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A nondescript young man was walking through the roof garden of the royal palace at Altea.
Depending on the perspective, this was both expected and unexpected.
To most people, his presence in the Arch Sage’s garden was both unexpected and potentially alarming. Usually this part of the castle was only accessible to select members of the royal entourage, and the unremarkable looking man was not dressed like royalty, nor was he a servant accompanying someone who was royalty.
However, to those who did recognise the man, his presence was completely expected, if no less alarming. Seeing Sechs Würfel, King of Crime, in places where he had no business being could not be categorised as unexpected, considering how frequently it happened and how rarely he actually got caught for it. If anything, it was more unexpected how poorly the face of a princess-kidnapping wanted criminal stuck in the minds of the people he'd sinned against.
At the moment, however, Sechs was simply sightseeing. Breaking-and-entering had been set-up to committing theft, ideally, but Altea was not a rich kingdom the way Caldina and Legendaria were. He hadn’t encountered any satisfyingly forbidden royal treasures easily accessible in the surface slice of the castle he was able to freely explore, and the truly tempting, locked vault beneath the castle had thus far not revealed a convenient way for him to enter it unnoticed.
He’d settled on reaching the Arch Sage’s garden undetected as a good first test and a chance to practice using Nu’s non-human form, content with the thrill of being somewhere he wasn’t allowed. In fact, as he walked in his reconstituted human shape along the paths of the giant, exotic flowering bushes around him, he was brainstorming ways to announce his trespassing in a non-destructive fashion. As reluctant as he was to leave the EXP from such a significant crime on the table, the garden was truly stunning – obviously not a creation of magic, it felt petty and wasteful to ruin the efforts of the gardeners having spent so much time bring it into such a state.
It wasn’t until he’d walked half the perimeter of the garden, captivated by his own curiosity, and arrived under the great skylight cupola that enclosed the garden, creating a greenhouse out of white marble, that Sechs even realised that he wasn’t alone. Truthfully this other human being could have slipped under his notice entirely, because he had been too critically distracted to sense their presence – instead, what caught his attention was a strange blot of a light matte brown near the water fountain at the centre of the garden, too light to be an overturned flowerbed, catching the light in a way none of the greenery around it did.
Approaching the strange matte blot out of curiosity, Sechs quickly realised it was fabric – soft brown fleece – making up most of a strange set of overalls that stylistically resembled a teddy bear, complete with a plush muzzle, sleepy embroidered eyes and a pair of large round ears stitched to the hood that was pulled over the face of the person wearing this strange get-up. A thick braid of dark hair that reached almost down to the person’s waist, ending in a light green silk bow, emerged from under the hood and lay over their shoulder, falling off their chest into the grass.
This strangely-dressed person, who had at some point entered the garden without Sechs noticing, was lying on the incline of a small hill that was a part of the fountain styled to look like a natural spring, their four limbs spread out in a sprawl, crushed petals of the occasional wildflower dotting the lawn strewn around them like they’d gone flying when the person landed where they lay. At their feet was a wicker basket with a glass bottle full of some rich purple drink and various baked goods from biscuits to scones, and despite their face being covered by the bear-faced hood of the overalls, Sechs could see that they were holding something that looked deceptively like a chocolate-chip shortbread between their teeth.
“The garden’s off-limits to outsiders, y’know”, they said from between their teeth, heedless of their mouth being full, before opening their mouth to chew the biscuit down. “Scram.”
“Shu?”
Shu Starling, King of Destruction, lifted one of his hands to lazily salute at Sechs without even turning to look at him. “Yo.”
Cautiously, Sechs stepped off the paved path and onto the grass besides the man that could be considered his archenemy. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m friends with Theresia – that’s supposed to be my question.” Shu waved at him to sit down, gesturing at the basket by his feet. “Want some?”
“Thank you.” Sechs did as instructed, if only to play along. On the one hand, it was fortunate to run into someone who wasn’t attacking him on sight, all but ensuring his crime would be discovered without any loss of life or property damage, but anyone of a criminal persuasion would be concerned around someone so closely associated with the royal family.
Shu was… something of a natural-born enemy for Sechs. He wasn’t like the heroes of the realm who had sworn various vows to take Sechs down for his villainy, but unlike them, Shu had a preternatural talent for finding his way to whatever trouble Sechs was currently working his way into, and deciding on the spot if helping him or hindering him was more in his best interests. They weren’t enemies, but he’d made clear that as long as Sechs was a threat to Altar, they wouldn’t exactly be allies, either.
Furthermore, despite Sechs’ attempts at being amicable, Shu could often be quite cold towards him, treating him with understated disdain – probably just owing to Sechs’ criminal history, although he had never been able to shake the feeling that Shu’s dislike of him was somehow more personal. He avoided thinking about it when he could. He would have preferred they get along.
Seated on the soft grass, Sechs reached for a basket and singled out a plain, flaky pastry reminding him slightly of a croissant. “That didn’t answer my question, though.”
“It’s cheat day.”
Sechs bit into the pastry. “Cheat day?” he opted to ask with his mouth full, mirroring Shu’s casualness the best he could.
“Yeah. Being in VR doesn’t put strain on you, but I still feel weird doing anything in Dendro when I’m supposed to be doing nothing. So I’m just hanging out.”
“And your gear is..?”
“It’s custom. I’m in my jammies IRL too.” Shu shrugged. “I like being comfortable.”
The strange plush overalls he was wearing must have also had the Disguise skill – along with his stats and any telltale job descriptions, Shu’s face was just as indistinguishable under the shadows as it was under the various mascot suits. He nodded towards the pastry, some quirk of Dendro’s mechanics letting Sechs follow his gaze despite that. “D’you like it?”
Sechs had already taken a second bite, and took a moment to chew and swallow, trying to find the words for the taste. It wasn’t Shu’s usual cooking – Sechs knew from experience he would have been rendered speechless if it had been. It was excellent in a way that was downplaying itself, like the baker had been trying to recreate a recipe exactly, flaws and all.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had something so good”, he settled for, frowning at the pastry a little. “You didn’t make these, did you?”
Shu grinned, and reached up to cross his hands behind his head, somehow satisfied. “Who knows?”
Sechs took another bite out of the pastry, thinking for a moment. “I still don’t quite understand. What is a ‘cheat day’? Why are you not supposed to do anything?”
“Oh, it’s a workout thing.” Shu sighed and stretched luxuriously, the sleeves and legs of the strange pyjamas pulling up a little. He wasn’t wearing shoes, but Sechs noticed there was a pair of woven sandals next to the basket.
“My agent has me on a diet before the next part of the documentary shoot. Apparently I gotta put on some weight to look good on camera.”
“Documentary?”
“Yeah. It’s the fifteenth anniversary, so they’re doing a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff and new interviews.” Somehow despite already lying down, Shu managed to flop over, elbows colliding with the grass in a thump, before reaching up to scratch his cheek in a gesture reminiscent of his body language in his iconic mascot suit. “… Guess I haven’t talked about any of that stuff to you before, though”, he mumbled in continuation, sounding embarrassed.
Oh. That stuff must have been Shu’s life outside of Dendro.
Sechs bit into the pastry again. He would sometimes forget – logically, Sechs knew he was the outlier. Of course other Masters had lives outside of Dendro, too. Shu was just so singular that it made Sechs feel like he must have stepped into reality fully formed, and trying to picture the person behind the larger-than-life character Sechs couldn’t but help reflect against had always been hard for him.
What was he like, really? It’s not that Sechs wasn’t curious, but it had never felt right to ask, to pry. They were nemeses, Shu Starling and Sechs Würfel – even if Shu didn’t balk, didn’t assume an ulterior motive, Sechs didn’t want to feel indebted to his sincerity, not being able to share anything about his life in turn.
“We haven’t really had chances to talk like this before”, he said carefully between bites, watching Shu Starling the person fidget.
“… Yeah, you’re usually too busy with the whole world’s worst baddie shtick”, Shu drawled, visibly relaxing. “It’s a whole thing, but the short version is that I was in a thing on TV as a kid, and we’ve got a big anniversary coming up. They’re doing a bunch of promotional stuff with the cast from back then.”
“That sounds like a lot of work.”
“It’s not, really. It’s half-day shoots, not a lot of prep.”
Shu stretched again, feigning casualness, but what was visible of his expression under the bear hood looked conflicted. “It just… makes me feel weird,” he admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know how to feel about it. Exercise keeps me busy, at least, I’d be bouncing off walls otherwise.”
“I can imagine.” Sechs bit into his pastry again, trying to keep his awkwardness out of his composure. “Has it been long since you were involved in a production like this?”
“Kinda, but not really. I’m not in the industry anymore, but I do gig jobs here and there.” Shu shifted again, head thudding into the grass. “I do still like acting. But every time it comes up, people want me to go back to it full-time. There’s been talk of a new movie and everything, and my agent really wants me to at least go into negotiations for it.”
Sechs frowned, digesting the information. “Surely he can’t force you if you don’t want to?”
“Nah, but I feel bad just telling him ‘no’ all the time. He thinks about my fans more than I do. I don’t know if I really wanna, but if I did, I would be doing it for them, too, y’know?”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Sechs said firmly, entirely sincere in his concern. “It’s not like whether or not you get back into acting is a matter of life and death. It shouldn’t be on you to manage their expectations.”
Shu sighed deeply from his chest, uncrossing his arms and lifting his hands behind his head. “I figured you’d say that. But, thank you, I guess.” He turned, making eye contact through the effect of Disguise. “What about you? You didn’t tell me why you’re here, yet.”
“Hmm.” Sechs finished his pastry, and reached for another as an excuse to break eye contact. “Maybe I’m here on IF business?”
“Your guildmaster sure is giving you the runaround.”
“He is the world’s worst baddie, the way I hear it.”
Shu snorted with laughter. “Maybe I should go have a talk with him. The bastard doesn’t give you a lot of free time.”
Sechs selected a biscuit and sat back, as Shu rolled on his side, looking assessingly at Sechs.
“You’re not gonna give me trouble, are ya?” He grinned playfully, a glint of teeth visible under the shadow of the hood, his tone teasing. “I’m supposed to have a day off today. If I have to get up, I’ll get mad.”
“Rest assured, I’m only sightseeing.” Sechs bit into the biscuit and chewed with mock-grandiloquence. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your day off. It’s important for you to rest well, after all.”
Shu grumbled, rolling away and crossing his hands behind his head again. “’M trying my best, aren’t I? Got set up up here and everything.”
“Yes, that reminds me – how did you get set up here? The garden is off-limits to outsiders, after all.”
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m at least friends with—“
“Shu?”
“Ah, there we go.” Shu lifted one hand up in greeting, just as Sechs started to turn towards the voice. “Good timing, Theresia.”
On the paved garden path a few yards away, a small blonde girl sat astride a tamed monster that looked like a large hamster. Her blonde hair was braided in a remarkably plain fashion compared to the jewelled tiara on her head, and her dress was simple and comfortable, resembling an old-fashioned night gown.
The third princess, Theresia C. Altar. The sickly princess in the tower, beloved by all of her kingdom, with a horrible secret. Sechs was glad to see her looking so well.
“And who is this?” Theresia asked, feigned informality subtly colouring her voice. “A Master friend of yours?”
Shu hummed, looking sidelong at Sechs. “I wonder about that.”
Sechs smiled, keeping his expression neutral as the princess urged her companion to move. Sechs was almost certain Theresia had recognised him immediately – the Third Princess Kidnapping incident had been the start of his illustrious career, after all, and a cherished memory between him and Shu. Theresia herself, the inheritor of ■■■ ■■■■, would have all her memories regardless of her age at the time of the incident.
With all this in mind, Sechs decided to play along, putting his hand on his chest and bowing his head politely. “Nice to make your acquaintance, princess Theresia. I’m Sechs Würfel.”
Theresia’s companion had already carried her up the hill. “Oh? If that’s so, then we’ve met before, haven’t we?” she asked as she dismounted, reaching into Shu’s basket in passing.
Sechs’ smile froze on his face, and next to him, Shu made an almost imperceptible choking sound. However, the princess’ very dangerous companion simply lay down, not paying either of them any heed, and Theresia herself sat in the grass next to the two of them, smoothing her gown down.
“You’re correct”, Sechs hurried to say. “My apologies. ’Nice to see you again’ would be more appropriate in this instance.”
“I’m surprised ya remember”, Shu said, feigning calm expertly like he hadn’t gone taut as a bow string just now. “Ya were a lil’ tiny thing when that whole debacle happened.”
“Ah!” Theresia lifted a hand to her mouth, looking startled. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up? You two did seem very relaxed just now, talking about your Master business.” She took a bite out of the sweet roll she had selected, looking thoughtful. “I suppose I can’t properly welcome you if you’re a criminal…”
Sechs sat back, leaning his weight on his hands, letting the tension drain out of his body.
“You’re not afraid of me, miss?”
“Aw, now you’ve done it”, Shu groaned, “Ya gotta egg him on like this? We were having such a nice time.”
Theresia flatly ignored Shu pouting in her direction. “Dormouse is here, but he doesn’t seem to think you’re a threat,” she said, taking another bite while Sechs was still catching up to what Shu was referring to. “I assume you’re not here to kidnap me again this time?”
“I hadn’t planned to, no.”
“I see. It’s fine then.” She took another bite of her sweet roll, and aimed a large, dignified smile at Sechs. She had a green silk ribbon in her hair, same as Shu. “Besides, if you’re also friends with Shu, then you can’t be so bad.”
So the third princess had intuited that if Sechs could get in undetected, the garden may have not been as private of a venue as she’d hoped. Letting Masters have strange discussions about the other world was all well and good, but she also had an identity to maintain. Sechs really did like her.
Between them on the ground, Shu sighed, grumbling something under his breath before pointedly crossing his arms and piping back up.
“He’s not my friend! Who would be friends with a black-hearted villain like him?”
Theresia scoffed primly, putting her free hand on her hip. “That’s not a nice thing to say about your friend! Really, Shu, you have no manners.”
Shu made another wordless growl like a bear, and Sechs reached for the basket again to hide his laughter.
“He is right, miss”, he said as he picked through the offerings. “I am a black-hearted villain. And rest assured, Shu didn’t invite me here – I am breaking and entering.”
From the corner of his eye, Sechs could see Shu gesturing victoriously, which just made Theresia sigh and shake her head at him.
“See?”
“Yes, yes.” The princess waved her hand dismissively, giving up on scolding Shu for his manners. “You Masters can be so strange sometimes. So, mister”, she turned to Sechs, her sweet demeanour from before returning. “Do you like the garden?”
“It is beautiful,” Sechs responded sincerely. “I heard that it relies on the Arch Sage’s magic to bloom year around, but seeing it in person, I think that is denying the gardeners of this castle the praise they deserve.”
Theresia looked pleased with his assessment. “The plants here all bloom at different times of the year, or so I’ve been told. I don’t get to venture outside a lot, so the gardeners try to keep this place feeling like it’s living with the season for me. It’s the most perfect place for a picnic in the castle.”
“Is that so? I would love to see it some other time of year, then.”
“I always tell Shu to come up here when he’s taking a day off”, Theresia said slyly, like she was letting Sechs in on a secret, “so it’s easy for me to keep an eye on him.”
“Who is keeping an eye on who here?”
“Thank you for looking after him for me.” Sechs smiled, looking askance at Shu. “I can imagine he can be a real troublemaker.”
“Yes, trying to get him to sit still is a real handful”, Theresia lamented, putting her hand on her cheek theatrically.
“Again, who is the troublemaker here?”
Sechs stifled his laughter. “Did you make him change into that gear, too? I noticed you have the same kind of ribbon.”
“Yes, he got that from me. Shu often lets me braid his hair when we’re having a picnic—”
“I just like having it out of the way.”
“—but he insists on wearing that strange gear, when I could get nicer clothes for him to relax in”, Theresia said, pouting a little. “I don’t know why. Is it some kind of a Master thing, mister?”
“I wouldn’t know. I think it’s just Shu being strange in his own way.”
“What’s wrong with my jammies?” Shu grumbled. “The suits get hot. I’m not supposed to be doing shit, this is just incentive.”
“It’s very you, certainly”, Sechs mused.
“You do still look a little like a stuffed animal”, Theresia concurred.
“I’m starting to regret letting this conversation carry on”, Shu said witheringly, lifting his legs and leveraging himself up to a sitting position with the weight as he thumped them back down to the grass. The sudden movement made a gust of air grab his hood and—
Sechs startled up, quickly turning away.
“Why are you getting along so well, anyway? Aren’tcha being a little carefree about this? After all, Sechs is—Sechs?”
He kept staring away, trying to pick a focal point in the colourful flower bushes on the far side of the garden to focus on. “Yes?”
“C’mon. What is it this time?” Shu’s tone was still exasperated, but with a sudden wary edge to it. “Y’know ya can’t see my face with Disguise up anyway, right?”
It was true. Sechs had done his research – even at low levels Disguise was almost impossible to bypass, and even high Identification would usually just reveal who the person hiding their identity was, but not the details of how they were doing it. At higher levels, Disguise could outright make you appear as someone else, making it exceedingly useful for criminal scum like Sechs and his guildmates.
“I know.”
However, at lower levels, Disguise would interfere with the ability to perceive the wearer directly. The effect was not unlike face blindness, and could be quite distracting – not to mention it made the wearer’s expressions almost impossible to parse. This is why the effect was often paired with masks, helmets, and hoods, to leave a more natural impression.
Sechs was very attached to that impression. His own idea of Shu Starling.
“I know, but…“
Shu sighed, and fabric rustled. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can look back, now.”
Carefully, Sechs turned towards Shu, his gaze creeping up the braid hanging over his shoulder towards his face. Shu was leaning back against his arms, looking sour, but his face was indeed covered by his hood again, making only the somewhat disappointed frown visible.
“Happy?”
“I just…” Sechs started, stumbling over his explanation, turning away to scratch at his neck. “I only wanted… your privacy is so important to you.”
“Isn’t that right, Shu?” Theresia said, feigning a questioning tone. “I’m your friend, too, and I have only seen your face a few times.”
“’S not the same!” Shu moaned theatrically. “He’s supposed to be the King of Crime, the ultimate villain! Ya would think he’d take advantage of his rival slipping up and revealing his identity!”
“Sins against Masters aren’t counted under World Record”, Sechs retorted, mildly offended by Shu’s characterisation of his actions. “I wouldn’t have anything to gain from violating your express wishes.”
“It’s a weird thing to so suddenly develop manners over!” Shu argued back.
Sechs opened his mouth, and closed it again. Oh dear. He hadn’t considered that Shu might feel insulted by Sechs not extending proper consideration over his feelings. Maybe he thought Sechs didn’t take him seriously, didn’t consider him a proper threat?
Only, Sechs wasn’t sure how he could use Shu’s identity as leverage under these circumstances. Maybe Shu had figured out some scheme he could pull off that Sechs wasn’t yet aware of himself. He would have to think about that later.
But at the same time… Shu had spoken about his real life so candidly today. He didn’t seem afraid that Sechs would take advantage of that, as the rules for Masters outside of Dendro were different. Was he just saying this for Theresia’s benefit, so she didn’t think of them as being in league with each other? That didn’t sound like him.
For now, Sechs settled on trying to be diplomatic. “It would be a cheap victory, wouldn’t it? I would… like to unmask you on my own terms.”
Shu pouted at him a little while longer, before sighing, and leaning back against his hands. “Ah. ‘S that all?”
Theresia looked between the two of them, clearly having just as much trouble following Shu’s sudden shift in argument. “But isn’t that good? If he really is such a villain, and he’s still thinking about your feelings.”
“This and that are two different things”, Shu argued, now sounding flustered. He reached for the basket, grabbing the first thing on top of the pile and mumbling as he chewed. “He’s my rival, isn’t he? I can’t have him half-assing that.”
Ah. So it had been that, after all. Sechs looked down at his forgotten biscuit, distracted himself wondering if it really was Shu’s cooking. Everything he made was usually just as attention-grabbing as the man himself.
Theresia giggled. “It’s nice seeing you get along with your friends so well, Shu.”
“Like I said, he’s not my friend! But…” Shu let himself slide back down into the grass for a moment, before jumping on his feet and reaching up to stretch, suddenly invigorated. “I suppose all of this put me in a better mood, so I’m gonna return the favour.”
“How so?”
Shu turned to Sechs, a sudden wild grin on his face. “I’ll give you a head start”, he said, pulling the ribbon out of his hair as his outfit suddenly changed, the skill’s backlash tugging the braid loose and leaving it to unravel. “Is thirty seconds enough?”
Sechs stared up at the familiar bare chest and black bearskin that had taken the place of the strange day-off gear. “… ten should be plenty, thank you.”
Theresia looked between them, genuinely confused. “A head start? Weren’t we going to have a picnic?”
“Well, we can’t have a wanted criminal hanging around for that, can we?” Shu responded cheerfully, untying the bow on the ribbon and wrapping it around his wrist for safekeeping. “Don’t worry, I’ll just chase him out and be right back.”
“But we were having such a lovely time just now! Are you sure you can’t—“ let it go, Theresia seemed to think, but caught herself, looking between Shu and Sechs for support, ”—wait a little longer? I’m sure the castle guards will eventually check on us, can’t you leave it to them?”
“And risk someone else putting my rival away before I can?”
Shu laughed and turned to ruffle Theresia’s hair, sending her matching ribbon askew with a surprised squeak from the princess, while Sechs turned away, pretending to focus on his neglected snack. How very like Shu. With him in pursuit, Sechs would be free to use the full breadth of his known abilities, allowing for a more dramatic, eye-catching chase. It would also help discourage any tian guards from trying to participate, limiting casualties.
“It would be a shame to make a mess of the castle again, so we’ll keep the gloves on for this, yeah? Like playing tag.”
The princess sat up straighter, fixing her bow with a huff. “But…”
“It is my day off”, Shu pointed out, putting his hands back on his hips for emphasis. “And if I wanna spend my day off playing games with my friends”, he turned to look at Sechs – not looking for acknowledgement, but simply knowing he would find it, “I’m allowed to do that. Right?”
“Yes”, Sechs concurred, just as Shu had known he would. He got up and stretched just for show. “I accept your challenge. Is logging out acceptable, or does it count as forfeit?”
“Ya can’t use the save points, so we’ll say that suspends the race.”
“I like the sound of that.”
Theresia looked between them again, then sighed. “Your day of resting sure didn’t last long. Oh well, there’s no reasoning with you, is there?”
“I’m sorry, miss.” Sechs watched as Shu rolled his eyes, surely knowing what was coming. “I’m afraid I’m a poor influence on him. It’s in my nature.”
“Certainly. But I would have enjoyed talking to you two a little longer”, Theresia responded, sounding genuinely a little dejected. Selfishly, it made Sechs a little happy to know Shu would choose to humour him over the princess.
“I’ll be sure to let him return unscathed”, Sechs offered, still not wanting to hurt Theresia’s feelings unnecessarily. There was no scheme here, after all – he’d gotten what he wanted out of his investigation, and Shu was graciously doing him the favour of helping close out this excursion.
“Thank you very much.”
“Don’t start boasting until you’ve got away”, Shu interjected, shifting his weight from side to side to stretch his legs, warming up for the chase. “That big bounty on your head would help with Baldr’s upkeep handsomely.”
“It would make our next meeting more interesting, for sure.” Sechs turned towards Theresia, bowing politely like he had done before. “Thank you for your company, miss. I hope we get a chance to have a picnic some other time.”
Theresia, likewise, nodded to Sechs. “I would ask you to stay out of trouble, but…”
“Unfortunately, I will not.”
Shu scoffed at the two of them, crossing his arms and leaning his weight on one foot – the very picture of relaxation, a calm, almost indulgent smile on his lips. However, past the bear-headed hood on his face, Sechs could sense Shu watching him, already reading his movements. Sechs may have overestimated himself, giving himself such a short head start, but at the same time the chase would no doubt be more enjoyable with Shu snapping right at his heels.
He would have to be quick getting out of the garden and into the castle proper where he would have more freedom to manoeuver.
“Care to do the honours, Theresia?”
“Just a moment, miss.”
Sechs stepped towards the pond – the little stream leading out of it would give him a nice initial advancement in movement speed – and stopped with one foot on the rounded rocks surrounding its edge. Theresia was waiting with her hand raised, but she was smiling, at least enjoying her chance to participate.
And Shu…
“Thank you for the snacks”, Sechs said.
Shu’s smile softened, losing its mischievous edge. “Ya caught me on an off day. I was trying to make them like my mom. Don’t think they came out very good, though.”
“They were still the most delicious thing I’ve ever had”, Sechs maintained, turning towards his rival, defensive despite himself. “I will try to find a way to repay the favour.”
Shu sighed. “Can’t just let me do a nice thing for you, can you?”
“That’s…” Sechs inhaled, seeing Shu perk up at the smile he was trying to suppress. “I suppose taking advantage of your kindness”, he said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice, “would, after all, be more appropriate for a villain.”
Shu scowled, as Theresia giggled behind him.
“Ten seconds is too merciful for you, ya damn roleplay maniac!”
“Catch me if you can, then.”
“On your marks!” Theresia announced cheerfully, stretching her arm up.
Sechs stepped back and let himself fall into the stream, Nu dissolving him back to his true form. Through his liquid senses, he heard the princess start her count, and watched Shu dig his heel into the grass, expression sharpening, the impression of a smile curling on his mouth and dark eyes locked on his persisting until Sechs was no more.
And then the chase was on.