Nephis moved her hand to his hair, the other behind his neck, bringing him closer. She then kissed the border of his lips and the line of his jaw. She was about to continue their kissing session when she noticed that he wasn't answering in kind. She looked up to him again.
"Do you need a little bit of help? You are a little ten-"
The words died in her throat at the panicked look of his eyes, staring horrified at something behind her.
Nephis, now tense too, slowly turned towards the source of horror.
Illuminated by the morning light, an olive-skinned woman was standing in the entrance. She was luckily covered, albeit by only a light tunic. Her body was as frozen in time: jaw on the floor, eyer wider than Godgrave's skull's, fixated on them.
Her eyes began to slowly narrow, as if she had been encased in ice that was now slowly melting. Then it was the mouth which curled up into a devilish smile. Her arm rose slowly, as if pressing against the force of an overwhelming gravity, and pointed at them.
"Ah!"
The victorious exclamation ricocheted off the walls of the room, echoing into nothingness. Nobody moved for a second. And then…
"Princess! You kissed Doofus! I knew it!"
Nephis looked at her lover, whose expression was now normal, for a moment.
Give her a hard time, Neph.
I will be the mouth with which you can lie, Sunny.
The exchange happened in less than a second.
The beauty slowly raise form the bed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Effie disbelieving face made Sunny want to snicker.
"What!? You kissed him! I saw it!"
Nephis walked up to Effie, analysing her face.
"Effie, are you sure you are feeling well? I told you to stay away from those strange mushrooms."
The huntress stuttered.
"I didn't eat anything strange! I saw that you kissed him! You were also sleeping together!"
Calm, usual expressionless face.
"Did not."
Effie was nearing her limit.
"Yes, you did! You- you even asked him if he needed a hand in that strange tone!"
Nephis was an impenetrable fortress.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You did!"
"Did not."
"You didn't!"
Nephis nodded.
"Exactly. I didn't."
Effie let out something akin to both a crazy laugh and a wet cry. She held her head in her hands, no longer sane.
Just as her brain was about to explode, she noticed a little treacherous shadow watching the cruel ordeal form the bed, a smirk tugging at his lips. Newly born hope burning in her desperate mind, she called out to him.
"Hey, Sunny, --"
A vast presence encompassed the small room as something emerged form one of the human shadows that had welcomed her. A figure clad in elegant black armour, two menacing red embers burning in the deep shadows of her visor: she seemed like a demon who had come to lead the armies of hell against humanity.
Stunned, Effie took a step back.
"That's—That's a "
Sunny chuckled.
"Oh? I didn't already mention her? Sorry. Effie, Saint. Saint, Effie."
Saint raised her fist and brought it down on her impervious plate armour, saluting both the huntress and Changing Star. Nephis smiled at the Shadow.
Effie seemed about to explode.
"You got an Echo when you killed the stone knights!?"
"Yes."
The huntress looked at the monster for a couple more seconds, then narrowed her eyes.
"Why did you summon her now?"
"Why, to let you two meet, of course."
That was only the secondary reason, though. The real aim was to distract Effie before he, the most honest person in all worlds, was dragged into the conversation. It would have been a catastrophe akin to the Doom War.
Sunny quickly escape the scene with calm steps, stopping only to examine Effie, who was a bit red due to her exasperation.
"Are you sure you are feeling good, Effie? You truly look a bit hot."
In another occasion, the Huntress may have used Sunny's wording "You truly look a bit hot." against him, but instead she stared at the bed lost in thought. She didn't notice Sunny and Nephis leaving her alone.
'Did I imagine it?'
After a minute of two, she closed her eyes with a sight.
'I must be real tired, I should take a day off.'
She was so upset that she ALMOST forgot her food, the reason she had intruded there in the first place.
----------------
Sunny left the huntress behind and breathed a sigh of relief. He leaned on the side of the construction and looked at his two shadows. Gloomy was being gloomy, while happy was oozing joy.
"Why didn't you wake me up before entered, so that we could've avoided this almost-Armageddon?" He berated them.
They both laughed and shrugged. Sunny stared at the two with fake-hatred.
"You better behave next time, otherwise I will wrap you around the mighty Rock and make it repeat Skibidi Toilet 24/7."
The shadows stared at him in horror, before they shuddered and nodded.
"Good."
I think she might be going mad.
Nephis light tone made him chuckle.
Yeah, well, we got back at her for once.
Sunny was acutely aware that if him and Effie had been a little closer they never would have escaped the teasing unscathed.
Sunny turned as the huntress exited the headquarters. She was looking a little… down, head turned to the floor and slumped shoulders. Just then, a petite blind girl showed up at the entrance of her little hut.
Effie walked up to her and leaned down with a defeated expression. Cassie's face expressed more and more surprise as the huntress whispered something. After a moment, she straightened and announced:
"I'm feeling a little down, I'm sleeping all day."
Sunny and Nephis shared an amused glance as the huntress walked back to her hut.
"Can you two come here?"
Nephis and Sunny obliged. When she noticed they had got near enough, Cassie grabbed an arm each.
"How the hell did you do that?"
Sunny smiled.
"Do what?"
She furiously whispered: "Effie! She woke me up saying you two were sleeping together!"
Since the question was so vague, Sunny could easily not answer. However, he chose to have a little more fun.
"Well, she saw us in the same bed. I was the only one awake and I made some true excuses and surprised her with who my other roommate was. She had drunk it when Neph woke up and decided to break my schemes apart. Then Nephis denied everything and I summoned an Awakened Monster to surprise her. Now she thinks she's ill."
'Why did I even ask?' was written all over Cassie's face.
"So… you basically gaslighted her. Although, my memory of the Bright Castle is as clear as a crystal in my mind, so I'm surprised she didn't find you naked. I didn't even hear any action!"
Sunny deadpanned.
"Well, if it consoles you, Neph destroyed my excuses by trying to have a little action first thing in the morning."
Cassie's laugh echoed in the slums as Nephis's ears became a deep shade of red.