Rogues

Episode 30 | Protection

Sunshine strolled through the empty ministry corridors, heading back to her pack's lair to rest.

She'd just finished giving her report, during which it had been discovered that there was no mention of the Zafer Rokur anywhere. Whoever they were, they must have been masters at staying hidden.

The emptiness of the corridors was entirely due to the time. She'd arrived back at the Ministry in the evening and giving her report had taken at least two hours, mostly due to how long Copia had scolded her for running off after she was done.

Somehow, she'd managed to get away without a punishment for that. She'd been expecting her Papa to at least give her another sanction, but instead, a simple reminder to ask for his permission before running off was all she'd had to deal with.

Copia had been very understanding of why she'd done what she did. Despite the rogues no longer trusting the Clergy, he still seemed to trust them and recognised how close Sunshine was with them. He hadn't liked her dismissal of his authority when she'd gone after them without his permission, but he knew how worried she was for them. She'd seen the condition Sprite was in when they'd first been rescued from Santos and knowing Prince could end up the same was obviously extremely overwhelming for her.

After his brief scolding, he'd actually ended up comforting her, apologizing multiple times for allowing the situation to get so out of hand. She wasn't sure why he was blaming himself for everything, but it was nice to know just how much he cared for her nonetheless.

As soon as she arrived at the lair, the door was flung open ever before she could reach for the handle. Poppy was stood there, relief flooding over her when she saw Sunshine.

"Sunny." She sighed, throwing her arms around the small ghoulette. "Thank goodness. We thought you were dead!"

Sunshine paused, almoust too stunned to speak. The rogues had not only gone to the Clergy for help, but were actually living at the Ministry too? Surely, she was mistaken. The rogues hated the Clergy, they'd lost all trust in them after the incident with Prince at Aquaika.

"Wait, what the fuck are you all doing here? Don't you hate the Clergy?" Sunshine finally managed to ask.

Poppy chuckled, backing out of the embrace and dragging her into the lair. "We do, but...desperate times call for desperate measures, you know?"

A smile crept onto Sunshine's face as soon as she stepped into the living room. Prince was sat in between Swiss and Sodo on the sofa, her pack mates describing the chaos that had been their most recent tour. All of the instruments had kept cutting out and Copia had lost his microphone at least twice per show.

She was glad to see how Prince was warming up to them. Maybe interacting with her pack more would help restore their faith in the Clergy after a while. Seeing how happy her pack mates where to be there could end up convincing them that the Clergy isn't as bad as it seems.

Her smile instantly faded when her eyes landed on the ghoul leaning against the back wall though, who met her gaze the second he realized her staring; Bismuth.

The last time they'd interacted, he'd accused her of intensionally telling the Clergy about them while also telling her to leave despite all she'd done for them.

He'd clearly had a change of heart though, they all had. Being anywhere near the Ministry was a huge step in the right direction, let alone living there.

"Sunny..." He sighed, clearly relieved to see her unhurt. He'd been certain Santos' cult would be more than she could handle but, luckily, she'd proved him wrong.

Without any warning, he ran up to her, wrapping his arms around her in a firm embrace. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for any of this to happen." He almost sobbed. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"