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The Astral Express had become a far more quiet place, no longer plagued by the rambunctious and loud presence that was the Trailblazer and March 7th. For they had gone to participate in an event held by the Family within the Penacony Dreamscape, the first ever Penacony Holy Grail War.
Well, March 7th had left more to have fun in Penacony than to participate in that Holy Grail War.
Still, while the event was promoted with the idea of a ‘Wish Granting Device’ in mind, Sunday knew well enough that even if it could grant any wish, Oti Alfalfa would not care for such a thing. Rather, he was thinking that it would be more in-line with him if Oti was simply using the event as a whole in order to advance his own personal agenda and gains. After all, that was simply the type of man he was to have survived as long as he had.
Of course, even if he knew this truth, it was hardly like he could do much himself. The matters regarding the Family and Penacony was no longer connected to him.
“Robin..” Sunday muttered quietly, his thoughts turning to his dear sister, the one who now bore the mantle of Oak Family Head.
He would’ve liked to see her once again. To smile at each other like they used to, back when they were children who had no idea to what depths evil pervaded every faucet of the universe. To when neither of them had the titles of criminal or Family Head above their heads.
He knew such a thing was far from now, however. It was next to impossible to be able to even get an audience with her without being monitored. As she was monitored by both her own fans, and those who wish to keep an eye on the one who took up his mantle after his betrayal for what the Family stood for.
In the future, that day may one day come. Where they could keep their promise to meet again, to smile at one another as they walk forward towards their futures.
Still, the fact was that he couldn’t see her again, at least not now. So, he decided to simply let the Trailblazer join in that ‘Holy Grail War’ and help her. Hopefully, they had properly listened to his warning he gave them before they departed the Express.
It felt bittersweet, that he had to place his hopes for Robin’s safety and happiness within others, when he spent so long trying to do that himself. He knew if he could, he would gladly take on that role, to be there to help guide her. But..she wasn’t someone he had to protect anymore.
She had grown to become someone he no longer needed to look after, and could stand on her own two feet.
Not that it mitigated his feelings of wanting to protect her, but he couldn’t ignore that reality he was forced to accept for himself, when she stood up against him after he attempted to create his own ‘utopia’ when he stepped into the domain of the Aeons. That she had grown far stronger than he ever was, to stand amid the universe where many had lost their chance to dream, to imagine a happier life, yet still declared that all he was doing was forcing them to submit, that he ignored the people who wished to save themselves. Even if he had become Ena THEMSELVES, he was still able to hear her when she said those words.
His thoughts were put to a screeching halt by the sound of the door opening, and Sunday turned his eyes away from his phone, the closed screen of it showing his face that seemed both proud and saddened when thinking of his dear sister, to his door room sliding open.
They walked into his room, their blue eyes searching the room for a moment before settling on him, the tassel on their clothes and the coat trailing behind them. For it seemed to be none other than the guard of the Astral Express, Dan Heng.
“..So, you decided to come here as him this time?” Sunday remarked, an unimpressed expression on his face as he moved to sit on his bed, feeling the way the mattress dipped from his weight.
The one wearing Dan Heng’s face grinned, in a sort of mixture of playful and amused that looked so strange to see on a face like his.
“Maybe the fact you can figure out it’s me so easily is because you’re just obsessed with me. Ever think of that angle, chicken wing boy?” The words were not spoken in Dan Heng’s voice, instead it was that of a girl that sounded like she enjoyed every second staring at Sunday’s deadpan face.
Following that, with a step forward, the form of Dan Heng shifted to show the true identity of the person, to be none other than the Masked Fool, Sparkle. She moved next to him, and laid down on his bed like she owned it.
While he would find it a bit annoying that his cleaned and tidy sheets were now no longer in that pristine condition, he knew well enough that it would serve no purpose to speak up about that issue. Not that he wasn’t at least somewhat used to it at this point, considering how chaotic the Trailblazer is at times.
He could only stay sane for so long if he always got mad whenever they had jumped head first into a trashcan or destroyed a bunch of boxes. Now, he learned to just accept the chaos as best as he can.
“So..what are you doing all by your lonesome?” Sparkle asked, a teasing glint to her words that Sunday knew well enough by now.
There had been many new developments for Sunday since arriving aboard the Astral Express. Learning more of how people stood up against the sad and cruel reality he had been fighting so hard to combat back during Penacony, the ways people persevered in the face of the hardships forced upon them and how much people valued the opportunity of choice, even if they may regret it in the future.
Of course, he hadn’t gone on his own unique adventures alongside the members of the Express just yet, nor has he found himself to contradict his previous beliefs in a major way. He still held firm to the ideal he wished for, that those who are born weak, without opportunity can flourish, and he still desires a utopia he could make for those people.
But, he knew that taking away their freedom will not bring about a true utopia. It would merely squander their own will, and the strength they had to stand up amid this corrupted and selfish cosmos.
As for what would a true utopia look like? He had no clue, still in search for the answer to that question that plagued his mind.
“Ignoring me? How rude, right after I came to give you a personal visit.” Sparkle remarked with a teasing tilt to her voice, and Sunday saw her body laying on his bed, curled up to display herself to him.
Her dark brown hair, the same as the chocolate he would see children eat with such warm smiles on their faces. Her eyes, a unique butterfly pattern within them that would fascinate many others, and captivate other simultaneously. Her fair skin, that looked warm and soft to touch in a way many would willingly give into, yet held a deceptively large amount of strength.
She smiled upon him, her eyes filled with what was no doubt mischievous intentions, laying on the soft cushion of the bed and kicking her feet like he would recall Robin used to do back when they were younger and she was listening to a story she liked.
“..I didn’t think you would come visit. Especially in the current circumstances.” Sunday replied, with a sort of casual nature that many would be appalled at to see from the one who once considered the Masked Fool such a nuance.
This, was also a new development for Sunday. As since his agreement to join the Astral Express, he has met others who have come aboard the train to pay a quick visit. One of those people, had ended up being the very fool before him.
He could recall the turmoil he felt when first finding her barging into his room, donning the mask of someone else’s face with ease. He saw through it, of course, but the fact remained he had found it..difficult to deal with her, to say the least.
Back during Penacony, they had a brief connection. They knew each other, and maybe she understood him more than he expected, but it was the first time they met with him now donning the title as a companion to the Nameless. Even with her playing a part to foil his plans, stopping his progression from almost ascending as his own Aeon and creating his own Path, many would think he would heavily hate her. Yet, he held no ill will for her playing that role to stop him, as he now knew he was very narrow-minded in his approach for his goal. Still..it was hard to handle her, and he felt very awkward around her considering the nature of their past.
So, he was initially distant from her, but time and time again she appeared to cause some chaos in his life, as many followers of the Elation typically do.
It was hardly like they spent much too time together due to his addition to the Express crew being pretty recent, but he knew well enough by now that trying to avoid her would not end the way he wants it too.
The fool grinned, a mixture of amusement, interest and joyful glee swirling in her eyes. “My, do you think I would forget about you? You leave a very big impression on a girl. No one else could say they rock those spiked wings like you do, after all.”
She moved, laying her head in his lap before reaching out to the halovian wings hanging on the back of his head. He sighed, yet he hadn’t said a word to her in denial, letting her fingers hover over them, tracing the edges of the appendages. The sensation was akin to if her finger was lightly tracing over his skin, not enough to hurt him in any way, but enough to make his attention shift to his wings and made it feel far more sensitive that he knew it was.
Still, he would not give her what she wanted by reacting to it. As even if they built up a sense of familiarity, he still had some pride left in him.
With his calm gaze directed into her eyes, he watched her enjoy herself with them, fascinated by it. “..So, what reason have you come here, fool? Do you plan to stir up some mischief at this new event?”
She tilted her head, a clueless expression on her face that could fool even the most wise individual. At least, so long as they hadn’t known her true nature.
“What do you mean? I just wanted to pay a visit to a man who has been stuck on my mind.”
He fixed his eyes on her, very obviously not believing a single word she said. “Don’t you get tired of attempting to appear ignorant? I am sure that you know all that is going on within Penacony as we speak.”
He knew she was far smarter than she may appear. The simple fact she was hired by the Stellaron Hunters, how she moved in secret that he only knew thanks to his later ascension and how she was able to break out of the dream he made, on her own, spoke volumes to it.
Her facade of clueless confusion melted into a bored expression, having stopped playing with his wings and dropping her hand flatly onto his lap, practically treating it as if it was a pillow for her to rest on. Her face was turned to the wall he was facing, and he saw as she let out a breath filled with exhaustion.
“You got me. But, I have to say that I am not apart of the plan this time around. I merely came to help accompany someone else.” She turned away from the wall of his room to turn back to look at his face, hovering above her own. Her expression of boredom twisting into a playful smile as she placed a hand on his cheek.
“Though, I decided to come visit you to make up for it. After all, nothing gets me as excited as giving my favorite halovian a nice visit.”
He sighed, and lightly slapped away her hand that held onto his cheek. She didn’t bother putting up much of a fight, and let the hand drop on her stomach.
Still, it seemed she couldn’t let him get even a single win as she gave a small pout and remarked with the cadence a women in one of those dramas he’s seen other people enjoy; “Wow. To think after all we’ve went through, that you just throw me away when you’re done using me..”
Before she could go and start to act like she was some heart-broken maiden, Sunday decided to address the main subject matter. “So, if you are merely here to accompany someone, does that mean another fool is wandering around Penacony and orchestrating this event?”
She grinned, a playful glint in her eyes that he could figure out meant nothing good.
“Why, do you even need to ask?”
With a sigh, Sunday leaned a bit back, a hand on the bed to keep his upper body still standing.
Sparkle gave a curious tilt of her eyebrows, as if expecting something more from him. “Are you not going to try and warn the Trailblazer? And here I thought you had cared for them.”
Her voice turned playful at the end, but she was still a bit confused by his complete lack of even attempting to contact them through his phone. It made him feel a sense of satisfaction, to see her thrown off by him.
“Tell me, would you even let me do such a thing? If I was to grab it, wouldn’t you just take it away and make me chase you around for it?” Sunday asked, yet he spoke not like it was a question and more of his words being facts. After all, he has grown to understand her enough to figure out would happen, so he would rather save himself the hassle of it all.
She had a small grin grow on her face, lightly patting his face while doing so. “To think you have become so infatuated with me that you can understand me. How endearing of you.”
“If that is how you perceive it, then I won’t bother debating a fool. But, then what does it mean for you to come and visit me so often?” Sunday countered, eyes peering down to gaze into her own that with each blink, seemed to have the butterfly in her eyes flap their wings.
“Why, are you going to make me say it myself? You should know better on asking a woman such a question.” She spoke, not even bothering to hide the mirth in her voice as she covered her mouth in an act of faux scandalous.
Though, she quickly dropped it and moved her body so that she had the top half of her body propped up against his chest, leaning against him. Her arms moved with the ease of someone who had no reservations on their actions and a strange familiarity as she wrapped them around his neck.
Lightly, her hands at the back of his neck touched the base of it, spreading to touch the place where his wings originated at. It was without pressure, tracing over the base delicately and with purpose despite the fact it wasn’t even visible to her. As if she touched it so many times she could recreate it’s exact appearance within her mind.
Which, was strange, because Sunday knew she had only touched it a few times, far too few for her to be able to be so familiar with them.
“You should already know by now, the answer to that question.” She whispered into his ears, and he turned his gaze to her lips for a moment.
It was a fleeting gaze, but it wasn’t something she would miss. As he saw the grin on her face take on a slightly different hue.
“There’s no need to try and think too much about everything all the time. How about we just have some fun?”
The implication of her words were easily understood, made especially clear by the increasingly bold movements she was making with her hands. No longer touching the base of his wings, but now edging close to his face with one hand while the other moved to mess with his hair.
“—No.” He spoke, the curtly blunt words making her freeze in place and seeing that, he felt a sense of satisfaction rise up within him.
To anyone who saw it, the smile on his face was one that seemed identical to back when he believed he had outsmarted Aventurine. A smug smile filled with a faint sense of cruel satisfaction.
“I won’t play along using your rules, fool.”
Before she could make another move, he grabbed hold of her waist and fell onto the bed. Letting the two of them fall with a silent thud, and now they were laying in it like they were about to rest, both of their cheeks pressed against the pillows that were in pristine condition not even an hour ago.
Now, with one hand still wrapped around her waist, he used the other to grab hold one of the twin-tails she had. Letting his finger idly twist her hair, feeling how the silky smooth hair felt in his hands and finding it to be as well maintained as he expected.
“Wow, to think that you would be taking the initiative. Well then, how would you like me?”
Knowing her, he could tell it was beyond the simple question it may seem to be. For she asking him, who he would like her to be.
“As a Nameless? A memokeeper? An Emanator of Nihility?” As she spoke, her face shifted to match that of those she described, swapping with ease that only showed her expertise with the transformation.
“—None.” He cut her off before he could hear her list out every possible option. “I have never asked you to do such a thing before, and I won’t do as such now. Just remain as yourself.”
The shifting faces transitioned back to her own, and she tossed her body to him so that she would have her head laying on his chest, eliminating any distance between them. He questioned if she found comfort in the rhythm of his beating heart.
“You do know how to flatter a girl, don’t you?”
He didn’t bother giving a response, just letting himself continue to play with her hair.
She didn’t say anything, simply letting him do it while she rested herself against him.
In the silence, his mind turned to the reality. Of how him and her had gotten to this point.
Originally, it was just her antics filled with chaos. They hardly did anything this..intimate. Yet, he couldn’t pinpoint the moment where they had shifted to this.
Since he got to know her, she always tried to push his boundaries. To entertain herself with him, and since joining the Astral Express, she did it by contact.
Overly bold and familiar contact with him. Initially it was far less intimate than this, more akin to pushing herself into his personal space regardless of his wishes. Purely to mess with him, and it had worked more than just once.
However, at some point, it shifted. A line was crossed, and the typical invasions to his personal space and attempts at messing with him now carried..something else.
He could’ve denied it. Pushed her away and made it clear he won’t cross that line. But..he didn’t.
If he was to say a reason, then..it was probably who she was.
He had learned his rigid strictness and discipline he wore like a second skin wasn’t the best method to live. That by adhering to such a way of life, he was not going to be able to help others in the way he wished. He struggled to think of a way to try and rid himself of some of those shackles, not all, but some.
He knew he could never truly be rid of them, but he wanted to properly uphold his words to Wonweek.
And then, he ended up finding the answer to his dilemma. After all, what is the opposite of Order, if not the unpredictable nature of a Fool?
It was through the Astral Express that he was slowly learning more on freedom. For others and how their own freedom, and with his own personal freedom. And through Sparkle, he was steadily learning more on letting himself strip away parts of his strict nature that didn’t let him show the smallest hint of weakness to those around him.
In a way, it was strangely poetic. For the man that once stood with the Order to now willingly intertwine himself with the Elation.
“—So, finished your inner monologue yet?” Sparkle broke through his thoughts, his eyes focusing back on her as he noticed the way his hand had now rested on her cheek.
Clearly placed there by her, as he could see from her own hand holding it to her face. Cradling it to her face, the heat of her body seemingly regulating his own body temperature. There was no other reason for him to pay attention to it, after all.
“To think you would be having a boring debate about who you are when such a beautiful fool is right here in front of you.”
“..Is that all you have to say?”
“Wow! Couldn’t even get a reaction from you, how sad.” The fool remarked with a faux sigh and he watched it with his face displaying not even a hint of emotion. “Anyways, I wanted to get your attention for a moment to tell you something.”
She waited a moment as if offering him the chance to cut in, but he didn’t say a word and she continued on.
“—‘The pale dawn will one day break’.”
The phrase immediately threw him for a loop, and the confusion must’ve shown on his face because she giggled. He could feel the muscles of her cheeks moving under his palm, and for a moment he felt his body solely focus on that sensation.
“It doesn’t truly mean anything, but do try to keep it in mind on your next adventure.”
“..Okay, if that is what you want.”
Her face turned to one of faint surprise at his casual acceptance.
“What, did you believe I would dismiss your words?” He felt a grin grow on his face at seeing her thrown off guard. “I know well enough by now that despite being..well, you, that you are far more knowledgeable than many others.”
Her expression shifted to a teasing smirk as she moved her hands, grabbing hold of his face. “Here you are complimenting me so easily. And here I thought it would take more to make you admit that this fool is smarter than you are.”
“Now, don’t go putting words in my mouth. I just said that you know more than me, not that you’re smarter.”
“But, coming from you, how else can that be taken?”
For that rebuttal, he couldn’t say anything back and she let out a laugh at his inability to deny her claims.
From that point onwards, he had spent the rest of their time together letting her do as she wished. Only speaking up when he felt a need to, and he drifted off to sleep before long.
Waking up, Sunday had saw that Sparkle was no longer by his side.
And he most certainty did not think much about it.
Moving with the practiced motions and routine whenever he does wake, he had gotten ready to leave his room before he noticed a recent addition to his room.
It clashed harshly with the rest of his room, and was in the shape of someone he was familiar with.
It was a doll, one that was identical in appearance to Sparkle.
Walking towards it, he found a note by it’s side. The words were in bright bold letters, with only a single sentence of “Shake it for a surprise!” written on it.
Already aware of how the Masked Fool liked to operate, he instead opted to ignore it.
He was willing to bet it would explode in his face if he tried to so much as touch the thing.
“Aww! You should know better than to ignore the letter a cute girl left for you!” A voice, sounding as if it was coming from a speaker spoke up and he realized it came from the doll.
However, that was not all, as with those words, the doll started to glow bright and then dim for a moment before doing it again.
“It’s set to explode no matter what!?” Sunday felt irritated that he was outsmarted by her, and just as he prepared to run out the room, the doll launched forwards, latching onto him.
It didn’t need to be said what happened next. Nor did anyone in the Astral Express ask when they rushed to open his door at the loud sound resonating in there, only to see his room look like a bomb just went off and a miniature Sparkle doll that rested on his chest as he was laid on the ground, at the epicenter of the explosion. He had even gotten a big lecture by Pom-Pom for it, having to clean it all up himself after a long 3 hour lecture on making sure no one he brings would mess up the Express. Not that he truly wanted her to even come to his room in the slightest.
He had sworn to himself that he would make the Masked Fool pay, already having ideas in his head on how to return the favor.
..Though, he would keep the mini Sparkle doll that came out from the one that exploded, seeing as this one was actually fairly harmless.
After all, it was only just for him to get something for the trouble she caused.