Solaris watched as Jon Smit ran out of the room, leaving everyone behind.
Solaris stared at the door, yet his gaze shifted to the remaining people in the room, as their eyes were locked onto him. The only one who wasn't staring at him was the girl on the tablet.
"Sol, why are you standing?"
"i.."
Yet before he could respond, a man wearing a suit and tie with a party hat on ran into the room, his movements swift, almost perfect. In his hand he had a few pieces of paper.
All of the eyes locked on Solaris shifted to the newcomer.
"Sorry about that."
All of the eyes looked at the strange man with confusion in them.
The man in the suit had a slight smile on his lips, yet as he looked across the room, it dimmed.
The man went to speak, yet another voice resounded before he could.
"Don't worry, Mr. Smit, you weren't gone too long."
As these words filled the room, all eyes shot to the originator of them.
Once again, all eyes were on Solaris.
Everyones faced were mildly different, but all conveyed the same message.
That message was shock.
Somehow, the one most shocked was the man that the words had been directed at.
"Shall I continue?"
Jon Smit was taken aback before motioning for Solaris to speak. His face was in complete shock.
Yet Solaris simply continued to recount his trials and tribulations within the first layer of hell, all with his left eye closed.
As Solaris was finishing telling the group about Ember killing the demon and how he could feel his soul much more after that.
His left eye began to read.
'John Smith'
Odd, he must have changed his name; perhaps only birth names are within this... window?
Solaris continued to speak about the two of them fighting their way through to the sniper's den, while reading Jon Smit's blurb.
Eventually, he finished the Fight with the Sloth demon, and before speaking of Malith, Solaris took a momentary pause.
His left eye opened, then he spoke.
"Mr. Smit, have you always been so... forgettable?
Solaris asked with both genuine curiosity and a bit of fear, as the words within the blurb made it very clear that Solaris would not want Jon Smit to be on his bad side.
Jon Smit's eyes shot open from the paperwork he had been modifying, clearly from the new information provided.
"Since I got my Extramicy."
"I see. Are you familiar with the term sacrifice by any chance?"
"No, what do you mean by that?"
The rest of the group turned their heads and looked at Solaris.
"Don't worry about it at this moment. For now I'd like to finish up this story; we're only halfway done."
Solaris spoke with a bit of disappointment lacing his voice.
While the man in the lab coat was writing feverishly in his notepad.
Sighing slightly, Solaris began to talk once more.
He then started to describe all of the events involving Malith.
Each with great detail, as these had been the most revolutionary at the time. He began with the long golden chain that seemed to cut off Ember's nova; this was then confirmed by Ember with a short nod.
Upon hearing this, the man in the lab coat's eyes shot open, and he began writing even more ferociously, something Solaris wasn't even sure had been possible yet- lo and behold, he was somehow doing it.
As Solaris began to describe his time in his cell, Ember cut him off.
"Take a break, Sol; my side is a bit more interesting."
Ember's voice was both somewhat mean and yet somewhat calming.
The words may have seemed cruel or even mean to an outsider, yet to Solaris, he understood the intent.
Taking his seat next to Selen, as he did, she handed him a cloth.
"What's..."
Before Solaris could ask, his answer was given to him, as a drop of water landed onto his lap.
At some point during his story, he had started to cry.
Damn it... I'm such a wuss.
Solaris rejected the cloth and instead just willed his new mantle to move one of the strands of cloth to his eyes.
As Solaris listened to Ember's side of the experience, he truly realized how inexperienced he was.
The way that Solaris had retold his experience was more in line with telling a story, while Ember told it in a methodical and professional way.
He also learned of what Ember had been forced to endure while he was both rotting in a cell and then later murdering countless of his captors.
Solaris understood Ember a bit better as he reached the end of his recounting of the trip.
By this point, Solaris had dried his tears and stood up intending to finish the story.
"Don't worry, Solaris, was it?"
Solaris nodded.
"Don't worry, Solaris, you don't have to tell all the details if you don't want to."
Jon Smit said in a calming tone.
While the man in the lab coat looked disappointed.
"Don't worry about me; I intended to tell this story, so I will finish it.'
Solaris responded, steeling his resolve as he did.
With that, Solaris opened his mouth and finished his recounting.
As the final words left his mouth, the room was silent.
The three people who had been writing stopped and simply stared at him, their mouths agape.
This led to Solaris smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of his head.
"Did I say something strange?"
Yet no one answered.