"We forgot to cut your hair," Sodo grunted as he made himself comfortable in the middle seat.
"It's okay, we'll do it some other time," Cal assured quietly, watching Aether shut the overhead luggage compartment before taking the aisle seat.
Sodo was worried, to say the least. She's been quiet all day, staring off into space. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but she was reluctant to tell him anything. It irked him more than he could express, but he figured she needed some space. Or time. Maybe both.
After a while of her staring out the window in thought, he settled on intertwining their fingers. Holding her hand was the least he could do, much to his annoyance.
She squeezed his hand in what he could only assume to be quiet thanks, as she always did.
He stared at the smaller hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. She was wearing his rings, and some he'd never seen before. He could only assume they were Terzo's. He was itching to ask her what was the matter- even though he'd asked so many times before.
There was something else, besides the obvious, and he didn't know how long he could hide his frustration.
"By Satan, why is she still talking?" Aether grumbled under his breath, side-eying the flight attendant- who was still motioning to the exits.
"I know, right? I swear the mass hysteria if we crash would be better than this," Swiss chipped in from behind them.
"It's not that bad, you guys are being dramatic," Rain mumbled, fixing his sleep mask into place. Sodo decided against chipping in, figuring Rain could handle this one alone.
***
Sodo was fast asleep next to Cal, and once she deemed it safe to do so, she pulled her bag from underneath her seat. She continued to page through Omega's notebook, frowning at the cryptic phrases.
What holds him together, must tear you apart.
She squinted at the phrase for an ungodly amount of time, noticing something in the dim light of the cabin. She tilted the book, looking at the page from different angles until the small spot glinted. It was some sort of... gold dust?
Great, another fuckin' gold thing that's purpose evades me.
Just as she put the notebook away, and pulled another book out, the fire ghoul next to her stirred, sitting up groggily.
"What's up?" She inquired quietly.
"Need to use the bathroom," He mumbled, wiping his eyes before shuffling over Aether's lap, not even bothering to ask him to get up.
She snorted at his antics, turning back to the book in her hands. Only then did she notice Aether looking at her with interest. She turned to him, confused.
"Can I help you?"
Taking this as an invitation, he moved over to Sodo's seat, looking over her shoulder.
"What are you reading?"
"Just some spell-book of sorts," She chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.
"Are you interested in witchcraft?" He asked, genuinely curious. She froze at the question. It felt all too familiar.
"Yeah, you could say that," She forced a small smile, nodding. "Are you?"
"Absolutely, but uh..." He paused, looking ashamed. "I'm not... too good at this Quintessence stuff. Omega was tutored by the ghoul before him, and so on... I never really got the chance. I mean, they tried to summon me, but they're kind of stupid when it comes to that."
He paused, clearing his throat before attempting to lighten the mood. "Hence why we're stuck with Swiss."
Cal chuckled, the first genuine laugh she'd mustered all day. "Well, I worked with Omega for a short while, so I can give pointers on where to start, but that's about the extent of my abilities."
"I'd appreciate that," He sighed, looking relieved.
Sodo reappeared, looking between the two of them with a scowl. "What are you two grinning about?"
Aether rolled his eyes, moving back into his seat as Sodo scooted forcefully between the two. Cal rolled her eyes, but patted his leg as he finally settled.
It was silent for a moment, but that evidently didn't last long.
"I nag you for hours to talk to me, but you go to Aether as soon as my back's turned?" He hissed quietly, crossing his arms with a huff.
"We weren't talking about that, we were talking about witchcraft," She huffed back, crossing her legs.
"You were talking."
"So... I'm not allowed to talk to anyone?"
"That's kinda toxic, droplet," Swiss mumbled drowsily from behind them, Rain making a sleepy noise of agreement. Great, everyone's listening.
"Stay out of this," Sodo bit back, turning to face her once again. "You're hiding something from me, and I want to know what it is."
"I'm waiting for the right time to tell you, I'm not hiding anything," She said before she could stop herself. She couldn't seem to regret it, though. She had to tell him.
His face dropped, like he didn't expect her to 'admit' it. "Tell me what?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you when we land."
"Why can't you just tell me now?" He demanded.
"Because I don't want you to make a scene in public."
"So, whatever you want to tell me might cause me to make a scene?"
"Jesus, just drop it. I'm going to tell you. I don't know how you'll react, so excuse me for being cautious."
Sodo scoffed, turning away from her, looking completely and utterly betrayed. She did the same, turning to the window. She felt bad for upsetting him, but it was better to do so sooner rather than later.
After a while, she sighed in defeat, sinking deeper into her seat as she wondered when things started to get so fucking complicated.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
𝔄𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯'𝔰 𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔢
whew, conflict. gotta love it.
