Kaleidoscope: The Fox And The Butterfly

21- Little Bit of Foolishness

With that, the siblings go for the exit, leaving Ren to furrow his brow at the floor with ears lying down, his lips slightly parted.

Aza... What did she go through..?

Then, to a pat to his shoulder, he glances to see Niz staring at him with his lips pressed together.

"Well," He awkwardly mumbles, "You and Charlie were right... Sorry if I seem... Too harsh on you or anything," He then glances towards Azayaka, "I don't know her the way you do."

To that, Ren's lying ears jerk up as his lips curve into a small smile.

"So..." Niz continues as he puts his hands into his pockets, "When she wakes up, tell her that I'm cool with her, for now at least," Finally he walks towards the exit, "I need to go home now, it's already really late. Need to check on my old man too..." He was about to close the door, but not before he peeks his head through it, "Drinks and games tomorrow?"

Ren only gives him a scoff accompanied by a small head shake, "Goddamnit Niz..." He pauses, looking up at the ceiling as he grabs his waist, "Sure."

"Cool, cool... Yea... See you tomorrow then," Niz pulls his peeking head away as he closes the door, leaving Ren with one particular scorpion standing beside him.

"Do you wanna stay here and wait for her to wake up?" Sion says, putting his hands in his pocket.

"I don't know... The Chief said that she won't wake up until morning right? Depends if you wanna keep me company or not," Ren puts on a small smile, "She's your friend too right? Don't you wanna talk to her too?"

"Well..." Sion momentarily stands in silence, "The thing is..." He speaks with a low tone, "I don't think I'm ready."

"I don't think she'll even recognize me."

Sion's sudden uncertainty prompts Ren to pat his back, "W-Well, don't think that much about it... Just re-introduce yourself! Y'know, just like how you did so with me? I'm sure she'll remember you!" He says in a rather cheerful tone.

"It's not as easy as you might think, Ren" Sion says, avoiding Ren's smile, "I am one of her childhood bullies after all. The worst one maybe."

"Exactly!" Ren immediately snaps his fingers, to Sion's dismay, "Wait, I didn't mean it that way-"

"Haah..." Sion huffed out a breath as he looks down, "I'll see you tomorrow," Hunching his back, he approaches the exit. Ren reaches out a hand towards him, but pulls it back. As Sion grabs the doorknob, he pauses to glance Ren one last parted lips, "Don't ever think about giving her some good words about me," He says with eyes looking at the floor, "I can handle myself," With hasty steps, Sion exits the room, not giving Ren a chance to answer.

Now, the only one left in the room is Ren and his faintly wagging tail. He clenches his fist as he looks down, but a sigh quickly releases his fingers and calms his tail. He then goes towards the viewing window, seeing the sleeping beauty; how her breath comes out gently and quietly, how her eyes close so tightly. It seems like Samuel did a great job in ensuring her a good night. From the look of it, it seems like... She doesn't even get much of those lately.

"The way we see it..."

"It's better for her to tell you herself."

The sibling's voices play in his head again. To those words, Ren could only look down. Does that mean what she went through is a lot worse than he could ever imagine? Or does that mean she doesn't trust him enough?

Or does that mean... They're more strangers than friends now?

Ren purses his lips as he narrows his eyes. He doesn't want that thought to be real. Yet, it's coming as the truth now more than anything. But just like everyone else... Ren would rather believe in a comforting lie rather than a hurtful truth. 'Ignorance is bliss' they say. 'Reality is often disappointing' they say.