You know the feeling when you wanna sink into the Ground, Or even better…Die on the Spot?
That's how Effie was feeling right now, along with some of the Female Firekeepers that had gotten a mouthful from Nephis for not recognizing Sunny. Of course every single one of them couldn't believe her words. Not that they didn't think Sunny could become so Attractive, but the fact that he could become so…so effortlessly charming.
His whole demeanor had changed completely after all. There was no hint of his Craziness and Treachery in the Alluring Master Noctis. He was playing his role pretty good after all. Losing a good Chunk of your memories means losing a part of yourself of course. So in the end they just had witnessed a side of Sunny that was definitely rare to get a glimpse at. That's why Noone recognized him.
"I'm sorry Princess, it's not like I was Hiding him from you, OK? I never even suspected Master Noctis to be Sunny. They are like complete opposites after All."
Effie was Embarrassed of course. A rare thing to see her actually be. Nephis had expected Effie to break out into Laughter when the Truth about the Eye Candy Café owner would be revealed to her. But even the boisterous Huntress had no Humor Left to joke about her lost Friend.
Nephis watched Effie closely. She could see her shoulders hanging low and her face showing not even a Hint of Amusement. She knew that kind of Feeling perhaps the best out of all of them. After all it was Nephis who had trouble containing Herself the most.
She was also the most Embarrassed person in the Room after losing herself in the feeling of Sunny's body under her touch.
'How am I supposed to face him again? He must think I'm a pervert or something like that. Damn you Primal Instincts.'
Perhaps blaming her Primal Instincts could help her cope but the reality was much more complicated. Her love for him was so great That she Desperately wanted to be near him. Even if it meant shamelessly abusing the situation To get her hands all over his Upper body.
In the end she was still left unsatisfied though. Because The perhaps most important thing was still covered by Armor.
His Face is what she wanted to see the most. Sure she had seen it, well kinda, at least the Altered Version of it with the Mesmerizing Red eyes and his long White Hair that was collected in a ponytail.
Effie was getting a bit nervous now. Nephis hasn't accepted Or denied her Apology yet. She coughed quickly to get her attention. Since Nephis has been deep in thought she was actually a little startled by Effie demanding her attention.
"Huh? Sorry…I…I was just thinking of something."
Effie suddenly had a wide Grin on her lips. A look nephis knew all too well after all those years. She already had an Idea of What Effie might have been Chirped by a certain Nightingale.
"Are you thinking of earlier perhaps? When your hands shamelessly traced All over Sunny's Body? Are you perhaps disappointed that his Pants were still intact?"
'There she is.'
That last comment took Nephis a little by surprise, she would never admit It to Effie but she would be lying if she said that Sunny has never Appeared in her Dreams. The kind of dreams that make you want to fall back to sleep immediately upon waking up. Nephis was perhaps more Dirty minded than she realized. At least her dreams were a sign of that.
She shook her head in bewilderment as if Trying To get rid of a thought to get a hold Of her mind again, which has been running wild for a while now.
"You are wrong, I was not hoping that his pants were gone. It was his helmet that I would have wished to be gone instead."
"So you have been thinking about how much you liked touching his body?"
Nephis sighed in defeat. Are 3 years of separation All it takes to turn her into a desperate and Obsessing Woman? Looking at earlier the answer To that question would be 'Yes'.
Not giving Effie the satisfaction Of a 'yes' was crucial in such a situation though. Otherwise the Huntress would fall into an endless bombardment of Teasing. So Instead Nephis just changed the Subject. A trick she had learned from Sunny of course.
"He has agreed to staying here in Bastion by the way. He said he has something to do here and as it turns out, he's looking for a part of his Forbidden Lineage."
"THAT'S A RELIEF, his cooking has become so good I can't help To think That he hasn't done anything else in his entire life. I could melt under the taste of his waffles."
Of course Effie, once Again, only heard the part that had to do with him staying and not the WHY. To her the reason didn't matter as long as he was here with them.
'The waffles are a nice bonus of course.'
She thought with a smile on her lips.
"So what are we gonna do now? He's Here, that's great. But he still doesn't remember us. How are we gonna solve that problem? Normally Sunny and Cassie are the ones with the brain but one of them isn't available Of course."
Of Course Cassie has been thinking about nothing else as of late. Her mind is constantly on the Subject of getting Sunny's Memories back. But for that they would need to know what caused his memory to be lost in the first place.
And they doubt that Sunny is willing to share that Information, if he even remembers how it happened.
Unfortunately Cassie's ability to see into the Future has been Compromised when it comes to Sunny. She still got visions from other people's Fates but his…his seems gone or at least severely damaged.
"We have no idea where to even start. For now All we can do is get him to trust us again. I promised him we won't pressure him into becoming part of our Cohort again, so don't mention it in front of him."
Nephis said with a sigh. She would have Loved To have him by her Side for the Missions she is sent to by Valor. Not just because Sunny is a formidable fighter and one of the Strongest people she ever met, even before becoming a Saint. But because it would feel like the good old times. Both of them fighting side by side with her Cooking a meal at the end of the day and him telling ridiculous stories that even though they don't sound like it, are all nothing but the truth. Although those roles seem like they would be reversed now.
Effie nodded along not knowing what to say as an answer. His absence hit her harder than most people would assume by looking at her. She was great at hiding her Feelings behind a Mask Of Jokes and theatrics, like she always had been. But deep inside she was just a vulnerable Girl who had lost her Childhood due to illness. The Only one actually knowing the full extent to her Feelings is her Husband, whatever his name is.
"I think I will go visit him later. You know…just chat a bit. Maybe he will open up a little."
Nephis smiled at Effi'e words. She too knew how Effie's feelings really looked since she could sense them with her Ability. But she kept quiet, not wanting to press her into sharing her feelings if she didn't want to. Only offering a shoulder to cry on if the Gluttonous Huntress ever Needed one.
Sitting alone in his Café again Sunny was deep in thought. Aiko had long left and for today the Café wouldn't open again.
'What am I gonna do now? My life is Changing because of that Star and her Cohort. My very peaceful Life to be exact. Her True Name is like an absolute Law that gets pressed on everyone around her.'
He thought with a somber expression.
'At least she still has a True Name…mine is…broken. Like the rest of me.'
He put a hand on his Chest and let out a sharp, pained hiss. The wound he had received at the end of his 3rd Nightmare is still not really healed. If not for Bloodweave his Original Body would have bleed out before he even had a Chance listening to the Spell to announce his Ascension.
He looked outside a window at the Ivory Tower and thought with a hint of sadness In his eyes.
'I guess for now I have no other Choice but to stay. When I have the part of Weavers Lineage here in Bastion I'm gonna leave this all Behind.'
Too high was the Risk that the Pain which was just a Memory for now would become reality once again. Sunny lost His Memories After all. Almost everything from his 3rd Nightmare is gone and Everything before is a Blur of Missing Pieces and confusing Scenes.
He had long accepted The fact that he Might never get back what he lost. After all the Thieve was no other than The Vile Thieving Bird himself. The same Creature that managed to steal an Eye from a Daemon.
'Did weaver have two eyes or more than that? His Mask only has two holes for eyes so I guess It's more plausible that he only had two.'
The Daemon Weaver, who's Domain is Fate, has brought Sunny most of his Pain. The Attribute [Fated] he once had, was now in shambles, destroyed by the Cursed Terror.
The rest of Sunny Doesn't Look Like It's Complete Anymore Too. The Spell who once announced every kill and thing he Achieved has grown lazy as it seems, only speaking to him from time to time.
His Runes too looked like someone had swung at them with a Warhammer. Shattering them to a point where he had to decipher His own runes without the help of the Spell. Luckily for Sunny he Had learned the Runic Language very early on in his Journey as an Awakened. Sadly he couldn't remember who it was that teached Him though. Perhaps he had taught it himself like he did with Weaving.
Looking at his Runes with anger burning in his eyes he muttered to himself.
"That damn wretch is still alive as it seems."
The Runes describing his Innate Ability were lifeless once again.
….It's….Imp….roper for a Shad…ow, let al….one a Divine one, to w…..alk aroun….d with….out a Master.]
Below them they were Radiant Though and read.
[Ma…ster:
The rest were lost somewhere. Perhaps grinded to Dust as his Fate was shattered. He knew who his current Master is of course, but he was unable to tell anyone since it's an Order from his Master he could not resist.
'Once Again I'm a Slave. The world is a Cruel place, both of them.'
For now he is Unable to solve the Issue. But perhaps in the Future, he could.
'Maybe when I obtain weavers Full Lineage I'll be able to solve This Problem, but for now, we are in a stalemate.'
He gritted his teeth and raised his Fist, then he shouted.
"I SWEAR TO THE DEAD GOD'S I WILL KILL HIM WHEN I GET THE CHANCE TO."
Bringing his Fist down on the Table in Front of him the Wood shattered with splinters flying around hitting the walls and Windows which caused one of them to shatter.
The Mimic Trembled slightly at the Anger of its master and the Damage it received. Fortunately the broken table and window would repair themselves by tomorrow.
He let out a sigh to calm himself down and looked at the Chaos around him with regret.
'I should get therapy or something.'
He didn't say it out loud since It was a joke he doesn't believe to be the Truth. A joke he should take more seriously though because his Peaceful life is perhaps not as peaceful as he had made himself believed to be. After all he is still Missing something, something that was once very precious To him. The only problem is that he can't remember what it was, therefore Leaving him frustrated beyond belief.
His Head fell into his hands. Suddenly he began to sob, Tears running Through his fingers and falling to the Ground.
"What is the Point of having a Peaceful life when I'm still broken? Why can't I be truly happy for once?"
There was a time where he was happy of course, but that he sadly couldn't remember. Leaving him with only the Pain and Sorrow for Memories Of his Past Life.
Outside The Café a Dozen Meters or so away stood a Man and a Woman. The two had been watching the Scene from moments before the Table was shattered and had stopped, frozen in place.
Through the shattered window not daring to approach their friend they just watched. Although that was what he needed right now, a friend to turn to and to open up to. But only the two people outside knew that they were such people, not Sunny himself, who was in desperate need for them, only that he doesn't remember who they once were to him.
Effie turned to Kai with sadness written all over her Face. She knew how much he needed them right now, but also that he doesn't think the same way. For him there was Noone out there who understood him, who could help him.
"Do you think we should approach him?"
She asked hesitantly. Kai didn't know what was right in that situation. All he knew was that they should do it, but didn't know if sunny would let them.
"I think we should knock first. See if he's even willing to talk right now."
She gave him a nod and walked towards the Door. Suddenly the Shadows in front of them Stirred and Sunny stepped out of them, his face clearly showing how exhausted he is right now. With tears still flowing out of his Red eyes and down his cheeks he looked at them. Once again there was nothing but calculated calmness in his expression. Not even a Hint of recognition in his voice when he asked confused.
"What do you want? The Café is closed for Today!"
Effie knew better than to approach him without permission, even though she would have Loved to take him into a hug, she just Stood there. Her voice calm with a smile on her lips as she spoke.
"Although I love your Cooking Mast…no, Sunny. We are here for something else."
Sunny sighed, not wanting to be rude to his best paying customer he gave her a nod. If not friendly he tried to be calm at least.
"Ok so what is it that you want?"
KaI pulled Out a Bottle of Wine from his bag and held it in front of him with a smile.
"We…wanted to talk to you. Just a little bit of Chatting. We promise not to press you with any Subject you don't wanna talk about of course. Can we come inside?"
Sunny looked At them with confusion written All over His face.
"Why?"
"Because that's what friends do, we know you don't remember us, but… seeing a friend in pain is something I can't bring myself to look away from, so let's have a talk. Like in the good old days."
Sunny frowned for a second. Under other Circumstances He would have told them to fuck off, but now he could use some distraction from his Sorrow. With a sigh he stepped to The side and gestured For the Door with an open hand.
"Fine, but don't expect me to drink that wine of yours. It's pointless Anyways."
Effie chuckled while walking past Him and said.
"OH we know. You can't really get drunk because of Bloodweave. But bringing a Guest present to a friendly get-together is the least we Can do."
To her delight she actually managed To bring a smile to his lips.
"Thanks."