[Elsword] - Masked Renegade

06 - Uncertainty

...

Ara and Add were standing in front of each other closely, his hands rested on her shoulders, though it didn't seem unnatural in the slightest way. Add seemed to have been perfectly fine with it, his facial expression unfazed, though Ara on the other hand, was becoming more and more like a tomato by the second.

"Oh..." Aren blinked, regaining his balance as he stared at the couple awkwardly. "Ahaha... Oops, sorry." he innocently scratched the back of his head.

"Eh?! Hey, Ara! I didn't know that you had a boyfriend!" Aisha exclaimed loudly, though she was well-aware of Add and Ava's history, she decided to tease her reincarnation about it anyway.

Elesis rolled her eyes, discontented at how immature the mage was being, lightly smacking her over the head.

Ara's blushed intensified, as she glanced up at the albino boy. "A-Ah... um..." she stuttered, unsure of what to say. The Sakra Devanam wasn't certain whether he was going to let go or not, or invade her personal space bubble more than he already has by how tight the space between them were, but he seemed a bit too clueless about the situation.

Seeming to be the center of attention, Add finally spoke, after being entranced by Ara's bright eyes. "Oh, sorry. You have nice eyes, I guess." he casually let go, and stepped back. "It must be cold out here, let's just go inside..." he muttered, walking past Aren and stepping over the threshold before entering the home.

Ara reddened even more from his compliment, though she glanced away from embarrassment.

Aren bowed down. "Yes, I agree that we should be inside by now, but, as mentioned before, my name is Aren, and it is nice to meet you, Aisha and Elesis."

"H-Huh? How do you already know their names, Brother..?" Ara questioned, approaching her sibling slowly as she recovered from her moment.

He smiled. "Just a lucky guess."

Aisha and Elesis nodded. "Likewise." they replied in union, Aisha with a more cheerful tone while Elesis with a more serious one. Nonetheless, they began entering the house.

"O-Oh! Before we go, Brother, can they stay over for a few days? There has been some sort of, um, mite infestation in their residence." Ara pleaded, clapping her hands together to pray.

Aren eyed her sister, then at the two girls, then back at her sister. He bit his lip, hesitating due to Add's  amnesiac presence as he was knowledgeable of the entire story, and many reasons why they shouldn't be in the Haan residence at that moment, but he knew well that he was to fulfill the wishes of Ara, as a caring relative who cherishes his sibling.

At last, after a long while of silence, he weakly nodded, feeling a sense of defeat because of Ara's innate trait of being irresistibly adorable, though she probably wasn't conscious of it.

"Thank you, Aren!" she beamed, giving him a great, big, hug.

Aisha also joined in on the thank-you embrace, grinning childishly as Elesis simply said 'thanks'.

~

As they ascended up the staircase to the living room, Add was already sitting down on the sofa comfortably, biting into a chocolate bar that Aren had left for him. Aren gestured for the girls to sit with Add, smiling as usual despite the tough situation to deal with.

"I'll be making refreshments in the kitchen, it shouldn't take too long." he said.

"Do you want me to help, Brother?" Ara inquired, standing up from her comfy seat.

"It's fine. Just hang out with your friends."

~

'Damn, they came here a lot quicker than I had expected.' Aren thought, glancing back into the sitting room every few seconds as he conjured up snacks, slightly concerned about the mess. Though it wasn't Add he was primarily worried about, it was more so of Ara, and how worse it could get by getting her involved with the business of Elrios, as well as the Search Party Officers of Justice.

~

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to call our guardians so that they know we're in good hands during the insect infestation. There wasn't enough time during school hours to do it, so excuse us." Aisha suddenly stated, taking Elesis' hand to drag her down the stairs, to chat outside in private.

"A-Alright..." Ara blinked as they vanished from sight in a matter of seconds, realizing that she was once again left alone with Add.

The Diabolic Esper merely focused his gaze on her, his eyes glued to her face in that duration of time. Once more, she felt quite timid and uneasy around him, since he had the exact same image as her 'dream lover'. They sat there in utter silence.

~

Back outside, in the chilly air where the flaring sun had disappeared into the clouds, the Void Princess opened her mouth.

"I know that it's only been several minutes, but have you seen how much Add has changed just by having amnesia? The Add we knew wouldn't have been so... relaxed? So... tranquil and serene? Placid? He would've been breaking out into insane laughs by now back in Elrios... I think I already have enough information with me from analyzing him." she said, keeping her voice low.

"And your point is?" Elesis sternly replied, wanting her ally to get to the point.

"It's just a speculation; a fortune telling the future, if you will, but... I think he should be labelled guilty for now."

If a Document of Sin were to be marked with the status of 'guilty', it would mean that the perpetrator would receive harsh and severe punishment. Though it varied, the worse-case scenario would be death.

The Red Knight's eyes dilated in doubt. "What..?"

...