[Seven-Minute Semblance] GODSFORRENT & FIMBULWINTER

FIMBULWINTER || Chapter 6 - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

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Nicholas James.

4. September.
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
Tea Shop.

POOR ERROR. He came back with a brand new batch of fresh bruises and scratches. But he was smiling and laughing to himself, so I was not one to judge. Alice, who in my opinion would rather spend her weekends anywhere but here, helped Error into a booth. I sat across him, very curiously, and ate cake.

"How did you get those wounds?" I wondered aloud.

"Kiel Alf Whitdur," Error grunted. Alice gasped. It must have been a shock hearing her prince charming doing something not-so-charming, eh?

"H-Hindi ko akalaing kayang manakit ni Kuya Kiel," Alice muttered, looking quite terrified at the thought. Her shoulders sagged as she looked up, as though she was fighting to preserve whatever image Kiel had in his shrine in her mind. "Halika, gamutin natin 'yang sugat mo."

Error squeezed further into the corner of the wall and the booth, bracing himself. "I'm okay. Gagawin ko ang lahat para sa Winter Hexagon." His eyes met mine, and they were ablaze. "Everything."

I grinned at his determination. "I can't wait."

He rapped the table with his fingers. "Tutupad ka sa pangako mo. You'll help me restore Winter Hexagon the way it was before."

"Winter Hexagon is very lucky you're saving them." I reached out a pinky. "I promise I'll help you. And to ease your mind, I actually asked the Knave to call each member."

"Parisi?" asked Alice, quietly.

I looked at her sideways and replied, moving my lips as barely as I could, "We don't want names being mentioned now, do we, love?"

Error's eyes glimmered like faint light in a dark ocean of bruises. He smiled, which was quite suddenly a very bad decision as the cut on his lip immediately started bleeding. He pursed his lips, embarrassed, and nodded instead.

"May I," Error started, his upper left lip twitching as he fought to stutter, "may I ask how we'd restore Winter Hexagon?"

I gave his head quick pats. "Now you rest your mind at ease there, eh? Once you have Edward Dace running to you like a bunny scared out of its wits, you win."

I felt Alice kicking my shin. That wasn't very nice of her.

She stood and awkwardly dragged her feet out of the booth. "I'm going home. I have uh, homework."

"Well, then, off you trot," I said, waving and seeing her off. When Alice was out of sight, I turned to Error, offered him cake and tea, and spoke, "You're a good person. Edward Dace was a coward for leaving you alone."