CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[dissimulative]

... Do you think it's worth telling the doctors about this?

[ So that they can find possible traces of the hacker within Oria if there is one. But he's also aware that he might not get any answers out of it and be left in the dark like always because adults are just like that. Also, he wouldn't want to leak anything anything regarding Sinclair, since that seems to be sensitive information now. ]

[insinning]

[He squeezes Oria's hand]

...anything to make sure they can find whatever did this to you and the others. They might have already thought of it, then dismissed it so they wouldn't do anything unnecessary.

[Honestly, Sinclair had kept it quiet simply because he didn't want to return to the laboratory. Charon was strong but not that strong of an AI. They would have questions, a need to make sure their weapon hadn't been sabotaged. But Sinclair was willing to take that chance, now that other people were on the line]

[dissimulative]

... Alright.

[ He wants to keep Sinclair out of it as best as he can anyway. It's fine. ]

Then I'll let them know of the possibility. You said it was a rook named A1?

[insinning]

Mm, that's right. I wonder if there's a way to transfer a copy of the trace to see if anything else can be found.

[ Another gentle hand squeeze. Definitely don't mind him absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over Oria's palm to make sure it's nice and whole without any strange dents]

[dissimulative]

[ Yeah, his hand is fine. No dents. Even his legs which seemed to take the most of the dents are now full and healthy! Isn't that so weird? They're hidden under the blanket unless Sinclair wants to see his legs for some reason?? ]

If only if it was that easy... Man, of all the connections my family has, I don't think a hacker is one of them.

[ ................... ]

Except... Aria. I think she was hanging out with some hackers.

[insinning]

Hackers? Aria?

[ Then maybe...that couldn't have been his imagination then? That familiar feeling. An uncomfortable feeling settles in his chest.

And he's not looking at Oria's legs, geez!!]

[dissimulative]

Yeah. That was one of the things I found out when I was looking into things, but I don't have any leads regarding their identities. For all I know, they could be from a different nation.

[ He sighs. Oria didn't want to say it because he found nothing definitive before apart from their identities are hackers, but it seemed worth to bring up now. ]

[insinning]

What reasons would Aria have to get involved with hackers?

[It's not like as gauntlet knights they were required to do any behind the scenes work. They were the faces of military might]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria frowns when asked. It's not because of Sinclair. He hasn't done anything wrong, but it reminds Oria that Aria didn't trust him as much as he did for her and when things are unbalanced like that with Oria giving "more", it makes Oria want to recoil and abandon things altogether. ]

I don't know. It surprised me too, when I found that out. She usually just hung out with her friends after training.

[ Typical normie stuff, like going to cafes, going shopping, etc ]

[insinning]

[ He thinks, it makes sense. Aria was the older sister after all. And older sisters always

Emil. Run!

Something churns in his stomach.]

... Aria was more mysterious than we thought, huh? She must have been looking for something.

[dissimulative]

Aria? Mysterious?

[ In the past, he would have blown that off completely, but all it does is make him feel a little bitter. ]

I think anyone would laugh if they're told that.

[ Because Aria was such a ditz outside of gauntlet-related things. ]

But I wonder what she was looking for... to the point of asking hackers under the table.

[ There's a pause. ]

Maybe I should go home to try and find more things about her. She never stayed in the dorms like us.

[insinning]

[He wishes he could make that better. But it's the kind of feeling words couldn't fix. The only person who could address it wasn't here.]

...that's right. She always left at the end of the day.

[Sinclair was practically permanently confined to the dorms outside of the outings he had earned with merit points]

They'd probably let you take a day off or two after you get better too.

[dissimulative]

I wish you could come with me...

[ Oria sighs while looking annoyed, but it's really to hide his uneasiness. He doesn't want to go home. He doesn't want to talk with his mother again, but he knows that she was closest to Aria out of all the siblings. ]

[insinning]

I can try asking for permission.

[ He fidgets, frowning a little. He just needed to find the right reasons and someone other than Oria to vouch for him. But even then...]

You don't really like visiting your home, do you?

[dissimulative]

Yeah. I hate going home.

[ Without hesitation. ]

Now that Aria is dead, I'm the only one left. What used to be a family of six is reduced to three.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair looks down]

... I see. [ Only three after six, huh? He wonders how much that must hurt for those left behind. ]

Then, I'll do my best to get permission to go with you then. So you don't have to go on your own.

[ Even if he had to agree to unreasonable demands.]

[dissimulative]

... You don't really have to. I know your restrictions don't give much leeway either.

[ He lightly squeezes Sinclair's hand. ]

[insinning]

[ Sinclair shakes his head. He wants to help Oria as much as Oria has helped him. But if he says that, he might get his cheeks pulled]

I'll find a way. We're friends, so I want to be there for you.

[dissimulative]

[ Yeah, too sappy.

Despite that, he greatly appreciates it. Sinclair is the only person he wants to show vulnerabilities to. Friends. He wishes they can be that forever at the very least, but forever doesn't exist. ]

You're so good to me.

[ He says, thankful. Sinclair truly does so much. ]

Thanks, Emil.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair's cheeks go red and he looks away]

...s-sure. You know, I'll always be here for you. So you can rely on me too.

[dissimulative]

I will.

[ He's the only one he'd entrust that too. ]

Hey, your face...

[insinning]

...what?

[Scooting back a little. Don't look at his face??]

[dissimulative]

Hehe... tomatohead.

[ affectionate ]

[insinning]

I am not.

[Aaaah. The tomatohead grows more]

[dissimulative]

Oh my god, you're getting even redder, Emil. I don't think I did anything for you to be this red??

[ Fascinating?? ]