Leyland Adventures Chapter Thirteen: Part Thirteen

Nearing the docks, Malodan decreased his speed to ensure the two would arrive easily. Tysashi leaped off while Livia was released.

"Thanks, Malodan!" He yelled, waving goodbye.

Even Livia waved goodbye, albeit at a more leisurely pace. With that, the legendary turtle took his leave in search for a resting spot.

"You still afraid of Malodans, Livia?" He quizzed, removing the dirt from the back of her uniform.

"Yes, very." She replied immediately.

Suddenly, a gruff voice roared her name. Her body froze up before she turned to face her fate.

"Hey, Mr. Dell." She said, prepared to put up with his nonsense once again.

"Where's the Wave Runner?! That was one of our best boats, what happened to it?!" He roared, demanding an immediate answer.

Unable to let her take the blame, Tysashi retold the story.

"Mr. Dell, please allow me to tell you what happened. I came here to fight Malodan, and I needed Livia to take me to Swealie Sea. During our trip, a Shallow popped up unexpectedly. Because of its sudden appearance, Livia froze up, which is understandable. I had to save her, and we made it to shore as the Shallow tore the boat apart. It came back for us, but Malodan saved us and brought us back. So in conclusion, none of this is her fault."

"So you forgot your extensive training with handling the unexpected?" He asked, eyeing Livia.

"W- what?! A Shallow attacked us when we were approaching Swealie Sea. Shallows can't survive in warm water, so of course I froze up."

"Nevertheless, your training specifically taught you to expect the unexpected. You were required to protect the passager at all times. And if that wasn't bad enough, you could've gotten The Kula Region's undisputed champion killed! How do you expect this business to recover from being responsible for that?! To top it all off, you destroyed one of our best boats, do you know how much it'll cost to replace it?! Your actions were very irresponsible and as such, I'll need your hat and name tag on the double."

The outside world had gone silent as Livia had faced the harsh reality. As much as she wanted to cry, tears refused to release. Her heart stopped beating for a second before another emotion bubbled inside of her.

Without a word, she forcefully threw her hat and name tag to the ground. She didn't bother making eye contact, storming away in a fit. Tysashi was going to follow her, but Mr. Dell stopped him to apologize for Livia's lack of professionalism. No matter how much he'd suck up to Tysashi, he stood up for Livia, catching up with her eventually.

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"I'm sorry you got fired, Livia. I tried to defend you, but I ended up making things worse. I know you were going to quit, though I'm sure you wanted to quit on your own terms."

"It's fine, you did all that you could. I just hope you have a positive opinion on me, despite my actions today. I don't think I've given an appropriate example of my character."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I think you're great; everyone has their bad moments."

"That's true. If you don't mind, can we go to that diner you were talking about?"

He proudly nodded to which a smile flashed on her face.

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Finally reaching the diner, Tysashi opened the door for her. Once inside, many of the waitresses were seen tending to the customers. Few were cleaning up after previous customers, including Susana who lifted her eyes to see Tysashi with an unknown girl.

"Tysashi!" Filled with ecstasy, she ignored her current duty to ensnare him in a powerful hug.

"This is such a pleasant surprise! You'll never believe this amazing dream I had last night. It involved you being nak-"

His finger tapped her lips, pausing her.

"We can discuss that later, I need you to do me a favor. Livia needs a job, and I was thinking you'd be able to hook her up here."

"Hmm, I could do that. She meets all the standards that'll get men to tip a hefty amount. We're in need of some variety, so she'll fit right in as a waitress. As long as she has no problem talking to random men, your friend here shouldn't have too much trouble landing a spot here."

As Susana kept sprouting on, Livia doubted her decision to apply here. She feared possible harassment from the customers. Thankfully, Susana dissolved all her worries by mentioning the lobby is monitored at all times. Eventually, her mind was set on securing the job.

"Great! So the boss isn't here, but I'll let her know you wanted to apply. I'll just need your phone number and then we'll be all set."

After she had given the number, Susana promised she'd get a call as soon as possible.

"Did you two need anything else?"

"Nope. Thanks in advance, Susana." Tysashi left the restaurant with Livia right behind him.

"That went smoother than I expected, I thought she'd want something from me. So, do you have another phone you can use?"

"I do, it's at my house. But thank you Tysashi... thank you so much."

"Aww, you're welc-"

Without an indication, she rushed over to rope her arms around him. Her body squeezed his as she gave repeated apologies. With each one, her voice sunk deeper into her tears. He stood there without a peep, comforting her.

"I have to thank you, please follow me."

She took his hand before he could say anything, though he gladly let her lead the way to his reward.

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"Here we are, my house." She stated as she opened the door. The dim lighting from lamps and the absurd numbers of objects scattered on the floor certainly gave an unimpressive view. Her simple layout involved a gold velvet sofa directly facing a decently wide TV. Between the two laid a rug in the design of Peoria using an array of colors, mainly orchid. Sitting above the rug is a spherical glass table where pots of flowers were grouped together.

"Sorry, it's a bit of a mess. I kinda had to rush this morning. You can sit down while I grab something."

Taking the offer, he took a seat. Livia took herself upstairs while her quest made himself comfortable. The couch felt like soft, spongy clouds which acted as trampolines. Memories of the past took over his mind, especially remembrances of meeting Nya for the first time. Her elegant mannerisms in addition to her perfect wisdom makes for a powerful woman whom would be too precious to lose. All he could hope for is Lennon tending to her needs to the best of his ability and vise versa.

Eventually, Livia returned to him. She opened his hand and placed the Lightning Gemstone within, appropriately shaped like a lightning bolt. Flabbergasted, soft breaths ran from his lungs as he gazed at the lustrous item.

"My grandmother gave me that, she had fought many of the earlier gods who possessed gemstones. Back then, getting gemstones was somewhat simple. But of course since the power standards grew, it became near impossible to achieve them. Anyway, please take it. You deserve it for all you've done for me."

"Wow, thanks a lot, Livia. I can't express how grateful I am."

"No need, I can tell. You absolutely deserve it."

Thanking her again, he rose from the couch and headed for the door. Stretching her arm out to grab him, she paused him.

"If you ever need anything, please visit me at work or home."

Her voice went soft during her sentence, almost as if she desperately wanted him to return someday. He picked up on her tone and replied in a similar fashion.

"I will, have a wonderful rest of your day."

With that, he left with the Lightning Gemstone in hand. Speaking of gemstones, his quest wasn't over yet. He still had a special person to visit and proceeded to do so.