Sunny was perfectly expressionless as he watched the play.
«No, but.., how does it even make sense? Am I romancing myself?»
He was too embarrassed to look at Nephis, staring directly ahead.
«Ah, I want to die…»
The production was stellar, and the actors were quite talented. The story was not even that tasteless, even if it twisted most facts to fit the narrative presented by the government propaganda machine at the time. It was just that… Sunny had been there!
And he certainly had not been in the habit of constantly spewing witty one-liners, sharing gems of jaded wisdom with the admiring soldiers, and looking soulfully into the distance every other minute!
Worst of all, he felt that the play would be a hit.
The horror!
«And there I was feeling happy that there was no video streaming services in the Dream Realm!»
Feeling a strong desire to manifest a swarm of shadows and collapse the roof of the theater, he furtively glanced at Nephis.
Coincidentally, she was also looking at him at that moment.
Just then, the first act concluded, and the lights went on.
Nephis tilted her head a little and asked neutrally:
«How do you like the play, Master Sunless?»
Sunny forced out a smile.
It was one of the hardest things he had done in his life… and he had put his head back after being decapitated once!
He lingered for a few moments, and then said in a flat tone:
…It's directed well. I'm not a fan, though.»
Nephis chuckled, then sighed.
«I am sorry. I don't know what Cassie was thinking… you participated in the Southern Campaign as well, after all. It must be unpleasant, to see a censored version of the calamity you lived through on the stage.»
She looked at the curtain and shook her head.
«I heard that the Captain is based on a real person. I was in East Antarctica, though, so I wouldn't know. He must have been quite a character.»
Sunny did not respond.
«He's quite a character, indeed…»
They spent the intermission in awkward silence. Sunny was thinking of a way to convince Nephis to leave, but sadly, he couldn't think of any. Especially due to her status… an ordinary person could slip away in the middle of a play, but if Changing Star did it, the theater would go bankrupt the next day, Such was the power of her glorious fame.
Eventually, it was time for the second act to start It was then that Nephis said calmly, never looking away from the stage.
«We are being watched.»
Sunny raised an eyebrow. He usually kept his shadow sense restrained in Bastion, so he wouldn't know.
«Who would anyone be watching us?»
She sighed.
«You don't have to worry. It's nothing serious… someone is probably suspicious and wants to confirm the nature of our relationship.»
He relaxed.
«Oh.»
She had just survived an assassination attempt recently, and the whole world was in turmoil as a result. There were no riots on the streets, but tensions were running high. If something happened to Nephis in the meantime… he was afraid that everything would explode.
So, even though it was unpleasant to know that someone was spying on them, Sunny felt relieved. Not for long, though. Because the second act had started.
On the stage, the Falcon Scott had fallen, and the Devil was separated from the Angel during the evacuation, carried away unconscious on the last ship. The latter was presumed to have perished in the siege.
The second part of the story took place in East Antarctica, where the forces sent by the Legacy clans helped to stem the tide of Nightmare Creatures. The Captain, grief-stricken and heartbroken, went from gazing soulfully into the distance every other minute to doing so about every thirty seconds. The frequency of his sardonic remarks decreased, but his general disposition had only grown more obnoxious.
Sunny was in a foul mood and grinding his teeth.
…It was then, however, that Nephis raised a hand and wrapped her arm around him firmly, pulling him closer in the darkness.
He froze.
«What… what is she doing?»
«Please forgive me, Master Sunless. We must play our parts, as well.»
She was terribly close.
Sunny blinked a couple of times.
Then, a small smile slowly crept onto his face.
«Ah, yes. I guess there's no helping it.»
He placed his head on her shoulder in an intimate display.
Whoever was watching them should be able to confirm the nature of their relationship from that scene. What could he do? There was no choice… he had to cooperate earnestly.
Held comfortably in Nephis' embrace, Sunny smiled with satisfaction.
«I must admit…» frёewebηovel.cѳm
The second part of the play was much better than the first.
It was actually not bad at all.
The director really knew what they were doing!