As Siglos left to go talk to Erebus, Sylvia and Cain turned to each other, their eyes meeting in the first time in... what felt like an eternity. In truth, it had only been a few days, but, such a short amount of time, to the two friends... Was like an endless stream of time, forever separating them from each other. Sylvia's emeralds met with Cain's shining golden pearls, neither of them even knowing what to say. Sylvia moved to say something first.
"Cain, I-" As she opened her mouth, straining herself to try and find the right words... She was stopped, cut off by Cain as the incomparably smaller girl spoke.
"We... shouldn't speak so openly. This is personal business, so it should be attended to... in a personal way, Sylvia." Cain said, her gaze upon Sylvia unwavering, her eyes glimmering. Sylvia breathed out, before nodding in agreement with Cain. They were... right in front of a public inn, after all, with several people around them to freely eavesdrop on their conversation. Sylvia then spoke.
"Yeah... Yeah, you're right. Do you... know any spots where we might be able to talk...?" Sylvia asked, holding back the urge to look away from Cain... How? How could the girl's golden gaze remain so unwavering in this situation?
"No... But we don't really need to move, do we?" Cain said, raising her hand. She gestured to the ring Siglos had gifted her, before promptly removing it, removing her ability to speak. Light sounds began to emit from Cain's mouth in irregular intervals, causing Sylvia's eyes to widen as she realized exactly what Cain was insinuating by removing her ring.
"R-Right... our language... How could I forget...?" Sylvia murmured, moving to take her own ring off. Really, how could she forget? She and Cain had developed their unique language together, over the course of several decades. Every word and phrase was product of their years of work and research into the workings of sound and language, melding the two principles together to create a fully-fleshed alphabet made merely on sound patterns. Sylvia was surprised that she'd forgotten about it so... easily.
"Well... I don't expect you to remember. You have been... using Siglos's magic to speak, for a while." Cain said, light sounds continuing to emit from her throat to form sentences Sylvia could understand. Sylvia continued to hold back the overwhelming urge to avoid her gaze from Cain's, overwhelming shame beginning to overcome the large woman's heart.
"Cain, I'm..." Sylvia tried to find the right words, "I'm..."
"You... don't have to say it, Sylvia. You don't. I know why you're here, talking to me like this... Siglos told me everything I need to know." Cain said, letting out a slow breath. Sylvia's eyes widened for only a moment as she spoke, simply crossing her arms.
"Yeah... I know what you and Siglos talked about. I could hear it from here. I could also hear... other things, while you talked." Sylvia said, looking down at Cain. Cain's eyes widened as far as they could, the noble demon heiress flinching backwards as she heard Sylvia's voice. She opened her mouth to speak, trying to find the words, any words she could use to explain herself, but- Sylvia cut her off.
"Don't- Just... don't. I know you didn't mean to hurt him, and I won't hold it against you. I get how you feel, Cain. You're accustomed to Indra. You're accustomed to literal constant, 24/7 battles without even a split-second of time to rest. I'm the same way, Cain. Or well... I... was, the same way, until..." Sylvia stopped midway through her sentence, gently rubbing the bridge of her nose. Cain breathed out.
"...Until you met him, right...?" Cain said, causing Sylvia to look down at Cain once more, no longer trying to avert her gaze.
"...Yeah. Until I met him..." Sylvia said, "Until he... came into my life, came into our lives, Cain..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Sylvia... I'm not upset at him, or you..." Cain said, crossing her arms.
"I know you're upset, Cain! And I- I didn't mean to neglect you so much by focusing on Siglos! I really, really didn't mean to make you feel lonely...!" Sylvia said, passion deep within her tone of words, at least to Cain, who was most likely the only one who could understand what she was actually saying in the area. Cain let out a sigh, gently snarling.
"Who the hell says I'm lonely...? That you're "neglecting" me...? I'm not a ******* child, Sylvia. I'm a grown ******* adult who doesn't need you to ******* pamper me 24/7." Cain said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"You know damn well that is not what I meant to say, Cain..." Sylvia said, "I'm not... saying... that you're a child...!"
"Yes, it damn well is what you're saying! Neglecting me!? Hah! Who says I need you're attention!?" Cain said, clenching her fists as she uncrossed her arms. "Why... in the hell would I need your attention?! You can go off and do whatever you want! **** whoever you want! I don't care what you do, Sylvia!"
"...Cain, don't say that." Sylvia said, clenching her fists. "Don't say you don't care... I know you care..."
"No... No, No I don't, Sylvia. I don't care. Not about what you do, I have more important things to worry about-" Cain was about to finish her sentence, but was interrupted by Sylvia.
"Like WHAT!? This stupid, ******* insane quest to kill your father!?! Cain, Legion is ******* INSANE! He's an old ******* crackhead that lost his mind millennia ago! Why are you still limiting yourself by traditions, Cain!? Let yourself be free, let yourself care!" Sylvia exclaimed, having a hard time keeping her noise down for a moment, nearly beginning to attract attention.. Meanwhile, Cain was frozen in place, trying to muster up anything to say.
"...Don't... insult my father, Sylvia..." Cain got out, her claws beginning to dig into her palms from how hard she was clenching her fists, the gargantuan appendages stabbing into the blackened flesh on her hands.
"Cain... You know what he's put you through since you were just a child. The torture he forced you to endure... The torture that I had to ******* watch you go through for decades, helpless to do anything... Helpless to save you... How many times I had to pray, BEGGING something, anything that you would survive..." Sylvia's body began to tremble, "Cain..."
"Be quiet, Sylvia... Be quiet... Y-You... Y-You..." Cain began trembling in tandem, but, this only lasted for a few moments. She swiftly regained her calm and collected composure, beginning to speak. "You don't know anything, Sylvia..."
"...." Sylvia sighed, beginning to calm down as well. "I've known you for decades, Cain... We've fought thousands of battles together... Slept next to each other, eaten together, been together, for years... I know you, Cain. I know you more than anyone else. You're my best friend on the entire planet, Cain, and nothing will ever, not in a billion years, change that... Cain... I want you to tell me."
Cain looked up toward Sylvia, "Tell you what, Sylvia...?"
"Tell me if you're upset, Cain. Tell me if you feel lonely, if you feel isolated, if you're in pain... Tell me how you're feeling, so I can help you. I'm here to help you, you know that, right? I'm only here in the first place... To help you, Cain." Sylvia muttered, "I want to help you, Cain... I don't want to make you feel... lonely... And I don't want to leave you to experience pain that you don't need to experience..."
"....Sylvia... I..." Cain froze, "I don't... I don't..."
"Cain..." Sylvia cut her off, "Please. I'm sorry... So... please. Let me help you. Let me right my wrong towards you, please, please..."
"....." Cain remained silent, slowly processing Sylvia's words. All she could do was process them, really.
"Cain...?" Sylvia called to her quietly.
"It's..." Cain sighed, placing her hand over her face. "Ironic, really..."
"What... What is?" Sylvia asked, "I... I don't get it..."
"I'm ironic, Sylvia. I'm a big, fat, piece of irony..." Cain muttered, "Here I am... Thinking I'm free... That I'm strong... That I can face my father, that I can be... That I can be better than him... But no, I'm not. I'm still trapped, aren't I...?"
"Cain, I..." Sylvia spoke, leaning down. She gently placed her hand on Cain's shoulder, breathing softly.
"Do you remember that night, Sylvia...?" Cain asked, causing Sylvia to freeze.
"No... No... No No No..." Sylvia said, her body trembling.
"That night when you found me, Sylvia... Under the light of the orange moon... When you found me, Sylvia... Alone..." Cain muttered, "When you hugged me, and carried me away as blood rained from the sky... Do you remember that, Sylvia...? Do you remember how it felt... t-to... to feel trapped..!? In that godforsaken clan... In that country!?"
"Cain... just..." Sylvia moved to speak, but, Cain cut her off.
"...We're not free, Sylvia. Neither of us are. We're both still trapped in that dark, cold cave from when we were kids..." Cain said, breathing out.
"......." Sylvia remained silent.
"And I'm still clinging to you... heh... Like a ******* child. A small, pathetic child that relies on her friend for comfort..." Cain said, "I'm still... clinging to you..."
"......" Sylvia continued to remain silent, until her mouth opened, the girl breathing out. "Y-You..."
"...Sylvia." Cain asked, "Can I... Can I still cling to you...? Can I..."
"...Cain, I... I..." Sylvia tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out.
"Can I still hug you, Sylvia...? Will you let me hug you again...?" Cain asked. Her voice trembled, and her cheeks became deep red. As if the very uttering of such words set her aflame with embarrassment. She thanked the Dark God nobody could understand what they were saying, and that they were quiet enough that nobody... interrupted them.
Sylvia's eyes widened, "O-Of... Of course you can, Cain..." She said, smiling awkwardly.
"...I..." Cain sighed, "I'm... glad. That I can."
"Y-You always could, Cain... You always could... I... I love to hug you, Cain." Sylvia said, "I promise that I won't... leave you alone again. I promise."
"..." Cain breathed out, gently moving forward. Slowly, she pressed her face into Sylvia's stomach, wrapping her arms gently around the woman's large waist. She said nothing, doing nothing, simply... hugging against Sylvia, breathing in and out.
"This... feels nice." Cain thought to herself, "It feels... very... very... nice."
Sylvia smiled, gently patting Cain on her firm, muscular back. "I'll hug you whenever you want, Cain... I promise."
Cain said nothing, her grip around Sylvia tightening. "Y-You... You promise...?"
Sylvia nodded, "I do, Cain... I do."
Cain simply sniffled, her grip around Sylvia tightening once more as she buried herself into her friend's adamantine flesh. She breathed in and out slowly, savoring the feeling of her flesh that she so craved, savoring the everlasting warmth that she so craved as she allowed it to invade every cell in her body, warming her chilled heart. She sniffled once more, as if trying to hold back tears, before speaking.
"O..."
And with that, they continued hugging, ignoring everything else around them, and simply... immersing themselves into each other.
"...Okay."
)
