It had indeed been a good birthday.
Actually, Sunny had been a little dejected prior to the winter solstice… that was because Nephis had been giving him the cold shoulder after that heated conversation in the council chamber of the Jade Palace.
He found himself sleeping on the couch for the first time since they got together — well, in a metaphorical sense. In truth, neither of them had slept anywhere after that night, since both were terribly busy due to the approaching solstice. But he could still feel the flimsy walls of the proverbial doghouse around him.
It was not like Nephis was avoiding him or refusing to talk to him, or even behaving that differently — she had just retreated into her former aloof, impassive self. He could feel that she was angry… as well as that she was hurt beneath the anger.
