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The sun began its slow descent over the skies of the sleepy town of Rigbarth as crickets chirped, fireflies buzzed, and residents locked up their homes and businesses in anticipation of one of the season’s most beloved festivals. The Seaside Lights Festival was a leisurely affair, a peaceful evening spent enjoying some of the many delights of summer with a special someone.
Alice, however, was feeling far from relaxed at the moment. She rifled through her wardrobe frantically, too stressed to pick out a swimsuit. Hundreds of scenarios had been playing out in her head all day as to how the festival could turn out. Murakumo, Lucas, Fuuka, and Lucy had all openly requested to accompany her to the festival already, and a number of the other townsfolk had seemingly been interested in asking her as well. Heck, half the town seemed to have fallen in love with her. However, she’d turned them all down, as her heart was unfortunately drawn to the one resident her age who had expressed absolutely no interest in her – the attractive, laid-back detective whom she was hoping to ask out later that night.
Terry had intrigued her from the moment they’d met. His interest in riddles and mysteries had called to her, perhaps hinting that she’d been some sort of detective herself in her past, now-forgotten life. They’d spent many a night together in the detective agency after Cecil had gone home, puzzling over a new challenge one or the other had thought up or just shooting the breeze over cups of hot milk and discussing the many small-town daily occurrences that qualified as mysteries in a place like Rigbarth. The two had started to hang out so frequently recently that a few of her overzealous suitors had actually begun to back off. Despite his desire to carefully dissect even the most minute details of other residents’ lives, however, Terry seemed unable (or unwilling) to discuss their own situation. And so, for the time being, Alice had accepted that. Tonight, though, things were going to change.
“Finally decided on a swimsuit?” Eliza called out to her as she bounded down the stairs of the Silo. Alice jumped, missing a step, and muttered a curse. Eliza laughed.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. You’d just been up there for quite some time rummaging through that wardrobe of yours, so I was understandably curious as to why it was taking so long. I still am, in fact,” they said pointedly.
“It’s just because of the Seaside Lights Festival tonight,” Alice responded quickly, checking the clock on the wall as she spoke. 5:45 PM. She needed to hurry. She’d been so preoccupied stressing about how the night would go that she’d end up missing it if she wasn’t careful.
“I can’t say that answered my question, but I hope you enjoy yourself at the festival regardless.”
“Thanks, Eliza!” Alice yelled. After a quick farewell to Captain Livia, who was yet again stuck at her desk working all evening, she ran out the door.
Luckily, she quickly learned that she wasn’t the only one running a bit late. As she sprinted down towards the bridge leading to the other half of Rigbarth, a deep, instantly recognizable voice called out to her.
“Why the rush?”
“Terry!” she yelped, not expecting to see him this soon. She stopped, turning around to wait for him as he made his way to her at a much less frantic pace. He lifted a hand to her in greeting, catching up with her next to the bridge.
“Good to see ya. You know the festival lasts for a while, don’t you? There’s no need to break an ankle getting down there.” He did have a point. Alice could feel her face heat up as she looked away anxiously. Gods, she felt like Priscilla around him sometimes.
“Yeah, that’s true. I just wanted to make sure I didn’t miss any of it,” she responded, hearing her voice start to trail off at the end of her sentence. Her reasoning didn’t make much sense, and he was the last one she expected to excuse such faulty logic. However, he just chuckled, saying nothing more about the matter.
“Well, since we’re both late, why not walk down there together?” He offered her a smile. “That way, we just look like the cool kids who showed up late to the party. I bet Cecil will concoct some wild theory as to why the two of us were late.”
If she wasn’t already blushing, Alice would have gone as red as a strawberry at that remark. Terry smirked, definitely noticing the change in her complexion.
“Heh, don’t worry,” he said, snickering. “He’s pretty innocent. I doubt his mind would jump to that conclusion. You, on the other hand, went there straight away. Might have to investigate what that says about you at some point.”
“It says that your teasing might just drive me insane if you don’t stop,” she shot back.
He laughed heartily this time. “An insane amnesiac in SEED sounds like a bad idea. Guess I’d better stop, then.”
Part of her wouldn’t have minded if he’d kept it up, as the conversation was bordering on flirtatious, but that was beside the point. “Good thinking,” she replied. “Anyway, we’re here.”
They strolled down onto the beach, where thousands of fireflies danced around the town’s entranced residents. Simone was checking in with each of the townsfolk, explaining the festival to newcomers. Randolph and Yuki sat holding hands in one corner of the beach, while the children played in the sand near the water. Rigbarth’s other residents dotted the shores, some clustering together chatting while others enjoyed the evening alone. The fireflies were beautiful, creating scintillating patterns in the air, and Alice fell into a peaceful bliss watching them. Alice glanced sideways at Terry, who was observing them with a soft smile.
“Ah, there you are, darling!” a loud voice squealed, interrupting her revelry. “I’ve been looking for you all evening. Want to take a nice, long walk with me to somewhere cozy and private? The fireflies are beautiful, but the fires of our passion for each other are even more enchanting to watch.” Ludmila grasped her hands, staring into her eyes lovingly.
This was not how she wanted her evening to go. Ludmila had hinted no less than thirty times over the past week that she wanted to see the fireflies with Alice. She’d never explicitly asked, and Alice had never explicitly turned her down, a fact which she was strongly regretting now.
“Um…” Alice said, not sure how to decline without rousing Terry’s suspicions. After all, Ludmila could be a bit much at times, but there was no real reason for her to say no, right? She hadn’t made plans with anyone else, and Terry probably had someone else he wanted to spend the evening with.
“Actually,” Terry interjected, “the two of us were planning to check out a mystery involving the fireflies tonight. That’s why we got here late. Had to do some research first.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” Ludmila said, glaring daggers at him. “Well, next time you feel like doing some research with me, darling, just let me know. There are all sorts of topics I feel the two of us could do some very in-depth research on.” She hugged Alice tightly, then walked off, pouting.
“Thanks for the save,” Alice said after she’d left, turning to face Terry. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course I did,” he said casually. “Ludmila’s an interesting character, but it wouldn’t take much in the way of perceptiveness to see that you didn’t want to go with her tonight. Guessing you had other plans?”
“Uh, not exactly,” Alice muttered, fidgeting slightly under his steady gaze. “Well, I was actually hoping maybe we could go see them together? Like for real, not as a ruse to deter Ludmila?”
“Ah,” Terry said in response. He glanced out towards the sea, watching a group of fireflies dive towards Julian as he made a sand castle. Julian giggled and nearly knocked over one of the battlements as he shooed the fireflies away. Terry smiled faintly.
“If you had other plans, it’s fine,” Alice said after a moment, twisting her hands together. Terry’s lack of a response was making her nervous. His tendency to zone out and mutter to himself when he was deep in thought was usually charming, but at the moment it was driving her insane.
“Not at all,” Terry said, refocusing on her. “Looks like there’s a good spot over on the other shore. Wanna check ‘em out?”
“Sure!” she said, a bit too enthusiastically. He chuckled, offering her an arm. She took it, surprised at the formality, but not in the least bit opposed to it.
Seeing so many others in swimsuits as they walked down the shore made her wonder. Had she ever seen Terry in a swimsuit? She asked him about it.
“You’re as observant as ever,” he replied. “Yeah, I’m not big on swimming and wasn’t planning to go in the water tonight, so I didn’t wear it.”
“Still,” she said, glancing at his huge jacket. “It seems a bit warm with all of that on.”
“Want me to undress, do you?” he chuckled. “Alright.” He let go of her arm for a moment and pulled his coat off, then linked arms again.
Okay, Alice thought to herself, he was definitely flirting. Had he drunk a love potion before leaving the agency? Or was the romantic atmosphere of the festival just getting to him?
She glanced sideways at him, getting a good look without him noticing. Under the coat, he had on a loose, thin white shirt that fluttered in the light breeze, revealing some beautifully toned chest muscles. She looked away quickly, not wanting him to realize he was being checked out.
They reached the spot on the beach he’d pointed out, and they took a seat next to each other, sitting on top of his coat. A few of the other villagers had coupled up, she noticed. Alice spotted Lucy and Murakumo laughing and splashing each other as they swam deep in the ocean, while Scarlett and Lucas were conversing as they surveyed the proceedings from afar.
Alice and Terry chatted idly for a while about why so many fireflies came to visit Rigbarth’s shores during the festival.
“Heck, I’ve even heard that it’s because so many lovestruck couples come strolling by here,” Terry posited.
“Say what?” Alice replied, thrown by the fact that they were discussing romance again.
“Supposedly, people in love release sweet-smelling pheromones that attract fireflies,” he explained further. She laughed, watching a swarm of fireflies head their way.
“That’s romantic,” she replied, wondering if he’d spotted them too. What did that say about the two of them, then?
“Heh, it’s too bad romantic matters aren’t exactly in my wheelhouse anymore,” he responded, watching the fireflies come nearer.
What did he even mean by that? He was 25, just like Murakumo, but he acted like he was in his 40s sometimes. It wasn’t the first time he’d made a remark like that. She opened her mouth, figuring now was as good a time as any to ask, but he interrupted, perhaps sensing what she was about to say.
“Hm? What do we have here? Looks like you’ve attracted a whole firefly entourage. Thinking about someone special right now?” True to his word, a large cloud of fireflies had surrounded them.
She blushed, looking away, overwhelmed by both his words and by the beauty of the moment. She’d been thinking about him, which he had to have known.
“H-Hey, don’t tease me!” she said, still not looking him in the eye.
He chuckled, resting his hand on top of hers for a moment.
“Don’t worry,” he said, giving it a quick squeeze. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
He did know, didn’t he? He knew, but was just going to refuse to discuss it due to the fact that “romantic matters” were no longer in his wheelhouse. She didn’t want to let the moment just pass by like that, so she took a deep breath, summoning up all the courage she seemed to muster so effortlessly whenever she was preparing to fight a gargantuan boss monster. Somehow, this seemed to take more courage than that.
“Do you know who I was thinking about?” she asked hesitantly, glancing up at him. He withdrew his hand, placing it in his lap as he turned towards her slightly, eyebrows raised in mild surprise.
“Yep. I am a detective after all,” he said. He could be a bit blunt sometimes. Usually it was appealing, but at the moment it was incredibly frustrating. She decided to just go for it.
“I was thinking about you,” she said, somehow managing to look him in the eye as she said it.
“Heh, I know you were, Alice,” he said. “Like I said, I am a detective.” He took a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh.
“Guess we’re gonna have this talk now, then. The issue isn’t a lack of interest on my end, trust me. I doubt the fireflies would have come over in that case. It’s just…” he trailed off, this time breaking eye contact to watch the fireflies dance above their heads. The fireflies were writing mysterious words in the air in a language only they could understand. Maybe the words held some sort of explanation for why Terry would deny his own feelings for her.
“Just what?” Alice asked, heart pounding in her chest. This was more than she’d ever expected from him, and yet it still felt like he was about to turn her down.
“I can’t do romance anymore,” he said bitterly, still watching the fireflies. “I’ve always used the excuse with you that I’m too old. We both know that that’s not true, but it’s not a lie either. I guess I say I’m too old because I feel old. You see, I had my heart broken a while back. Elsje and I used to be a thing, and she ruined me.”
Alice clasped his hand again, hoping it would comfort him as he continued his story.
“Our relationship was an ill-conceived mess from the start,” Terry continued, squeezing her hand gently. “She put less energy into it than she did into the restaurant, and you know that’s saying something. It just got worse and worse over time. And then she just had to go end it by cheating on me with a tourist because I was out of town restocking and she couldn’t be bothered to wait for me. She broke my fucking heart, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to reassemble it so that I could be an even slightly decent partner for someone like you. There are so many people out there throwing themselves at you who’d be better for you, anyway. You don’t deserve to be stuck with me.”
His voice had gotten more and more angry and quiet as he’d continued his story, and by the end she was startled to realize that he was crying. He seemed shocked too, letting go of her hand to wipe away his tears. Alice noticed her eyes were wet too, but she didn’t bother doing anything about it. There were more important things to deal with.
“Terry,” she said softly, placing her hand on his cheek. He turned towards her, the pain in his expression striking her like a physical blow to the chest. “I love you just as you are, broken bits and all. I don’t need someone perfect, and I don’t need you to change for me. I’ve turned down everyone else because I’ve never wanted anyone else. I want you.”
“Oh, Alice,” he said softly, caressing her face. “I’m just scared. Our friendship has meant a lot to me, and I don’t want to lose it. I can’t go through that again.”
“You won’t,” she said, starting to lean in slowly so he’d have the chance to back out. “I promise you won’t.”
“Maybe this will end up being a mistake,” he murmured, “but I can’t resist you anymore.” His lips met hers, and they kissed chastely. All thoughts of the beach and the festival flew from her mind as she lost herself in the taste and touch of his lips. He broke the kiss after a few minutes. “We probably should stop considering we’re in public. If you’re up for it though, let’s do a bit more than that next time we have some privacy,” he whispered in her ear before pulling away. She blushed fiercely, and he smirked.
They leaned against each other for a while afterwards, both content just to observe the other townsfolk and fireflies. She was hardly paying attention to her surroundings, preferring instead to reflect on the events of the last few hours. She’d described the scenery earlier as something out of a very beautiful dream, and that descriptor was now more apt than ever.
“So I guess we’re going out then,” he said quietly after some immeasurable length of time had passed. “You wanna do the whole nickname thing? I’ve never been a fan myself.”
“No, I’d much rather just call you Terry.”
“Good, we’re on the same page then,” he responded, laughing.
“Glad you two lovebirds got that sorted,” a familiar voice interrupted chirpily. “It’s late, so I’m going to have to wrap this up.” They spun around to see Simone standing over them, smirking. Alice blushed.
“Looks like you two had a rather productive evening,” she said, chuckling. “Go ahead and head back home now so you don’t catch a cold. Doctor’s orders! And no PDA on the beach, understood!”
“We weren’t doing that much,” Alice grumbled, getting up anyway. Terry took her hand after he stood up.
“Given how long I’ve made you wait to do anything at all, we do have some catching up to do,” he murmured in her ear.
“I heard that!” Simone said. She laughed. “Just don’t get too wild. I don't want to see either of you in my clinic, alright?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Terry chuckled. “I’ll take good care of her.”
Alice glared at the both of them, but she couldn’t stay mad for long when she felt so happy inside. They bid a fond farewell to Simone and headed back.
Although it was pitch black outside as they walked back hand in hand, the world seemed lighter somehow, the countless fireflies dotting the landscape symbolic of the many bright days ahead of them. Alice smiled.