Chapter Text
The short hand on the clock ticked over to the next number, marking the start of a new hour.
"She's late…" It had been over a day since Noel left.
Lambda returned to looking at the table in front of her. Sitting in the kitchen, she watched Tartar munch on the rest of his afternoon meal. The cabbage leaves she gave him were nearly all gone. Only when he took the final bite did she stand up from her chair. The weather warming up meant it was a good time to plant something. She had been wanting to grow more vegetables for Tartar.
After tying a work apron around herself, she scooped Tartar up into her hands. He appeared to have eaten his fill and had fallen asleep. With her squishy friend tucked inside her apron pocket, she went outside to the small garden patch behind the church.
Finding a good, sunny spot by the trellises, she began planning on the number of plants she should raise there. Tartar could be so gluttonous for his size. The first step was to pluck out the weeds. As she worked, she made sure not to jostle Tartar too much by keeping her movements steady.
The rustling sound of grass broke her focus. She recognized it as someone coming from behind her. It should be Noel returning. But when Lambda turned around, the only thing she could say was, "Who are you?"
The boy came to a stop as soon as she saw him. A tall figure keeping itself close to him followed suit. Its face looked human but its long limbs suggested otherwise. "Are you the only one here?", he asked after looking around him.
Lambda stared at the doll rather than at the talking boy. An abnormally strong presence emanated from it. "Active Nox Nyctores…detected." Recognizing one of them as a high-level threat, a bitter feeling welled up inside her. She didn't want them to be here.
A dark shadow from the brim of his hat along with his mask made it difficult to read his expression. "How strange, there should be three of them here… Was the Librarium's database wrong?" He then asked Lambda another question. "Miss, would you please tell me where your sister units have gone?"
She knew better than to give him what he wanted, so she kept her mouth shut.
Her unwillingness to talk didn't go unnoticed. "Hm, I guess I have to take what I can… Your construct might have been rearranged from its original form, but you make a fine sample nonetheless. Nee-san, you think so too, right? Let's bring her with us."
Tartar wiggled inside of his hiding spot, awakened from his nap. Using a hand, Lambda pressed on the opening of the pocket to keep him from leaving it. The Nox Nyctores accompanying the boy had advanced past him to make their way in her direction. She could fend them off if need be, but Tartar's safety came first.
The doll, stooped with bared claws, took another step forward. It moved slowly for now, though Lambda had a hunch the thing would spring into action the moment she tried to flee.
With its arm reaching closer, metallic nails gleamed under the sunlight.
Lambda prepared to avoid the grasping hand, pulling the front of her apron up to her chest to protect her friend. But the attack never happened. Or rather, it was interrupted.
A glowing ars magus crest showed up in front of the doll's limb before something struck it. The strength behind the hit was enough to knock its hand away from Lambda.
"Nee-san! Are you okay?!" The boy reached out to his companion.
It responded by nudging him to stay behind, protecting him from the person who had shot at it.
Lambda looked over her shoulder, realizing who had come to help. "Noel…!" She joined her side with Tartar while she could.
Firearm in one hand, Noel kept the barrel leveled at them. From her labored breathing, she seemed to have sprinted home as quickly as possible. "Carl…"
Despite his puppet insisting he stayed in place, the boy pushed the arm out of his way. "Ah, Miss Noel." He smiled. "It has been a while since we last met."
For a second, her grip loosened but only so much before she straightened her aim. "You asked Nirvana to do this, didn't you? …Why? I can't believe you're the kind of person to—"
"I'm not here to be lectured. You'd be wasting both our time," he said, shaking his head. Ever since Noel had arrived, he had lost complete interest in Lambda. "Besides, you were mistaken. I did not come here with the intention to harm you or Lambda-11. As the perfected form of a Prime Field Device, you are the most invaluable one among your sister units. So I must ask for your cooperation to study how your constitution merged with the Azure so flawlessly."
"I can't help you." Noel's eyes hardened in response, anger returning. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave. Right now!"
It was the first time Lambda had seen her so furious and reject someone from church grounds.
Carl sighed in a slow manner, appearing more disappointed than upset at being turned away. "I see that you've changed too… Nee-san, let's go before he finds out we're gone. Goodbye, Miss Noel. I hope you will reconsider one day. Don't let your potential go to waste."
As they left, Noel kept a vigilant watch. Lambda copied her, making sure the boy had walked away with no intention of coming back. Only after that did Lambda allow Tartar out to play on the grass.
Letting her weapon vanish, Noel's shoulders relaxed. She turned to Lambda, checking her over. "Are you okay!? Did he hurt you?"
She shook her head. "I am unhurt. Tartar is unhurt too."
A soft grin showed up on Noel's face but it didn't last. "M-maybe I should've stopped them as soon as I saw them on the road ahead… I know I shouldn't blame myself, but still…"
At the sight of her turning melancholic, Lambda laid her hands on the side of her sister's arms. "You're back, Noel. That's something good."
For a second, she simply stared as if dumbfounded. A sense of normalcy returned when she let out a relieved laugh. "Yeah…I'm glad to be back home."
And so, the rest of the day passed without further incident.
Tired from her trip, Noel retreated to her room right after their evening meal. Not wanting to bother her, Lambda had cleaned up by herself before going to her own room. Seated on her bed with a pillow on her lap, she watched Tartar explore around the place before his bedtime.
A beeping came from her nightstand, pulling her attention aside. She picked up the communicator device. "Master Kokonoe?"
"Lambda, I need you to come over. Routine stuff. Can you do that?" Her voice had some kind of tension to it.
Lambda thought about her answer. Once she had put Tartar inside his glass tank and informed Noel about the summon, she could go without a problem. "Yes, I will go in five minutes." It looked like it was her turn to leave home.