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.
They talked again after that night, trying to express their feelings and thoughts better. But that calmer discussion only managed to define where they stood better, not resolve the fundamental difference in their opinions. So, there was an awkward distance between them for a few days.
Sunny was saddened by that fact… but in a strange way, he was also happy.
To him, it seemed like a good sign.
This was the first fight they had gotten into as a couple — usually, Sunny was too accommodating, and Nephis was too casual about most things. The fact that she was angry this time showed that she cared about him deeply enough to get angry, at least, which was not at all bad. In fact, it was reassuring.
Sunny would have been much more bitter if she had remained unperturbed and indifferent, instead.
As for how he himself felt…
He was tense and anxious. He knew Nephis, and he knew that she would throw herself into the jaws of the Forgotten God without hesitation in pursuit of her goal… of her unquenchable desire.
So, he was afraid to lose her.
That was why the two of them were angry at each other, and that was why they had spent several days apart.
But then, the solstice arrived. And despite how Nephis felt, she suppressed her stubborn nature and made an effort to make the day as pleasant as he could for Sunny.
Their conflict did not magically disappear after that, but the awkwardness dissipated somewhat.
…And yet, even though things once again seemed normal, some distance still remained between them. That gap was narrow and seemingly insignificant, but Sunny had no idea how to breach it.
'Damnation. Why are all my friends single? '
He desperately needed relationship advice, but there were few people he could ask for it — not that fighting ancient gods of Corruption was something many couples encountered as a stumbling block in their relationships.
There was Kim and Luster… but he would be mad to ask for advice from either Luster or the woman who had married Luster.
Which, basically, only left one candidate.
Effie.
'Yeah, no… I'd rather ask Nether for relationship advice.'
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