This is my first entry in several moons. A lot has happened since my last posting.
23 achievements in two days, with 19 of those in one day. It is a personal record. You know, I normally don't do this much of a haul if ever, but there was a point where, with all of the chaos and despair going on in the timeline of my Eorzean peers, I simply snapped. The look in my eyes when I declared to my professor that I would like to take my final examinations and pass them was not a bluff. It was a declaration of affirmation, a decision that I needed to do the Ward proud and my squadron in Petersburg proud.
Once I had completed all four examinations and amassed a convoy of achievements and titles to go with normalizing the weather in Norvrandt for good, I returned to Petersburg in my own timeline to report to Commander Rall the news. Sada and the others were with me as witnesses.
"Well, I didn't think you would be able to complete such an endeavor but that's what you did," said the commander, nodding her head. "You have my congratulations, Pilot Officer Lemare. You have done two organizations and the worlds proud. I knew we could count on you to represent us well."
"I heard about what you did from Officer Shimohara," said Edytha Rossman, one of Commander Rall's direct subordinates. "You've changed a lot. That much is true. But you need to continue fighting the good fight and continue to work by example. Then again, that is part of your nature as a Brave Witch."
"My only regret is that I could not be there to personally see you defeat the neuroi that is Hades," said Waltrud Krupinski, the Countess. "Had I tried to take part, I fear I may not be able to help you complete the task in such a soul-stirring spectacle."
"That was amazing, Georgie!" said Hikari, who is assigned as a retainer to Miss Kahori but will soon be given temporary leave to assist matters in Petersburg on routine support missions. "I knew you would be able to remember what we all did for you here so you could deliver there."
"And I know that in the timeline that you are a part of in Eorzea," said Commander Rall, "things are not very pretty out there, with a new form of plague without shape or form sweeping the land. But you must remain brave, remain strong, remain grounded in your principles. Know this, Pilot Officer Lemare: no epidemic lasts forever. Once the current pandemic passes, you must ensure that the world you are a part of heals and is reborn. Will you do this for us?"
"Yes, Commander," I said.
"Very good. You may return to Eorzea to continue your own efforts or otherwise take a short break to recover, you have earned the right of it. Dismissed."
===
Sada and I returned to my apartment in Shirogane, where I changed into my gown and skirt of light and lay on the bed, an arm draped over my forehead. "Did I do all that?" I asked her. She was making coffee biscuits, a favorite of Ryne.
"Yes, Georgie, you did."
"How did I do?"
"Better than I will ever do. I can only hold the money you have and anything you need to sell, as well as cook, and that's it." Takami and Sada were the only ones selling materials, as the others were given a temporary leave and returned to my timeline to help out the 501st and 502nd Joint Fighter Wings. She offered a biscuit. "Here, try it."
"Oooh, merci Sada."
"Bon appetit." I took a bite. Crisp, crunchy, robust, full of flavor that went down well with an espresso con panna. "You can have the whole tray of that and the coffee," she said.
"Reading my mind already, Sada, you teaser," I said to her, munching happily on the biscuits, even dunking some in the coffee. "I love you."
"I love you too. So, what are you gonna do next?"
"I think I will continue to help those two beast tribes, maybe pitch in at the Crystalline Mean. I do know that I would like to work on red magic next, now that machinist and white mage are done."
"Make sure to get rest if you need to. Remember, we are together so know well that I do worry about you at times, okay Georgie."
"Ouais. I appreciate all you do for me. When I am with you, Sada," I said, blushing, "I can't lose. I am full of energy, even in a pandemic. Can I count on you to stand with me together through all this?"
"Georgette. No need to ask that question. You know the answer, and I don't need to tell you. Because you already know," Sadako said, as we both shared a kiss. She really likes to dote on me when I am not busy with things. That's just how she is. Sada is a tease. After being with her through all this, I get used to it, and I get comfortable.
Now I can go ahead and go on hunt trains in Norvrandt, do treasure map hunts, and maybe, if I want to, try other places to explore. However, I already have my own plans. I have a trove of other jobs that I need to work on. Commander Rall told me, in a personal conversation, that a Witch's work is never done. She was right then, and is right now. So I have to keep working, because I gain my strength through initiative and tenacity. It's just what I do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7KiS1oAAOY
