So many questions he had to ask, so much that Sunny wasn't really able to choose one to start with. But more importantly, after all the events of the day, he had to do it…
[Sunless]:"What the actual fu-"
Once again, he forehead was attacked by two fingers, with a bit more force this time. Groaning from the pain, Sunny only had the time to refocus his eyes on Plume that she was pointing at a page of the block note.
One she had memorized for the better and the worst.
It was at the point where he didn't have to read it to know what she was pointing at.
[Sunless]:"Yes I know… Language…"
No, it was enough for her. Forcing the pencil to move at a pace that it wasn't supposed to support, the rest of her sentence was coming at him.
[Plume]:"[That's not because Jeanne is not here that I can't stop you from swearing.]"
[Sunless]:"Give me at least something to say ! And this time it was de-"
Poke.
[Sunless]:"Stop hitting my face already godd-"
Poke.
[Sunless]:"For Spell's sake !"
Now the upper part of his head was in pain, red from those few little attacks. She was not a Master but with her physique, Sunny had a hard time deciding which one was the worst to face off.
Since he couldn't say anything, he started to move his hands. The noise of his skin rubbing, clapping against itself was only ruptured by the gasp sound that Plume had made at that moment. Her eyes wide open as she was already on him, hitting with as much strength than a little girl. Still, the feeling wasn't really pleasant, something as hard as her hand against something as soft as his arm was not a good match.
She only stopped for a moment, since Sunny had started to do his signs, she had decided to put away the note book.
The silent discussion was weirdly amusing for the boy…
This time, he was lacking some knowledge, so Sunny had to use both his hand and his tongue at the same time.
[Sunless]:"I learned it from you ! You used it once, I asked Dana. And yes, your feets smell lik-"
Too late, she was already attacking again, only this time, a little laugh came from Sunny. She, who was not quite twice his size, was able to overwhelm him without any problem, and Sunny… still felt at ease. No fear, no danger.
The laugh only grew deeper as she started to tickle him. The "no touching" rule was completely forgotten right now, not that he could think of it in his current situation.
His whole body felt warm, but it was a good warmth. He was also a bit surprised by how real his laugh was. Generally, it would have been subtle… but now he was laughing his lungs out.
[Sunless]:"P...ease… ne...d to… eath.."
Plume looked at him, keeping the serious face. But even she was smiling, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Freeing the boy from his torment, she took the only seat of the room and put it close to the bed. Sitting on it backward to face Sunny, watching him recover while her arm crossed on the other side of the backrest.
The boy was a bit lost, taking his time to recover from this surprise attack. He hadn't felt those things in age… The last tickle he had was from the time when his mother was…
…
Touching his ribs, he seemed lost in thoughts, his eyes betraying his melancholy.
Yet a moment later, he was back, looking at Plume with an angry yet amused glare.
[Sunless]:"Still… I'm right."
She had to roll her eyes before even trying to respond to that…
Exhausted, cautious. A warning.
[Sunless]:"Yeah, yeah… I won't push my luck."
'My forehead still hurts though…'
After that, they both decided to not talk about Vincent until the end of their lesson. Time was limited and if it meant to disturb his focus, they may as well do it after they had done with what was important.
Sunny had followed this idea, until he couldn't.
He had to ask her, now.
[Sunless]:"Why did you think that Vincent would even be scary?"
Plume looked at him, a moment of complete stillness. After that, she took the note book. Signs would be too complicated for him. Still, after giving the book, she gave the sign that went along with it.
Learning comes from the direct and the indirect.
Every bit of information can help someday. And Sunny was the type to take it without hesitation. At least when it was someone he liked a little bit, of course.
[Plume]:"[Because, he is spiteful. There no defeat with him, only victory or a draw.]"
[Sunless]:"What does that mean ?"
Uncertain, flustered. A demand for confirmation.
[Sunless]:"Yes I know, but I can't focus if there is such a big mystery in front of me…"
Soft, mocking. A joke.
[Sunless]:"I wouldn't say big… more… compacted ?"
Poke
This time, that was the pencil that flew toward him. Crashing on his shoulder, he had deserved it… She was now asking him to give it back to her, so he obliged. More because she needed it to give any answer to begin with than anything else.
[Sunless]:"It was you that told me to say the unexpected, right ?"
Dull, agitated. Details were given.
[Sunless]:"How could I have possibly known that talking about your weight was a death zone? But, still, about Vincent, that doesn't explain why he's that scary…"
Once again, the book was needed.
But Plume was taking her time, like she was choosing her word carefully.
[Plume]"[If he had to fall, it wouldn't be without taking at least his killer with him, no matter what. Too proud, too mad… He is not a Fighter, but a Hunter.]"
[Sunless]:"What's the difference ?"
Fleeting, unmotivated. This problem was not hers to begin with…
[Sunless]:"Okay okay… Thank you for the answers."
Both were still standing, knowing clearly that there was still an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed.
Since it would be like this until the subject was closed, Plume didn't have many choices. A sigh escaped from the depth of her entire being.
Defeated, out of energy. The authorization was granted.
Like a drawn spring, Sunny jumped at the occasion to ask his last question.
[Sunless]:"Did you think that I should accept his proposal ?"
Plume was holding her temple, that was a hard one. Even if she saw it coming, it didn't make it easier though. She had her opinion of Vincent, her experience with him. But for a kid… For Sunless ? Would it be worth it ?
She had to close her eyes, taking some long and deep breaths. Meanwhile, Sunny was silent, Plume was one of the rare people that he liked. The thought of being closer to her was not something that turned to dread in his mind. Her and Jeanne were the only ones that gave him that feeling.
Even though now, the silhouette of a girl with gray eyes was slowly coming to his mind while thinking of this.
Sunny didn't have the time to process that though, the book was already in front of him. With new writing on it.
[Plume]:"[Before I answer you… Did Vincent told you something else after the offer ?]"
It was a weird question.
But it was not a troubling one. Because Sunny could still remember those words, the way they still pained his heart. As if they had touched where that counts, where that's hurt.
His neutral expression started to harden, frowning. Still he had to speak to them.
[Sunless]:" I'll wait until you have enough to be weak…Or something like that, his accent is hard to replicate..."
Plume's face had changed, from exhausted to irritated. She was already writing something, as if she had expected something like this.
It was… startling, to say the least. Now Sunny has confirmed that he really doesn't want to push the mute too far. Because her entire body was tense, revealing even more muscle than he had seen until now.
[Plume]:"[I'll have to talk to him with Ashe, this damned fox.]"
[Sunless]:"Why ? He is just a dic… you know what I mean… It's nothing new."
[Plume]:"[Because, if he's ready to wait, that means that he will not accept a refusal. Or for better wording, he want and will do anything to train you.]"
[Sunless]:"And my say in this ?! I swear, it's always like this with you all !"
Plume gave him a sorry and saddened look, before starting taking the book back. She hesitated, clearly not satisfied by the situation. She had written something, so why was showing it that hard ?
Sunny had a feeling that it was important, still, she refused to share it..
Leaving his place, he tried to get in hand over the truth. She avoided his attempt, but Sunny knew she wasn't really trying.
He didn't like it.
Plume was always full of confidence, of energy. She was like a shining sun during a cold winter. What in the word could have pushed her to act like that.
[Sunless]:"Plume… Show it to me please…"
She refused, moving her head from side to side frenetically.
[Sunless]:"You wanted me to trust you before… So why don't you trust me now?"
His voice was slightly shaking, even though he didn't truly know why.
After all, he wasn't that close with her, right?
Still…
He was hurt by her reaction, and his words seemed to have a similar effect on her. Because for the first time, she looked like she was cursing her lack of voice. It felt… unnatural…
She wasn't like this…
This… side of her.
She looked… powerless.
Was it his fault ? That she looked like that ? He wanted to know the truth, even if it was a hard one… So why did she look like he was tearing something apart ? Something important.
It felt wrong… Everything felt wrong.
He didn't want this.
Looking at his hand like it was not his.
Was he truly forcing her to do something ?
Taking a step back, falling against the bed.
Now seated again in front of her.
He felt like a piece of crap.
Was it… guilt that he felt ?
He didn't like this.
He hated it.
He…
…
A murmur, the child was looking away.
[Sunless]:"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that…"
Words he would never have thought he would share with someone a few weeks ago.…
[Sunless]:"So please… don't look at me like that…"
Once again, the mask was falling and a boy was revealing himself…
[Sunless]:"Like you will never see me again…"
His fear…
[Sunless]:"Like you're losing me…"
His pain…
{Sunless]:"It hurts…"
He was showing her a truth he himself wanted to forget…
Clack Clack
The sound of her finger snapping was something he was used to by now. It was her way to get people's attention. He didn't like it at first, reminding him of how someone would treat a pet, but since she was doing it with everyone, that impression had faded away quickly.
Clack...Clack
This time, the sound was softer. It was like a request, a gentle one… Her way of saying:
Look at me… please…
His eyes moved toward her, slowly but surely. Sunny still felt weird about all this. The way his guts were turning, how his heart was acting… It was chaotic at best.
Plume hadn't moved from her chair, she looked like she regained a bit of her usual self. But the sun was not shining as strongly as it used to be…
Yet, she was writing on another page. This time, she kept the book in hand while showing it to him.
[Plume]:"[I won't lose you Sunless. It's just that… I don't want you to have a life like ours. Of constant running, hiding and fighting. I want you to be have a peaceful life, and if you train under Vincent, I feel like this dream will be unreachable for you.]"
Expressionless, the little energy he had gained before was now lost. Once again emotionally exhausted in one day, Sunny wanted it to just be gone. All that. Questioning, future, dream… it was out of hand, something he couldn't control. But still, it was the only subject that was stuck around him.
[Sunless]:"A peaceful life ? With who ? Rain ? How am I supposed to do it if I can even protect myself ?"
Quick, emotional, the pencil moved once again.
[Plume]"[You are a kid, Sunny ! Kids are not supposed to think like that ! Kids your age are thinking about their homework. At what game they will play tomorrow with their friend. They laugh at stupid jokes and get grounded for lying about their grades !]
His nickname…The moment his eyes had met that relic of the past…Tears wanted to come and fall, but the body refused.
[Sunless]:"So what did you want me to do…? Act like it was possible ? I'm here to be trained, remember ?"
Faster, harder… Her emotion ? Stronger.
Plume was frustrated, angry, and saddened… Her eyes were now reflecting the light in the room, tears holding on the best they could to not fall. Just like the boy sitting in front of her.
[Plume]:"[That was a lie goddammit. Something to prevent you from literally throwing your life away. To give you a purpose until we find a way to give you this life ! But now, that fake training will turn into a real one, and that will push you away from that. Vincent was not supposed to act. You should have come to Ashe or me, and then we would have trained you while talking things out. To prepare you for that life.]"
Something sharp was piercing him in the chest. But no words came to express it.
[Plume]:"[Why did you think that I cared so much about your education ? That we are behind you when you curse ? Forcing you to not sleep too late? Making sure you don't skip any meal? That you brush your teeth afterward? We want to give you a normal life !]"
Every word was like a razor sharp blade cutting through his soul. It hurt, and he didn't know why. Or at least, not completely.
Then
The girl came back to his mind, a comment that she made before… Added to the thought he had when they arrived here. They had planned that since the beginning. His presence was not shared to the servant, hidden to them.
Ashe had lied to him… The month at the manor was not before their next run, it was a timer. Telling them to move out the secret somewhere else before it got discovered.
Is their presence here only because of him ?
They wanted to stay here as long as they could until they were able to put him out of danger.
Still, something was out of place.
[Sunless]:"Did...Nephis know about it?"
…
The light in her eyes had trembled after that question. Plume was a good person. Forced to do bad things for the better result. Her face twitched, holding back the surge of emotion… Her hand was trembling so much that she couldn't hold the pen correctly to write anything.
So she dropped it.
Her only answer was her head moving slowly from side to side.
Sunny was exhausted.
And yet, he was enraged.
Standing up, he walked toward Plume. His little hand pushing the book away like it meant nothing anymore. He will surely feel bad about it later. No, he will for sure. But now, he didn't care.
[Sunless]:"You're not only lying to me… But also to her ! She tries her best to understand me, to help me. She wants to get close to me despite her situation and you didn't warn her ?!"
Moving forward, Sunny was now beside the mute. Then… in an instant, his fist was against her shoulder.
One punch, then another.
Again and again…
No difference between gusts of wind against a castle.
Still, without stopping, Sunny kept punching her.
Again and again…
[Sunless]:"She is the worst but she is still doing her best to not give up on me. How can you Plume!"
Her words kept echoing in his mind. Banging on something on his mind that was about to give up: the lie that he cared about himself.
[Sunless]:"You gave her hope! Hope that she won't be alone!"
The boy that Luna had raised was one of pure justice and respect.
He had tried to bury that part of him deep but now…
[Sunless]:"I don't care if I'm alone! I deserved it for all I care, but you dared to play with her feeling like that?!"
…
Something was piercing his back, somebody was watching him.
Turning instantly to look toward the door, his face was a mess.
[Sunless]:"Who's there ?"
Plume looked at him with surprise, but not like he was crazy. It was only reinforcing his belief that someone was watching him. Trying to regain an ounce of composure, Sunny looked in the direction from where that feeling was.
[Sunless]:"Ashe."
It was simple, Plume was there. Dana had nothing to do here. Master Theseus would never come by. Vincent was too lazy to move. Which left only Nephis or her.
But since the girl was also not concerned by the situation and Plume didn't try to stop him from speaking out loud…
From nothingness came a blur, which took form and color. Only to reveal a white haired woman, styled in a single and long braid.. There was no joy in her eyes. No desire to joke.
[Ashe]:"I think we need to talk, boy."