant platonic love, or what if the song didn’t mean anything at all!? I know I’m not the best at this stuff, but she’s never said anything about having feelings for me. If the song meant anything it wouldn’t have been the literal only time she’s talked about love like that. Also… I trust her more than anyone else in the skies, but there are times where I almost wonder if she’s hiding something from me.There have just been a few things besides the concert that I can’t explain…” Meg looks down guiltily.

 

“Really? What are you referring to?” Vira asks.

 

“It’s just… in the letters she sends me she always talks about how much trouble she has getting to sleep most nights, but every time I’ve stayed with her she’s always out like a light pretty much as soon as we get into bed. Like, I’m not crazy for thinking that’s a little suspicious, right? I just hope she’s not up to something strange when I’m not around…”

 

Vira stares at her for a moment before deeply sighing. “Okay, just… Give me a few moments to think about the situation.”

 

She stares into her empty mug as she listens to Luminiera’s thoughts on the matter.

 

Yes, Mari was certainly correct about Meg being oblivious, although I highly doubt even she realised the full extent of it. She thinks in response. If we had not seen it for ourselves, I would never have believed someone could possibly be this dense. We cannot pin the blame solely on Meg, however. It’s clear that there’s been a key lapse in communication here. Mari must have gotten so far ahead of herself that she’s neglected to ever tell Meg they were an item in the first place, and it’s tearing the poor girl apart.

 

Another pause as she waits for Luminiera to voice her opinions.

 

I understand where you’re coming from, and yes, part of me also wants to just tell Meg everything, but if even just thinking about a confession is causing her this much anxiety, I cannot imagine how bad it would be if she found out she’d completely missed the fact that they’ve been dating for so long. Or at least according to Mari they have been, anyway. No, the only solution I can see to truly solve this problem is to solve their communication issue and have them actually talk about their feelings towards each other. The only question is, which one of them would be the best option to get the ball rolling? Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to start with Meg since we’re already here.

 

“Okay, Meg. how about we try looking at this from a different perspective?” Vira asks. “Instead of focusing on whether or not Mari has romantic feelings for you, let us talk more about how you feel about her. Why is she the one that you want to confess to?”

 

“Well, I mean… It’s a bunch of things, really…” Meg blushes. “She’s so smart, and kind, and always smiling… She’s so dependable as well, I mean, just look at everything she’s done for Auguste in just a few years.” There’s a sparkle in Meg’s eye as she looks downwards. “She’s… She’s just perfect, you know?”

 

Vira smiles. “Yes, I can see how important she is to you, but there’s just one thing I’d like to confirm for myself, if you don’t mind me asking. How do you feel about her recent physical changes? Mari was telling me yesterday that she only started gaining weight relatively recently. I’m curious to know if that’s affected your feelings at all.”

 

Vira watches Meg flinch when the topic of discussion turns to Mari’s weight. “O-Oh, how do I f-feel about all that?” She says as her eyes start to dart from side to side. “I mean… I-I don’t really t-think about it all that much, you know… Like, as long as she’s h-happy and it’s not affecting her health, that’s what’s important… r-right? I really don’t have much to say about how much… l-larger and… s-s-softer… she’s been getting…”

 

Vira giggles softly to herself. Ah, she loves it. Well, it’s reassuring to know that at least some of Mari’s observations were accurate. “Thank you for indulging me. Now that we’ve established how you feel, what is it that you actually want? Do you see a possible future with her?”

 

“I mean, I’ve been too worried about telling her in the present to really be thinking too much about the future…” Meg pauses for a moment. “But I do know that I want to be with her, as her girlfriend. I love the time we spend together, but I want more than that. I… I want to be able to kiss her, and do other girlfriend stuff. And yeah, I know I’ll have to be really careful not to hurt her and everything, but Mari’s really smart so I’m sure she could come up with something to help with that. It’s just… what if I end up ruining things between us?”

 

“Well, let us talk about that last part for a moment.” Vira says, choosing to save herself the headache of learning exactly what ‘girlfriend stuff’ means to Meg. “You’re scared that telling her how you feel will ruin the friendship you already have, correct?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her…”

 

“Then let me ask you something, Meg. Do you think you could stand to let things remain as they are, to continue bottling up your feelings in the hopes that just being around her will be enough to satisfy you?” The tone in Vira’s voice makes it clear that this is a serious question. “I saw first hand how you were acting around her earlier, and it seemed to me like you were mere moments from falling apart. Do you really think you could continue with the current status quo for the rest of this week, and for future vacations, potentially even years into the future?”

 

“You’re right… I don’t think I can keep this up…” Meg says with a troubled expression.

 

“In which case, there’s just one last question.” Vira looks Meg dead in the eyes. “Is the possibility of dating someone besides Mari something you’d consider? Could you ever see yourself staying friends with Mari, and pursuing romance elsewhere?”

 

Meg thinks on that for a few moments before matching Vira’s gaze with newfound resolve “No… No. It has to be Mari.”

 

Vira nods. “Then it’s clear what you have to do then, isn’t it?”

 

Meg lets out a deep sigh. “Yeah… I gotta tell her…”

 

Vira shows her a satisfied smile. “That’s right. I know very well how scary it can be, but the sooner you show her your true feelings, the better.”

 

I must admit, that was easier than I thought it would be. She thinks. Perhaps I’ve picked up a thing or two from my chats with Korwa.

 

“Yeah, thanks for all of this Vira. You’ve really helped me sort out what I need to do. I don’t know if I’ll be able to tell her right away, but at least I feel like I can do it now. Heh…” Meg chuckles to herself, staring off into space.

 

“Is something the matter?”

 

“No, I’m okay. It’s just kinda funny, you know?” Meg explains. “For a long time there, I was actually super jealous of Mari. I felt like she was living the life that I had always dreamed of for myself…” Meg pauses, smiling softly. “But that all changed when I finally realised who I really wanted to be, and now… the only life I can imagine is one where we’re both living out our dreams together…”

 

Meg looks back to Vira, who has been stunned into silence once again, only this time it almost looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

 

“Hahaha…” Meg awkwardly chuckles. “That was probably pretty cheesy, huh? I should really leave the wordy stuff to Mari…”

 

“Beautiful…” Vira finally says.

 

“H-Huh?”

 

“That’s it, I’ve made up my mind.” Vira suddenly stands up. “I know you said you weren’t ready just yet, but your passion has moved me almost beyond words, and I cannot stand to wait another moment. Meg, you’re going to tell her how you feel right this moment.”

 

“W-What, right now!?” Meg stammers. “A-At least give me like ten minutes to prepare! I haven’t even thought about how I’m going to tell her!”

 

“No, I insist! We must strike while the moment is right! Now, let us-” Vira reaches out to grab Meg’s arm, but she stops cold just moments before making contact. Meg looks up at her expressionless face, and her eyes are strangely dim, like a light that’s usually there has gone out.

 

“I am sorry. I will return in a moment.” She says in an unusually monotone voice before standing back up and calmly walking over to the counter.

 

Meg watches in confused silence as Vira places an order in that same odd voice, only to sit right back down in her seat.

 

“That should do.” She says before the light returns to her eyes, and she suddenly looks mortified.

 

“...Vira?” Meg says with equal parts confusion and concern.

 

“Ugh… My sincerest apologies.” Vira uses her hand to cover her face in shame. “It would appear I had managed to get myself a little too worked up about the situation, and Luminiera had to resort to drastic measures in order to reign me back in…”

 

“Oh! You mean that was…?”

 

“Yes, that was her… It would seem she’s also gone through the effort of making absolutely sure we remain here for that ten minutes you asked for.” She says as a steaming mug of hot chocolate arrives at the table.

 

“Well, gee… Thanks for that, Luminiera!” Meg says with a smile. “I think you’re right though, Vira. The longer I wait to do this, the more it’s gonna suck, and I really want to enjoy the rest of this vacation. Once we're done here, I’m going to tell her.”

“Well, I’m glad we were able to come to a reasonable compromise…” Vira finally removes her hand. “We can use this time to work out how you’d like to go about asking her. However, I hope you’re prepared to drink this yourself, Luminiera.” She says, looking nowhere in particular as she points to the fresh mug in front of her. “You know how I feel about chocolate…”