The central commercial district of the waking city was a towering monument to humanity's desperate need for normalcy.
Massive, gleaming spires of glass and steel reached toward a sky that was heavily filtered . Holographic advertisements the size of city blocks projected smiling models selling everything from synthesized coffee to memories. The streets were immaculately clean, lined with bio-luminescent trees, and packed with a ceaseless, flowing river of people.
It was loud. It was bright. It was everything Cielle absolutely despised.
Sunny walked through the sliding glass doors of the Sleepless Galleria, one of the most obscenely expensive shopping centers in the sector, and immediately stopped, letting the air wash over him.
He turned around.
Cielle had stopped three paces behind him, still standing on the pavement outside. She was wearing her usual grey tactical trousers and the dark jacket Aiko had given her, zipped all the way up to her chin. Her pristine white wings were folded so tightly against her back that they looked painful, minimizing her silhouette as much as physically possible.
She was staring at the entrance of the mall like it was a Nightmare Gate.
Her green eyes tracked the movement of the hundreds of shoppers milling about inside, the flashing holographic displays, and the sheer volume spilling out through the doors. Her jaw was set in a hard, stubborn line.
Sunny walked back out. He didn't say anything. He didn't ask if she was okay, because he knew she wasn't. He just stepped close to her, positioning his body between her and the worst of the foot traffic.
"Too much?" Sunny asked quietly, his voice pitched low so it wouldn't add to the noise.
Cielle looked at him. "It is very loud. The lights are humming. The people smell like wax"
Sunny snorted softly. "Yeah. Welcome to high-end retail. We don't have to do this. I can just measure you, come back alone, and guess your sizes. Or we can order things to the house."
Cielle frowned, her brow furrowing. She looked past his shoulder at the sprawling, multi-level interior of the mall. It was terrifying, yes. But it was also something new. She never went out of the academy or the house, even when invited by the awakened, she would always decline. She had never just… walked around a place meant for leisure.
"No," she said stubbornly. "I said I wanted to go to the restaurant. I need clothes. I will not be defeated by a building."
Sunny couldn't help the small, fond smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Alright. But remember the rule."
Cielle nodded solemnly. "If I get overwhelmed, I tap your shoulder twice. If someone tries to touch me, I am allowed to break exactly one of their fingers, but I cannot snap their neck."
"The neck-snapping clause is very important," Sunny agreed. He shifted slightly, offering his arm. "Stay close. Maybe send your shadow and focus on its vision instead of yours. If you stay in my immediate radius, it won't be as bad."
Cielle didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, closing the distance until she was practically glued to his side. She didn't take his arm; instead, she reached out and took hold of the sleeve of his dark jacket, her fingers gripping the fabric with quiet intensity.
Sunny's heart did a familiar, treacherous little stutter at the contact but it was much better than a month ago. He cleared his throat, adjusting his posture to act as a good wall, and led her into the mall.
The moment they stepped onto the polished marble floors of the main concourse, the stares began.
It was impossible to ignore them. Cielle was striking on her own, pale, ethereally beautiful, with an aura of cold stillness. But it was the wings that drew the eyes. Even folded tightly beneath her jacket, the massive, white primary feathers peeked out from the hem, an undeniable marker of an awakened. In a city where most people only ever saw standard Awakened, an angel walking through a shopping mall was a spectacle.
People stopped talking. Heads turned. Whispers erupted behind cupped hands.
"Is that an Echo?"
"Look at her back. Is she a Legacy?"
"Who is the guy with her?"
Cielle ignored them completely. She was used to being stared at like an anomaly. She simply tightened her grip on Sunny's sleeve, her eyes darting around the massive, open-plan stores with utmost focus.
Sunny, however, did not ignore them.
His legendary paranoia and deep-seated possessiveness flared to life instantly. His eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sky. His shadow, the gloomy one, detached from his feet, stretching out abnormally long across the polished marble floor, twisting into jagged, menacing shapes that seemed to swallow the light. Sunny glared at a group of well-dressed businessmen who were pointing at Cielle's wings.
It wasn't a normal glare. It was the dead, hollow stare of a creature that had survived the Forgotten Shore and bathed in the blood of horrors.
The businessmen visibly flinched. They suddenly found the ceiling incredibly fascinating and hurried away.
"You are doing the murder face again," Cielle observed bluntly, not looking away from a display of synthetic silk scarves.
"I am establishing boundaries," Sunny corrected, glaring at a teenager who had tried to take a photo with his communicator. The teenager paled, dropped his device, and power-walked in the opposite direction. "Civilian crowds require aggressive crowd control."
Cielle hummed.
They navigated the first floor, Sunny acting as a terrifying, heavily armed sheepdog for his oblivious, winged companion. They bypassed the standard chain of stores and headed toward a high-end boutique that catered specifically to Awakened, offering reinforced, tailored civilian clothing, not that they were better than memories but it put many to ease.
The boutique was quiet, softly lit, and mercifully empty save for a single, impeccably dressed clerk. The clerk took one look at Cielle's wings, then at Sunny's terrifying scowl, and wisely decided to stay behind the counter and let them browse in peace.
"Alright," Sunny said, gesturing to the racks of clothing. "You need something for tonight. Something normal. No armor plating, no hidden knife sheaths, got it?"
Cielle walked over to a rack of elegant, flowing dresses. She reached out, touching the fabric with two fingers. She immediately recoiled, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
"It is scratchy," she announced.
Sunny sighed, she hated these kinds of things, he had figured out that some part of her aspect or flaw made her senses dial up to an agonizing degree. Cheap synthetics, rough seams, or stiff fabrics didn't just feel uncomfortable to her, they felt like sandpaper dragging across an open wound. It was the reason she constantly stole Sunny's well-worn, perfectly softened shirts.
"Okay, no stiff synthetics," Sunny noted, moving down the aisle. He began scanning the tags, his fingers brushing over the materials. He found a section of clothes made from genetically modified, hyper-soft spider silk, a luxury import from somewhere.
"Try this," Sunny said, pulling a dark emerald green blouse from the rack. It was simple, elegant, and had an open back that would perfectly accommodate her wings without restricting them.
Cielle took it from him. She rubbed the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. Her eyes widened slightly, the hard line of her jaw relaxing.
"It is… soft" she said, which was her highest form of praise for a cloth.
"Go try it on," Sunny instructed, pointing toward the fitting rooms. "Grab some trousers from that rack too. The soft ones."
Cielle nodded, gathering a few items, and disappeared into the fitting room.
Sunny leaned against a display table, crossing his arms and letting out a long breath. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ignore the sudden, nervous fluttering in his stomach. He felt completely out of his depth. He was a survivor, a killer, an explorer of the dream realm. He wasn't a guy who took girls shopping.
A few minutes later, the curtain to the fitting room slid back.
Sunny looked up.
His brain immediately ceased all functions.
Cielle stepped out of the fitting room, and for the first time since Sunny had met her, she looked entirely, devastatingly normal.
She was wearing the dark emerald blouse he had picked out. The hyper-soft silk clung perfectly to her frame, the rich, deep green complementing the startling clarity of her eyes. The open back allowed her wings to rest comfortably, the pristine white feathers creating a stark, breathtaking contrast against the dark fabric. She had paired it with sleek, charcoal-colored trousers that fit snugly at her waist before flaring slightly at the ankles.
She looked elegant. She looked impossibly beautiful.
She looked down at her sleeves, tugging at the cuffs with a slight frown. "It does not have pockets. Where am I supposed to put my knives?"
Sunny swallowed hard, desperately trying to jumpstart his paralyzed vocal cords. "You… you don't need mundane knives at a restaurant, Cielle. Plus you have memories…"
She looked up at him, her expression deadpan. "That is factually incorrect. You always need knives." She paused, studying his completely frozen posture and the slight flush rising up his neck. She tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing in calculation. "Your heart rate just spiked. Are you in distress, or do you like the shirt?"
"I like the shirt," Sunny managed to choke out, violently averting his eyes to a nearby display of belts so he wouldn't just stare at her. "The shirt is fine. It's a good shirt."
Cielle observed him for another moment. Then, that tiny, dangerous smirk played at the corner of her lips. She stepped closer to him, invading his personal space with her usual lack of hesitation.
"You are looking at the belts," she noted softly, her voice dropping into that husky register she used right before she did something that ruined his life. "The shirt is not made of belts, Sunny."
Sunny closed his eyes, praying for strength. "Get back in the fitting room. Try the next one."
"I like this one," she decided, turning around to look at herself in the three-way mirror. She flexed her shoulders, testing the range of motion. "It does not scream. The seams are flat. It is acceptable."
"Good. Go take it off so we can buy it."
While Cielle retreated into the fitting room, Sunny exhaled a long, shaky breath and dragged his hands over his face. This was going to be a disaster. If she looked like that tonight, Effie was never going to let him live it down. Kai was going to give him that polite, knowing smile. And Cassie…
Sunny winced. Cassie is going to 'see' exactly how flustered I am.
When Cielle emerged again, wearing her usual gear and carrying the silk outfit over her arm, Sunny immediately herded her toward the checkout counter.
"Did you find everything you need?" the impeccably dressed clerk asked, his eyes darting nervously toward Sunny's shadow, which was currently looming ominously over the cash register.
"Yes," Sunny said shortly.
Cielle, however, was no longer paying attention to the transaction. Her gaze had drifted to a display behind the counter. It was a single, meticulously folded winter jacket. It was a muted charcoal grey, lined with a thick, impossibly plush material that looked like a cross between clouds and starlight.
Without asking, Cielle walked behind the counter.
The clerk let out a small squeak of alarm, but Sunny simply held up a hand to stop him.
Cielle reached out, her fingers brushing the lining of the jacket. Her eyes instantly went wide. Her pupils dilated, and her breath hitched audibly.
"Sunny," she whispered, her voice filled with absolute, profound reverence.
Sunny walked around the counter to stand beside her. "What is it?"
"Touch it," she commanded, grabbing his hand and forcing his fingers into the plush lining.
Sunny blinked. It was, without exaggeration, the softest thing he had ever felt in his entire life. It was so soft it almost felt frictionless, slipping against his skin like warm liquid silk.
"What is this?" Sunny asked, looking at the clerk.
The clerk, recovering slightly, cleared his throat. "Ah. That is a bespoke piece, sir. The lining is spun from the under-fur of a corrupted nightmare creature, harvested directly from the outer bastion. It is entirely hypoallergenic,(Yes i googled that shi) regulates body temperature and is the softest material in our possession"
Because of her flaw, to Cielle, this jacket wasn't just clothing. It was the physical embodiment of heaven.
She pulled her hand back, curling her fingers into a fist as if she was afraid to taint it. She looked at the price tag hanging from the sleeve.
Her shoulders instantly slumped.
She turned away from the display, her expression returning to its usual flatness. But Sunny caught the micro-expression of absolute disappointment before it vanished.
"It is too expensive," Cielle stated bluntly, walking back to the register. "We will just take the green shirt and the trousers."
Sunny looked at the price tag. It was astronomical. It cost more than an Ascended Memory. It was an amount of credits that would have fed a family in the outskirts for five years.
Sunny's entire life philosophy was built on hoarding resources, saving every credit, and being as cheap and ruthless as possible to ensure his own survival. He was a goblin who slept in a basement to save on heating.
He didn't even hesitate.
"Put it on the bill," Sunny told the clerk, tapping his communicator against the payment terminal.
Cielle froze. She whipped her head around, staring at him. "What?"
"I said put the jacket on the bill," Sunny repeated, his voice entirely casual as the terminal beeped, approving the massive transfer of funds.
Cielle stared at him, her green eyes wide and uncomprehending. "Sunny. The number on that tag has five zeros."
"I know," Sunny said, taking the shopping bags from the clerk. He grabbed the incredibly soft Cloud-Strider jacket and casually draped it over Cielle's arm. "You liked it. You said it was soft."
Cielle looked down at the jacket resting over her arm. Then she looked back up at Sunny. Her brain was completely stalling out.
Sunny would admit, seeing that expression on her face would be worth ten times this price, it was really rare to see her just….. Be her. To her this must be absurd, and it should be damn it, sunny was crazy after all.
'Well we do have the supreme soul shard from the damn cat…. Not that i can ever sell it but its nice to know i can afford the entirety of NQSC'
"I do not have the credits to reimburse(Yes i googled this shi too) you for this," Cielle said, her voice dropping into a low, completely serious whisper. She gripped his sleeve tightly. "I will have to farm the outer chains of the Sanctuary for three weeks to earn this back. But I will. I will bring you the shards I swear."
Sunny stopped walking. He looked at her, his heart clenching painfully at the absolute, deadly seriousness in her tone.
He reached out, ignoring the crowds of people walking past them, and gently tapped his knuckles against her forehead.
"Cielle," Sunny said softly. "You are an idiot."
She blinked. "I am highly intelligent."
"Then use that intelligence to understand the concept of a gift," Sunny replied, his lips curving into a soft, genuine smile. "You don't owe me anything. You don't have to hunt for me. I bought it because I wanted to. Because you looked at it like it was the Holy Grail, and I happen to have a lot of money."
Cielle stared at him. Her fingers tightened convulsively in the plush lining of the jacket.
For a long, terrifying moment, Sunny thought she was going to cry. Or punch him.
Instead, right in the middle of the crowded concourse of the Galleria, under the glaring holographic lights and the stares of dozens of strangers, Cielle stepped entirely into his space.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his chest, and squeezed him with all of her augmented, terrifying strength. Her wings flared slightly, wrapping around his sides to shield them both from the noise of the mall.
"You are very warm," she mumbled into his jacket, her voice thick and slightly muffled.
Sunny stood completely still for a second. The paranoid, outskirt rat in him screamed that he was exposed, that people were looking, that this was a error.
Sunny told that part of his brain to shut up.
He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on top of her head, and hugged her back.
"I know," Sunny said softly. "Let's go home."
Some old lady standing near stopped and looked at the two with a small smile, then she whispered to her friend
"Aw, such a cute couple"
'Damnnation'