Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ Perpetual Thoughts ❯ Decisions, Suspicions And... Kittens...? ( Chapter 12 )

Night had fallen over Eden; a good amount of the people who'd been drinking had passed out from too much alcohol, lethargy, or a mix of the two. The grounds outside were quite littered with sleeping Sorcerer Hunters and Parsoners all over the place... not that Marron was there to see. He'd remained in the upper room of Eden he'd taken to since he'd decided to go inside... he wasn't sure how long he'd sat there, but it had to have been a couple of hours, he was sure.

 

About an hour ago had been the fireworks; everybody had been awake then, and even Marron had been quite impressed to watch them. They'd quite lit up the sky in all different shapes and sizes, and the range of colours was indeed impressive... it was yet another show for Bomber to be proud of.

 

Still, Marron couldn't help but watch the fireworks from a distanced position, not least because he was sitting inside while everybody was outside. Marron had tried to meditate for a while, but found it difficult. He had a headache now, perhaps from the atmosphere of outside and the volume of the fireworks from not long ago, but... his headache combined with the events of earlier left him loathe to meditate.

 

He felt he really should; above everything else, if everybody else was going to give themselves into vice for the day, then somebody had to remain level-headed. Sometimes even Big Mama's sobriety was questionable - did goddesses even get drunk...? Obviously so, from her examples in the past. Marron wondered if he and Milphey were the only ones left...

 

Of course, that depended on whether Milphey was drunk yet, or not. Marron hadn't seen him since he'd walked away from the events of earlier; those events were what made it difficult to meditate.

 

It wasn't as if so much had even happened, but that didn't stop Marron from feeling guilty. That kind of thing had been just the kind of thing Milphey would do - or Chocolat, perhaps? Marron thought about what would happen if it had been Chocolat tricking Carrot like that. Outside of the 'what would happen if it had been them together' that Marron couldn't stop wondering... if Carrot found out that Chocolat had done something like that, well... Carrot's anger was far too easy to imagine.

 

How might he react if he knew that Marron, his own brother, had planned something similar? Nevermind that it hadn't gone that far, but... just the fact that it had been there, the plan had been put into motion...

 

It really was easier to sit back and do nothing, frustrating as that was. Better to think about the things that could never be, safe in the knowledge that they could really never be, than worry about what would happen if the thoughts became real...

 

Currently, Marron sat on one of the benches set into the left wall of the room. He'd sat thinking for the past few hours, before and after the fireworks event. Once or twice Marron wondered if he should have gone back outside, check that Carrot was alright... and there had been all the things that Milphey had talked about earlier, but... the Sorcerer Hunters had gone through years of drunken parties without anybody's virginity being lost yet (as far as Marron was aware), he guessed that this time around would be just as safe. Milphey would likely stay outside and with everybody else, he could be Marron's eyes on the party (just so long as he wasn't too preoccupied with Peach). Marron was slightly glad that Milphey knew about his feelings, for that... for the rare times that Marron wasn't around Carrot, Milphey could keep an eye on him. Not quite with the same brotherly devotion that Marron did, but... just make sure Carrot didn't do anything while Marron wasn't around to watch. When it came to things like that, Marron trusted Milphey.

 

Marron watched the grounds with a distant expression. He sat with one arm listlessly by his side and against the cushion of the bench, and the other leaning over the top edge; his head was leant against the cool glass of the window behind him. He leant to look out of the window a little more, could feel the glass pressing his hair against his head... he looked from the window to his hand, which he clenched a few times before letting it fall. So quiet. Any movement he made was one he felt amazingly aware of... that was probably due to the silence.

 

Outside... everybody was still outside, as far as Marron knew. Looking from the window, he could even pick out the tree everybody had been under, but it was too dark and he was too far away to be able to tell if anybody was still there. Everyone was probably asleep by now... if not, then they'd be well on their way to it.

 

Just a little longer, then he'd go outside again, perhaps. If anything, Marron was hungry... usual meals of the day had been skipped in favour for the party food, and he hadn't really stayed outside long enough to eat too much. Now, he realized his hunger... if everybody was asleep or drunk, then nobody would mind him going out and having his pick of whatever food was still there, if any was around. Marron could still see some of the contained fires burning over the grounds, it was much more better (and atmospheric) to cook food while outside, though people often burnt themselves. Dota's job was usually to stay on-hand with wet towels and healing salves for if anybody did. Marron recalled a festival past where some drunken lout had decided it a fun thing to do to throw a full bottle of alcohol into one of the fires... fortunately he'd been close by and had realised in time, Marron had saved the day that time by putting up a barrier before the fire could get anywhere, but still. The dangerous things people did while drunk...

 

Sighing gently, Marron pushed himself up from the bench. He didn't really feel in the mood for doing anything... but the slight growl of his stomach reminded him he was hungry, and food really did sound a good idea at that moment. Something meaty, perhaps. Yes, that sounded good. Marron continued to stare out of the window for just a little longer... maybe if he stared hard enough he would be able to see Carrot. He fancied that he could, and so continued to stand motionless.

 

Marron's ears twitched at hearing a knock at the door; he turned around, but the door remained closed. For a moment, he wondered who might be knocking for him... but on the other hand, very few people knew where he would be...

 

"... Come in..."

 

The door opened, it was Milphey. Marron had expected it to be so, and nodded at him in greeting.

 

"Ah, Milphey... I thought it might be you. Did you want me for something?"

 

"I hadn't seen you since you ran away from me earlier... I just wanted to make sure you were alright, really. I mean... maybe it was unreasonable to try to force you into flirting like that. I suppose it might be difficult if someone's not used to it... I'm sorry."

 

"No, no... you don't need to apologize... you were only trying to work in my best interests, I appreciate that. I just... it was something I found difficult. If I... if my brother and I were going to..."

 

"You'd rather it were conscious and consenting, hm?"

"Something like that..."

 

Milphey stepped into the room, standing next to Marron. Marron turned back to look through the window, Milphey did also. For a few moments there didn't seem to be anything to say, and the two were comfortable enough to watch the fires flickering outside in silence.

 

"You missed the fireworks, Marron-chan...!"

 

"Oh, I saw them from inside. They were quite spectacular..."

 

"I think anybody in a mile radius of Eden would have seen them no matter where they were, but... it's a shame you couldn't have been outside while they were going on. There's always a kind of... I don't know, a kind of electricity in the air at these things... not just the fireworks and their display, but being outside with so many people watching them with rapt attention... I can't describe it, but it's always wonderful to feel. At least you weren't like Carrot-chan, he slept right through them. The others woke up to the best of their abilities, but he was far too tired by that point..."

 

"Ah... how is everybody now? I suppose they'd be asleep by now..."

 

Milphey sat himself down on the bench between Marron and the wall, shrugging.

 

"Well, Carrot-chan's been trying to paw at Pear-chan for most of the evening, but he kept getting hit away by the combined forces of the Limonade twins and the Misu sisters, that was before he fell asleep. Oh, before that, Tira-chan got quite drunk, ended up chasing Carrot-chan around the garden with her whip cracking... she's asleep now, too. You know, she really is quite pretty when she's sleeping in her bondage outfit, strange though that is to say. Don't worry though, I don't think Carrot-chan's in the mood to notice anything like that, far too drunk. Last I saw of him he was still dozing..."

 

Milphey turned to face Marron, gazing at him seriously.

 

"I know you don't like so many drunk people at once, but... are you sure you're alright? I still don't like the thought of you inside like this still... are you sure you don't want to come outside for a bit longer? I mean... you could at least have the windows open, let in the fresh air and the atmosphere..."

 

"I was thinking of going outside to get something to eat, to be honest..."

 

"Well, then. Let's go outside and get something. Perhaps we could find Carrot-chan and drag him inside, too... I'm sure you wouldn't want him sleeping on the cold hard ground all night, after all...! He might get a crick in his neck."

 

Marron laughed softly, "It's alright. If he chooses to get drunk, then that's his own fault... the hangover twinned with any uncomfortable sleeping positions may help to dissuade him."

 

"Ahaha, and there I was thinking you were always looking out for Carrot-chan's well-being..."

 

"Milphey, you know I do... but, there are some things he'll only learn about through experience. You don't learn how a fire burns until you feel the flames upon you, after all..."

 

"Ah, 'once bitten, twice shy'? Do you think that Carrot-chan'll be easily persuaded out of his bad habits?"

 

Marron started to walk out of the room, "Probably not, but... I like to think that he can be, sometimes."

 

Looking up, Milphey realised he was alone in the room; he quickly left the room himself, closing the door carefully behind him then catching up with Marron.

 

He walked behind Marron for a few moments, just watching him. The two of them walked from patches of light from the corridor windows to darkness where the walls obscured vision... Marron's white robe made him easier to follow. Watching him, Milphey couldn't help but feel something for Marron... pity, perhaps? He wasn't sure. There was just something about him, though... on this festival day, Marron seemed out-of-place, almost. Always so serious and focused, couldn't he just let himself go for one day and have fun? Even getting him to let his hair down (or have it up as the case had been) had been such a trial...

 

Milphey wondered just what Marron would do for fun. Musing on that thought, he realised he couldn't really think of anything fun that Marron might like to do... obviously he didn't like drinking, so getting drunk and drinking games were out of the question. And really, it was healthier in the long run, but... apart from that? Carrot loved his girlchasing, and the girls loved their shopping and things... Chocolat could cook, so she did that sometimes... Tira would sometimes make flower arrangements, and then of course there was the bondage, but Milphey didn't know if that really counted as a hobby as per se. Gateau and Eclair were very into their posing and flexing, but... when it came to Marron... he protected Carrot, looked after Carrot, looked out for Carrot...

 

On that, Milphey caught up with Marron.

 

"Hey, Marron-chan... you don't have any... hobbies, do you?"

 

"Hobbies...? Well, there's the magic that I study, if you could count that..."

 

Milphey shook his head, "No, no... I mean... something relaxing you do for fun, y'know? Like, Carrot-chan chases girls, and Gateau-chan runs around posing... something you do when not thinking about killing Sorcerers or whatever. Something fun!"

 

"Fun...? Well, I read..."

 

"How many books in Marron-chan's library aren't to do with magic?"

 

"Ah..."

 

"Exactly. C'mon, something fun. Hm... can you juggle?"

 

"I don't think I've ever tried..."

 

"What, not even with two? Still, I don't know if juggling could really count, unless you were really skilled and could do six at a time while hopping on a beachball or something. Hmm... what about creative things? Can you draw, or write? I know, what about poetry? Maybe you're a poetic soul, it's the sort of thing you'd be into. What about haikus? It doesn't take any skill to come up with a haiku. Let's see... hmm..."

 

The two of them came to a halt as Milphey counted out syllables on his fingers before turning to Marron with a smile.

 

"Deeper, go deeper

Fill me now and make me whole

My darling sibling."

 

Marron just blinked at Milphey's haiku, Milphey laughed a laugh that sounded far too loud in the silence of the corridor.

 

"Well, something like that! I'm sure you could be very creative if you put your mind to it. Though, if you wrote a poem, it'd probably be all about Carrot-chan... so I don't know... you should have something to do that doesn't involve him, you know? Hm... how about jigsaw puzzles? We've got lots of them in bedrooms across Eden. Maybe it's not especially stimulating, but it'd be at least something to occupy your time...!"

 

"Milphey, where did all of this come from? Between my brother and my magic, I don't especially have time for any creative pursuits... I'm quite happy as I am."

 

They continued walking, "You say 'happy' but really it's more 'I'm content to angst over my brother until the day I die'... I don't know, it's just... we had a festival today, everyone's all relaxed and happy, and you're still coming inside to meditate and do serious things! I suppose I just want you to loosen up a bit, not be so serious... it'd be nice to see Marron-chan smile sometimes, that's all!"

 

Marron frowned slightly, "It's not as if I never smile..."

 

"He says, while he's frowning. How about crossdressing? Have you ever worn a bra?"

 

"..."

 

"Okay, okay, not that. Hmmm...é collecting something? Did you ever collect anything when you were a child? Bugs or stones or bits of grass or anything...? No...? Hm. What about music? Can you sing?"

 

"I... prefer not to."

 

"Can you play a musical instrument?"

 

"I haven't tried..."

 

"Jeez..."

 

Marron stopped in his tracks, staring at Milphey with something between unease and annoyance.

 

"Look, Milphey... I honestly appreciate your concern, but... I have no desire to take up painting, writing, singing, dancing, horse-riding, monster-taming, or anything else. I'm content as I am, really I am..."

 

Milphey sighed deeply, "I guess anything fun is just a 'distraction', huh?"

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"As I said earlier, meditating everything away... you don't need to be so serious about everything. You prefer not to sing... is it because you can't? Is it because you don't like to? Did someone tell you you couldn't sing when you were younger? Why listen to them? Hmm... la la la la laaa... see, it doesn't take much. Give me a few notes."

 

"Mi-Milphey...?!"

 

Milphey stood with his hands on his hips, gazing evenly at Marron. For all his insistence on Marron doing something to relax, Milphey seemed perfectly serious.

 

"Sing for me! There's nobody else around to hear, I won't laugh at you..."

 

"I, I don't know any songs..."

 

"Oh, everybody knows songs, even rhymes and silly things from when they were children... well, if you can't remember any songs, that's alright. Just go la a few times in a musical sort of way, that's all it takes...!"

 

Marron faltered under Milphey's gaze. He couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable, he'd never really been one to express himself musically... still, Milphey was right, there was nobody around. Marron wasn't sure what kind of path Milphey's thoughts were taking, singing was never something he'd considered, but... just to keep Milphey satisfied...

 

"Ah, ah-m... la la la la la la la..."

 

Nodding, Milphey walked around Marron, looking thoughtful. His footsteps tapped against the floor, Marron remained still.

 

"A little flat perhaps, but that's not your fault if you've never really sung... try breathing while singing, don't try to get it all out on one breath, that'll just make you sound nasal. Really try to fill your lungs up when you breathe... try to breathe here rather than here, alright? Try it again."

 

"Milphey, I really don't see what this is going to achieve..."

 

"I didn't say it'd achieve anything, I just want to hear Marron-chan's singing voice! Hmn, it's a shame you pass out after even just a sip of alcohol, sometimes people get looser the more alcohol they've had... anyway. Come on...!"

 

Supposing that they weren't going to be getting outside anytime quickly, Marron walked to the wall of the corridor next to one of the windows. He leant against the wall and glared away from Milphey, opening his mouth to start again... however, Milphey prevented him.

 

"Marron-chan, Marron-chan... you have a resentful look in your eyes. Alright, forget the singing. I suppose you wouldn't want to try a musical instrument either, not even a recorder... aa, you're a frustrating person sometimes."

 

"... Frustrating?"

 

"Yes, frustrating! You're always such a serious person, but you can't be serious all the time... life's short, you know? I know you probably won't be sitting there when you're eighty thinking 'oh I wish I'd sung more during my life', but... don't you think there's anything you would be wishing for when you're that old? Like... 'I wish I'd taken up pottery' or something? Ah! That's an idea! Pottery! I don't think we have a potter's wheel anywhere around here, but... we could get one, you could make some interesting pots, then paint them! How about that?"

 

Marron pushed himself away from the wall and carried on walking, the two of them were almost at the downward staircase by this point. His voice was quiet, but painfully audible to Milphey.

 

"... When I'm eighty?... Milphey, I'm a Sorcerer Hunter. We just don't live that long."

 

"Marron, Marron, wait. I'm sorry. Did I... hit a sore point?"

 

Descending the staircase.

 

"Not... sore as such, but... sometimes it's difficult to look that far into the future. We're Sorcerer Hunters, we could be hunting Sorcerers for the next decade or we could be dead in a week..."

 

Milphey's voice was indignant, "You've done pretty well so far!"

 

"So far, yes. Still, how long do you think that will hold out...? Pear mentioned the Sorcerer Hunter Killers. Occasionally we are given glimpses of our own mortality, our own fragility... I would almost certainly have died had it not been for you there that time. If I had died on that day, I wouldn't even be here now talking with you about hobbies and ways to pass the time... living is only on a day-to-day basis, Milphey. Don't you think it's a better idea to focus on ways to ensure that I don't die tomorrow rather than trying to focus on something that may distract me?"

 

Milphey folded his arms, "Hm-mm, I didn't realise your mortality was such a burden like that... but I can see how it would be, I admit. I don't know, though... if you are only living on a day-to-day basis, surely it's better to live for the day than always be trying to prepare for a tomorrow that might not happen? I'm not saying you should suddenly try to become Facade's next biggest modern artist or anything, just... I suppose I'm a little concerned, that's all. I don't want you shutting yourself off so much that you forget how to live, but the more I talk to you the more I wonder if you've been living at all in the first place..."

 

The two of them reached the bottom of the staircase. The great hall was lit by various lights that hung around the room... looking at them, Marron was sure that some of them had to have been suspended by magic, or something. Likely at Big Mama's bidding... he turned to face Milphey, his expression confused.

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

A moment of silence, then Milphey's sharp sigh.

 

"Look, I can't think of any way of saying it that wouldn't cause you to be offended in one way or another, but... you can't just live life as an extension of your brother...!"

 

"I've been fine until now, I don't need anybody telling me to change."

 

Milphey couldn't help his voice rising slightly, "Then you do realise what you're doing?!"

 

"I live my life in devotion to my brother, I know that. Perhaps there are other things I could be doing, different ways I could be doing things, but... as for myself, I... my brother is precious to me, so I protect him. That is all I can do... there is nothing I would rather be doing."

 

"So what if, like those Limonade twins, you got stationed off to somewhere else on the Continent? Big Mama felt your talents would be better put to use over to the Eastern Continent, or something. And you were put there on your own, or with... I don't know, with Chocolat, or maybe even with somebody you didn't know, anything like that. You had no choice but to be apart from your brother. I swear, the way you're at at the moment, you'd go mad...! You'd drive yourself mad with worry, concern and jealousy for the things he might be doing, who he might be doing them with... hadn't it ever even occurred to you that not only does he have his own life to lead but you do too...?!"

 

"Don't talk as if I don't realise my life is immoral."

 

Marron spoke so flatly and so unemotionally, then he just turned his back on Milphey and walked away to walk outside... Milphey just watched him for a few moments, wondering if he'd overstepped the mark. Marron was a frustrating person, but... sometimes people couldn't be changed, did Milphey really have any authority to try to change him...?

 

Inwardly cursing himself, Milphey made to chase after Marron. He was trying to get Marron to relax, not make him angry!

 

"Marron...! Marron, wait a minute."

 

He didn't. Milphey put on a burst of speed, swiftly catching up to where Marron was now slowly walking.

 

"Marron, Marron, I'm sorry. I got carried away, I said hurtful things..."

 

"You only spoke the truth."

 

"Well..."

 

"Milphey, do you not think that I also think to myself about these things...? Everybody seems to be living happily through their choice of lifestyle... my choice only seems to bring me pain, but... perhaps that's the only way I know how to be... our very lives are barely our own. Is it even worth trying to get to know people outside of our immediate existence...? Parsoners are easily killed by Sorcerers, even Sorcerer Hunters are easily killed by Sorcerers... anybody we know can be snatched away from us quickly and with little feeling. We... we are closer than that, my brother and Tira and Chocolat and Gateau and I... we see each other every day almost without exception, we are the people we can rely on. Perhaps I rely on my brother too much for my happiness, but... as long as I can protect him, he'll always be there. If ever the day comes that he isn't can mean only that I've failed, and that... on that day, I'd..."

 

"Marron-chan... hush..."

 

Deciding that Marron's rant should be quietened, Milphey stepped forward and hugged Marron tightly around his shoulders, pulling him close. Marron's body felt tense, but he didn't try to push Milphey away...

 

"Milphey, what...?"

 

"I'm sorry that I brought up such things. I was only worried that you always seem to be serious while everybody else is enjoying themselves... I still think you take yourself far too seriously, but... I didn't mean to bring up all these other things just by wanting you to have a hobby...! I'm not suggesting you should stop being who you are at all... you're right, however you are, it's the only way that you know how to be. People can only be themselves, can't they...?"

 

Milphey stepped back, his hands still on Marron's shoulders.

 

"Let's just forget all the unpleasant things, find something to eat, and then find Carrot-chan. Alright?"

 

"Y-yes, that... that's a good idea."

 

"I'll get food, you find Carrot-chan."

 

Before Marron could agree or disagree to that, Milphey had already hopped off to wherever the food was... likely Milphey had more of an idea where it was that Marron did in any case, Marron trusted Milphey to bring back something nice. Marron made his way across the grounds as best as he could.

 

Indeed, most people were asleep by this point. Marron looked to the sky... the sky was dark, but was it really that late at night...? He wasn't sure, but he himself didn't feel so tired... though for it to be dark meant it had to be at least just a little late at night.

 

Approaching the large tree where the others had been, the first thing Marron was aware of was a loud shout.

 

"YAAAAH!!"

 

He looked up in surprise - it seemed that Peach had awoken from the stupor he'd previously been in. Peach's cry surprised Carrot, who'd been slumped next to him... Gateau was totally zoned out a few feet away, and the three girls were leant against each other and the tree, snoozing.

 

Carrot himself looked quite zoned out, having just woken up.

 

"Whass... whassit...?"

 

"Niisan... don't you think it's about time we got back inside, if you're awake...? It... it wouldn't be good for you to sleep outside. It's starting to get cold."

 

So much for the serves-him-right theory, Marron thought. Carrot just stared up at him, his mind not seeming to make the right connections to recognize Marron... unfortunately Peach's had, and he was already pawing at the edge of Marron's robe.

 

"AAA, I REMEMBER YOU!"

 

"That's, that's nice."

 

"Didn't... didn't I... I always tried to get into your pantsh but you never let me! But that's alright, yer obviouhl... obv... you must be in awe of my AWE... ful... ness... that's not th'word. So... uh... we're alone now... c'n I see ya naked...?"

 

Marron yanked his robe sharply away from Peach; he'd somewhat hoped he'd be able to approach the group and get Carrot away before he could be noticed, but it seemed he wouldn't be so lucky... just as Carrot took the Saint Mother's Day party to try to hit on Pear, Peach usually ended up too drunk to make the distinction between 'male' and 'female', and in Marron's case, when one was drunk, the distinction was blurred enough for it not to matter. Still, Marron didn't especially appreciate being clumsily flirted with no matter what the gender or amount of alcohol.

 

"Ah, Marron-chan! I see you found everybody, then..."

 

"Indeed... however, it seems that Peach has awoken..."

 

Peach looked up and saw both Milphey and Marron in his line of sight.

 

"TWO PRETTY LADIES!!"

 

Milphey glanced at Marron, then smiled down at Peach.

 

"Yes, yes, we quite established that earlier... somewhat..."

 

Milphey motioned for Marron to deal with Carrot. Marron took Carrot by the wrist, and managed to persuade him into standing up. Carrot stared hard at Marron for a few moments, his eyes seeming hazy somewhat.

 

"... wash trying to kish Pear for agesh... she wouldn't though... n' Shockalat tried t'kish me... Tira wouldn't let her... then Shockalat kished Tira I think... it wash weird... but they were quite, quite drunk! I'm not drunk at all! Why are you holding my wrisht?"

 

"Niisan... it's time to go back to bed. It's late."

 

"Yesh I know, but I can walk in a perfectly shtraight line without you holding onto my wrisht! Look... YAAGH... aah... ah... I'm on the floor... where did the floor come from..."

 

Marron's eyes flickered heavenward, "Milphey could you help me, please...?"

 

Milphey nodded with a warm expression, "Of course, of course."

 

The combined effort of Milphey and Marron eventually got Carrot back to Eden; he walked, but he walked clumsily, and it was quite obvious that he would have fallen over and fallen asleep had it not been for his two chauffeurs. Climbing the stairs had been difficult, but mostly through Milphey's determination, he and Marron got Carrot there. Once they were at the door to Marron and Carrot's bedroom, Milphey smiled and let go of Carrot.

 

"I'm sure you can manage him from here."

 

"Thank you, Milphey... it would have been quite unkind to leave him outside to sleep, I suppose. What will you do now...?"

 

"I can go back outside and get you some food, if you want me to. We never did look for any..."

 

"Oh, we didn't, no... but no, that's alright. I'll tuck niisan in then I'll sleep myself... I ate earlier, and I won't starve just for a night. Will you be going to bed now?"

 

Milphey nodded, "Nothing else to do, unless I want to go back outside and find somebody who's not in a drunken slumber... that's too much effort, I think. Yes, sleep sounds a good idea, for me and you both... and Carrot-chan too, of course. Make sure you sleep well now, Marron-chan!"

 

"I'll try."

 

A nod and a smile, and then Milphey was retreating off along the dark corridor. Marron watched him for a few seconds, then turned his attentions back to Carrot, who was half-slumped against the door. Marron sighed softly and hefted Carrot up with one arm, then opened the door to the bedroom and led Carrot inside.

 

The inside of the bedroom was quite dark. Marron deposited Carrot onto his bed, then lit the bedside lamps to shed a little light into the room. He closed the door, then heard Carrot groan slightly. Perhaps the light had disturbed him? Marron was back by Carrot's side, watching him intently.

 

"Niisan... are you alright?"

 

"Mnh... mn... mn'n bed..."

 

"I brought you back inside, niisan. You're in our bedroom now."

 

"S'hot in here..."

 

"Oh, you're still in your clothes... should I... would you like a nightshirt?"

 

"Mmn..."

 

Marron diligently went over to one of the sets of drawers in the room, and pulled out a clean nightshirt. He went back over to Carrot, and wondered if he would be capable of getting dressed... Marron was unsure, and so helped him. Carrot reached up to let Marron get him out of his tanktop, but wasn't quite so compliant when it came to his trousers... Marron wasn't sure he wanted to force his brother out of his trousers, and so left him shirtless.

 

Looking up, Carrot opened his eyes. His view was hazy and his speech still slurred, but he was at least slightly awake.

 

"I... I w'shleeping..."

 

"Yes, niisan... you can go back to sleep, if you want. Don't let me disturb you."

 

"Marron..."

 

"Mm?"

 

"Earlier... s'h... shummink... there wash thish girl... I think... n'she looked like you... 'cept she wash like, sheckshy and shtuff... but... she... it wash weird, she wanted to actually kish me and she wash totally hitting on me... that doeshn't ushually happen, not even when itsh a party... but... it wash weird caush I couldn't... I couldn't even kish her, y'know?"

 

"Oh...?"

 

"She looked too mush like you... woulda been weird... unnnn, head hurtsh..."

 

Marron just watched Carrot.

 

Obviously he was still drunk, but he still remembered... Marron wasn't sure whether to despair or be proud of his brother's loyalty. How nice that he wouldn't kiss this 'girl' that reminded him of his brother. Of course... that had also been the reason for Carrot's reluctance in the first place... if he'd known that the girl wasn't just like his brother but was his brother... how much Carrot have reacted then? Marron didn't dare hope that Carrot might have been encouraged by that. No, he would only have been even more disgusted...

 

"Niisan, if your head hurts, you should sleep... it'll get better in the morning."

 

"Unn..."

 

It seemed that Carrot was already on his way to sleep. Marron picked up the nightshirt from beside his brother, and decided to wear it himself. He quietly got changed into it, tucked Carrot underneath the sheets after pulling his boots off, then got into his own bed, shifting around underneath the sheets.

 

Likely most of the population of Facade would have a hangover come the following morning. Marron couldn't help but smile at that, knowing that he would be one of the few who'd be feeling healthy... perhaps he could tend to his brother's hangover, come the morning. That seemed a nice idea.

 

****

 

The morning after the Saint Mother's Day festivities was bright and sunny, much like the day preceding it had been. The day would have been looked upon as almost perfect in regard to the weather, had most of the population of Facade not been experiencing the worst hangover they'd likely experience for that year. The sunshine was bright and piercing and when it hurt even to open your eyes, it was just painful. Eden awoke to the sound of mass groaning.

 

Carrot was quite surprised to wake up and find himself in bed; his first thoughts were along the lines of 'where am I!? When did I end up here?!' and second along the line of 'oh GOD my HEAD'; the second counterbalanced the first, and he didn't really care how he'd ended up in bed.

 

Marron had of course been awake for several hours before Carrot even stirred slightly, keeping to his early-morning meditation regime, making breakfast, looking over the outer grounds with slight amusement. That was the price those people had to pay for getting so drunk, it seemed... but Marron had also been slightly concerned about Carrot, out of all the people to get drunk Carrot was yet another one, but to Marron's mind, he could be afforded a little extra care.

 

"Unnnnn...!"

 

Marron's ears pricked at hearing that groan; he'd been sitting on his bed, reading glasses on and reading a book while he waited for Carrot to wake up. He quickly put the book and his glasses down on the bedside cabinet as he leapt from his bed to beside Carrot's.

 

"Niisan... niisan, are you alright?"

 

"M... m'in bed... oh GOD..."

 

"Niisan..."

 

Carrot's eyes opened vaguely, he shielded his view from the light from the windows.

 

"It's... it's too bright..."

 

"Ah, I'll close the curtains, niisan."

 

Marron did so; the room was dropped into darkness, but still light shone through from where the curtains couldn't cover... still, the cover they gave seemed good enough, Carrot shifted in bed and sat up a little. Marron watched him in concern.

 

"Niisan... how do you feel?"

 

"Like I've slept with a pile of bricks on my head. My god, how much did I drink yesterday... gah, I can't even remember... I... I remember challenging that Peach guy to a drinking contest or something, I really can't remember anything after that... everything's kinda blurry... oh-hh, my head... Marronnn, it huurts!"

 

Marron smiled softly at Carrot's childish whine, "You expect me to do something about it, niisan? Surely it's your own fault for getting quite so drunk in the first place?"

 

"... Marrronnnnn..."

 

A laugh, "Alright, alright. I'll see if I can make up something that would help you... do you mind waiting for a little while? I know of something that might help, but I have to go out and gather things for it. Maybe you could nap for a little longer in the meantime.

 

"... Gather things? What kinda things?"

 

"Oh, just different plants. Apparently if you crush fresh Azzel leaves and boil them along with Driwurd root and Eryia berries, it can have amazing headache-relieving properties... of course, I don't know how far that would go to relieving somebody of their hangover, but if you want to try it then I'll go out and find the plants needed."

 

Carrot thought this over as much as his hurting head would let him, "... Sure, sure, you do that. I... yea, sleeping some more sounds good..."

 

A deep sigh, then Marron presumed Carrot was already drifting off back to sleep.

 

Marron happily set about his task. Usually Azzel leaves and Eryia berries were difficult to find... some plants only grew on different parts of the Continent, and if you happened to be across the Continent from somewhere where they grew, then there wasn't a whole lot you could do about it.

 

However, the matter was a little different when it came to Eden; the gardens were verdant and prosperous, and you could find almost any plant you wished for if you looked hard enough. The key was knowing where to look, and unfortunately, Marron supposed he didn't really. That didn't matter, though... he had as long as he needed to search through the gardens, and it was a nice day to be outside.

 

Of course, scouring the gardens for what he was looking for meant he'd have to step over all the sleeping people still outside, but... that was just an occupational hazard.

 

On walking through the entrance to the main hall, Marron stretched luxuriously, feeling quite happy and relaxed. It really was a nice day, and it was so nice to be able to stretch like that... indeed, the grounds were still quite full of people. Some had woken up and some were already making their way home, but a lot still remained asleep.

 

Marron wondered if Tira and the others were still asleep anywhere outside... very probably. Perhaps they would appreciate some of the headache cure also? Marron shrugged to himself. If he saw them, he'd ask.

 

Starting with the lower left corner of the gardens, Marron started walking along the outer border. There were lots of plants, trees and pretty flowers, but Driwurd could never be counted as being attractive. It was more or less a weed, and it tended to root itself nearer to larger plants and grow up them... so, Marron thought, that meant he'd probably find it growing against a tree. He walked along, carefully eyeing up each tree he walked past... most of them were well-tended to and if somebody was weeding then Driwurd would be the first to go, but... after a short while, Marron found a few dark tell-tale seedlings next to a larger tree. Obviously somebody had been doing their weeding, but some weeds you could never get rid of... the plant seemed a little young, Marron hoped that the roots would be adequate... he crouched next to the ground, and gently parted the plant from the soil. Indeed, the roots were small and delicate... Marron supposed if he uprooted the whole plant then it may work... and it would prevent the plant from growing again in that area for the time being, which would please whoever did the gardening.

 

Standing up, Marron supposed he should have brought along a bag or something to keep what he found in as he went along... oh well, that couldn't be helped now. Next were the leaves of the Azzel plant...

 

Milphey was also awake by that point, standing at the main door and watching the lazy morning-after of everybody else. He carried a cup of tea with him, it was just one of those quiet days... wake up, have nothing to do... make a cup of tea, walk around for a bit... maybe a quiet and boring day, but just the kind of quiet and boring that Milphey could appreciate. It was so nice to have the option to do nothing at all.

 

Then he spotted Marron; Milphey smiled as he took a sip of his tea; he was obviously awake already... but what was he doing poking around the flower borders? It wouldn't hurt to go and see what he was doing; Milphey quietly walked over.

 

"Goo-ood morning, Marron-chan!"

 

"Oh! Ah, good morning, Milphey."

 

"Mmm, really is a good morning. One of those mornings that makes you glad not to wake up with a hangover, isn't it? Still, there's probably more than a thousand people here who haven't been quite so lucky, so we should pity them. Anyway... what are you doing? I didn't know Marron-chan was into gardening."

 

Marron stood up from where he'd been inspecting the section of soil he stood in front of, and smiled gently.

 

"Oh no, it's nothing like that. Just, my brother woke up with a terrible hangover, as would be expected... I thought I might try boiling up something that would help alleviate his pain."

 

"Ah, I see! Let's see, what's that you've got there... oh, Driwurd root! You were lucky to find any of that, Cinnamon usually kills any of that she finds on sight..."

 

"Cinnamon?"

 

"Yes, she's the one who tends to the garden when she can... mmm... want me to help you? I don't have anything else I could be doing. Four hands are better than two, after all! What else are you looking for?"

 

Milphey continued drinking his tea as Marron spoke.

 

"The method I heard used Driwurd root, Azzel leaves and Eryia berries... I have the first, but not the other two. Do you know where I might be able to find them in this garden? I thought I might be able to find them myself, but... it is a large garden..."

 

"Hmmm... let's see, now... the Azzel plant should be easy enough to look around for, but I'm not sure about the Eryia tree... I don't think it's the right time of year for it, but still, we can look around, can't we?"

 

So the two of them searched around the gardens for a while. The Azzel plant was one with wide leaves that grew in shady areas, apparently. Shady areas were quite difficult to find in the garden, but eventually Milphey led Marron to an area in the southern edge of the garden where quite a lot of the needed plant grew.

 

"That's wonderful, thank you...! I don't think I would have been able to find this on my own... it was quite hidden away."

 

"Well, sometimes you just have to know where these things live, don't you? Now, the only thing left is those Eryia berries... I can only think of one place around here where those would be growing, if they're growing at all..."

 

"Where would that be?"

 

Milphey took Marron's wrist and led him to the corner of the garden nearest. He smiled craftily, and parted the bushes at the edge, and stepped through; Marron frowned... Milphey beckoned for him to follow, so he did. Did Eden's gardens have secret passages?

 

On the other side of the tall bush that Milphey had stepped through was a small yet well-tended to little area. Marron looked around it in quiet amazement, he hadn't thought that any small gardens like this would exist nearby... the trees from above sheltered and shaded it, and somebody had pushed tiles into the ground around the centre of the small garden, where lots of different plants grew in neat rows. Milphey smiled, downing the last of his tea.

 

"Secret Haz Knight herb garden. Why do you think Haz Knights never get ill?"

 

Marron raised his eyebrow, "It belongs to the Haz Knights...? Perhaps we shouldn't be here, in that case..."

 

"Oh, it'll be alright. It's only a garden, after all... anyway, let's see... this tree in this corner here, it's an Eryia tree... but... oh, yes. See, these berries here? They're still green. You could give them to Carrot-chan if you wanted, they'd probably take away his headache but he'd be too ill to really appreciate that... they're poisonous until they become large and purple."

 

"So those can't be used?"

 

Milphey shook his head, "Unfortunately not, no. Though... if you're just trying to make him better again, then... hmm... perhaps here..."

 

Marron watched as Milphey went from the tree to crouching by the nearest side of the plants gathered in the middle of the garden. He reached between them, touching at some leaves and considering others... eventually he seemed to come to a decision, and pulled a few leaves from a particular plant. He looked them over then walked back to where Marron was standing, pushing them into Marron's hand.

 

"Leaves of the Skaer plant, those cure more or less anything you give them for. Though you may still wish to mix them with those other ingredients you found, the taste certainly isn't very pleasant on it's own..."

 

The leaves were a dark grey with a stripe going down them; Marron looked from them up to Milphey, "You know a lot about these plants...?"

 

"I know a little here and there... I wouldn't really be the one to ask about these things though, that'd be more something to ask Cinnamon, or... yes, it's the sort of thing Shiffon would know all about. This is really his garden more than anybody else's, after all. Anyway, if we want to boil these we should start now, they can take a while sometimes..."

 

"Ah, indeed."

 

A short while later, the leaves were shredded and simmering over one of the stoves in Eden. Marron had just watched while Milphey had prepared everything... he really did seem to know about how these things should be done. Marron wasn't going to question his expertise, and so just stood to the side while waiting for Milphey to finish.

 

"There, now. We should leave that to simmer for an hour or so, let everything infuse, as it does... until then, we can just walk around or something! Unless there was something else you wanted to do?"

 

"I suppose my brother would still be sleeping... no, there's nothing else I can really think of. Perhaps we could sit outside...? The day is still bright..."

 

"Oh, indeed. That sounds a wonderful idea!"

 

Rather than going right onto the gardens, Marron thought it might be better to just sit on the step of the entrance to the main hall. Still suitably enough outside while not close enough to the masses still on the lawn to mingle. Milphey sat with him, it was as good a place as any.

 

"So..."

 

Marron looked at Milphey with slightly curiosity, "So...?"

 

"Oh, I don't know. Just trying to think of something to say, but nothing really came afterward. Mmm... do you know if you'll have any missions coming up soon? Perhaps I could see if I could come with you on any. I haven't been on a mission for a while, sometimes I start to miss the experience, in a funny sort of way... it's a reason to get out of Eden, after all. And if I can travel with you guys, then the journey is never boring!"

 

Marron just shook his head, "If there are any missions coming up, then Big Mama hasn't told us of them yet. It's rare for us to get too much of a warning in advance, in any case... if a Sorcerer is causing problems then he's not going to wait a few days for us to prepare ourselves. Most of the time it's a morning call from Dota that tells us what we're to do..."

 

"Ah, indeed..."

 

Falling onto his back, Milphey stared up at the far-off ceiling above him. The sunlight was streaming in through the door, making the hall quite warm and bright... Milphey sighed deeply. It was such a nice day, and Marron seemed in more of an agreeable mood than he had the night before...

 

"... Hey, Marron?"

 

"Mm?"

 

"I'm... sorry, still."

 

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?"

 

"Weeellll... last night, yesterday, all of that. I mean, if you really wanted to flirt then you'd do it in your own way..."

 

"It's alright, Milphey. You did what you thought was best, and I can see how the idea would be a good one... I just... I just couldn't bring myself to deceive him like that..."

 

Milphey nodded, "That's understandable."

 

A pause in the conversation. Milphey still stared up at the ceiling, picking his words carefully.

 

"... And I suppose you and Gateau-chan are still..."

 

"... Are still what?"

 

"Still... not together?"

 

"I can barely say how we were together in the first place... though things are slightly better now. It's better not to pretend that things might happen when they obviously won't be able to... we were asking too much of each other. Or at least, we were asking things of each other that we couldn't grant. So... no."

 

"Hmmn..."

 

There was something a little too thoughtful about that 'hmmn' that Marron couldn't help but pick up on. He frowned slightly, "You sound... thoughtful, Milphey."

 

"Hm? Oh, oh, mmm. Well, I was just thinking... I mean... the whole arrangement with Gateau-chan was quite fundamentally flawed, wasn't it? You wouldn't give yourself to him because of your feelings for Carrot-chan, and there was no way you could tell him of those feelings, or expect him to understand them..."

 

"Indeed..."

 

Milphey sat up, staring in front of him for a few moments before turning to look back at Marron, quite a serious expression on his face.

 

"If you really did need somebody to... oh, I don't know... just, if you did need somebody... Marron, I know about your feelings for Carrot. I don't think you're disgusting and horrible for that, as other people might... I'm not trying to proposition you, or anything... just saying, you could always ask me if you really needed somebody to ask, if you see what I'm saying."

 

"M-milphey...!"

 

"Ignore anything I just said if that makes you uncomfortable at all, but... just consider it, okay? I just want to help you, I suppose. I might not be all muscles and strength like Gateau-chan, but... I could probably overpower you if you wanted me to. Just saying, that's all."

 

Another pause; Milphey respectfully waited for Marron to speak... the matter had been playing on his mind for quite a while now, really since that time when Marron and Gateau had had that last argument... obviously, their relationship couldn't work. However...

 

Marron looked up, seeming to purposefully look away from Milphey as he spoke. His voice was quiet, as if he didn't want anybody to hear him but Milphey...

 

"I... had a dream, once."

 

"Mm?"

 

"While I slept... I mean. I... all of the men of Eden... most of them... Shiffon, Kahlua, Sirius, you, Gateau... with no argument at all, I went around Eden and slept with anybody... though... the one person I couldn't, was my brother... he was sleeping with Tira and Chocolat when I found him, at the end of the dream..."

 

"That must have been quite disturbing..."

 

"It was, though... my brother and the Misu sisters aside... is... that dream really so unrealistic?"

 

Milphey thought that over for a moment, "... Shiffon and Kahlua? Well, I'm not sure about them... and Sirius, he's very attached to Dota-chan..."

 

"I don't mean like that! I mean... is there really anywhere I can stop? In the dream, I barely even had a reason to do what I did... already I've had experiences with Gateau, though never quite that far... if I were to have had that with him... if I were to do similar things with you... I'm not saying I would sleep with Sirius, or Shiffon, or Kahlua... just... is not the potential there? I have little desire to become... to become the whore of Eden...!"

 

"Marron... -chan..."

 

"I... don't have any wish for anything like that dream to become reality... there were dreams of the past that were much worse, myself being taken by so many people I didn't even know, but... the anonyminity... the way that dream was detached... if there were a controlled situation, then perhaps... but not while my mindset is 'I'm doing this, but you're not my brother', if what I'm saying makes any sense..."

 

Milphey sighed deeply.

 

"Marron, we really have to do something about this."

 

"Milphey...?!"

 

"This whole situation. I know you're doing your best to deflect your thoughts and try to step away from them, but... you'll end up insane before the year finishes, at this rate. I think... I think, you need to make some decisions."

 

Marron's stare became a little wary, "... Decisions?"

 

"I can only talk about what I've seen of you and what I know of you, but... you seem to be constantly living wishing to get closer to Carrot, all while trying to keep away from him in accordance with your feelings. I do think that you either need to act on your feelings or move on from them; they'll only drive you mad otherwise."

 

"I thought you didn't want to try to force me into things."

 

"I'm not trying to force you into anything...! I just honestly think you need to make some changes to your outlook on life. I'm not going to argue with you if you say that Carrot is your one true love and your life won't be complete without him, or whatever. I'm perfectly alright with that. I just can't watch as you spend each day of your life with him, petrified of saying too much, worried of what he might think..."

 

"I know only too well what he'd think-"

 

"Do you?!"

 

The second he spoke, Milphey wondered if he'd said too much. Of course, it was enough to know that Carrot seemed just as confused as Marron did some of the time, or at least he had in the past, but... that whole meeting with Carrot had been in strict confidence, Milphey knew that Carrot wouldn't want him talking about what they'd talked about that time to anybody... not even to Marron... especially not to Marron!

 

Though, their problems seemed quite similar, and seemed to stem from the base problem that neither seemed to be able to talk to each other. Perhaps if they did talk, then they'd realise...

 

Then on the other hand, there was Carrot's behaviour of the night before. He hadn't wanted to do anything with the person he didn't know was Marron because he was too reminded, well, of Marron...? If he did feel any kind of attraction to Marron, then surely he would have jumped at the chance, and even better so for the person not, to his knowledge, actually being his brother...

 

It was a complicated situation, but... Milphey was determined to help, in any way he could.

 

Marron just stared at Milphey, "... What's that supposed to mean?"

 

Deflecting the truth, Milphey just waved his hand vaguely.

 

"Well... you can't really know a person, Marron. How can you say how Carrot would or wouldn't react? It's the kind of situation where you really couldn't know how somebody would react until they were in that situation..."

 

Marron spoke self-depreciatingly, "I, I suppose... but my brother would never show an interest in me, would he? All of the qualities he looks for... the feminine things... not being related by blood might help, of course."

 

"You really need to stop beating yourself up about these things! Are all the things you are really so terrible just because they're not being noticed by Carrot? You're a wonderful complex person all of your own, you don't need confirmation or ignorance from him to say what you are."

 

Marron said nothing.

 

"... Well, it's the truth. Anyway, I'm going to go see how well that mixture we're making is doing... when I come back, I want you to have come up with ten positive things about you that aren't to do with your brother."

 

With that, Milphey went. Marron looked up in question to what Milphey had just asked of him, but he had already gone somewhere Marron couldn't see him... he frowned to himself. What a strange thing to ask...

 

Ten things that were positive that weren't to do with Carrot...? Marron thought hard for a moment, supposing he might as well try, for Milphey's sake. Milphey seemed to be being awfully pushy all of a sudden from Marron's point of view, but a reluctant part of him realised Milphey's reasoning. He knew that if the situation were reversed and Marron found himself watching somebody else in a similar situation, he'd encourage the person in any way he knew to try to act on their feelings... perhaps...

 

So, ten things.

 

"Well... I know Eastern magic... I learnt that for my brother's sake though, would that count...? Perhaps... I know Eastern magic and I have the power of the Hamato at my command. I wonder if those are the things Milphey meant... if so, that's two..."

 

Marron's thoughts continued on quietly, but there was little he could find to think of outside of battle-related issues. When Milphey returned it seemed all too soon, and he looked up in surprise.

 

"Mi-Milphey! You weren't gone for very long..."

 

"I just thought I'd come back to say that it's ready, more or less. We should go and put it into a cup so you can give it to Carrot-chan. So, how many things did you think of?"

 

Picking himself up off the front step, Marron followed Milphey back to the kitchen area where they'd been boiling the leaves. Once there, he sighed.

 

"I... wasn't really sure what you expected me to think of... I wondered about my Eastern magic... that and the power of the Hamato... those were two things, but... I wasn't sure..."

 

Milphey prodded Marron's forehead sharply enough to leave a slight fingernail-shaped groove, then folded his arms.

 

"So if you were to fall down dead this minute, all we'd have to put on your gravestone would be 'he knew Eastern magic, he could wield a really powerful sword'? Tch tch, Marron-chan. I think you need an outside opinion on yourself... okay, let's see."

 

Turning off the heat of the stove, Milphey leant against the wall opposite Marron, and stared at him for a moment.

 

"Well, you're beautiful, obviously. I think anybody with the curious exception of the person standing in front of me would agree with that. We could indeed count your magic, too - you're an adept learner, you learn things quickly and effectively. You're considerate to a fault, you'll go out of your way to make sure somebody isn't uncomfortable... that's three things..."

 

"There's really not all that much..."

 

"Stop doubting yourself, Marron! Perhaps it's too broad a thing to be broken down into ten separate things, but basically, I think... if Carrot-chan would open his eyes and look at what's on offer to him, he'd be a very lucky person. Maybe it wouldn't be what he thought he wanted, but... I don't think anybody could reject your affections, Marron. Here, you want to take this to Carrot-chan? He should drink it while it's still hot, you should take it upstairs quickly."

 

Milphey handed Marron the concoction in a tall cup; it felt warm to Marron's hands, and steam rose from the top.

 

Marron looked at Milphey, then turned and left the room. There wasn't an awful lot to say to him, really.

 

Left alone in the room, Milphey leant his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. The nice things about Marron... it was hard to describe in words, really. Much less describe in words that Marron himself would understand...

 

Milphey couldn't help but smile at himself as he pushed himself away from the wall and made his way out of the room; if anything, Marron was somebody who needed help, and Milphey liked to think that he could provide that help. Anything to bring Marron out of his shell a little, make him realise the important things... make him realise that moping around after Carrot all of his life wasn't the best idea in the world. Milphey couldn't help but feel a tremor of annoyance within him in that he knew that that was exactly what Marron would do, if given the chance. He'd happily watch as his brother went off with another under the pretence that 'his happiness is my happiness even though he's just crushed my soul' or something similar...

 

The current obstacle in the way seemed to be that Marron wouldn't accept at all that Carrot may have any kind of similar feeling. Milphey wanted to convince Marron that that perhaps wasn't the case, but how to do that without directly saying so... after all, Milphey had a feeling that the first thing Marron would do on hearing about what had happened between Milphey and Carrot that time would be to run to Carrot to ask him about it, or at least allude ambiguously to it. No, to tell Marron anything about that time would be to betray Carrot's confidence, and that was out of the question.

 

For the time being, Milphey had something else in mind for Marron. That could wait until he was finished with Carrot, though.

 

Upstairs, Marron had carefully made his way back to the bedroom, potion in hand. He knocked on the bedroom door and then opened it, "Niisan... it's me..."

 

Carrot appeared to have fallen asleep again. Marron watched him with a soft expression, closed the door behind him, and made his way over to the bed. He placed the drink down on the bedside cabinet, and gently shook at Carrot's shoulder.

 

"Niisan... niisan? Wake up..."

 

"Mmnn... nnn..."

 

"I brought you something that might help you..."

 

"Nnnh...? Mrr... Mrrn... Marron...?"

 

Marron nodded, "Yes, it's me..."

 

Slowly, Carrot's eyes opened. Recognition passed over his face, he smiled slightly.

 

"M'head still hurts..."

 

Marron held up the cup, "That's why I brought this, niisan. You should drink it while it's still hot... it should help with the headache, though. Milphey and I were just outside gathering the leaves for it... it seems that most of the people from last night are in a similar situation to yours. I made this just for you, though..."

 

"Will it be... bitter?"

 

Marron blinked, realising that he didn't quite know what it'd taste like. Supposing it wouldn't hurt just to try it, Marron took a sip. It wasn't bitter as such, but felt quite dry to the throat... he smiled and passed the cup to Carrot, "It's not unpleasant, niisan. Just, you might wish for some water afterward... I can go and get some if you feel you need it."

 

Carrot hefted himself into a seated position, and accepted the cup. He warily took a tentative sip, decided that whatever was in there wouldn't poison him, and downed the rest quickly.

 

"Aaaaah... mn, you're right, that wasn't so bad... usually medicine tastes horrible. So... should I sleep s'more? Let it do its thing?"

 

"Do whatever you feel like, niisan."

 

"Nn... I think I'll sleep just for a little while longer. Nothin' else we gotta be doing, is there...?"

 

"Indeed not, niisan."

 

"G'night."

 

With that, Carrot fell back down onto the bed, his eyes closed. Marron watched him then stood up, supposing he should go and find something to do with himself while Carrot slept. He hoped that the mixture would help... he also made a mental note of the herb used and it's position in the herb garden for future reference. You could never have too many hangover cures.

 

Making his way out of the bedroom and shutting the door behind him, Marron stood in the corridor for a few minutes. Eden seemed so quiet compared to the previous day... looking out to the grounds below, a lot of people had taken their leave already... a few people still appeared to be asleep, but there definitely weren't as many people as there had been before. Marron wondered if Tira and Chocolat and the others had woken up yet... he also wondered if they'd appreciate being woken up. A moment's consideration... probably not. If they were still sleeping... they could remain sleeping for a while longer. Marron didn't feel it his place to disturb them.

 

But what to do with himself in the meantime? Looking down the corridor, Marron could see that the door to his little meditation room was still open. He walked slowly over to it, looked over the contents. Books still littered the floor somewhat haphazardly, the sunlight shone in brightly... Marron smiled. This room really was quite pleasant... just the kind of room that was suitable for meditation...

 

Meditation... he hadn't had much of a chance to meditate yesterday, and he hadn't so far today, either... but over the previous weeks he'd been, he thought, quite a bit more relaxed for his meditation...

 

Marron took up a cross-legged position in the centre of the room, shifting books away from him. He took a deep breath and leant his hands on his knees, straightening his back. Breathe in... breathe out. Concentrate on the darkness... only the darkness... nothing exists except for that which is in front of you, of which you can see nothing... think of nothing but nothing...

 

"Ohhh Maaa-rr-o-nn-chaa-nn!"

 

On hearing that sudden cry, Marron's eyes flicked open. Obviously a few hours peaceful meditation was too much to ask for... he closed his eyes, contained his annoyance, then looked around. Milphey stood in the doorway, his hands behind his back, as if holding something.

 

"Did you want something, Milphey?"

 

Milphey nodded enthusiastically, "Mm, mm!"... but didn't seem in too much of a hurry to actually say what it was that he wanted. Marron blinked and waited for Milphey to say... but he didn't.

 

"... Are you going to tell me what it was you wanted, or am I supposed to guess...?"

 

Impatiently hopping from one foot to the other, Milphey seemed just a little too pleased.

 

"Not until you ask me what I've got behind my back!"

 

"... Milphey, what have you got behind your back?"

 

Milphey's smile widened as he brought his hands forward; with his two hands he held something small, tan and white, fuzzy, and cute. Marron blinked at it. It appeared to blink back. Milphey couldn't help but laugh, "It's a kitten!!"

 

"... I can see that..."

 

The kitten stared dolefully at Marron, still at arm's length away from Milphey. Milphey seemed to be waiting for something... he motioned to the kitten.

 

"Well?"

 

"Well... what?"

 

"It's a present for you! Aren't you going to take him?"

 

Marron frowned, "A... present?"

 

"Yes! You said you didn't have any hobbies, so... I thought you could have a kitten! Don't worry about where he came from, there's been a family of them down in the basement for a while. They keep rats and mice away from the food stores... there's this old lady cat, she had kittens a while ago... and this is one of them! Cinnamon and I had fun naming them all, there were five of them. Augustria, Mirasopotia, Miredia, Opotandria, and Yurirasuta. This one's Mirasopotia, but you can call him Mi-chan if you want. That's what we've been doing. Au-chan, Mi-chan, Mir-chan, Op-chan and Yu-chan. So sweet!"

 

Milphey pushed the kitten gently against Marron's chest, forcing him to hold the kitten (or drop it on the floor). Marron reluctantly held it in place, it flexed it's claws against where it was spreadeagled against this strange new person.

 

"... And... what am I supposed to do with... this cat?"

 

"It's a kitten, Marron-chan. Anyway, honestly, 'what am I supposed to do with it'... you look after him, of course! You can buy cat food from the city if you want, or I can, I don't mind. You might want to train him so you don't get any nasty surprises in shoes or anything, but I can help you with that too. Just, won't it be nice to have something small and cute to look after?"

 

"I, I'm not really sure I can look after a cat, Milphey..."

 

"Oh hush, anybody can! These ones are quite independent, anyway. You'll probably find him back down in the basement within a few days, but maybe you can bond or something, I don't know. See, he's quite attached to you already!"

 

Marron glanced down at his chest, wincing. The kitten's claws were digging in quite nicely against his robe, and quite sharply against his chest... a little harder, Marron gripped the kitten around it's small waist and tried to pull it away from him. This just had the effect of making it more determined to stay exactly where it was... Marron gave up.

 

"... So I'm going to have a cat affixed to me for the rest of the day?"

 

Milphey giggled, "It seems that way. Anyway, try to make friends with him! Everybody loves animals, really. How can you not love such a cute little kitty-cat with such soft fur and big innocent eyes? He just wants to be loved, Marron-chan! And it's your responsibility to love him!"

 

At that point, Mi-chan let out a little 'mew!'. Milphey smiled, "See? He agrees!"

 

Marron stood up, holding a hand against the kitten so that it didn't fall as he did so. He looked down at the creature still clawed against him, then to Milphey.

 

"I can't be sure about this, Milphey... if it's been living in the basement until now, surely the best thing would be to leave him there? Won't he suffer some kind of trauma, being taken away from the rest of his kind?"

 

"Oh, people are taking in pets all the time, they don't worry about that. Besides, it's not as if Mi-chan is too far away from the others... cats are clever, he'll find the others or the others'll find him eventually. Come on, though... haven't you ever wanted a pet?"

 

"I'd never really thought about it..."

 

Mi-chan randomly decided that he didn't want to be so high up off the ground anymore. He let go from Marron's chest, clambered over Marron's arm, then jumped lithely to the floor. He wandered around the room as Milphey and Marron watched him, then jumped over onto one of the bookcases that overlooked the grounds. He sat on one of them, seemingly watching out for any outside activity.

 

"See, he's not running away, is he? It won't hurt to let him walk around you for a while, anyway. He's quite tame, I don't think he'll be ripping your hand to shreds anytime soon. Anyway... I said I'd see Cinnamon today, I should go and find her. I'll leave you to your meditation...! Bye, now."

 

Marron just stared at Milphey as he smiled, waved, and left the room.

 

So suddenly, he was responsible for a pet...? Marron looked over to the windowsill where the kitten still sat, looking over the grounds still. Marron walked over, noticing it's little ears twitch as he did so.

 

"I'm sure you don't want to be here, do you...? Haa..."

 

Sighing softly, he made to stroke the animal's head; it shied away from him, sniffing at Marron's hand suspiciously... on deciding that Marron's hand didn't have any malicious intent, it nosed happily at it, rubbing it's head against Marron's fingertips. Marron smiled and shook his head.

 

What was he supposed to do with a cat...?

 

****

 

Outside on the grounds, the other Sorcerer Hunters were in the midst of waking up at last. Tira was the first to wake up; she found herself part of an interesting pile, Chocolat sprawled over her and Pear sprawled beneath her... she tried to move, but Chocolat still seemed quite asleep.

 

"Nnnh... onee... oneesama?"

 

"D... darlingg... ghh..."

 

"Oneesama... oneesama, wake up! It's morning!... Or maybe it's the afternoon already..."

 

Chocolat groaned slightly, then Tira saw her eyes flicker open.

 

"Uhn... Tira... whass... why are we... outsi-... oh yeah, I remember... kinda... well, I don't remember much at all to be honest, but... oh man, I feel like my head's gonna split in two...! Damn, but that must have been some party last night..."

 

Slowly, Chocolat rolled off of Tira, and sat up. She glanced around.

 

"Where's darling?"

 

Now that Chocolat had moved, Tira stretched and pulled herself away from Pear, who moaned slightly in her sleep, but didn't seem too disturbed for the moment. Tira also looked around; Peach and Pear were still around, Gateau and Eclair were asleep a little way away... but Chocolat had a point, Carrot was nowhere to be seen.

 

"He doesn't seem to be here... though, Marron-chan isn't either... maybe the two of them are somewhere?"

 

"Maybe... you think darling would have been able to get back inside last night, or something? He got drunk before anyone else, I don't think he'd have been able to walk by that point... oh well. I'm sure we'll see him later, and maybe he can be punished for making an innocent maiden worry. Anyway... before that... I wanna go inside and wash, my hair feels like it's got grass and twigs all in it..."

 

Chocolat slowly stood herself up. Tira looked up at her, then down at Peach and Pear.

 

"Shouldn't we perhaps wake these two up? They'll have to be heading back to their home soon... we don't see them all that often, so it'd be at least nice to say goodbye to them... don't you think?"

 

"Well... yeah, you're right. Still," Chocolat stretched, "I just wanna go take a walk around for a bit, see if I can see darling anywhere. Make sure those two haven't left before I get back, okay? I want to say goodbye to them too!"

 

"Y-yes, oneesama..."

 

So Chocolat went off to wander around the grounds while Tira remained with the other four. Nobody seemed anywhere near waking up, but... Tira watched them anyway.

 

She'd kind of wanted to go and look for Carrot... he'd probably be tired and hungover from the night before, he'd probably need somebody a bit gentle to look after him... not that Chocolat couldn't be gentle, Tira just didn't really feel that she'd choose to be in that sort of situation. It was more likely that she'd beat up on Carrot for getting drunk, even though she'd been just as drunk the night before...

 

Well, they'd all been drunk. Even Tira didn't remember a whole lot of what had happened, really... probably just the same kind of thing as always happened. Somewhere in her mind Tira remembered yelling at Carrot a lot, and him trying to flirt with Pear... Tira shifted over and looked at the Limonade sibling, who was still asleep. Pear was a nice person, quite pretty, too... Carrot always seemed to make it his duty to flirt with her. Tira sighed. Why was it always the other girls Carrot chose to flirt with...? The girls they never saw often... if Carrot were to turn his attention to somebody who was always there, then... perhaps he'd...

 

Though, thinking of that... Carrot's methods of flirtation usually tended to veer towards the physical, and if Carrot tried to grope her or anything Tira knew she'd end up flustered and slapping him or something. Still, when he was serious... oh, when he was serious...

 

"Uhnnn..."

 

The familiar voice disturbed Tira from her thoughts. She looked behind her, it seemed that Gateau was waking up; he was leaning up on one arm, the other hand pressed tightly against his forehead. Tira smiled.

 

"Ah, Gateau-chan! Good morning!"

 

"Morning, Tira... man, where did I put my clothes?!"

 

"I don't know... perhaps they're around here somewhere? At least it's not like that year when you woke up and you didn't even have your thong on, though..."

 

"Ahaha, you're right there. Damn, though... hangovers really, really, suck ass. Worst thing about these damn parties. Can't be helped, I guess... just hope Big Mama takes pity on us and doesn't send us on any missions..."

"Mmm... really, it'd be a perfect time for a Sorcerer to attack, with so many Sorcerer Hunters hungover from the night before... but I think even Big Mama'll be a little sluggish when she wakes up... I'm sure there are other people who could handle a mission, anyway. Ah, I don't suppose you remember where Carrot went, do you?"

 

Gateau glanced around, "He's not here? If he's not here then I don't know where he is... mmn, Marron's not here either..."

 

Tira blinked then smiled warmly on the mention of Marron.

 

"Aha, I suppose you'd be worried about him..."

 

"Huh?"

 

"You don't have to be so quiet, Gateau-chan! I mean, we all know that you and Marron-chan... well... I mean, oneesama and I, we thought you'd get together for a while, so we were happy when you finally did...!"

 

"Oh, ah, uh... yeah..."

 

Tira looked so happy to be talking about such a topic, Gateau couldn't quite bring himself to match her happy expression. How could you really explain to somebody like Tira the ins and outs of the relationship? Not least that Marron probably wouldn't want those ins and outs discussed...

 

Still, Tira thought that he and Marron were still together? Gateau couldn't help but feel slightly bitter about that. The Misu sisters were obviously a little behind on their gossip, but...

 

Gateau wondered if either of them would say anything to Marron. Marron, the sort of person who didn't like having his personal life discussed by others... he probably wouldn't react too well to Tira or Chocolat - Chocolat more likely - going up to him and making any kind of innuendo...

 

"Look, um, Tira?"

 

"Yes, Gateau-chan?"

 

"Me and Marron... that's kinda..."

 

"Oh, I don't have any problem with it! I mean... you've been after Marron-chan for a long time now, haven't you? I didn't know if he'd really go for something like that but if that's what he's decided then I have no problem with it... it's not like he's even shown a lot of interest in girls at least..."

 

"No, that... him, him and me... we're not really... it didn't really work, I'll put it that way. So we're kinda... being a bit separate these days, I guess."

 

Tira gasped, "You and Marron-chan split up!?"

 

"You could put it like that, yes."

 

She looked genuinely shocked, "... I, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up something hurtful if you didn't want to talk about it! I just thought that- I mean, you being concerned about him, I, I thought it was a little sweet, so I brought it up, but if you don't want to then-"

 

Gateau held up one hand, "Woah, woah, Tira, it's okay, it's okay. So what if I'm a bit burnt out about it all? Me and him just aren't compatible, I think that's where the problem is. He was kinda... uh..."

 

"Mm?"

 

Tira was looking up at Gateau with a curious expression. Gateau sighed, supposing that he shouldn't really say too much. Not that he didn't trust Tira or anything, but still...

 

"He was a little strange, that's all."

 

"Well, he's always been mysterious... wow, though. That's a shame, me and oneesama always thought that you two would get together, and we thought it'd be nice for Marron-chan to be happy like that... maybe he's just waiting for a certain person to come along, or something. Maybe he has romantic thoughts we don't know about!"

 

Tira giggled at the thought of Marron with romantic thoughts, Gateau didn't share the humour.

 

"A certain person, huh..."

 

"Oh, ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh..."

 

Gateau couldn't help but smile at Tira's repeated apologies. He prodded her glasses further up her nose and shook his head, "You don't need to keep apologising. Me and him just weren't meant to be, I guess. I just gotta deal with that for now."

 

"Mmm..."

 

Tira watched Gateau curiously; it seemed almost a little strange... it wasn't that Gateau was never serious, but his tone seemed so heavy when he talked about Marron like that... Tira wasn't quite used to seeing (or hearing) Gateau like that.

 

Around that time though, Chocolat returned, so Tira couldn't muse on the situation for much longer. Chocolat hadn't found Carrot, that was obvious, but she'd found somebody else.

 

"Hey, guys! Look who I found!"

 

Onion raised a hand in greeting, "Hey, guys! Tira, Gateau... I guess those sons of mine are somewhere else, hm?"

 

Chocolat sighed and shrugged, "Well, I already told you I was looking for darling...! As for Marron, I haven't seen him since last night. He probably went inside though, you know how he gets when there's alcohol around."

 

Tira smiled up at Onion, "Ah, we didn't know you were here...!"

 

"Yeah, I meant to come find you guys, but then I got up meetin' with Big Mama there, and we ended up drinking together for most of the night... by the time it got late I was like 'maybe I should find those cute children of mine' but pretty much everyone was drunk by that point, I thought that if I found you guys you'd probably be too drunk to recognize me, figured I should leave it until the morning. So, apart from hungover, how are you guys? Sorcerers ain't getting too hard for you, are they?"

 

Onion sat himself down next to Tira, Chocolat sat herself down on his other side.

 

"Oh, no, they're fine... well, just the same as usual, nothing we can't handle..."

 

"I see, I see, that's good. Wouldn't wanna think of you guys getting too hurt or anything. Ah! I just remembered. While I was walking around earlier, I found this..."

 

Onion dug into his pockets for a few moments, then brought out something that Gateau felt he recognized far too quickly; Tira and Chocolat didn't seem to have the same lightning recognition for the length of purple cord, but Onion had at least placed it's origin...

 

"... couldn't help but think it looked like something Marron had, ya know? Thought I'd pick it up, anyway. It was just lying there on the floor, seems like someone dropped it or something..."

 

Gateau frowned on seeing that; that sash that Onion held, it was almost certainly one of Marron's... but why was Onion holding it? He'd just found it? On the floor...?

 

Why had Marron's sash been undone in the first place?

 

Sitting up, Gateau reached for the sash, "Ah... could I... take that to him? I... he's probably inside, so... I mean, I just wanna... find him..."

 

Onion let Gateau take the sash, sitting there with a confused expression as Gateau quickly made his way away from the small group beneath the tree. He frowned.

 

"That was a little strange..."

 

Chocolat and Tira nodded their agreement.

 

"Well, Gateau does care a lot about Marron..."

 

Tira watched as Gateau receded from view; even though him and Marron had apparently broken up, still Gateau was worried... that was quite understandable, though. Tira couldn't really think of what would cause those two to break up, nothing came to mind, but... how long had things been like that for? If things had been bad between them, then they'd certainly been good at covering things up... Tira at least wouldn't have suspected if Gateau hadn't told her... she had a feeling she wouldn't have heard about it from Marron, in any case.

 

Gateau cursed himself for having lost his clothes over the course of the night before; that meant he'd have to go to his room and find a change of clothes before finding Marron, and he didn't even really know where Marron would be...

 

The sash was wrapped around Gateau's hand as he made his way inside. It seemed strange... Gateau didn't recall seeing Marron much at all the night previous... he usually liked to stay inside while everybody else was getting drunk. That made sense. So how did an item of Marron's clothing end up discarded, outside?

 

As he went to his bedroom, the little room at the end of the corridor caught Gateau's eye. Marron's meditation room. If he was anywhere then he was probably there... as he quickly got changed, Gateau decided to make that his first port of call.

 

Gateau found himself standing outside the door to the small room for slightly longer than he would really have liked. He wasn't too sure about disturbing Marron; if Marron was meditating then he probably wouldn't want to be disturbed, and probably not by Gateau...

 

It wasn't as if he meant anything malicious by disturbing Marron. He just wanted to know if anything had happened last night, if there was a reason why one of Marron's robecords was lying on the grounds outside...

 

What if something had happened?

 

Looking down at the cord, Gateau found himself wondering. What if something had happened... was it really any of his business if anything had happened, or not? If anything had happened, would Marron tell him? That really depended on what kind of thing had happened...

 

Gateau sighed. He supposed, at the heart of it, he was a little worried. If Marron had done anything with somebody else then that was his business, but if anything bad had happened... he ended up running straight to Marron just to make sure... he doubted Marron would appreciate his dogged determination, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he just had to know. Before he could put it off any longer, Gateau knocked on the door; there was a momentary silence, Gateau wondered if Marron was indeed somewhere else, but then he heard Marron's voice from the other side, and felt slight relief.

 

"Come in..."

 

Opening the door, Gateau did so.

 

"I know you might not want me disturbin' you or anything, but..."

 

Gateau was caught slightly when he turned around to look at Marron. Even after all that had happened, there was something undeniably beautiful about him when he was just knelt there in the sunlight... the light from the windows shone down right to where Marron sat, it seemed he'd chosen the centre of where the light met to sat. He seemed so relaxed, he barely reacted on Gateau making his presence known.

 

"But...? Ah, I'd appreciate it if you didn't walk into the field of the ofuda..."

 

Looking to the floor, Gateau saw that there were four ofuda around Marron, one to each side of him.

 

"Ah..."

 

"The balance would be disturbed if anything happened to ente-"

 

As Marron spoke, Mi-chan hopped from the windowsill, walked happily past Marron (and through the area where the ofuda were placed), and made to leave through the door before being plucked from the floor by Gateau; he shut the door with one hand and inspected the cat with the other, "What's this?"

 

Marron sighed as he gathered up the ofuda that had been around him. Whether the disturbance was human or feline, the concentration of energy was broken. It seemed that Marron would be taking a break for a while... he looked to Gateau, then sat over on one of the benches beneath the northernmost window.

 

"It's a cat."

 

"I can see that..."

 

"Then why ask? Milphey brought it to me, he thought that I should have a hobby, so he brought me a cat to look after. I can't help but question his judgement, but..."

 

"Oh, it's a cute little thing, isn't it? Does it have a name?"

 

"Milphey said it was called Mi... Mi... it had a long name I can't remember, but he called it 'Mi-chan'. Anyway, I doubt you came to discuss such things... did you have something you wanted to say?"

 

"Hm? Oh, oh yeah."

 

Gateau placed Mi-chan back onto the floor, and went to sit on the bench to Marron's right. He leant his arm on the windowsill, and held out his other hand; the cord unravelled.

 

"Found this outside. Looks like something of yours, doesn't it?"

 

Marron blinked. Indeed, it greatly resembled one of his robe ties... thinking back to last night, Marron remembered the events with Milphey. Milphey had undone his robe at that time... Marron also recalled not being able to do his robe back up again, because he hadn't had the cord to do so... hadn't he presumed that Milphey had dropped it somewhere outside? Obviously Gateau had found it...

 

"Ah, it does, doesn't it...?"

 

"I woulda thought you woulda spent the evening inside, you know? I mean, we all know how much you enjoy parties and stuff. Barely recall seeing you out for the entire evening..."

 

Marron spoke delicately, "Perhaps I just didn't want to be around you while you were drunk."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

 

"People often do things they regret while drunk."

 

"People often do things they regret while perfectly sober too, your point is?"

 

Marron didn't reply to that; he was looking outside, seeming to purposefully ignore Gateau's line of sight. Gateau sighed, looking down for a moment. He'd been about to roll the cord back up, but then he saw Mi-chan stalking and batting at the end of it... he looked back towards Marron.

 

"I didn't come here to argue about anything. I was just... I guess I was just worried for some reason, okay? I mean, we all know you don't go outside when there are parties and stuff and even when we're at the beach you don't like to take any clothes off... I mean, it, it's probably none of my business, but... I just got worried in case something bad happened, or anything."

 

Marron still stared out of the window, his mind working quickly. There was the truth of the matter, but he doubted that Gateau really wanted to hear about what had happened with Milphey and what could have happened with Carrot.

It wasn't as if he needed the sash back, though... he had many robes with many sashes, just one didn't really matter...

 

"I'm likely not the only person on the Spooner Continent to wear such garments, Gateau. I... appreciate your concern, but I'm sure that somebody else just happened to discard something that looked a lot like something of mine. I... wasn't outside for much of the evening, anyway. I wouldn't have had the chance to drop it, would I?"

 

"No, no, I guess not... sorry. I just wanted to... just wanted to make sure, y'know."

 

"Make sure of what, Gateau? That nobody else dared do things to me you didn't approve of?"

 

"Nothing like that! I already said, it's none of my business what you decide to get up to! You're not my concern anymore."

 

"So you rushed up here immediately to make sure that I was alright after last night?"

 

"Hey, anybody'd be concerned! Don't try to read weird things into my actions, okay? I was worried about you as a friend, jeesh..."

 

"And if you found my brother's belt lying on the floor outside, you'd run to him just as quickly to see if he was alright?"

 

"Marron, why are you doing this?"

 

"Doing what? I'm just curious, that's all. I mean... obviously you wouldn't, would you? Why bother with me, in that case? Surely my brother is just as much a friend of yours..."

 

Gateau stood up abruptly, Mi-chan jumped back before running to his side, watching the dangling end of the cord with rapt attention.

 

"Just 'cause there's nothing between us anymore doesn't mean I'm not gonna be just a little hurt, Marron. I mean, even you've got to admit that it was all pretty weird, there... I don't think anybody likes to be used, okay? Besides, you were always on about that person you were in love with and stuff... so... when I saw this outside, it was like... did someone take advantage of you, or what? I just wanted to make sure you were alright, that's all. Even if the air's still bad between us I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you, or anything."

 

There wasn't really much more Gateau could think of to say, and Marron didn't seem to be saying anything in reply, so Gateau made to leave, dropping the cord on the floor for Mi-chan as he went. Mi-chan grabbed the cord and took it back up to the windowsill... just as Gateau reached the door, Marron spoke up.

 

"Gateau..."

 

Gateau didn't turn around, "What is it?"

 

"You... still find me attractive, don't you?"

 

On that, Gateau turned around. Looking at Marron, now sitting there... he had a strange smirk on his face, leaning back on the windowsill somewhat... how could he ask something like that? Nothing had changed to make Marron physically less attractive in any way at all. He still held a strange kind of purity, even after Gateau knew what he was like and had been on the receiving end of things decidedly impure more than several times... that really was a different side to Marron. Nobody would believe such a thing without first-hand experience, Gateau felt. Aside from that though, even now, Marron had that predatory look in his eyes... even now he'd still try to claim dominance? Gateau turned back to the door.

 

"Sure I do, I dunno what it'd take for me not to find you attractive."

 

He left the room; just before he closed the door, Marron heard his voice again.

 

"You just gotta do something about that damned attitude problem of yours. That's what I don't like about you."

 

The door closed, Marron listened to Gateau's footsteps grow fainter as he walked further away from the room. Marron couldn't suppress a small laugh; he looked up at Mi-chan.

 

"It's strange, isn't it? Even now, he still brings out such a strange part of me."

 

Mi-chan advanced a little, Marron reached out and stroked the kitten's chin.

 

"It's almost as if I can't help but annoy him... he certainly annoyed me enough, though. I'm just returning the favour, aren't I?"

 

Just a soft purr in response.

 

"Ah... that's not really an excuse, is it. I should make more of an effort to hold my tongue around him. I understand his concern... the way he acts about me, it's too easily equated to that of my brother and I... I'd freely admit I'd help my brother before anybody else..."

 

Purr, purr.

 

"... I'm talking to an animal. You can't understand a word I'm saying, can you... well, let's go and see if my brother's feeling any better, now. I'm sure he'll like to see you, my brother always held a slight affinity with animals."

 

Marron picked up the cat, and left the room. He still wasn't entirely convinced that he could look after a cat, but if anybody was going to be enthusiastic about such an idea, then Carrot probably would be. Alright, so Milphey had probably given him the cat to escape from his thoughts of Carrot for a while, but... what was he supposed to do, hide the cat from Carrot? Marron couldn't help it if his brother liked pets. Anything that brought the two of them closer, even by just a little, was fine by Marron.