"Knowledge of Passion. I've been studying passion as of late, and have already made great strides in mastering it."
Now, it was Sunny's time to wobble!
It took all his self-control not to fall out of his chair. He remained still through sheer will, not allowing even a hint of his emotions to show in his body language,
'P-passion?! How is she studying passion?! What great strides?! What exactly is she mastering, and with whom?!’
Outwardly, Sunny remained calm. But Internally, he was fuming! After a long silence, he asked evenly:
"What does... passion... have to do with anything?"
Nephis looked at him with a hint of confusion.
"It has to do with my source element, of course. What else?"
Sunny let out a mental sigh of relief.
'It's alright... it's all fine. She's not practicing... passion... with anyone!
Luckily, the conversation could be safely guided elsewhere.
...Or so he thought.
Because right at that moment, Effie suddenly said:
"Oh, right. I am sure that it's not the case, but if Master Sunless is having trouble making you achieve a... breakthrough... tell him to come see my husband. Let the man learn from the master! That guy is a real veteran..."
Something fell on the floor noisilly.
Kia silently covered his face with a palm. Jet's smile widened a little, Cassie turned her head, pretending to look away.
Sunny was appalled,
'Who says I need to learn anything, you vile woman?! I am myself a... wait... why am I even thinking about her nonsense?! Damnation!’
Nephis looked at Effie in confusion.
"Isn't your husband an Awakened? Plus, Master Sunless is a real veteran, too. And what does he have to do with my Aspect Legacy?"
Sunny felt vindicated.
‘Thank you! No, stop... what?’
Effie stared at Nephis with a strange mix of mischievousness and exasperation. After a few moments of silence, she said in a low tone:
"Princess... you mean that he served in Antarctica, too. Right?"
Neph's confused frown deepened.
"Of course. What else could I mean?"
Effie sighed and waved a hand in the air, giving up.
“Forget it. Gods, why do I even bother…”