Sunny blinked at his communicator.
Effie:Openthedoor.
He frowned.
That was it?
No context?
He typed back.
Sunny: What?
No response.
A second later, a knock echoed through the apartment.
Sunny exhaled through his nose, already irritated.
He had just finished sparring with Nephis, barely had time to eat, and now Effie was showing up unannounced? He turned toward Nephis, who was still drying her damp silver hair with a towel.
"Neph," he called over his shoulder. "We have company."
She didn't seem particularly concerned. "Do we?"
Another knock - louder this time.
Sunny groaned. "Yeah. And I think they want to break down the door."
Nephis glanced at him, then at the door. Her expression was calm, but there was an unmistakable glint of curiosity in her eyes.
Sunny took a step toward the entrance, but before he reached it, he hesitated.
Then, acting on pure impulse, he turned back to Nephis, who was still watching him, and leaned in.
Before she could react, he kissed her.
It was very brief, just a peck on the lips but enough to catch her attention.
When he pulled away, Nephis blinked at him, towel still half-draped over her shoulders.
"What was that for?" she asked, voice neutral, though her silver eyes studied him intently.
Sunny smirked. "Just felt like it."
Then, before she could question him further, he turned on his heel and walked toward the door, leaving her standing there, slightly stunned.
Another knock.
Sunny rolled his eyes and yanked the door open.
Effie grinned up at him, looking far too pleased with herself. "Sup, doofus!"
Behind her, Cassie stood with a smile, Kai leaned casually against the doorframe, and surpisingly, Jet met his gaze with her usual icy composure.
Sunny crossed his arms. "What do you want?"
Effie didn't even answer. She shoved past him like she owned the place, scanning the room. "Where's Neph?"
Sunny barely managed to keep his balance as she stormed inside. His eye twitched.
"Hello to you too, Effie," he said flatly.
Kai stepped in with a small, amused smile. "Nice place, even though I've seen it. It just looks new everytime."
Has he gone mad?
Cassie followed with her usual graceful poise. "I hope we're not intruding."
"You are," Sunny muttered.
Jet, the last to enter, met his gaze with an unreadable expression. "You're looking lively."
Sunny narrowed his eyes. "And you're still a headache. Kidding."
Jet smirked. "Charming."
Before Sunny could throw back another insult, Effie cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed,
"NEPHIS! COME OUT, WE'RE KIDNAPPING YOU!"
There was a pause.
Then, from the other room, Nephis finally emerged, towel still around her shoulders, silver hair slightly damp.
"…What?"
Is she mad? Sunny thought.
Effie turned to her with a wolfish grin. "We're going outside. There's snow. And we're gonna make a battlefield out of it."
Nephis blinked, her expression unreadable.
Then she turned to Sunny. "Snowball fight?"
Sunny pinched the bridge of his nose. "No."
Effie clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yes."
Cassie smiled faintly. "It sounds fun."
Kai chuckled. "Don't worry, Sunny. We'll go easy on you."
Sunny gave him a flat look. "Tch Whatever.."
Jet crossed her arms. "Get your coat."
"Yeah!" Effie cheered. "Time for war!"
******
Sunny bolted, diving behind a tree as a snowball barely missed him.
Agh! These rats! They're-
They were actually all targeting him.
Sunny had been avoiding imminent death for the past couple of minutes, dodging, running and not even given the chance to defend himself.
Effie was laughing like a maniac, flinging snowballs at inhuman speed, each one packing enough force to make him question if she had secretly Awakened a second Aspect of warfare.
Kai was terrifyingly accurate, as expected but his snowballs whizzed past like arrows, each one brushing too close for comfort. If Sunny's reaction speed wasn't as good as it was now, he might've been in more trouble.
Nephis wasn't throwing as fast, but when she did, her aim was perfect. Every snowball she launched was deliberate and inescapable.
Cassie, despite being blind, was still hitting him. That was what annoyed him the most.
How.. How is she hitting me?!
And Jet… Jet was just standing there, calmly pelting him with snowballs like a sniper who had already calculated every one of his possible escape routes.
Sunny panted, pressing his back against the rough bark of a tree. His breath misted in the cold air, his heart pounding.
This is literal hell. Gods, what do I do? Should I…?
He risked a peek-
- Wham!
A snowball smashed into the side of his head.
Agh!
He staggered forward, barely catching himself before he could faceplant into the snow. For a moment, his mind went blank.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Cassie stood a few feet away, another snowball already in hand, a gentle smile on her face.
Cassie?! How!
Sunny stared at her in sheer disbelief. "You're blind!"
Cassie simply shrugged. "I can still hear you."
Sunny groaned, rubbing the spot where the snow had smacked him.
You'll pay for that-
Then another snowball hit him in the shoulder.
He instinctively shielded himself, hoping the barrage would
stop.
But it didn't.
Becuase another was thrown.
And another.
And another.
"STOP!" he shouted, trying to shield himself with his arms.
Nephis, standing a few paces away, completely unfazed, packed another snowball in her hands.
"No."
Effie cackled from behind cover. "Take him down!"
- THWAP!
Another snowball struck him square in the chest.
Sunny stumbled back, gritting his teeth.
Fine. If they want war, they can get it.
He bent down, scooped up a handful of snow… And vanished.
Nephis straightened slightly, her silver eyes scanning the terrain.
Kai, perched on a tree branch, narrowed his gaze. "He's fast."
Effie snorted. "Yeah, no shit. Where'd he go?"
Jet sighed, flicking some snow off her sleeve. "Did he teleport?"
Cassie, unbothered, simply turned her head slightly. "He's still here."
For a brief moment, nothing moved.
Then-
A shadow streaked across the snow.
Kai's sharp eyes tracked the movement immediately.
"He's at your left-"
But before anyone could react, Sunny was gone again.
Shadows twisted as he dashed between trees, moving like a phantom. His shadows that were mostly applied on him augmented his stats.
He practically flew across the battlefield, his footprints barely leaving an imprint in the snow.
They were fast - but he was faster.
He weaved through the trees, adjusting his path every second, zigzagging unpredictably.
He needed to get higher.
A good vantage point. Somewhere they couldn't reach him.
He spotted a sturdy pine ahead, bent his knees and launched himself upward.
His shadow surged beneath him, giving him an extra boost as he soared toward the high branches.
Almost there..
Come on-
- Thwack!
A snowball slammed into the side of his head midair.
Sunny's eyes widened.
What?!
His trajectory wobbled - he barely managed to grab onto a tree branch before he could crash straight into the snow below.
He turned his head upward.
Kai hovered above, adjusting his flight midair, another snowball already in hand. His auburn hair glowed faintly in the pale winter light, his expression entirely too smug.
Sunny let out a long, long breath.
"Are you serious?"
Kai smirked. "You can run, but you can't hide."
"Oh, shut up," Sunny muttered.
He flung a snowball upward with all his strength. Kai tilted his body, dodging it effortlessly. The snowball whizzed past.
Damn it.
Nephis stood right behind him, watching him with that same calm, unreadable expression, a snowball in her hand.
She had closed the distance without a sound.
For one brief second, Sunny considered his options.
He had none.
Nephis lifted her arm, ready to attack.
He tried to dodge but-
- Thwack!
The snowball hit him directly in the chest.
Sunny stumbled back, coughing from the impact. She didn't even hesitate.
But before he could even process that, another snowball nailed him from the side.
Sunny barely caught himself before he fell, spinning toward his attacker.
Cassie smiled.
Sunny stared.
Effie burst into laughter. "Wow, losing now?"
(ahh the art of rage bait)
Sunny exhaled sharply.
Alright, enough. If they were gonna tease him…
He grinned
Then I won't hold back.