Kintsugi // ATEEZ [Ishihara Sequel] ✔

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"So how are you planning to kill me?"

Sara looks at the king of Nyla in disbelief, wondering how he could be talking about the topic so lightly when the time hasn't even come yet for her to decide. Sure, she agreed to the plan and it's supposed to be done by tomorrow, but it doesn't mean that she's actually thinking about it all the time. In fact, that's the only thing she's not thinking about.

"I haven't thought about it," she says, her eyes running to a distance.

Even before the sun had risen, both of them had set out of the palace, because apparently San wanted to spend his remaining last days out in the open, yet to be safe, bringing along Sara is the best option as she's probably the only one who can control him if he's ever overtaken by the curse again. Sara did ask permission from Akira, assuring the latter that she knows what to do in case San acts out again, but of course, she didn't reveal to the queen the actual reason San wanted to go out. She just maintained the fact that the king of Nyla only wanted some fresh air. Even then, Akira didn't suspect anything as the queen had her mind full of the palace attack that was bound to happen tomorrow.

"I do hope you have a plan," he says, brushing back his white hair. Luckily, since the weather is cold he won't stand out too much if he's hidden most of his body under his robe to cover all the black tendrils snaking over his skin. He smiles, "We only have one shot. Once the attack on the Lucida palace is over, I'll be too."

Sara looks down, scuffing her boots against the soil as she utters, a little bit too hard, "Can we not talk about that for just a day?" She looks up, slightly flustered now that their stares have collided. She gulps, "I thought you wanted to spend your last days out in the open. Then spend it however you want." Her mouth twists as she mulls, "I'm sorry you had to spend it with me though; Her Majesty probably wouldn't have let you go if I didn't follow."

"It's alright, you seem nice," he shrugs. "You seem like good company."

She merely stays quiet, unable to come up with her perception of San. Hearing of a white-blooded person always manages to make her blood boil, yet with this person, whom she barely knows, he seems... different? He's slowly changing her thoughts about anyone with white blood. She looks at him, who's sitting cross-legged as he stares into the distance, down the hill as he looks at the winter festival starting to come alive again for today.

"What do you usually do as a hobby?" she asks.

She tries copying his stance, looking at what he's seeing but she doesn't find it appealing. Instead, she finds herself drawn more to look at his face. Underneath all the black tendrils and changes to his skin, she knows that he's good-looking; even with her eyes which haven't seen that many people, she knows he's one of the best she's ever encountered upon.

He chuckles. "Not many people ask that question to me." His eyes turn downcast as he thinks about it, but then he merely shrugs. "I don't have a hobby."

She scoffs. "That's impossible. Everyone must have a hobby; something you like to do in your free time that makes you... calm and content. You're simply happy when you do it. Like for me," she gestures towards herself, "since I live alone on the island, you know what I like to do?"

"Baking," he answers immediately.

She remains speechless as she utters, "Why is that the first thing that comes to your mind?"

He shrugs. "Your hair reminds me of icing on cake. It's a wild guess."

She laughs, and even then he can see how her eyes twinkle, a flash of pink over her irises before they settle back to the deep brown colour. "For someone who's so intent on dying tomorrow, you're really looking to leave without any memories or regrets, do you?"