"Elly, this is my wife Natasha."
The moment she heard those words, Eleven felt the world crumble around her. She didn''t know their true meaning, not entirely. Still, she somehow realized that it was something special.
Ryan, the Aurora''s Producer, gazed at his wife with warmth. That look was unlike anything he had shown the idol before, and the moment he turned his eyes to Natasha''s swollen belly that warmth only grew stronger.
"It is so nice to finally meet you!" Natasha said, stepping forward with a beaming smile. "I''ve followed your career since your first concert! Ever since, your songs were the only thing that kept me going!" Stopping as if she just realized something, the pregnant woman blushed. "Ah, sorry, I… I''m Natasha Wilson, I''m… I''m a really big fan of yours…"
Seeing his wife grow embarrassed of her own actions, Ryan couldn''t help but chuckle.
"Somehow, this went exactly like I expected."
Hisment earned him a re from the embarrassed Natasha, but that only seemed to amuse him more. Seeing their interactions gave Eleven the chance to reorganize her thoughts, and though her inner turmoil was far from calming down, she somehow managed to present a somewhat normal front.
"A fan?" She asked, pping her hands together. "That''s so great to hear!"
There were no lies in the idol''s words. Disregarding her rtionship with the Producer, Eleven chose to focus on something that linked her to the woman. So far the Aurora''s never had the chance to hold the usual fan meetups. Being Valkyries prevented them from interacting directly with their fans so the only time they got to see them was during live performances.
Of course that changed recently when they started working with Melissa, but for some reason Eleven felt a difference between meeting a soldier and a normal civilian.
"It''s very nice to meet you, Natasha." Turning to the Producer, the idol furrowed her brows a little. "That said, this is the first time I''ve hearing about this. You never said anything about bringing someone, Producer. And you never mentioned having a wife before."
"Ah, sorry about that!" Ryan held his palms together and bowed deeply. "Nat wouldn''t stop nagging me about meeting you, and this sounded like the perfect chance!"
His answer earned him a smack on the head from his already embarrassed wife. Once she made her disapproval known, Natasha''s expression switched and she turned a troubled look at the Valkyrie.
"I''m sorry for showing up unannounced." She said. "My idiot of a husband said it''s okay and… and I''ve always dreamed of meeting you… I hope I''m not being a bother…"
Though she understood that she meant no harm by it, Eleven still felt a hint of anger hearing someone call Ryan an idiot. She didn''t let it show on her face, of course, and while masking her expression she dismissed the woman''s worries with a smile.
"Not at all. It''s quite a pleasant surprise, actually. Producer never talked about his personal life so I''m quite happy to know he has someone to look after him."
It was only when she said the words that Eleven realized she knew next to nothing about the Producer. Besides work, their conversations always involved the war and what happened around the headquarters. At most they would talk about the ces they visit during concerts, but nothing seemed to involve what the man did when he was away from his job.
With the introductions done the three sat down. Ryan asked about AK and Twenty Two, getting a little gloomy when Eleven said they were busy with other things. Natasha seemed to get down as well when she heard they weren''ting, but she quickly regained her energy the next moment.
"I always knew in my heart that you were alive!" She said. "Your voice carries true emotions! There is no way it belongs to a machine!"
Natasha spoke of her favorite songs and how she always listened to them when she had the chance. The idol heard a lot about the importance of her job from the Producer and other staff, but this was the first time she got to hear it from someone who was directly affected by her.
"I… I lost my parents during the first invasion." Said Natasha, weakness apparent in her smile. "For a long time I didn''t know what to do with my life. I simply drifted around in refugee camps doing the bare minimum to stay alive. Back then it felt like there was no meaning in going on, but then you made your debut and everything changed for me."
The Aurora''s first song was "Fight". It recounted the atrocities inflicted on humans by the Cmities and how the survivors owed it to everyone else to pick themselves up.
Many tried and failed to lift the morals of the surviving humans, but when the Valkyries took to the stage, the dark veil of despair was lifted and the world remembered what it meant to keep going, shattering the doubts about the apocalypse being something they couldn''t surpass.
"Elly…" When Natasha finished telling her story, Ryan inched closer to his wife, pulling her toward him before gently rubbing her swollen stomach. "I''m going to be a father, can you believe that? We are having a baby girl! I''m sure she''ll grow up to be a wonderful Valkyrie someday."
The Primordial''s visit was a once in a lifetime event, and unfortunately Ryan and Natasha''s child wasn''t going to make it in time. That said, as someone who worked so close to the Valkyries, the Producer was smart enough to know that the Resistance would find other ways to allow future generations to awaken.
"The truth is, we didn''te here just to reminisce about the past." Shifting his gaze to the blue haired Valkyrie, Ryan spoke with his usual smile. "Elly, I wouldn''t be exaggerating if I said your work is the reason we are still here. Natasha isn''t the only one; even I was saved by you and the others." Pausing for a moment, the man closed his eyes as if to suppress his tears.
When he looked up once more, Eleven couldn''t help but straighten herself. "Natasha and I have discussed this already. We want to name our daughter after you, and for that we need your blessing."