An Auguste Girl's Blues A Tale of the Grand Skies chapter 4 by EnviTheFool

"Haaah~ Just my luck..."

Meg sighed in lamentation as she turned on the lights of her hotel room and threw her bag haphazardly on a nearby chair.

The room itself was top-class. It was spacious, had a nice view of the ocean, all the necessary utilities, a comfortable double bed... anything a perfectly ordinary girl would have loved to stay in over her summer vacation. And Meg still was very happy about staying in one. It's just that the room wasn't what she was here for.

She had decided to drop by Auguste to pay a surprise visit to Mari, to make up for her time spent away as a traveling skyfarer... only to find out that she had left just this morning somewhere on some official matter. Meg wasn't told what it was about or how long she'd be away for. "Classified", they said.

"What'd be so damn secretive about Tourism Association business anyhow?"

The resigned redhead slouched down on the edge of her bed. She could have helped her with... whatever it was that needed helping had she arrived a little sooner. Mari never turned down offers like that. Then they could have solved whatever it was that needed solving faster, gotten back to the resort, and... and then...

"Sharrrk..."

The little flying shark nudged its snout against Meg's arm.

"...you're right, Ursula."

Meg pet her companion in kind. The old her would have never believed that petting a shark would become such a normal occasion to her, or that feeling one's rough skin against her hand would bring her comfort.

"Get a grip, Margaret. You're used to bigger setbacks than that in Auguste."

Meg...