The man shimmered into focus as Amitha recognized who he was. The purple hair and mint green eyes resting on a handsome face wasn't the giveaway. She only noticed that it was him once she took note of the bunny hairclip that seemed to wink at her as it nestled down on one of his bangs.
"You seem sad? Don't you hate being bothered?" His voice contained a trace of astonishment and playfulness as he scanned Amitha from head to toe. He would've imagined that she would've tossed the boy at her the second he arrived, badgering him as to why he didn't show up sooner.
Amitha shrugged her shoulders, pointing at the boy who seemed absorbed in his meditation. She then flexed her leg muscles as she seemed to flicker out of existence, reappearing to the left of Lapil as she leaned onto him. He was quite short compared to her, reaching only to her chest if they were to make a direct comparison. As such, he visibly sagged under her weight as her elbows dug into his collarbones.
"Hey. That childe has great potential, so don't f*cking put yer grubby hands on him. Leave him out of that Zodiac sh*t bunny boy, before I make ya piss yer pants and cry to that lady man. Capiche?"
"Y-yep. I'm sorry for testing your patience, ma'am!" Lapil struggled to push out these wrds, but as soon as he finished Amitha had already taken her weight off of him. He sagged against the wall before setting his eyes on the boy, rubbing his neckline as he made his way over.
Bie had already opened his eyes when Lapil reached halfway, lunging himself at Amitha with vigor. He wrapped his hands around her waist as his cheek hit her abdomen, embracing her in a wide hug before looking up at her determinedly.
"Don't forget about me, kay? You're going to hear about all sorts of cool things from me, so remember me every day! Promise?" Amitha patted his head and nodded, while he turned his head just in time to miss the tear droplets that slid down her face. He waited until she was done patting his head before dragging himself to the opening of the tunnel that led away from the open cavern, not sparing a glance back.
It was all he could do to stop himself from obstinately refusing to leave. He trudged towards the depths while his eyes similarly welled up with tears, adopting a steady gait as Lapil struggled to catch up.
"Why do I get to feel like the villain, I'm only doing my job..." He wryly grinned, making his way towards Bie whilst massaging his shoulders.
--
"Ehem. So, do you remember me?" Lapil spoke up rather awkwardly as they made their way through the tunnels in an attempt to disrupt the foul air that seemed to rest over them.
"Should I?" Bie snapped his gaze up to him while glaring, his voice terse. It was clear that he was irritated, as the childe seemed to be glancing at him from time to time in the previous silence, eyes filled with displeasure.
"No, you don't, but I was the one who technically brought you to Amitha? That should earn me some recognition, right?" Lapil gave out a smile as he looked down at the boy, hoping this would inspire the feelings of respect he became accustomed to when he reached maturation from being a childe himself.
"A: You don't look like a giant misty woman behind a black door. B: You're taking me away, so it would be a net neutral exchange if you really thought about it." Bie retorted, pointing out a train of logic that some would find ridiculous and others would find perfectly sensible. It really depended on how petty you were, and at this moment, Bie was very, very petty.
Lapil's eyebrows creased as he solemnly took the blow, realizing that his bad impression was definitely not showing signs of improvement any time soon. He wondered if he was this mouthy and sarcastic when he was littler, to which he probably thought was true. He played with the chain slung across the pocket of his plaid plants, before straightening out his tie and working up the will to speak to Bie once more.
It was urgent too, because it had a lot to do with how they would arrive at their destination. He pictured how long it would take them to reach where they were going on foot, grimacing at the prospect of multiple weeks of backbiting comments and looming silences. The resolve to speak germinated in his very soul as he pushed air out of his nostrils, speaking p whilst unintentionally softening his tone.
"You know, I have a much FASTER way of going to the cathedral. Walking ALL the way there would suck, wouldn't it? I mean, think of your leg muscles..."
"I don't get tired." Bie cut him off, firing a brief reply and momentarily thwarting the young man's attempt at persuasion. Lapil paused with his mouth open, the borderline groveling smile on his face freezing over. He took in a large gulp of air as his lips were agape, nodding to himself before continuing through gritting teeth.
"What I MEAN is, there would be a lot of walking that both of us would have to do. Aren't you in a hurry?"
Bie fully faced him for a second before stopping, tilting his head with an inquisitive look on his countenance. He blinked slowly as if he was looking at someone rather stupid, then folded his arms.
"Not really?" He replied.
"Aha, well, I have quite the busy schedule and more tasks to fulfill, so if you could just-"
"You don't want to walk with me, do you?" A mischievous look covered Bie's face as dashed straight up to Lapil's face, his gaze locked firmly on the fluctuating globes that were Lapil's eyes.
"..."
Bie's own eyes glowed as they marched upwards into crescent moons, taking his time to circle around Lapil as he firmly affixed his gaze to the encroaching discomfort that beset Lapil's own countenance. Try as he might to grin, he wouldn't hide the wrinkles as his eyebrows clasped in on themselves, nor the twitching of his lips and the slight smell of sweat he had started to produce.
Bie looked as if he had found a new toy to play with as he delighted in Lapil's discomfort. It assuaged the feelings of longing he had been experiencing, and he took it as a means of revenge for the young man's quibbles. He basked in his squirming once more with a slow revolution with Lapil as the center, before arriving before him and looking up at his face thoughtfully.
"Okay. Show me your way to get there FASTER then. I don't have all day, y'know?"
Lapil's face crumpled as Bie dropped the act, while he reassured himself that he was enduring a trial the Mother of the Night saw fit to give him. His hands made their way up to the hairpin that transformed into a stream of white light, before reappearing atop his head with the appearance of a magician's top hat. There was a pair of purple rabbit ears poking out through two holes in the brim of the cap.