Sunny did not want to refuse Neph, she was one of the only three people he cared about. But if they were going to work together it would be on his terms.
Looking at changing star, he replied.
"We can have a talk, but not right now. I'll come find you when I'm done with my business."
Nephis was quite for a few seconds. Then she looked at the two of them and answered in a flat tone.
"That's fine. You know where to find me"
Turning his back towards Nephis, Sunny spoke with a mischievous grin,
"Oh! I'll be bringing Night with me as well"
Looking at her reaction through his shadow, he walked off, probing both Solaire and Night to follow him.
"So, where do we go? Did you find us memories to buy?"
Looking smug, Kai replied,
"I did you one better! Access to the Memory Market"
Without a change in expression Solaire spoke,
[Alright then, let's head out quickly]
Solaire trudged ahead, prompting both Sunny and Kai to follow him. Kai looked slightly dejected and asked,
"How do you know where the Memory Market is?"
[I've been there once before]
A passing change in surprise swept through Sunny's face, he did not know Solaire had already bought things from the Memory Market.
Soon, they made their way towards a sturdy wooden door, and Solaire pushed it open.
A voice greeted them as soon as they entered,
"Welcome customers, how can I help you?"
Looking at the three of them his eyes widened slightly before calming down,
"Kai! My dear friend, and….ahh! The customer from back then. What brings you here?"
He ignored Sunny, who was standing right next to the two of them. This annoyed Sunny to no end, but he calmed himself.
While letting Kai introduce Sunny, he went through the catalogue, looking for anything useful.
Slightly disappointed at the items present, he sighed and thought to himself
"Nothing of interest here, maybe I will just use all these shards and see how much humanities I can get."
Closing the Catalogue, he walked towards Kai and asked,
[Are you done buying?]
Stev interrupted and asked,
"Won't you be purchasing anything today good sire?"
[Nothing caught my eye, I will come another time.]
Turning towards Kai he continued,
[Shall we leave?]
Both Sunny and Kai nodded their heads, it was time for them to talk to Nephis.
After exiting the castle, they made their way towards the lodge. Sunny was nervous to be around Nephis, he had said a lot of things to her which was true but the way he conveyed it to her, left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Not letting him indulge in his thoughts, Kai interrupted.
"So Sunny, tell me, why do you want me to come with you?"
Looking forward, Sunny answered,
"I want you to tell me if we are being lied to."
Tilting his head, Kai asked.
"I thought Lady Nephis was your friend?"
Sunny smiled eerily,
"She is, in fact she means way more to me than a friend. But she is the type of person you always want your guard to be up."
While continuing to walk forward he added,
"The person who I am much more concerned about is Caster. I don't trust that guy."
Looking slightly confused, Kai wanted to question Sunny more, but they had reached the entrance of the lodge.
It was a far cry from how it looked before, there were a lot more people now busy with various talks. Making his way in a young women greeted them with a smile,
"Welcome! How may I help you?"
Sunny was still lost, looking at the surroundings, so Solaire responded,
[Hi, we are here to meet Lady Changing Star]
Her eyes widened,
"Oh! Please follow me, I will show you the way…"
Inside the room, a wide window opened onto an eerily breathtaking view of the Dark City. On the wall beside it, a map of the ruins was littered with various markings that contained valuable information. They seemed to be much denser than before. \
On the large wooden table beside the window, there were many chairs scattered around it. Only two of the chairs were occupied, on one was Effie and on the other was Cassie. Caster and Nephis seemed to be discussing something.
Steeling himself Sunny spoke,
"Hello everyone! It has truly been a long time, let me introduce you to…well, you should already be familiar with Solaire, meet Kai. Kai, say hi to everyone – these are Cassie, Caster, and Effie. You should already know Nephis"
Solaire slightly bowed acknowledging everyone's presence. Kai replied hesitantly and spoke in his charming voice,
"Uh..Hello, Lady Nephis, Cassie, Caster, Huntress Athena….it's my pleasure meeting you all."
Giggling Cassie spoke in a joking tone,
"Ha ha, I thought I heard Night from Nightingale, Crazy right!"
Kai blinked,
"Oh, Sorry. I am Night from Nightingale."
Cassie spurted, dropping the glass she was holding in her hand. Catching it Effie sighed,
"Every single time…It gets boring after a point."
Sunny was exerting herculean level of self control trying not to laugh.
"Gods, he is like one of those protagonists that make women faint by swooning."
But soon all the members in the room were focused on the trio. Effie spoke first,
"Doofus, and Solaire the two of you are still alive? How did you manage to survive in the dark ruins for the past three months?"
Sunny grinned.
"Yes, maybe because I'm really good at surviving."
Cassie who seemed to be fidgeting around finally calmed herself.
"Welcome back Sunny and Solaire. I'm really happy that you are alright."
Cassie seemed reluctant to act familiar, she looked distant and mature. The time in the dark city had taken its toll on her.
Sitting down at the table, Solaire prodded.
[What is it that you called us here for lady Nephis?]