Chương 36: The Echoing Laugh of Mania

When they stepped outside, the fog had thickened considerably by now, the once-bright spore-light above having been completely suffocated and choked out. Trestfall's streets were almost entirely empty now, the occasional lamp burning in a window the only sign that people were still awake. Senna walked beside him with her hands tucked into her coat, her breaths misting in the cold air.

"Your friends are really nice," she said, smiling softly.

"Yes, they're good company," Lio agreed.

"William is really funny too." She giggled.

"He reminds me of some of the neighborhood kids I used to take care of." Lio raised an eyebrow.

"You used to do that, didn't you? I think I remember coming into the outpost once and seeing you with kids swarming over you." Senna nodded.

"Their parents moved back up to the surface though, so I don't see them anymore."

"I see." Senna looked up at the darkened sky, a wistful expression flashing through her face.

"I really missed this," she said, after a while.

"Missed what?" Lio asked. Senna smiled gently at him.

"Talking with you. Ever since you became more experienced and started going deeper into Ghenna, I've just been seeing you less and less." Lio grinned playfully.

"What? Do you want to see me more?" Senna quickly looked down at the ground, not saying anything for a couple of moments. Then, she nodded quickly. After that, they walked in silence. Then Lio silently reached into his coat pocket and produced something, presenting it to Senna. She looked down at his open palm, to see the necklace. It had been crafted with simplicity in mind, consisting of a thin metal cord embedded with a pale mineral pendant.

He had quickly bought it while Senna was still making her way over to them at the tavern, specifically choosing a pale blue stone, as he knew that that was the color she liked.

"I saw it earlier," he said.

"It reminded me of that one you used to wear, the one your late father gave you. I… I always felt guilty about not being able to find it for you after you lost it." Senna stared at the necklace, then looked up with a complicated expression.

"Y-you remember that?" she said.

"Of course," Lio said. He rubbed the back of his neck.

"It just kept bothering me." With shaking fingers, she took it from his hand, turning it over.

"But that was years ago," she whispered.

"I still remember," Lio said, his voice taking on a bit of a teasing tone.

"I mean, do you remember how you cried about that necklace for weeks?" Senna laughed softly.

"I did, didn't I?" She continued looking down at the necklace in her trembling fingers. Then she bit her lips.

"I was so embarrassed about that actually. Crying over something so small in front of you."

"It wasn't small," Lio assured her. She looked up at him briefly, then quickly looked back down, her cheeks coloring.

"No, I always feel like I was too much," she said quietly.

"Too emotional, too needy." She shook her head with a small self-deprecating smile.

"I'm surprised you keep coming back to see me honestly."

"Why wouldn't I?" Lio said simply. Senna chuckled.

"I don't know," she admitted. Lio let a silence fall between them. Then he broke it, flicking her on the forehead gently. Senna winced, raising a hand to her forehead with a surprised expression.

"Ow—!"

"Stop talking like that," Lio said, turning on her. He grasped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him directly.

"What did you say? Too much, too needy? Where are you even getting that from?" Senna's face went completely red.

"I—" She looked up at him, then immediately back down. But when Lio tightened his grip to make her look up again, she instead turned her face to the side, clearly unable to decide where to look.

"You're… I-I wasn't—" Lio waited until she could properly speak.

"W-why… why are you holding my shoulders?" she managed finally, in a very small voice.

"Because I'm frustrated at you," Lio said, not letting go.

"So answer the question." Senna whimpered, her face somehow going even redder.

"I just…" She swallowed, cringing.

"I just think about it sometimes. That's all…"

"Well stop," Lio said simply.

"You can't just tell someone to stop thinking about something," she protested weakly.

"I just did," Lio said. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She finally turned to stare at him, her expression flustered and helpless. Her hands hung uselessly at her sides, the necklace was still clutched in one fist. Lio held her gaze for a moment longer, then released her shoulders and looked ahead at the road.

"I'm not going anywhere," he said quietly.

"So you can stop thinking like that." Senna was quiet, looking down at the necklace in her hand. Then she quickly nodded.

"Okay," she said softly.

"Good," Lio said. They started walking again, quietly approaching the area where her small house was. Then, after a minute or so, he felt a tentative touch to his hand, light as a feather. He glanced down, to see Senna's fingers brushing at his knuckles hesitantly. He looked over at her. She was staring directly ahead, even having her face slightly to the side, though the blazing color in her cheeks was visible even in the dim foggy light.

"C-can I?" She mumbled.

"Sure," Lio said. At the answer, her fingers closed around his hand gingerly. He could tell that she was horribly afraid that he would change his mind. But when he didn't, she let out a small, nervous breath, the tension slowly leaking out of her shoulders. And so, they walked the rest of the way in silence. Senna's house emerged from the fog shortly after. It looked not particularly unique, the same as the other homes in this particular street.

The only difference was a wreath of pale white and yellow flowers hanging from the door, their dried petals damp with mist. She stopped at the door and turned to face him, reluctantly releasing his hand.

"T-thank you," she said.

"For tonight."

"Of course. Get some rest," he said warmly. She nodded, then looked down at the necklace one more time before closing her fingers around it.

"Thanks for this too," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," Lio said. She hesitated on the doorstep, fingers still curled around the necklace. Then, she rose onto her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. It lasted less than a second. And then she was inside with the door tightly shut before Lio could say anything at all. From within, he could hear the faint sound of her sliding down against the other side of the door, and then a quiet laughter, sounding both terrified and pleased. Lio stood on the doorstep.

Then after a moment, he raised one hand and touched the spot on his cheek. This is progressing well. Then dropping his hand back down, he allowed his face to finally empty out of its act, and began walking back to the lodge. ◈◈◈◈ By the time he arrived, the lodge was completely quiet. The elderly man who had been behind the counter was gone, having apparently retired to his own chambers for the night as well. Lio went up the stairs, heading to his room.

As he arrived on the second floor, snoring of a great caliber reached his ears, coming from behind William's door. Lio paused outside the door, a bit baffled. Was it even possible for a human to make such sounds? Then he shook his head and moved on to his own room. He pushed the door open, preparing for a quiet, isolated room awaiting him— Oh. Unfortunately for him, Ophila was sitting in the chair by the window, a small cup of tea balanced on her knee.

She'd changed into her sleep clothes, her hair down and slightly damp, looking completely at ease as she stared outside at the grey fog pressing against the glass. She looked up when he entered.

"Welcome back," she said cheerfully. Lio glanced at the tea.

"How did you get the tea?"

"The old man downstairs has a kettle," she said.

"He woke up when I asked and gave it to me, on the house." Lio closed the door behind him and set his coat over the end of the bed.

"So, what are you doing in my room?"

"Waiting for you," she said simply.

"Obviously," Lio said.

"But why?" Ophila took a small sip of her tea, then smirked.

"Guess," she said in a teasing tone.

"The fiancée thing," Lio said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ophila pointed at him with her cup.

"The fiancée thing," she confirmed, looking pleased. She looked at him over the rim of her cup.

"Well? Why did you tell William that we were engaged?" Lio was prepared, having been anticipating this question since the descent tunnel. In fact, he'd been mildly surprised it had taken her this long.

"It was the most efficient explanation available," he explained.

"It explained why I was searching for you, why we're unfamiliar with each other despite supposedly having history, and it discourages William from asking further questions." Ophila nodded along, turning her cup in her hands.

"Smart," she praised.

"I'll give you that." She tilted her head.

"So I'm your fiancée now?"

"Temporarily," Lio added. Ophila rolled her eyes.

"Of course." She shook her head.

"You aren't my type anyway." Then, she smiled.

"But what about Senna?" Lio looked at her.

"What about her?"

"You know she likes you," Ophila said, continuing to smile.

"Quite obvious. Finding out that you're engaged might upset her."

"It doesn't matter," Lio said.

"Senna and I aren't friends."

"You keep saying that," Ophila observed.

"Because it's the truth," Lio said. Ophila looked at him with a pondering expression, resting her chin in her palms. Then she shrugged pleasantly.

"Alright," she said.

"I'll play along, I guess."

"That's good," Lio said.

"You owe me one though," she added.

"Fine," Lio said. At that, she unfolded herself from the chair and after setting the empty cup down on the table, moved toward the door. But just as she passed him, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and before Lio could process what she was doing, reached out and pressed her thumb lightly to his cheek, rubbing it. She pulled her hand back and looked at her thumb, where a faint pale pink smudge now sat. Then she turned to look at him, a small smile curving her lips.

She leaned in slowly, close enough that he could hear and feel the soft exhale of her hot breath, and her lips lightly touching his ear.

"I don't like liars~" And with that, she straightened back up, gave him another one of her warm smiles, and walked out, pulling the door shut behind her with a quiet click. For a few minutes, Lio didn't move, frozen like a statue. Then he turned and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning on the bedpost. After a while, Lio stood up. He walked to the chair Ophila had vacated and sat down in it, the way she had been sitting, facing the window.

He observed the fog curling this way and that, pressing his hand to the cold glass pane. Lio looked out at the white fog for a long time, thinking about what had just happened. Then his lips began trembling, his shoulder beginning to shake. He pressed the back of his hand against his mouth, but it didn't help. His shoulders continued to shake ever harder. And then, laughter escaped out of him. It was quiet at first, but it quickly grew, the chuckling turning into a loud guffaw.

He laughed until his shoulders ached and his eyes watered. Until the fog outside began to dissipate, and the spore-light began to twinkle back to life. He laughed for a very, very long time.