FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 59: No Man is an Island

5:40pm, The Shoreline of Glyfada

Monica and Saber watched as the sun began to sink below the blue-pink horizon. All in all, it was the second sunset they'd seen together, but while the first had contained the vast expanse of civilization, the severe contrast of silver skyscrapers and golden sky, this was a simple sight. Rolling waves and drifting clouds danced about them, as if the whole world were waving goodbye to another day. So, too was this newborn evening lacking the anxiety of the last, or, more accurately, the anxiety had found a new purchase in a new host.

Despite the tension, the four had spent their afternoon plagued by a single question: "What now?"

They'd started the afternoon by wandering aimlessly across the city, new and old, with no goal except to allow the natives from another time to bask in what their homeland had become, what had changed and what had stayed the same. She soon learned, though, that, for their company, these were not new sights, and that, for all intents and purposes, they had spent the last god-knows-how-long doing exactly this: wandering aimlessly and basking in modernity.

'More power to them,' she thought, 'But if Chrysaor is the only one who appreciates this, then I'll just do what I want with him, and they can deal with it.'

So, casting aside any worries for their company, she chose to indulge her own desires and share with her friend the one thing that had kept her sane. Leading him by the hand with hardly a thought to the others, she went back to her apartment to grab a waterproof bag and a few towels. Towels that now were laid across the white sand of a thin beach.

Behind them, rows of small, beachside diners were filled with tourists and hipsters, talking and typing away about one thing or another, and, a little ways away, Echo watched her Master as she waded shin-deep in the ocean and stood transfixed on the sunset as if in prayer. It wasn't as peaceful as it would be in the early morning, this was only natural, and yet, the two may as well have been alone, not that it eased her heart at all. In fact, it made her far more anxious.

Sitting on his towel next to her, he watched the sunset with quiet solemnity, his mind as far away as the horizon itself. His rose eyes reflected the light, making them a vibrant orange, like a campfire on a cold night. She could only wonder what was burning in those eyes of his, and, indeed, she was wondering exactly that. While he watched the distance, her eyes were fixated wholly on him, and on the thoughts that ran through her mind...

She gently, as if afraid to wake him, touched his shoulder.

He blinked once, then again, turning his attention to her with his usual undercurrent of worry, "Hm? Is everything alright?"

She chuckled half-heartedly, laughing at her own inability to just say what she wanted to say, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just thought... maybe... we could... talk a little bit- if you want to." She brought her knees up to her chest, "You know- it's okay if you don't. It's not a big deal."

The cogs turned in his mind. He was a man unaccustomed to even the basics of social interaction, especially the sometimes-girlish mannerisms that were common in both his Master and in the modern world more broadly, but he possessed enough knowledge and wisdom to understand the truth behind the words, and greeted his Master's insecurity with warmness.

"If you want to talk, then let's talk." He ran a hand through his hair with a smile only half-genuine, "Now's probably the best time, anyhow. What's this about?"

The hair that hung off the side of her head bothered her now more than usual, and she tucked it behind her ear as she avoided the eyes that always seemed to look right through her, "Well... you're always mentioning that 'friend' of yours... right? I wanna know more about him. I want to know what makes him so special to you... if it's not too much."