[AFTERMATH] For whom the bells toll [Sonny/Shun]

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun appeared in the old grove that Heliodora once resided in. After his arrival, he released the pendant of the old sigil, then looked around. Jeremiah had mentioned wanting to give Pax a proper sending with rites and all, and that was fine. But he wanted to stop by on his own first.

Spotting the body where he had last left it, he slowly shook his head in silence. He wasn't sure if Sonny still stopped by this place, but for now it seemed that he was alone. Quietly, he knelt down onto the grass so that he could begin to reflect on... well. Everything.

With everything that had gone on, he got caught up in several whirlwinds and neglected his charge in the process. There really wasn't a proper excuse for it. He had failed in the end, and he knew it. He hadn't done enough.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Sonny wasn't there, but their watchward was. And beside it, an open invitation to come to them where they were. Their movements were also restricted.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

After some time, Shun stood and took note of the invitation that was residing besides the ward that had been set up. He took a moment of consideration, then started to make his way to the Shore manor.

Sometime later, he was at the steps of the building, where he knocked upon the door.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

In the otherworld the Shore mansion looked different to how it was in the real world. Sonny still answered the door. "Hello," they said. "What do you want?"

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

They sounded displeased, not that he could blame them. Shun hesitated for a moment as he tried to think of what it was he should say exactly.

"I cannot exactly apologize to Pax. So I am offering one to you in his stead. You did a lot for him and I have no excuse for how things had transpired."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Oh." Sonny seemed disarmed by that, knocked onto their back foot. They let their hand slip down on the door. "Well. It's true."

They stepped back, opening the door wider so Shun could come in.

"He didn't want to live anyway," they said. "D'you want some tea?"

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun seemed a bit uncertain if he should enter, but he ended up going on in anyway.

"Tea would be fine," he quietly stated as he stepped in, "When first finding Pax in that state... he mentioned not wanting to go back. I had understood this as not wanting to become normal again... rather than returning to his old post. I think I may have unwittingly prolonged his suffering."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"That's okay," said Sonny. They led Shun into the kitchen, where they put a kettle on for hot water. Their tea was looseleaf and they spooned it carefully into little soaking-paper bags. "A lot of people cling to things 'cause they're scared. The proportion's about equal to the ones who throw everything away 'cause they're scared, but when it comes to people, everyone clings. Or that's my experience."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Shun tilted his head at that. He wasn't sure if scared was really the right way of putting it.

"I am not certain if fear is the right word... I misunderstood what his wishes were and ended up fighting for the wrong thing," he said with a sigh, "Do you know if he was in pain in the end?"

With Pax practically in a comatose state before, he didn't have a way of knowing. But Sonny was different. Maybe they could tell.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

They shook their head. "No," they said. "He wasn't feeling anything at all. There's really not anything after death, you know."

Sonny poured the hot water over the tea leaves and sat down at the kitchen table, which was scarred with many of the marks of old age. It had grown up with Sonny, some hundred years ago, and it showed.

"You did alright," they said.

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"Well, that is something then, I suppose."

Shun looked down at the table, noting how old it seemed to be. There was a mild sense of curiosity as to whether this exact table was also in regular Ashdown, or if it had been replaced with something newer.

"Maybe, but I probably could have done better, still," he shrugged. He looked to Sonny briefly, then asked, "Had you dealt with Pax or Ming much prior to this?"

Ming had existed in the new world and all, though he didn't think he had existed as Pax necessarily. The guy had apparently gone missing and probably murdered a few years back.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Sonny shook their head, pulling teabags out of the mugs and then passing one off to Shun. It was a very floral tea involving rosehips or something. "No," they said, "I don't get to leave the house very often. It's safer that way."

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

Considering what had happened in the 20's... right. There was still something weird about what had happened with the deer triplets of this world. He recalled some of the circumstances surrounding their deaths or disappearances. How it might be tied with what happened to Sunny in some way. That was something he was going to need to dig into again before too long. It wasn't easy furthering that line when he had other s**t cutting off his resources and the like, however.

But that was Ming, anyway. Pax's demise was his responsibility in more ways than one.

Shun took the tea, then took a careful sip from it.

"Well. The charter has been redone. Pax should be able to fully rest now, I suppose."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Did you really do it for Pax?" Sonny tilted their head. "I mean, I don't understand why you all did that... and then took away the power from the deer triplets... Are you going to take apart the sigil and make a new one of those, too?"

Blade Kuroda

 

[Blade Kuroda]

"In part... I suppose. Though that was not exactly the primary goal. The old charter was unstable, from my understanding. And this was a chance to try and make things a little less shitty than it was before," Shun shrugged. He was about to take another sip of tea, but paused at Sonny's question.

"We already have done that."

shibrogane