Chapter V
Two-toned eyes opened to see a familiar, gray ceiling, morning light filtering into the room through the slightly parted window curtains.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he sat up, stretching his arms out with a yawn, the tip of his gray-black tail curling in the air.
He felt particularly well rested, scooting out of his bedroom, and into the living room just down the hall...However, perhaps to his concern, the small, white form he expected to still be laying on the couch simply wasn’t there.
“...Max?” He called out to him, glancing around as he picked up his scent...Yet he simply couldn’t spot him.
...Where in the hell…?
It was just as he began to wonder that...That he saw it out of the corner of his eye. A fluffy, curled up lump...He hadn’t seen that little lump right away, having been hidden by the arm of the couch, and when he had, he couldn’t help but quirk his head.
...Just what was he looking at, exactly?
No matter how he looked at it, there was just a curled up, little white fox sleeping on the floor. He was so dumbfounded by the sight, that he couldn’t seem to put two and two together when one of those green tipped ears gave a little twitch.
Emerald eyes opened, looking surprisingly vivid against the white fur.
“Oh...Morning.”
Eon’s mouth was agape as the familiar voice resounded from the little fox, finally processing what the source could have been.
“...Max?”
“...Yes??” Max tilted his fluffy head to the side, curious as to what Eon was so shocked about...And as he gave himself a once-over, he realized why. He did have a tendency to shift forms like this in his sleep sometimes. “...Ah, woops.” He stretched his black paws forward, tail arching in the air. “...What are you so surprised about? I am a fox, after all.”
“...I didn’t think you could actually turn into one.” Eon replied flatly, the base of his tail trembling as he was struck with another feeling, entirely different from his previous surprise.
That perfect, sleek fur, those little, black paws, the way his fluffy ears flopped over just so...Eon never considered himself overly fond of cute things, but this was an entirely different story...He honestly just wanted to snuggle his face into all that soft fur, to squish his toe-beans, and everything in between...No, he couldn’t ever give into such a ridiculous urge. It was unbecoming. He refused to make a fool out of himself in such a way.
Max...Felt a rising sense of concern as Eon practically glared at him in what seemed like aggression.
“W-What’s wrong?” He folded his ears back, beginning to wonder if he had unintentionally done or said something wrong to incite such a reaction from the man.
“...et me…” The response Max received was little more than a mumble, at best, Eon’s whole body trembling from his head, to the tip of his tail...And then, he finally spoke up. “Let me pet you.”
There was a feeling of strained silence before the air seemed to go weak, an anticlimactic atmosphere passing throughout the room.
“...Pardon?” Max didn’t quite understand, partially feeling as though his ears had betrayed him.
“I said to let me pet you!” Eon rose his voice.
W-Why was he so angry? Max was startled and confused, but he agreed anyways.
“O-Okay?”
Rather than being angry, Eon was more frustrated with himself, but he couldn’t help it. So, he walked right on over to Max, knelt down, and gave his fluffy head a few pats.
Better than he could have ever imagined. His fur was so soft and silky, like high quality velvet...Sweet satisfaction. He had no regrets.
And it was just then...That it clicked. If Max had not been a fox at the moment, Eon would have seen a wry grin on his face.
“...I didn’t take you for the type to like cute things.”
“…!!” Eon frowned, but he had no excuses for himself. “...It’s because you’re so damn fluffy.”
“Not my fault that your tail is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.” A chuckle escaped Max, amused by this turn of events, but he let Eon pet him to his heart’s content.
“Shut it.” Eon shot back, making the decision to pluck Max up and set him down on the couch so they could get a bit more comfortable...And so he could pet that soft fur some more, of course.
Somehow, the usual, awkward air between them was non existent.
“So what are we doing today?” Max’s voice echoed from just below, and Eon glanced down at him, surprised as he took the initiative to speak up. Usually, it was quite the other way around.
“Hmmm…” Eon gave Max’s question some thought before shrugging. “Not much, I suppose.” He answered, rubbing behind Max’s ears when he noticed he seemed to like the feeling. “After yesterday, I’m technically under house arrest for the time being.”
Max looked up at Eon, quite enjoying those ear scratches.
He still didn’t think Eon’s treatment was just, but Eon seemed to fully accept the outcome, so Max let it go.
“...Say…” Eon began after some time of being lost in thought, burning with curiosity as to what Max’s circumstances were. He couldn’t bite back that very curiosity after what happened the previous night...He wondered if now was the right time to ask him. Perhaps he would be overstepping his boundaries in doing so...Regardless, he decided to press the subject. “...Will you tell me what happened? How you ended up here, and before that.” He didn’t believe there was a way to go about the subject delicately, so he asked outright. “You don’t have to tell me if you still don’t want to, of course.”
“...You really want to know?”
Max’s response was nearly immediate, perhaps to Eon’s surprise...However, he gave Max a little nod almost immediately as well.
He truly wanted to know. About his circumstances...And about Max himself.
“…” Max was quiet, lowering his snout as his gaze fixated onto his paws. However, this wasn’t because he didn’t want to say...He just...Didn’t want to recall. “...It was a blur, truthfully.” He began. “It all seemed as though it was just another day...But that day couldn’t have been more different.” He closed his eyes, thinking back. “I don’t know what happened...One moment, everything was at it always was, and the next, we were surrounded en masse. There wasn’t even a moment to breathe, a moment to retaliate. In what felt like moments, we were brought to our knees...I…” Max’s tail trembled before sagging listlessly. “...I don’t remember much beyond that. I was injured while trying to fight, and the next thing I knew, I woke up here, in Raoul.”
Eon listened, not having been sure what to expect...But even then, he wasn’t expecting this. He had no idea of what had transpired in Max’s hometown, but when he finally heard the details, Eon couldn't help but pity him.
“...Then the people you knew…?”
Max shook his head, downcast,
“...I don’t know what became of them...But the answer should be obvious.”
Eon now understood, and somehow...Max reminded him of himself. The him who, in the beginning, had nothing. The him who, in the beginning, was so lost.
He felt a strange sense of kinship with him, given everything that they had gone through as of late.
“...What was it like?” He questioned, rubbing behind Max’s ears again in the hopes of comforting him. “Farronia, that is.”
“Farronia?” Max echoed, his ear twitching before he crossed his paws and rested his chin along them, the feeling of Eon rubbing his ears strangely soothing. “...It was a beautiful place.” His expression softened. “The city was bright, lively...The people were kind, and the castle was probably the most awe inspiring to most. On sunny days, the white stone made it practically glow...But I loved the forest too. They weren’t so dark and eerie there...It was bright, warm. They were filled with life and light, and there was nothing quite like the feeling of rushing through them, the wind sweeping past you, and always carrying a pleasant smell.” If Max were to close his eyes, he could paint a picture of it all, vividly so. His tail began to tremble at the recollections, emotions welling up in his chest.
He didn’t realize...How much he missed it all, and he missed it terribly so.
He wanted to go home. To see all the familiar faces, to run through the forest with all his might.
But...He understood that even if he were to return, he may never see any of it again. He had no right to. He failed them all.
“You’ll be able to go back someday.” Eon’s soft voice resounded in his ears. “But until then, you have to keep your chin up.”
“...Yeah. That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” Max nodded, knowing he could do nothing but as Eon said. He had to keep his chin up. Had to keep looking forward.
“...Well, that’s enough of that.” Eon nodded. “It’s the first time we’ve had a day to just do nothing, so how’s about we just sit back and relax, yeah? I’ll cook up some of that fish we got yesterday, how’s that sound?”
“...That sounds great, actually.” Max replied, an obvious smile still managing to form onto his fox-like face.
Perhaps it would be fine to simply live within the moment like this...Just for now.
The two would spend a quiet morning and afternoon together, but that would come to an abrupt end as a ringing sound reached Max’s ears.
Having long since shifted back to his more familiar, humanoid form, Max glanced around for the source of the obnoxious sound.
On the coffee table, Eon’s bulky cell device was going off.
Eon was busy in the kitchen, and Max figured the call must have been important...So he took the liberty of answering.
“...Hello?”
“…? You’re not Eon.” A familiar voice spoke from the other line, and Max recognized it as belonging to Azuma.
“I was closer, so I answered for him.”
“...I see. Well, I would like the both of you to report to me.”
“Right now?” Max frowned, annoyance coloring his tone.
A chuckle resounded in response.
“Considering Eon is usually so obedient, it’s a little refreshing to hear that little attitude coming from you.” Azuma said, entertained. “At any rate, I’m sure I’ll see you both shortly.”
And with a click, the other line went quiet before Max could protest any further.
“Why are you holding onto that?” Eon’s voice reached Max’s ears as he stepped out from beyond the island kitchen, raising an eyebrow as Max held onto his cell device.
“...Azuma called saying he wanted to see us.”
“Really?” Eon rubbed the back of his neck, not expecting to be called in so soon...While he didn’t mind being kept busy, he felt a bit bad for Max. No doubt he wanted time to just sit back and settle for once. “I can just ask him to let you sit this one out. Your shoulder’s still injured right?” Eon tossed those words over from some distance away as he threw on his boots, preparing to head off alone, and yet, Max was right there at the door with him.
“I’m fine, it’s mostly healed already.” Max protested, clearly looking as though he refused to stay behind.
“...Alright, alright. I can tell just by your eyes that it’s pointless to try and argue with you about this.” Eon sighed. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”
And so, the two took their leave, heading off towards the Society once more.
This would only have been the second time that Max stepped foot inside the place, and he was still as impressed as the first time he walked through those doors. Perhaps, because it was particularly sunny today, the white, marbled floors glowed rather brilliantly.
Eon paused as soon as they passed through the front doors, glancing around as though searching for something...But when he caught sight of the questioning look Max shot his way, he shrugged.
“I was expecting you-know-who to pop up and start causing trouble again.” He explained. “Maybe that oh so scary outburst of yours from the other day scared him off??”
“I hope you’re not referring to me.”
Before Max could frown at Eon’s comment, as though summoned, Asato began making his way down one of the staircases leading to the second floor.
“...Speak of the devil…” Eon muttered underneath his breath, wanting to avoid any confrontation. “Of course not, of course not~” He hummed, waving his hand dismissively. “I know, I know. Demon’s are the scum of the earth, right? I totally agree with you, it’s fine, yeah? We’re just gonna hustle ourselves right upstairs like the good lapdogs that we are, okay?”
“Hey, I’m not-” Max began, refusing to accept that label, but Eon hurried him right along.
“Yes, yes. Let’s be a good boy now, alright?” He smiled innocently with a toothy grin. “The Chief’s waiting, after all.”
“Hmph.” Asato scoffed as the two passed him by in a rush.
...And it was just then, that Max caught a whiff of it.
The faintest of scents. Something was off. He picked up on it just as they passed Asato, but it flashed by far too quickly for him to wrap his mind around what that strange scent could have been.
“Something wrong?” Eon questioned, puzzled as to what Max was distracted by.
“…” Max’s gaze lingered on Asato, who remained on the first floor, his back turned...But Max was hit with the sensation that he was glancing back at them as well. “...No...It’s nothing.” He shook his head to clear it.
His imagination? Surely, that must have been the case.
They resumed making their way onward, finally reaching Azuma’s office, and stepping inside.
As usual, the room was in a sad, disarrayed state of confusion.
“Ah, there you two are.” He hummed, seemingly pleased despite being practically buried underneath a mountain of paperwork. It was a strangely farcical, and familiar sight to Max. He knew someone who often looked the same. “I can see you two are getting along well.” He crossed his hands together, resting his chin upon them with a cheery grin. “I can’t recall there being a time where Eon looked so chipper.”
Eon narrowed his eyes, displeased.
“I hope you didn’t call us here just so you can poke fun at me.”
“Of course not. It’s just an added bonus.” Azuma grinned cheekily, beckoning them both over, and handing Eon a hefty stack of papers. “Rather than marinating in boredom, I had a rather fun assignment in mind for you...Plus it gives you an opportunity to show him the ropes, yes?”
“...’Fun’? Define fun.” Eon quirked an eyebrow, wary of this supposedly fun assignment. He lowered his gaze to skim over the papers, visibly going stiff partway through. “Port Sahrim? Why there???”
“To run a security check of course. I trust I don’t need to tell you what for??”
“...No.” Eon replied reluctantly, his tanned fingers clutching at the papers.
“I understand your unease on the matter, but so long as you remain under the Society’s care, there really is no need for worry.”
“...I know.” Eon lowered his gaze with a heavy sigh. “...Alright then. I understand.”
“Do take care, yes?”
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