After Audun and Cassie finished their brief bout in the swordsman's domain, Audun began the process of convincing Cassie to accompany him on a little walk.
Of course, he didn't actually intend to just walk.
"Come on~ It'll be fun!"
"What if they see us?"
"Trust me, Cassie, they definitely won't!"
"..."
"Seriously? You're not even a little bit curious?"
"... They really won't notice us?"
"Nope! Even if both of us scream at the top of our lungs, they won't be able to perceive us."
"Fine."
"Yippee!"
If anybody heard this exchange, especially Effie, the pair probably would've been branded as perverts on the spot.
Fortunately, due in part to Audun's naivety and Cassie's physical exhaustion, neither was privy to their terrible phrasing.
Nevertheless, having successfully convinced the reluctant oracle, Audun employed the full force of his quartet of stars to conjure a potent starlight veil, one strong enough to hide the two from any unwanted eyes.
"Cmon, hurry! The show's gonna start soon!"
Grasping the oracle's hand, the pair shot out of the lodge at incredible speeds, practically flying towards a secluded area of the outer settlement.
In a matter of seconds since receiving the oracle's consent, the swordsman was already rapidly closing in on his destination, much to Cassie's exasperation.
Already quite tired and unable to keep up with his pace, the oracle was quietly hanging onto her speedy companion's back, swaying ever so slightly as Audun tore through the air.
Soon though, the pair touched down on a roof overlooking a rather secluded alleyway."
"Oooooo, we're right on time!"
With an amused smile spread across his face, Audun whipped out a set of plush chair memories he had received a while back.
Gently placing Cassie on one such chair, Audun flopped into the other, leaning forward as he observed the exchange happening below with twinkling eyes.
"...Sunny??"
"Hey, Neph... It's been a while, huh?"
An angelic yet stoic figure with shining silver hair gazed at the monotone porcelain doll in front of her, her gray gaze tinged with a mix of genuine shock and confusion.
Sunny, who looked like an entirely different person, stood before the object of his longing with a surprisingly relaxed demeanor.
"You're hair's gotten longer since the last time I saw you."
Nephis unconsciously touched the tips of her now shoulder-length hair.
"There aren't any hairdressers in the dream realm."
"... Did you just tell a joke?"
Tilting her head in confusion, Nephis gave him an odd look.
"Was it bad?"
"Your delivery was so flat I couldn't even tell it was a joke, but it's better than before."
Sunny let out a sigh.
Above, Audun offered a bag of jerky to his fellow spectator, his eyes locked on the exchange below with an amused look.
Sunny and Nephis paused for a moment, the atmosphere charged with a healthy dose of awkwardness.
"You've uhm... Changed."
Sunny blinked.
"Well, I haven't exactly been sitting around idly for the past three months, Neph."
Nephis' gray eyes narrowed.
"You're stronger. A lot stronger."
Sunny scoffed.
" I just got back, and you're already sizing me up? Gee, Neph, you really know how to make a guy feel welcome."
Sunny eyed her for a moment.
"Plus, I could say the same for you."
The corner of Nephis' mouth raised imperceptibly.
"You're not the only one who's been busy, Sunny."
Unbeknownst to the two on the ground, Audun and Cassie were engaged in a rather loud conversation.
"Do these kids even realize they're flirting?"
"Nope. Neph is too dense, and Sunny's too innocent."
"Boooooo- Just kiss already!"
"Kiss? Those idiots won't even hold hands for another couple of years..."
"Wait, seriously? Did you see their future?"
"Yeah. Those dense dummies get hitched around the same time Effie has her first kid-"
"WHAT?!"
Sunny and Nephis fell into another bout of awkward silence, Nephis once again breaking the social deadlock.
"So... Sunny, what brings you to the Bright Castle? Are you-"
"No. I'm only here to do some shopping."
Raising a familiar pouch tied to his waist, Sunny shrugged.
Nephis gave him an odd look.
"Shopping?"
Sunny nodded.
"Mhm. I wanted to buy a few memories."
Nephis paused, her lips pursed as her eyes lingered on Sunny's form.
"Cas, they're totally making eyes at each other right now!"
"Hah~ I can't with those two."
A few seconds passed before Nephis spoke up, her tone calm.
"If you want, I could... guide you inside."
Sunny raised an eyebrow as Nephis continued with a business-like tone.
"Gunlaug can't carelessly attack me in the castle anymore, and the two of us could catch up on the way."
There was a slight lull in the conversation before Sunny hesitatingly shook his head.
"Sorry, Neph. I'm waiting on someone right now, maybe next time though."
Back on the rooftop, Audun let out a breath of pure exasperation.
"Y'know, for how cunning he normally is, Sunny is really, really fucking stupid."
Cassie rolled her eyes.
"I wish this were just a one-off."
Smacking his armrest in frustration, Audun couldn't help but grumble under his breath.
"You're hiding in this alley because... You're waiting for someone?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Nah, I was hiding here because I was trying to avoid... this."
Cassie and Audun exchanged a brief glance before simultaneously releasing sighs of irritation.
Nephis' expression stiffened.
"That's not very polite, Sunny."
Sunny smirked.
"Hey, I'm just being honest! Can't fault a guy for telling the truth, right?"
Nephis gave him a piercing stare.
"Fine, I'll entertain you for a bit. Who's this person you're meeting with, huh, Sunny?"
He scratched the back of his head casually.
"He's a friend I made recently. Saved him from some of Gunlaug's goons during one of my walks. Lo and behold, as thanks, he wanted to repay me for my services, and thus, he's currently securing me a pass into that exclusive Memory Market Audun told us about."
Nephis frowned.
"That seems... Plausible. What's your friend's name?"
Sunny shrugged.
"His name's Kai, but-"
At the mention of his name, Nephis' eyes widened.
"...Neph? You ok?"
Growing paler by the second, Nephis' expression contorted in visible fear.
"No way, I-it can't be... S-Sunny... This Kai you're talking about- does he also perhaps go by 'N-Night'?"
Baffled by Nephis' sudden shift, Sunny unconsciously answered with a frown.
"How'd you kn-"
As if on cue, a melodic voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
"Sunny~ I got the pass!"
Jogging briskly into the alley, the visage of an extremely handsome man came into view.
"Sorry if I made you wait! Stev was in a meeting with a supplier when I got there."
Sunny waved him off.
"Nah, it's fine. I wasn't in much of a rush."
Kai nodded softly, a smile gracing his rosy lips.
"Good to hear~ You ready to- Hey, wait... Uh, Sunny? Who's this?"
Sunny turned around, his arms motioning towards the silver-haired girl behind him, but paused when something rather unexpected happened.
Letting out a sound unbefitting her normally stoic nature, Nephis practically dived behind Sunny, using the porcelain doll in front of her as a shield.
Needless to say, Sunny was quite shocked.
"Is she ok...?"
From behind Sunny, Nephis began to hiss in a flustered tone.
"You idiot! Don't you know who that is?!"
Sunny lightly scratched his cheek.
"Should I?"
Nephis whispered loudly:
"That's Night from Nightingale! Don't you remember? He's the Idol Audun met a couple of months back!"
Completely ignoring her first remark, Sunny couldn't help but turn his gaze towards Kai, the handsome man responding in kind to Sunny's surprised look.
"You know Audun?"
"You know Audun?"
Up above, the subject of their conversation had a noticeable frown on his face.
"How the hell did I get dragged into this?"
Cassie smirked.
"Your face is hard to forget."
"Excuse me...?"
Back on the ground, Sunny and Kai continued their exchange.
"Oh wow! I had no clue you knew Audun... Wait, was he the roommate you were talking about?"
Sunny nodded.
"Yeah. We've been living there for the past few months."
"Ah~ So that's how you found out about the Memory Market! Everything makes so much more sense."
Sunny was about to respond, but he was interrupted by a hesitant voice coming from behind him.
"Uhm... Night? Is it alright if I borrow Sunny for a bit? I need to talk to him about something..."
Kai blinked.
"I don't have any problems, but it's not my call to make... uh... I apologize, but I didn't catch your name."
The idol shot a look at the uncomfortable porcelain doll currently being used as a shield, a question embedded in his gaze.
Coughing into his fist, Sunny offered Kai an awkward smile.
Elbowing the silver-haired fan girl cowering behind him, Sunny shot Nephis a sharp whisper.
"You're embarrassing me!"
Thankfully, after hearing his complaint, Nephis awkwardly stepped away from her fun-sized human shield.
Clearing his throat, Sunny gestured grandly at his unnaturally shy companion.
"Kai, this is Nephis, though you might know her by another name."
With a grin, Sunny made sure to intone every syllable clearly:
"Meet Lady Changing Star of the Immortal Flame Clan, the savior of the outer settlement~"
Nephis and Kai stiffened simultaneously, both out of embarrassment.
Up above, Audun popped a piece of jerky in his mouth, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Never thought that Nephis would act like this... You think she's weak against handsome men?"
Cassie shook her head, her expression a mirror of her companion's amusement.
"If that were the case, Sunny and Nephis would've already tied the knot. I think she's just a huge fan of the Idol group Kai is a part of."
Audun simply nodded.
Nephis turned away from Night, staring awkwardly at the wall as the Idol gave her a curteous bow.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lady... I've heard much about your exploits."
Still staring at the wall, Nephis hesitantly coughed into her fist.
"Ahem~ the pleasures all mine."
Trying her best to meet his gaze, she gestured towards Sunny with a shy wave.
"I really do have something important I have to discuss with Sunny... Would it be possible for me to borrow him for a little while?"
Kai scratched the back of his head and let out an awkward laugh.
"Once again, my lady, that's not for me to decide. If Sunny, my benefactor, is willing to go, then I have no issues waiting."
Nephis nodded, this time turning her gaze to the sleeper beside her.
Meeting her gaze, Sunny couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Is it really that important?"
Nephis nodded once more, her eyes narrowing with more seriousness.
"It's a matter of life or death."
Sunny raised a brow.
"...Seriously?"
Nephis didn't respond, but her eyes contained a sense of urgency that Sunny found hard to ignore.
Sunny let out a sigh.
"Kai... Would you mind?"
The idol gave him a diplomatic smile.
"Of course not. Go do what you need to do. I'll be waiting for you here."
Sunny gave him an appreciative nod.
Giving Nephis a brief glance, another sigh broke free of Sunny's lips.
"Alright... Lead the way."
A thankful smile spread across Nephis' face as she gave Kai a respectful wave.
Turning around, she began to lead Sunny out of the secluded alleyway and in the direction of the lodge he once called home.
_________________________________________________________________________
(A/N: This bonus chapter is comin out a little later than I would've liked, but I was pretty busy today...
I had to write a bogus essay for my philosophy class about some old dude named Stendhal and his ideas on love, which ended up taking way longer than I thought.
Regardless, we almost met the 50 PS goal again this week, which means that I might owe you guys another bonus chapter, and I'll probably release a normal chapter tomorrow at night.
Also, I'll probably start wrapping up the forgotten shore by chapter 90, cuz I'm quite frankly bored getting a little bored writing about this place and want to move on to what I think will be a far better arc.
Anyway
Thanks for all the support, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter (Which should hopefully be tomorrow)!
Bye!)