Kalys had wondered if he'd gone too far last night, acting beyond the bounds of siblings. He'd not paid too much attention to siblings he knew, so he couldn't be sure. He knew when he had kissed her hand it had not been with brotherly intentions.
As she hadn't minded, she must not have picked up on that. Or perhaps she had; he recalled the rather becoming blush that had flushed her cheeks.
The door to the training hall opened, and she walked in, dressed for their training session. He knew she didn't bother bathing before coming here, that she didn't bother with much of anything pre-training aside from throwing her hair up into a messy knot on top of her head and pulling on anything comfortable enough to train in. She still looked sleep-fogged. That wasn't unusual; once they got through their stretches, she would start to wake.
Once she was standing before him, they set to it. He started with their usual warm-up and stretches. Because they didn't have much time before they needed to get to Perdition, he skipped the endurance exercises and moved straight to sparring with her.
She had come a long way in the short time since they had started these sessions. She was getting better at reading him as well, able to anticipate his moves even if she wasn't always quick enough to dodge or block them.
Sun's eyes were sharp now, all trace of sleep gone, her movements swift as she ducked under his high swing, countering with a quick thrust that he narrowly deflected. They exchanged a series of calculated strikes, their practice swords clacking against each other, which was almost deafening.
Admiration blossomed in his chest as he parried Sun's attack with a practised ease. He stepped closer, their swords momentarily locked, the force of their combined strength causing them to lean in towards each other.
He always pulled his strength in their sparring rounds to be safe; he would always have her beat in that area. One of the purposes of these training sessions was to teach her how to get around that, but overwhelming her with it right at the start wouldn't teach her much and could end up being demoralising.
Sun's breath mingled with his own; their eyes met. Some of her hair had come loose, and every breath puffed it out, the silken strands brushing his own cheeks.
Kalys noticed the slight tremor in Sun's grip and let his sword fall to the side just a fraction, giving her the opportunity to do the same. She took it, letting her sword fall and straightening up.
They held each other's gaze, the air thick with a familiar tension, the same as last night. Kalys lowered his sword and took a hesitant step closer, the space between them charged with the unexpected intimacy. He reached up, gently pushing her hair back behind her ear, the tips of his fingers lightly tracing her jaw.
He realised in the moment it was a foolish move; he held on to what restraint he had left and dropped his hand.
"We should get ready for work. You did well today, Sun," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but his words still shattering the charged atmosphere.
She just nodded, taking his practice sword and putting them away. He walked with her back to the main house in silence. It was a thick silence, but not the charged air from before. He was conflicted; part of him believed he should have leaned in and kissed her, that she would be receptive. A slightly larger part of him applauded his self-control. Both parts were disgusted by his confliction.
He walked her to her door, and they parted without a word.
-
Sun was accustomed to disappointment; a childhood like hers was full of it, and then being under the Academys complete control with the guardianship orders had brought more of it. But there was something quite bitter about the disappointment she'd endured in the training room. She had been so sure he was going to kiss her. Her experience with any kind of romance was non-existent, so she couldn't be one hundred per cent sure, but she had really thought... Had she completely misread the situation?
After bathing and pulling on her uniform, Mika was sitting at her vanity inspecting her nails. Even though Sun had had her drop a few of her handmaid duties she felt were unnecessary, Mika felt her hair and makeup were part of the necessities she should be handling. Sun tried not to be offended by that; she really had no talent for it or any desire to learn. A ponytail and no make-up were fine with her.
When she saw Sun, she got up, patting the now empty seat.
"What's the matter?" Mika asked. "You look perplexed."
Sun rolled the question around in her head, debating whether or not to ask her own. Mika was perceptive, and that could be disastrous if she got wind of what Sun was feeling for her brother. Would she be so disgusted she would quit her job? Tell everyone?
But she needed a woman's advice, and Emily didn't have any experience in this area either.
"How do you know if someone wants to kiss you?" She asked.
Her eyes widened a fraction in surprise, and she stared at Sun through the mirror.
"Generally speaking, or did you have a moment?"
"A moment. Possibly. I'm not sure; that's why I'm asking."
"Give me details," she pressed.
"I'd rather not."
"Who was it?"
Mika followed her to and from work to make sure she made it safely if Kalys wasn't with her. When she went out with her friends, she followed discretely, again to ensure her safety after that disastrous attempt on her in Solaryse. There was nothing romantic going on with her friends; that was clear as day. And there was no one else she associated with outside of her family and Perdition. So it had to be another Revenant.
"I'm not telling," Sun replied.
"Would your brother approve of this young man?" She asked, amused.
"I... don't know."
That was a tough one to answer. Maybe his disapproval for the whole situation was why he didn't kiss her. Or he just hadn't wanted to in the first place, and she was misunderstanding.
"Well, as far as the answer to your question goes, I don't really know how to explain. It's... in the way he looks at you, in his body language."
"How easy is it to... misread that?"
"That really depends on both parties; it would help if I knew who the guy was."
"You don't know him."
"Tell me who he is; I could observe him, get to know him, and funnel answers back to you."
"I'm not going to ask you to stalk him!"
"You're no fun, Sun," she said with a roll of her eyes as she finished with Sun's hair.
They didn't bother with makeup; they usually didn't on workdays.
"So were you expecting this boy to kiss you, and he didn't?"
"Not expected, but I thought he was going to, and then he just didn't."
"Was your moment interrupted?"
"More like he ended it. If there was a moment at all. I could have just been... overly hopeful."
But she was at least certain there was a difference – in both of them – since he came back from the North.
"Sorry, Sun, I'm not going to be much help here without more information," she shrugged.
"You won't tell Kalys about this conversation, right?" Sun asked.
She was struck by how similar it was to one of the first conversations they'd ever had.
"Lips are sealed. As long as this guy isn't a threat to your safety."
"He's not."
Of that she was quite certain.