He hesitated for a moment, and then added wistfully:
"It most definitely is."
Sunny took a sip of wine and said in a neutral tone:
"Well, I assume that people talk about the usual things that one ought to know about a potential partner, romantic or not. You know... background, views, aspirations. Who they are, what they want. Things like that.”
Nephis studied his face for a while, then nodded,
"Let's do that, then. That play earlier... 1 was afraid that you would be uncomfortable because of your experiences in Antarctica. What was why 1... actually, never mind! What I wanted to say is that 1 don't really know a lot about what you went through there, Master Sunless. l?ght\nоvel\cаve~c`о/m. Were you part of the Second Evacuation Army? Or of the local forces?"
He smiled and shook his head lightly.
"First Evacuation Army, actually."
She seemed surprised.
"Then..."
The Second Evacuation Army was mostly composed of volunteers, while the local Awakened had no choice but to join the Southern Campaign. The members of the First Army, however, were all from the core government forces.
Sunny chuckled.
"No, no. I was never a government grunt. It's just that I had a friend in the chain of command, and was invited to join the effort before the news broke. It's a bit shameful to admit, but... I threw a big tantrum back then and accepted the invitation for quite an immature reason."
Nephis looked at him intently, as if trying to picture him throwing a tantrum in her mind. Eventually, she shook her head and said:
"I can't quite imagine you doing something like that. Immature reason... really?"
He smiled and took another sip of wine.
"Yes. It was mostly to spite someone... a very childish reaction, in hindsight. Well, there were other reasons, of course, some better than others. You know - finding conviction, pursuing strength. It all seemed very important before the Chain of Nightmares started, and very meaningless pretty much immediately after it did."
At that moment, the waiter arrived to serve the first course. Sunny stared at the elaborate appetizers for a bit, but he did not really have an appetite anymore.
Looking at Nephis, he said:
"I think it's a bit unfair on you to have a conversation about background, views, and aspirations with someone, Lady Nephis. It is bound to be one-sided. You are exceedingly famous, after all... everyone knows these things about you."
The waiter left.
She also ignored the food, taking a sip of wine in silence.
Then, she placed the glass down and smiled faintly.
"You of all people should know that what people say about me and what is true are not the same, Master Sunless, After all, one of the things they say is that I am indulging you because we are lovers."
He laughed quietly.
"Indeed."
Sunny hesitated for a few moments, then asked in a pleasant tone:
"In that case, let me ask you something. What are your aspirations, Lady Nephis? What do you want?"
She considered his words and answered with a careless shrug:
"It's nothing unexpected, I guess. Keep my soldiers alive, safeguard the Sword Domain. Watch cities like Bastion thrive."
Sunny shook his glass a little, watching the light reflect from the red wine.
...He wasn't the only one hiding the truth.
Lies. It was all lies.
He wasn't telling the truth, and Nephis wasn't being honest either.
Their date was truly a fake one.
Since he was not saying anyting, she went forward and asked:
"What about you, Master Sunless? What do you want?"
Sunny shifted his gaze and looked at her hand once again. There was a hint of a deep longing in his dark eyes,
He did not speak until the pain of the Flaw made it impossible to remain silent.
‘To hell with it…’
Looking up at Nephis, Sunny lingered for a moment, and then smiled faintly.
"I... find myself wishing that our date wasn't a fake one. I want it to be real instead. Is that too forward?”