It's Been a While (Rackie & Lani; Invite)

Lily nodded, rocking back and forth on her feet. In silence, she dragged Nana to her own room, next. Collapsing on the bed, she kicked her feet as she stared at the ceiling, giddy.

Nunally chucked quietly. "You must really like your new room" The girl noticed as she walked around the bedroom. She seemed satisfied by the work the workers had put into preparing the apartment.

Lily nodded, gesturing at the piano that took up the majority of the room's space. "I have my own bedroom, with my own piano, and no one coming in and out of it to clean or whatever." She stuck her tongue out, an unladylike gesture but there was no one to tell her not to. There was no hired help, here!

Nunally giggled quietly at her gesture. In other words, Lilian was free in some way. "Yeah, it's your room and you can do whatever you want with it!" Said the meister raising her thumb up. What's the next point of our little trip?" Nana asked Lilian, before giggling once again.

"Well," she said, sitting up. "I can't show you Joe's room, since he's all private about everything, so I'll show you my patio~!" She moved over to the back wall where a large, three-panel glass door was. Unlocking it and pushing it out. In short, she had access to the artificial courtyard for the unit. There was space along the back of the walled-in space where garden boxes were already lined up, though they were barren. The area was empty, but it was bright and spacious. Only now was it obvious that the apartment was on the top floor. It was an empty space, as they had not yet stopped by a garden shop or anything for the space. Off to the side, the patio stretched down past the kitchen, where another door lead to such, and an almost shed-like area housed some of their utilities.

Nunally stopped by the edge of the patio to admire the view. Death City was strange, yet it was a beautiful city. "You're lucky, Lilian, you know? The view from here is... amazing..." Nana told the weapon as she turned towards her. The meister looked at the panorama once again and smiled widely. "Alright! What's next?" Nunally asked.

"Bathroom~" She said, laughing a bit before skipping off to open the door in. She led her behind her into the jack-and-jill bathroom, which didn't possess much beyond storage, the double vanity, and the shower. Still, it was the way into the third bedroom.

Nunally slowly followed Lilian. The smile wasn't leaving her. "Okay, what is our next destination?" Asked the meister. Bathrooms are probably the least interesting rooms in every home.

She slid the pocket door open, revealing the third bedroom. The furniture was in place, the sheets on the couch bed, which was pulled out. All of the electronics were set up and running, decorations put into place by Jasmine's careful eye. On the pillow was a stuff bare, propping up a little chalkboard sign that said simply, 'Check the closet.'

Nunally wasn't really surprised by the room, as she was the one helping with it. However, she had to admit that the final effect was amazing. She felt somewhat proud of herself. The girl noticed the chalkboard sign and after reading it, she shook her head, thinking that Jasmine might have prepared a prank for Joseph. "What is Jasmine planning?" Asked the meister, pointing at the sign.

Lily looked at it, shrugging finally when she was addressed. "You'd have to check. Joe's been focusing on making sure everything was set up properly."

Nunally groaned quietly. She wasn't sure if that was a good idea. The meister approached the closet and opened it to take a look inside. Nana was expecting a prank or something similar to a prank

The first thing she'd find was that all of the clothes they'd just purchased were hanging up in the closet. The second thing she'd notice is the door to the hallway cracking open. A slight jingle followed, and a small creature approached, wide blue eyes staring up at the girl. Around it's neck was another note, tied to it's caller, along with a key.

Welcome home, if you'll stay with us.

Nunally couldn't understand what was going on. Did she find out something she wasn't supposed to? Did she spoil someone's surprise? The meister picked the cat up and carefully read the note. "I don't understand..." She thought, before placing the animal on the floor. With her eyes, she started searching for Lilian or Joseph to get answers. "Hey Lily, do you know what's going on?" Nana asked both confused and curious. "I mean, it seems obvious but... I'd like someone to explain this situation to me"- Nunally thought, feeling the strange uneasiness in her heart. She refused to take guesses to not make a mistake, even though she was sure that she found something she wasn't supposed to.

The hallway door that the cat had come through opened up, and Joe was leaning against the doorframe, a tentative, nervous smirk on his face. "What do you say, Nunally...?"

Nunally turned to face Joseph. She stared at him with her eyes opened wide and with shock and surprise on her face. "He... He really...?" "Y-You mean tha-that... You..." The girl was so surprised she couldn't even speak. "B-But I..I'm just... Just your meister..." Nana said, stuttering and almost mumbling. Tears appeared in her eyes and her legs started trembling. Her heart was weird, her head too. She was both scared and happy. Why scared? Because she was afraid that it was all a dream. Happy, because even if that was a dream, it was the most beautiful one. Feeling that she can barely stand on her legs, she approached Joseph slowly and... Hugged him tightly. Nana was barely able to keep herself from crying (out of happiness, of course). "Th-Thank you..." The girl said quietly, before letting out a quiet sob.

Joseph was doing just fine, thank you very much, up until the point that Nana's sob broke out. At that point, he went from gently returning the embrace to stiffening, in total shock that it had effected her so much. Had he done something wrong or was she just that surprised? The tension hadn't gone down when he pressed his forehead against the top of her hair, rubbing her back gently. Damnit, he'd managed just fine keeping his cool up until this point.

Nunally managed to somehow calm down enough to speak. "A-Are you sure... Are... are you sure I... can?" She asked him quietly, with disbelief in her voice. Her body started trembling, she still couldn't believe it. Nana felt like the happiest and the luckiest person on the planet. The fear still was present, though, she was ready to wake up on that chair she had fallen asleep on and realize it was all a dream. "I... I don't want to be a burden..." Nana whispered.

He pulled back, holding her at arms length with his hands on her shoulders. "It's not any sort of trouble. You're not a burden." A weak chuckle weakly escaped him. "If anything, it'd be a relief."

"A-A relief?" Nunally asked looking him in the eyes, in surprise. It was strange. She wasn't even his family! Wouldn't her presence be uncomfortable for him and Lilian? The meister couldn't help but smile slightly, out of happiness.

"Do you think I would rest well without knowing where it is that you are?" He shook his head, unsure of how exactly to explain himself. "There's no sense in you having to live in the dorms or gods-only-know-where. There's no sense in you paying for things with money you don't really have when I, alone, have more than enough to spare." He gestured to Lily, "Let alone her."

Even though Nunally didn't want to admit it, Joseph was right. There was undeniable logic in his words. Nana smiled and looked at the floor. She didn't know what to say. Probably not many people could find the right words to express feelings that were going through her mind. The main feeling was happiness though. She found a home. She finally could feel safe. Nana looked at Lilian, then at Joseph and smiled widely. "Thank you... Thank you for what you're doing for me..." There was a quiet pause. "Uhm... and thank you for giving me a chance... After all, I probably used to be the strangest meister at the Academy..." She added, blushing slightly, remembering her past as an A.I controlled unit.

He waved his hand, as if the gesture might dismiss her words, "Have you seen the world, nowadays? I do not think I have a grasp on what 'normal' means, anymore." Still, he smiled at her, pulling back as the kitten wove between their legs, crying out softly for attention. "It looks like your new friend wants to be held."

Nana looked at the cat. She was embarrassed to admit that she almost forgot about the kitty. The girl picked the pet up from the floor and folding it in her hands she started stroking its head. "This cat...It's too cute..."-She thought, smiling at the animal. Then, Nunally looked at Joseph. "Is it a he or a she? What's its name?" She asked the weapon.

"He," Joseph clarified, his voice smooth as he gathered himself back together, "Doesn't have a name yet."