Dust Devils - A Girls Und Panzer Story

Chapter 24

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

The morning was peaceful. Valarie had awoke at an hour where the hotel was not yet busy. It was nice and quiet. She rose from her bed and splashed water on her face in the bathroom. The reason Valarie was up early was because she was expecting a visitor. Soon, there was a soft knock at the door. She went to the door and opened it gently. Standing just outside was Ray. He was already fully dressed in his uniform, fresh from a shower and hair managed. All together all cleaned up. In contrast, Valarie's hair was more like a rat's nest, her clothes all wrinkly.

"Good morning. I got your text." Ray said

"You sure did, all dressed up and ready. That captain's thing is at noon." Valarie reminded.

"I got that, but, since I'm just a co-captain, would I even be allowed to participate?"

"Of course you can, It's a captain-focused event but it's not exclusively for captains. Think of it like you're my liaison."

Ray grinned and a chuckle escaped from his mouth.

"Ah, okay. Anyway, why can't you go again? You've never mentioned that."

"I have something important to do. Something that if it goes well will make me happier like nothing else. It's a golden opportunity that I just can't miss."

Ray was intrigued over Valarie's supposed opportunity. He narrowed his vision as he looked away from Valarie to the bed in the room. There, she saw Emma, awake, leisurely laying on the bed. She was browsing her phone, not at all aware of what was happening beyond the sheets. Looking at that scene for a few moments, it suddenly clicked. He now fully understood. A huge smile appeared on his face.

"Oh. I see." he said softly.

He started to walk away but turned once more to face Valarie.

"I'd say I hope Cupid has good aim today, but, I feel like the guy already let loose his arrows long ago."

Valarie's face was flooded with a blush as Ray now turned away, satisfied, to the convention. She turned around and returned to the room. Now, everyone was awake and in the process of getting ready. Save for Emma who continued to relax on the bed. As Valarie looked, she was surprised to see Heather and Ashley getting ready quickly.

"What's up guys? What's the rush?" Valarie inquired.

"There's this virtual reality game at the convention. Me and Heather are heading over to beat the lines. See you later!" Ashley explained

The two girls finished getting dressed and shot out of the room, leaving Emma and Valarie alone. The two then got ready themselves. After getting her hair in order, Valarie was set to leave though Emma was taking her sweet time brushing her hair.

"I'm off to those booths. Noon at the park, yeah?" Valarie asked.

"Noon. I will be waiting for you." Emma confirmed.

"See you then."

Valarie left the room and now Emma was alone. Perfect. She stopped brushing her hair and took out a paper and a pencil from her bag. Sat down at a desk, she began to write down her words for later. Like Hell she'll remember them come the big moment. Some minutes of putting her emotion to paper later, and she was done. She reviewed it briefly before neatly folding it up and tucked away in her pocket. She rummaged through her bags again and retrieved her bottle of pale blue nail polish. Packed for this exact moment.

"This will be a day to remember."

As the captain's event wasn't until noon, Ray had some time to kill. He has already swung by the food court and enjoyed what they had to offer so now he didn't know what exactly to do till the event. So, he wandered the convention hall, periodically looking at his phone to be aware of the time. He walked past various booths either trying to sell something or trying to teach him something, Then there were the displays. He had already seen the Panther II with Natalie and visited the E-10 wooden mock-up. That made him feel weird. A tank shorter than him? What an oddity. Soon though, he grew bored of walking around and sat down at the first empty table he found. He tapped his fingers on it as he thought about what else he could do to pass the time. His isolation at the table was short-lived as he soon felt a presence behind him. Turning around, there was a girl. Not from the team but he figured that the girl was around the age of a freshman. She was smiling and taking a good look at his uniform.