'Ack—?!'
For the past half decade, pain was something that had grown more and more distant for Silver Wolf. Pain was, in essence, a 'bad touch.' And for her, someone who could barely feel a touch, even the feeling of losing a limb was like a small itch. Hardly a bother.
And yet, around half a decade after she received her Flaw, Silver Wolf was quickly reminded of what it meant to hurt.
A mental pain so strong that it felt as if she was physically having her head bashed in with a sledgehammer. An experience she was sure someone must have had, once upon a time.
One that she was about to get very intimate with.
...Silver Wolf tried very, very hard to not let out a peep. She didn't allow the torment to show on her mostly impassive face, either.
She thought so, at least. Because Sunny's stare intensified to a degree that was borderline hazardous. And with it, so did his thoughts.
"Is she in pain?"
"Should I do something?"
"Maybe she doesn't need help."
"Maybe she does."
"Is this the so-called period cramps I have heard mysteriously little about?"
Hundreds, no... thousands of thoughts rampaged in Silver Wolf's brain, clocking against each other at the same time as they rapidly multiplied. From a list of videos he was going to watch to magically master miscellaneous skills in only a few minutes, to what he thought about her belly button — something he oddly had a lot to say about.
His plans to escape Shadow Bond were like a labyrinth, as if he had been expecting a dead end at every turn, so he created his own paths to proceed onward. There were his thoughts on different political groups, as well as ideas on how to exploit them for rewards. There were his considerations for... the Daemon of Fate's Sorcery?! The blueprints in his head gave her a headache within her headache. She had no idea what she was looking at.
This wasn't normal. There was no way that it was! How in the world did a single human contain so many different streams of thought at the same time?! That just wasn't how it worked...
Once the brain thought something, the thought should recede. The brain would memorize the signals that triggered that thought — never perfectly, of course, as the human mind was always reconstructing itself.
But the point was that no consciousness was supposed to function like that. Was it his Aspect? Or the Remembrance?
Silver Wolf scowled deeply, before mentally commanding the odd gimmick to stop working.
Her head was now... normal.
'What the frick dude?!'
Her System... now allowed her to read Sunny's mind. Something that she definitely did not plan to do again anytime soon.
Attempting to clear her dazed mind — which was just violently assaulted to whatever construct was taking the place of his brain — Silver Wolf moved on to the reason she was here in the first place.
How could she use this to help him?
...Did he even need her help? Chances were, he'd be back to the grind in a couple of system hours.
She thought for a few seconds... before getting out of Sunny's chair. His gaze lingered on her as she swiftly walked over, before flopping onto his bed, faced upwards. Her apathetic eyes flickered over to him.
"Listen man, I get that it sucks and all... but you're lowkey going to have to thug it out."
"...Yeah?"
Sunny's teeth crunched against another cookie.
Silver Wolf sighed, sinking deeper into his matress.
"Yep. I dunno. Just... don't take whatever she said to you too seriously. I mean, I wasn't there at the time, but I could take a guess. It isn't like she meant it. But, uh..."
She made a strange face.
"That wasn't a one-time thing."
Sunny let out a dry laugh.
"What? So, if I run into her again, I should expect to get my ass beat?"
Silver Wolf's lip twisted as she tilted her head.
"More like... she geeks out sometimes. Same kind of vibe as when you're trying to get your getback."
"...What vibe?"
"The tweaking kind."
"Oh."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Do I do that?"
Silver Wolf grinned.
"Every fucking week. Like, it's never that serious bro."
Sunny looked a little embarrassed. Silver Wolf wasn't too sure why, but she had more important matters to bring up. She sat up.
"We're going to be watching you for a little over a month and a half. Just her and I."
He turned towards her. He seemed to want to say something, if the indecisiveness in his eyes meant anything, but he did not. At least, he didn't say what he clearly wanted to say.
Instead, Sunny asked:
"Watch me for what?"
Silver Wolf raised a brow.
"Didn't you almost die last night?"
"That was last night..."
"Well, Elio said that you're probably going to get your ass kicked without backup, and if you get slimed out..."
She dragged a thumb across her neck.
"It's ggs no re."
He clearly didn't understand the slang — uncultured swine — but seemed to get the message anyways. Sunny seemed a little disbelieving.
"Oh, yeah. That whole Nanook plotline?"
She shrugged.
"The whole plotline in general, really. But yeah."
A smug, infuriating smirk appeared on her face as she placed her hand on his shoulder, as if she was about to happily tell him the worst news of his life.
"So don't push her buttons, got it? She'll mostly leave you alone otherwise. Keyword 'mostly.' Anyways, can't have the world ending because of your girl problems, can we?"
"...I mean, you can... wait, no, I don't have girl prob— I don't have girl... urrraagggh!"
Silver Wolf snickered as she hopped off the bed, turning towards his computer—
Just for Sunny to, without warning, grab her wrist — something that felt like a loop of air brushing against it like a bracelet.
She had been fully prepared to leave it at that... but it looked like he had other ideas. She furrowed her brow, looking back at him.
"What's wrong?"
Sunny blinked. He looked down at his hand... and flinched. Suddenly, her wrist was released from his grip, and the two of them were left to stare at each other in confusion.
He coughed into his fist.
"Oh, uh... nothing much, just wanted to ask..."
His complexion colored.
"Were we... friends?"
Silver Wolf didn't answer. Not immediately.
Because she wasn't too sure herself.
Sunny had been a bit weird back then. They'd play games together — he was her Player 2, after all — but she never once caught him having fun. Not when it came to the games themselves, at least. Not until recently, when they barely snatched a win against the witch and that brat.
It was... satisfying. To see him finally find enjoyment in what she enjoyed.
Not participating only to please her.
But were they friends? He never told her anything. She didn't, either. They had kept everything to themselves. Was that normal amongst friends? She didn't know.
How could she? Everyone she was close to that could be considered a friend were either mentally ill, a dumpster diver, a weird Earthling — or in Sunny's case, all three.
She didn't have an answer.
But...
Her legs tensed, but she made herself move. One step, two steps, three steps...
Then, once she was directly in front of Sunny, who had been staring at her in bafflement, she froze. Her nerves were starting to get to her...
But she thought about what she had to lose.
Again.
Even as every cell of her being rejected this act out of embarrassment, she decided that losing a bit of aura was a sacrifice she had to make.
So, she spread her arms out...
***
Silver Wolf had been born alone. That was what she had been told, at least.
She had never been touched without the intention of violence. She had never felt the warmth of her mother's arms. The security of her father's grasp.
A talentless, weak, unloved child couldn't hope to imagine such things. They could only imagine strength.
And she had acquired it. A power so potent and limitless, that she could eventually stand above it all. And with strength, she had gained the right to be loved.
But warmth and security were beyond her grasp.
For the first time in her life, she held someone in her arms. And they held her, too, awkward as they both were. He was far too receptive, and she was far too nervous... but it was fine.
It should have been fine.
Comfort did not arrive.