"Sirius."
It was late at night.
Adam, Luna, and Thea are now the ones scouting. While the others stay behind, resting.
"Mmh? What is it Sol?"
"Can you walk with me?"
Sirius tilts his head before nodding.
Sol smiles before looking at Anna.
"Me and Sirius will be out for some time, it won't take too long."
Anna nods, saluting with a smile.
"Sure! I'll keep those two from fighting!"
Yuki's eyelid twitch as he lets out a sigh.
"I'm not a kid Anna…"
"Meh! Even if we do fight, I'll beat his ass and make him stop!"
Chad replies to Yuki as Yuki merely lets out a heavy sigh, looking at Chad with a tint of annoyance.
"Yeah yeah."
Sol and Sirius smile at their interaction before Anna looks back to the both of them.
"Well, I'll manage!"
Anna confidently says with a grin, before looking back at the two boys as her eyes gleam red.
Sol chuckles nervously and Sirius blink a few times.
"Be gentle on them…"
"Ha! I will~"
Anna locks her hands behind her head as she walks to Yuki and Chad, leaving Sol and Sirius to themselves as Sol smiles at Sirius.
"So… let's go?"
"Mm? Sure."
With that, the both of them start walking down the emergency stairs.
Sirius walks behind her, staring at her back, her yellow hair flutters, bopping up and down as she steps down over her hood.
Sol doesn't say anything yet, so Sirius simply continues walking with silence, letting her lead him.
Three floors down, they stop and open the emergency door.
Walking ahead, they finally stop upon reaching a pool area with an outdoor view of the city.
Sirius widens his eyes.
"Huh… a pool?"
"Yes Sirius, a pool."
Sol replies with a giggle as she takes off her combat boots before taking off her socks.
Now barefooted, she pulls up the hem of her pants until it reaches up to her knees.
Then, she sits right at the edge of the pool, before dipping her legs down on the pool, feeling the water soaking up her legs.
Sol looks back to Sirius and lets out a smile before urging him to come.
"Come, sit over here."
Sirius looks down at his armored body.
"Uh… okay."
Sirius walks up right next to Sol and then sits at the edge before dipping down his legs, covered in the black scales and shell.
Sol looks at Sirius' legs before laughing, not giggling, a laugh.
Sirius' eyelid twitch, as he lets out a sigh.
"I'm sorry that my armor rips off my outfits and even shoes whenever I wear it…"
Sirius grumbles, and Thea grins at him.
"Mmh~ that's a weird armor don't you think? But I guess it has its charms by protecting you from cuts and to some extent, heavy attacks."
Sol giggles, looking at the armor before looking back to the sky.
"... Hey Sirius, why did you suddenly suggest staying and killing the Calamities?"
"Oh. So it was about that huh?"
Sirius looks at Sol with a contemplative stare before sighing and looking at the pool.
"... Well, there was that reason, about the fact that we don't know what's out there while here, we know what will come at us."
"But..?"
"But..."
Sirius lets out a sigh before continuing.
"A sudden urge pushed me. To grow stronger, I don't know why. It all started with..."
"The dream?"
Sirius smiles upon hearing Sol finishing his words.
"Yeah."
Sol looks at Sirius, her face gentle, kind, an understanding face as she slowly reach out before patting Sirius' shoulder.
"What did you dream about if you don't mind me asking?"
Sirius sighs, looking at the distant city, the once pristine beautiful city.
Now, a ghost city with destruction roaming from one point to another.
"I... it's kind of fragmented... I remember a voice... then, the sound of her cracked voice, telling me it was okay while she was tearing up..."
Sirius reach up to rest his hand on his chest.
"... It hurt, when I experienced that dream. It felt like a part of my soul was taken away from me... Maybe it's because an unconscious part of me that was telling me to never let such a dream become a reality..?"
Sirius chuckles before shaking his head.
"Nevermind it. It was just a stupid dream."
"..."
Sol stares at Sirius, her face laced with concern as she looks at the pool before looking at the distant city.
"Well... maybe it was simply your unconsciousness trying to tell you that... you have to get stronger? To pick up where you left from? What were you planning anyway after getting back to the Post?"
Sol tilts her head, looking at Sirius as he looks back at her.
"... I... well... I was planning on resting, spending time with my brother again or my friends. Just lazing around I guess..."
Sirius rubs the back of his nape, expecting her to say something...
But, the words never came.
Looking back to Sol, he sees her looking at him intently.
"I see... then, what else?"
Sirius blinks for a few times before looking at the pool.
"Mm... maybe I want to try writing a story? Yeah... writing a story, and then making copies of it before giving them to the children in the orphanage."
"Oh? Orphanage?"
Sirius nods, a smile painting his face as he continues.
"There were some kids that I managed to rescue... while there were some kids that were orphans before the Apocalypse happened... where they lost their parents before the event."
Sirius' eyes soften, a gloomy mood painting his eyes and face as he lets out a heavy sigh.
"Now? I help take care of them and teach them stuff. That's what I do with my free time I guess..."
Sol stays silent, listening to each and every words Sirius spills as he continues on telling her stories of the children in the orphanage.
His face changes from his normal resting face, a happy face, a saddened face, and even a guilt-ridden face.
He ends up telling her about the story of a girl named Alisa.
"I was too slow, too slow to save her parents. I only managed to save her. Also... the final words of her parents..."
Sirius' face was unchanging, his eyes staring at the pool with emptiness within those blue eyes.
"They said to take care of myself, and to please take their child to someone that can take care of her."
Sirius lets out a chuckle before shaking his head.
"At that point, I was confused, why did they tell me to take care of myself first? I was fine after all and there were no injuries on me. That question left me... confused, begging for an answer that can never be answered."
Sol merely looks at him, letting him speak and tell her more about him.
"So... I took care of her. With the help of the orphanage."
Sirius ends with a smile, his mind drifting off and remembering Alisa.
"..."
Sol still silently look at him, her eyes never leaving his face as she listens to him, and when he finally finishes, her lips finally moves.
"Sirius?"
He tilts his head, listening to her.
"Yes..?"
"... Thank you, for all you've done."
"... Yes?"
Sol awkwardly looks at Sirius, her hand stops and retracts as she was about to reach out.
She does it again but stops herself as she finally quiets down before letting out a hum.
"Mm... hearing your story makes me feel happy."
"... Why?"
"Because now I know that a lot of people had been saved, and that person that saved them is still kind and never gave up trying his best to save anyone he could."
Sol adds, her legs moving back and forth as the water ripples from her swinging legs.
"While I don't know what circumstances exactly happened that led you to staying in the Post and not growing stronger by joining my father... I think you deserve that long break."
Her hand slowly moves as she picks up Sirius' hand and pulling it up.
"Desummon your armor."
Sirius obeys her, there was no hesitation in his move as he does so, he was curious after all...
The armor disippates into motes of blue, leaving Sirius' hand uncovered, allowing her to see the blisters and the rough patches of his hand.
There were some scarrings, and most obviously the blisters. His hands were rough, formed by the years of hard work and survival.
Her hand moves, she knows what she is doing, and she feels... okay with it.
She rubs the blisters gently, tracing her fingers against the palm and the backhand as she slips her fingers between his and tighten them.
She holds his hand.
"You deserve to take a break, Sirius."
"..."
Sirius looks at her in contemplation before smiling and slowly nodding his head.
"... Yeah... maybe so."
Sirius tighten his hold, reciprocating her hold as he lets out a sigh.
"... Everyone needs a break."