Sunny closed the door behind him and walked through the castle corridors until he stepped outside. His mind was blank; his poker face perfectly mirrored his internal state. He looked up at the sky; in a couple of hours, the sun would begin to set.
Suddenly, his mind started working again. Sunny blinked and looked at the sun; his walk came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street.
"What?"
Incredulous, he looked at his hands—they were the same as always. He pinched his skin and felt the pain.
'Did this really happen? I didn't imagine it all, did I?' Sunny scratched his head, replaying the events. Judging by the sun, at least four hours had theoretically passed since he entered the castle.
'That's ridiculous. There's no way that much time went by. All of that lasted no more than an hour, so…'
The scene of him and Morgan embracing flashed in his mind. Now that he was removed from the situation, it seemed utterly idiotic. A small realization hit him: 'It was just a blink. I wanted to sleep, but those guards arrived… Was it really just a blink? It would make sense, but that can't be, unless…'
He looked down at his chest, still damp from tears.
Sunny tried to find an explanation, attempting to ignore everything involving Morgan's strange behavior and, to some extent, why he himself had taken so many unnecessary risks. With no other explanation, he concluded that the "blink" had lasted hours. Sunny had been holding her for hours and had woken up so suddenly that it felt like an instant because he had fallen into a state of deep relaxation.
At some point during his mental recap, he resumed his journey back to the emporium. Along the way, he noticed a subtle scent radiating from him—an unfamiliar one. He sniffed his shoulders and then his clothes; when his brain connected the dots, he stopped dead in his tracks.
'I smell… I smell like Morgan. Her scent rubbed off on me.' Sunny looked at himself, unsure of how to feel. It was perfume, tart with a fruity hint.
'Raspberry,' he guessed.
He shook his head; thinking about those things was irrelevant now. He continued walking through the streets like a lost man, only hoping that no one would notice the scent on him. Sunny didn't want to give anyone explanations; he needed explanations for himself first.
He was almost there; he saw the emporium just a few steps away. That's when Sunny noticed something unusual:
There were still many hours of sunlight left, so the sign on the door shouldn't say "Closed."
He quickened his pace, sensing that something might be wrong. As Sunny pushed the door open, the bell chimed. Telle, Aiko, and Beth all turned toward him in unison. The intensity of their gazes made him stop in the doorway. It wasn't just their looks, but the atmosphere itself: the moment he crossed the threshold, the air grew tense.
"Uhm, hi," Sunny greeted with a wave. He tried to swallow hard. 'Yeah… I think something's wrong.'
Telle was the first to move. She managed a smile, stood up from her chair, and threw herself into his arms. Sunny received her gladly, spreading his arms and wrapping them around her as she did the same to him. Near his ear, Telle whispered: "I missed you."
"Really? It's only been a day!"
Telle slowly pulled away from the hug. On her way back, she took Sunny's hands, squeezing them gently. She narrowed her eyes and let out a short giggle; Sunny's heart skipped a beat.
"Come, we need to talk. Thank goodness you're here; I've been waiting for a while," Telle said, turning around. Reluctantly, she let go of one of the hands she was holding, but intertwined her fingers with Sunny's other hand as compensation.
Sunny nodded and followed Telle to the table. He glanced at the other two girls. Aiko looked at him calmly; if he didn't know her, he wouldn't have recognized the hint of uncertainty in her posture. Beth, who was standing with her back against the wall, caught his eye and smiled; she also seemed a bit anxious.
He sat between Telle and Aiko. The latter had her arms crossed, but she quickly reached for his free hand and intertwined their fingers, which he reciprocated with a squeeze.
"So, will you tell me what's going on?" he asked softly.
Telle glanced at the other two girls in the room before turning back and focusing all her attention on Sunny.
"Before you ask any questions, let me tell you everything first. Okay?"
Sunny nodded: "Of course."
"Okay," Telle whispered. Her cheeks flushed noticeably, and her expressive eyes reflected her nervousness.
"Well… I might have made a small, tiny mistake," she began, trying to sound confident but failing clumsily. "An act… well, a stupid act, followed by many more before it, but forget that. It turns out that when I went back to my clan house, my mother was waiting for me. I had left the day before and hadn't returned until today, so she was a nervous wreck. She interrogated me about where I had been, asked a few questions, and… it might be that maybe, just maybe, I made her understand or interpret that I was with my boyfriend."
With every small pause she took, her blush deepened by a shade.
"So, my mother has invited you to dinner tonight at the White Feather Clan house. I came to take you with me. I look a lot like her, so maybe you can imagine what she's like; and precisely who she is is the problem. She is… somewhat intense in certain aspects. She wasn't always like this, but after my father died, things became complicated." A deep melancholy appeared in her eyes.
"Excuse me?" Sunny interrupted. His calm demeanor crumbled in a blink; the news hit him like a bucket of ice water. "Are you saying your father died? Master Roan?"
Telle looked both depressed and insecure, shrugging against the back of her chair.
"That's right. It was a while ago; it happened when he faced the Third Nightmare." She squeezed Sunny's hand. "My mother always told him not to do it, but he didn't listen… I don't want to talk about this right now, but did you know him?"
Sunny looked at Telle with his mouth open. Even though his Flaw forced him to answer her, he struggled to articulate the words.
"Yes… he was an acquaintance. I had no idea… damn it, I didn't expect to hear the news like this. I'm so sorry." Sunny squeezed her hand back.
He felt dejected by the news, but deep down, since he decided to distance himself from society for a few years, he also had to prepare for any unexpected news. He understood this wasn't the time for that and pushed his feelings aside for later.
Telle nodded in silence, let out a sigh, and gave him a half-smile. Sunny cleared his throat to announce the change of subject:
"Let's put that aside. So… am I in some kind of danger?"
"Maybe? But my mother is also reasonable! You are a very polite and charming man. My mother will be a bit stormy with you at first, but I assure you that once she gets to know you, she'll accept you quickly!" Suddenly she perked up. "She might be a bit nosy," she giggled, "but she'll like you!"
Sunny did not share the excitement she offered. He swallowed hard and looked away, thoughtful.
"What do you think your mother will ask me, Telle?" he asked anxiously in a low voice, almost grimacing.
"Uhm, basic things, I guess," she raised her free hand, extending her fingers as she listed: "how old you are, what you do for work, or if you've had a girlfriend before. I think she'd ask things like that."
Telle bit her lip and looked to the side, her blush throbbing with embarrassment.
"I'm going to ask you to say you're my boyfriend… I know it's very, very selfish, but please, lie for me," she pleaded, narrowing her eyes, not daring to look at the new owner of her heartbeat again.
"I'm sorry, I think we might have a problem here…" Sunny said apologetically.
Telle tensed, and her lips trembled: "Is… that so?"
"Yes, this could be quite problematic for me…"
Telle's eyes wavered, and her expression became anxious. "I see… if it's because I said you were my boyfriend… I'm so sorry."
She looked down, swallowing hard to push back the lump forming in her throat. "I got my hopes up way too much. Because of my own stupidity, I got you into this mess. I'm not even your girlfriend… forgive me."
Her voice broke; she closed her eyes and breathed heavily, fighting back the emerging sobs.
Telle clung to his hand, holding onto the fragile hope of being accepted. But the hand she clung to slipped from her grasp; as it let go, her heart suffered a painful sting that spread through her arms like weakness. Both her arms fell lifelessly to her sides.
"No, we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. That actually is a problem," Sunny said in a mid-low voice, but to Telle, it sounded like a thunderclap.
She hung her head lower, but before anything else could happen, she felt a warm tickle crawl up her right cheek until it cupped her face. She opened her eyes in confusion. Sunny had taken Telle's cheek and then drew her toward him, forcing them to see each other face to face. Without giving her time to do anything, he leaned in and stole a kiss—short but full of intent.
"Wouldn't it be better if we were actually dating? I couldn't stand the thought of you holding hands with anyone who isn't me… I've become a bit selfish, I must confess. Tell me, Telle, will you be my girlfriend?"
His bold request was accompanied by a smile full of feeling.
Telle's lips parted before the lower one trembled, forming a tender pout. "You didn't have to take so long to say it…" she sobbed.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, clearing away the small tears. "Yes, yes I will." She took a long breath as if she were going to cry, but in the end, she looked into his eyes and smiled; despite her teary eyes, she radiated happiness.
"I'm glad… all right, now that that's settled, I think it's time to say it. Given the situation, it's better I say it now: the problem I was referring to is about… my Flaw," he emphasized at the end.
Three pairs of eyes fixed on him with curiosity. Beth and Aiko, who until that moment had remained quiet out of respect, seemed ready to pounce on him with questions once he said it. Sunny looked away from the girls and stared into the void; his mind began to work.
'This… I think it would be harder, but it's a surprise. To think it cost me so much to say this before… What could have changed? Enough, I don't want to think about that.'
Sunny focused again on his companions, the expectant gazes of these little people he had grown to love so deeply in such a short time—so much so that each one caused butterflies in his stomach every day.
He smiled, realizing he had found something worth taking risks for again.
"I can tell you this because I trust you more than you can imagine; even I am surprised by this. I trust you too, Telle. These might be hasty words on my part, but it's what I feel." The three girls leaned in closer and closer, each with their own ideas and expectations.
"My Flaw is that I cannot lie."
The room fell into a deep silence. The three looked at Sunny with various expressions, but surprise was common to all. Aiko, on his left side, opened and closed her mouth, struggling to say something:
"I thought your Flaw was… that you could only wear black clothes," she expressed, completely stunned, as if what she had heard wasn't possible.
Beth turned to her with a raised eyebrow: "How could there be such a stupid Flaw?" she said reproachfully.
Aiko crossed her arms: "There are all kinds of Flaws," she grumbled.
The look of emotional happiness on Telle's face faded as she realized the implications of his Flaw: "That… really is a big problem."
Telle brought a hand to her chin, covering her lower lip, and stared at nothing, visibly pensive.
Sunny, who sat beside Telle sharing her pensive look, felt small taps on his left shoulder. He turned that way and saw Aiko looking at him seriously.
"Tell me, who is the prettiest?" she asked with a commanding tone.
Sunny's lips parted instantly: "I think you are all the prettiest."
"What kind of nonsense are you asking, huh?" Beth turned toward the little inquisitor, growling at her.
Small Aiko shrugged and leaned toward Sunny unconsciously, as if she wanted to hide behind him. "I just got curious… as if you couldn't ask something better!"
"Of course I could!" She turned to Sunny: "Who do you love most?"
"I love you all equally," he replied immediately, not perturbed in the least.
After the instantaneous response, the room fell silent again. Telle, emerging from her pensive state, turned to look at the two girls. Both were frowning: Beth with a subtle scowl and Aiko with her arms crossed. Both were visibly unsatisfied with the answers. She broke the silence by returning to the previous topic.
"What do we do now? Oh gods, I've gotten you into trouble with my nonsense. If you don't come with me, Mother will come hunting for you, but if you do come and she asks you some delicate things… you're dead… I… I'm so sorry," Telle scolded herself with grief.
Sunny stroked her golden hair: "Don't worry, we'll think of something. I've lived with my Flaw long enough to handle it in complicated situations. Still, this will be tricky to navigate…"
"But what could we do?" Telle's eyes wavered as she tried to find a solution; taking Sunny to her mother to be interrogated would end in his execution.
"I have an idea," Beth spoke up, her voice rising above everyone's thoughts and grabbing their attention. "I don't think my idea solves the problems themselves, but at least it will give you some room to maneuver… but first, I need you to confirm something."
Her gaze traveled to Sunny. She stepped away from the wall and walked until she was in front of him, with only the table separating them. "So you said you can only tell the truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"That's right, but I can filter some information; however, in essence, that's how it is."
Beth nodded in silence and walked back to stand behind Sunny. "Then, if you can only say things as they are, maybe we need to change some parts of reality. How does that sound?"
She grabbed Sunny's shoulders, making him turn around, took his porcelain cheeks, and gave him a short kiss. "Sunny, my love, we're breaking up!" she announced cheerfully.
Sunny's expression instantly contorted into one of surprise and absolute horror; he felt his stomach drop. He turned toward her, waving his arms, trying to communicate as words failed him. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. Anticipating any movement from Sunny, Beth placed her index finger over his lips.
"We're broken up… until you get back from dinner," she clarified. Then she turned to Aiko, giving her a knowing look. Aiko widened her eyes slightly and then nodded.
"Well… I guess the same goes for over here. It was nice while it lasted. We're through, Boss!"
Sunny's face, which had turned terrified and pained, began to regain its calm as he understood the idea. When it sank in, he let out a deep sigh, his shoulders trembling slightly; any more and he really would have burst into tears.
"Don't play like that again… I felt like something terrible was happening, but I understand," he gasped in relief, pulling away the hand he had quickly placed on his chest.
"Fine, fine, but answer this now: how many girlfriends do you have?" Beth asked. Sunny turned toward Telle, who took a second to return his gaze; after receiving a smile from her, he also smiled and turned back to Beth.
"Telle is my only and beloved girlfriend," he proclaimed.
"Very good! Now, any other measures to take?"
"I hope nothing that almost makes my heart stop, but other than that, I can suggest a few."
The room turned into an active discussion focused on restructuring Sunny's life, at least for tonight; four hearts cooperated for the sake of two.
Once everything seemed in order, Sunny left the emporium holding Telle's hand. They stopped a few steps from the exit; Telle walked ahead of Sunny, summoning her Echo. A griffon manifested, majestic yet familiar to Sunny.
Telle patted the Echo's back: "Have you ever flown?" she asked, turning around with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Yes."
"Oh… well… but not on this one! Come on, get on!"
Laughing at her attempt to look cool, Sunny climbed onto the creature's back only after Telle. He followed her instructions, having to hug her waist, stroke her belly, and kiss her neck every seven seconds: otherwise, they might fall—at least that's what she claimed.
He did exactly as he was told.
XXX
The afternoon had not been the best for Tyris lately. After spending the morning attending to political and administrative matters with Clan Valor and the imminent confrontation with Ravenheart, she was not in the best of moods.
But that wasn't the main thing keeping her tense; she would have liked to sigh, but a force she had already grown accustomed to wouldn't allow it.8
'Telle…' she thought of her daughter. Tyris had been doing it all day; in fact, she thought of her a lot, even more since the two of them were left alone, but especially today, even getting distracted in the middle of things that required her attention.
She was certainly downcast, she could admit it. The news that her little girl was dating someone hit her like a Titan's kick not because she had someone, but because she had hidden it.
Telle was the pillar of her life; ever since her husband died some time ago, life seemed to have stopped smiling for her. It was bad news after bad news; the worst of all was that her daughter didn't have enough trust in her to confess that she had someone special in her heart.
'What did I do wrong?... What am I doing wrong?' Tyris walked impassively, her face a stoic mask. Inside, she was falling apart; she wanted to sit down and scream everything she had in her chest, but she couldn't.
She kept walking until she reached the place she so longed for; she entered the supply warehouse, going all the way to the back. Tyris uncovered a cloth to reveal a wooden box containing a selection of bottles with a reddish liquid inside; they looked luxurious, as did their contents. She grabbed a bottle, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed another, hesitated again, and ended up taking a third.
Tyris carried three identical bottles, two in her hand and one tucked against her side with her elbow.
She walked until she reached a private dining room; it had a small wooden table, lightly decorated. Tyris used to use it for private meals when the situation allowed.
She carefully placed the three bottles on the white tablecloth, turned around, and went to one of the cabinets in the room to take out a glass. She uncorked one of the bottles with the strength of her fingers, poured the wine into the glass, and set the bottle aside, glancing at the luxurious label:
Wine from the House of Jeke.
"Alcoholic beverage brewed exclusively for Awakened and higher. Please do not consume if you are a normal person; we are not responsible for health problems it may cause. For Awakened and higher, consume in moderation.
Manufacturer's note:
Recommended dosage: one glass per da—"
Tyris stopped reading, losing interest in the familiar description. She filled the glass to the brim with wine and, as if it were water, swallowed it all in one go. The familiar burn, as if her mouth were melting from swallowing magma, greeted her. The sting subsided, leaving behind a slight feeling of fullness and satisfaction exactly what she needed to relax her shoulders and stop thinking so much.
In the last year, she had become a bit dependent on this liquid. At first, it was just a glass every now and then, then one or two every three days, one a day after work, a bottle a day…. Tyris hadn't started drinking early only because she was busy; yesterday she hadn't been able to drink until night because of the anguish of not knowing where Telle was.
"Telle…" she whispered with difficulty. 'Am I not trustworthy?' A slight dizziness hit her, but she ignored it completely. She shouldn't be drinking; Telle and her guest were due to arrive soon. Even so, the temptation of a single, simple glass won her over and, before even touching the liquid to her palate—even before, while walking in search of the bottles—she had already yielded to the liquor.
Tyris took the bottle and poured herself another glass, which she drank with the same greed a man lost in the desert would take a glass of water. The heat that went down her throat made her momentarily forget everything. But her conscience kept throbbing.
'Boyfriend… a boyfriend… a boyfriend…' she rolled the word around her tongue. 'Will he be someone good?... She's a naive girl. What if she's with a lecher who only wants her for her body?'
The first bottle was already finished. Clumsily, she grabbed the other and uncorked it; the cork resisted a bit more than the previous one. Failing to measure her strength when the cork gave way, she hit the glass, causing it to fall to the floor and shatter into pieces.
Tyris glanced at the glass remains and, after observing them with doubt for a few moments, lost interest and looked at the bottle instead. She brought it to her mouth and drank directly from it; a few drops escaped the corners of her lips, running down her neck.
She slammed the half-finished bottle onto the table. Tyris forgot where she was, what she was going to do, or what she would do; she blinked for several seconds and looked around, trying to find something. She remained staring bewilderedly at the place until her consciousness regained some strength.
'Telle… where is she?... Her boyfriend… right… she was going to bring him…'
"Boyfriend…" If she could have, she would have loaded that word with resentment.
"A… he must be a lecher… my… girl… no, it won't happen," Tyris said in a monotonous voice. She stumbled clumsily away from the table, almost falling; she gripped the wall and walked at a slow, irregular pace.
The idea of her tender girl being used and deflowered by a wretch filled her with impotence, but Tyris wouldn't just stand by and let it happen; she would show Telle what kind of person he was.
"I will… catch you red-handed… I'll prove it… he's a pervert…" Every step she took was as if she were doing it underwater; still, she managed to reach her room and push the door open. Tyris almost fell to her knees as she advanced so clumsily.
The room was large, bordering on unnecessary, and of little use to her being alone. She turned to her closet, which she hadn't opened in a long time; and opened it, grabbing and tossing dresses aside as if they were nothing. Tyris was looking for something specific; when she found it, she grabbed it and staggered back.
It was a purple dress; she loved that dress so much she didn't like taking it out. She didn't remember when the last time was, but it had been far too long. Tyris staggered to her bed—too large for just one person—sat on the spongy mattress, and looked at the dress one last time. Once again she wanted to sigh, but she wasn't allowed to; that bothered her more.
"I'll catch you," Tyris declared monotonically. Her armor became sparks that illuminated her body before disappearing, leaving her almost unreal curves exposed. Her ample bust came out into the air, bouncing, and without wasting any more time, she began to put it on with obvious difficulty.
The dress was lace, sheer through the arms and the contours of the hips, clearly made to highlight certain attributes. "Come on… get in." It had been a long time since she had worn the dress—she didn't remember exactly when—but she found that her rear wouldn't pass through the fabric. Full of frustration, she grabbed one of her two generous buttocks, squeezed it, and pushed it down, managing to get it through; she did the same with the other.
Once ready in the dress, Tyris looked in the mirror in her room. The dizziness didn't allow her to see clearly, but to her eyes, something indispensable was still missing to catch types like him. Turning to a drawer near the closet, Tyris opened it, quickly finding what she was looking for.
"This… is fine," she murmured stoically.
She grabbed the metal object, cold to the touch but warming with the heat radiating from her hand. She walked to her nightstand and knelt, falling heavily onto her knees. Tyris opened the drawer, taking out a half-consumed bottle of a clear liquid; using her other hand, she squeezed the bottle, letting the slippery liquid fall into her hand.
She squeezed too hard, making it overflow. She left the metal object on the bed and, using her dry hand, grabbed the edge of the dress and lifted it, exposing her plump rear. Once done, she moved her other hand toward her backside.
Tyris gave a small shiver as the cold liquid crawled between her buttocks, slippery and viscous. Her rear, which could already leave anyone who had the privilege of seeing it speechless, was now simply lethal with a layer of shine adorning it. Tyris rubbed her hand full of lubricant along the crease of her buttocks; when she thought it was enough, she redirected her fingers, aligning them toward a certain puckered entrance.
Her middle finger entered after a small push, making its way through her anus and spreading the lubricant inside her. She withdrew the finger and took more surrounding lubricant only to reinsert it. Tyris would have groaned or grimaced; all she did was grip the fabric of her dress tightly.
"Damn… pervert," she whispered impassively.
Following the middle finger, the ring finger slipped in, expanding the tight cavity further. Tyris's breathing subtly grew deeper, and her legs trembled from the movement between her buttocks. She pushed as far as she could, as her generous rear wouldn't let her bury her fingers completely.
She would have liked to groan, but again, she was forbidden from releasing her emotions.
Her lower body burned with need; it only took a bit of stimulus to unleash her repressed desires. She withdrew her fingers from her back door with a wet pop and dragged them over her rear, leaving a trail of shiny lubricant on her right buttock.
With that done, only one step remained: the minimum preparation was ready. Tyris looked at the metal plug with no emotion in her eyes, but instead of finally taking it in her hands and inserting it to end this, she admired it hesitantly.
She looked toward her hand dripping with lubricant; and as she did, another wave of irresistible heat tormented her nether region. She had to finish what she had started; her long-neglected body demanded it.
Tyris moved her soaked hand back toward her rear and reinserted the same fingers in the same place but with more intensity. She arched her back and tensed her legs; on her knees, she collapsed onto the bed. Her fingers inside her began to probe with liberating intensity, moving in and out with lewd sounds accompanied by wet splashes.
As she punished her small hole, now dripping with fluids, her vagina burned, pleading for attention. Her other hand slipped between her legs; mercilessly, she pressed her soaked mound with desperation.
It didn't take long for Saint Tyris to have to increase the intensity of her self-pleasure act. She fluttered her fingers inside like a wingbeat, forcing the anus to expand and try to return to its original shape, repeating the cycle with every movement.
She didn't have much control over her body; sometimes her fingers would slip out and she had to reinsert them, but each time she felt she was getting closer to something. Her breathing was undeniably deep; she bit the fabric of the bed hard, trying to cope with the pleasure.
'You… you…'
From her belly, a warm tickle began to spread through her lower zone. Her fingers rubbed her clitoris as if seeking that sensation, while on the other hand, her other fingers attacked the tight hole until they reached it. Tyris curled her toes and arched her back as far as she could; with spasms throughout her body and an impassive expression, she let out a trembling huff. From her completely wet vagina, dripping with her own fluids, a white stream emerged, announcing relief and the long-awaited climax.
Tyris collapsed on the bed for a few moments; her legs twitched with spasms every now and then, and consequently, her hips followed. The fingers inside her crawled out of the hole, which didn't immediately return to its original shape. With her viscous hand, she grabbed the plug and, without wasting any more time, shoved it in all at once, forcing a spasm and a new, though smaller, stream of liquid.
She pushed against the bed to help herself up; the plug remained hidden and buried between her two round, mature-woman buttocks.
Tyris staggered to the exit of her room; her thighs rubbed together slipperily and her intimacy continued to secrete fluids. Of course, she wasn't satisfied. She almost fell by misstepping, and drops of her fluids, running down her legs, fell, staining the floor.
'I… will… catch you… I'll save you… Telle.'