Noble watched as a shadow moved almost imperceptibly from the wall of her house and slipped into her outline on the ground.
Nothing had changed physically for Noble, but knowing there was a being in her shadow was still a strange feeling.
'At least he is friendly, I suppose.'
With her guest in tow, Noble left Ravenheart and flew to a remote location, taking care to make sure none of Ki Song's Pilgrims were nearby. She wanted to have a private talk, and the eyes of a Sovereign would not be a welcome addition.
"It's clear. You can come out."
The shadow seemed to hesitate. "I just realized I might have a previous appointment with your daughter. Perhaps we can reschedule…"
"You are just as curious as I am about our last encounter. You wouldn't have followed me otherwise. Will you just come out?" Noble tapped her foot in the air impatiently.
The mysterious Saint didn't have to come with her even after she called for a meeting. He might not have been capable of avoiding her forever if he wanted to stay close to Rain, but he could have managed it for quite some time.
She had clearly wanted to hide her presence as much as he did, so there was little chance of either of them telling on the other.
So then why was he stalling?
Silence stretched between them before a petulant shadow manifested into a breathtakingly handsome young man.
Saint Sunny crossed his arms.
"Yes. Well, I am here already, so we may as well speak."
"My thoughts exactly," Noble was amused by his outward nonchalance.
He was nervous!
"So, Bastion," she began.
Sunny raised one eyebrow at her. "Bastion?"
"Don't play coy with me…" Noble narrowed her gaze.
The young man held up his hands. "I wasn't trying to. What do you want to know about Bastion? I am a wealth of knowledge on the subject, in fact…"
This was the most chatty she had seen Rain's brother had been. That was unusual.
'He's hiding something…'
"I want to know what you were doing in Bastion masquerading as a small business owner and pretending to be a mere Master…" Noble felt herself wince at the word mere.
She was a Saint now, too. Was she so quick to look down on the lower ranks?
"I was not masquerading! I am a legitimate business owner. As for pretending to be a Master, ah, I suppose that part is true."
"How are you achieving that effect?" If Noble hoped to find a second way to hide her presence, she was mistaken.
The young man pointed to her bracelets. "The same way as you. That little enchantment was an excellent foundation for my own version…"
Child of Promise blinked.
'He's an enchanter too?'
Was there nothing this man couldn't do?
"You are hiding as a Master just to serve delicious waffles? But I thought…"
"Tell me, who would allow a Saint to serve them waffles? I want them to appreciate my food, not the one serving it." Sunny nodded.
"I saw a bit of both…" Noble muttered.
The young man frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing…" Noble felt herself getting off track. "Are you telling me that you run a restaurant in Bastion for the pleasure of it?"
"It's a cafe and Brilliant Emporium, and having it has long been a dream of mine, yes. It's a humble ambition, I admit, but we all need something humble to keep us connected to reality, wouldn't you say?" Sunny smiled wistfully.
'He…he's not lying!'
"So you leave Rain to go to Bastion? How often do you leave her? Does she know? Do you let her go on hunts without you? Who is protecting her when you are not around?" Noble felt the man's aura increase to a frightening degree.
"I do not leave Rain!"
The words seemed to burst from his mouth of their own volition. Having said that, he continued in a more controlled tone.
"She is my sister, and I will protect her as I promised. Even if she doesn't always think I'm there, I would not abandon her."
"Then how…" Noble paused as she realized. "You can be in more than one place at the same time?"
Sunny nodded. "Naturally. You didn't think I was only living in my sister's shadow, did you?"
Noble flushed. That is exactly what she had assumed.
"I figured you were hiding out from…certain people. Having two separate existences simultaneously is not something I've ever heard of any Saint doing. That is taking a double life to a whole other level!"
Did that mean he had to pay taxes in both domains? No. If he was that good at evading detection, then a little thing like taxes would be easy to avoid.
Wait, if he could completely hide one version of himself in Rain's shadow and go under the radar of detection as a Master in another…
"How many Sunnys are out there? Just how many lives are you living?" Noble's question sent the man into a coughing fit.
She was nearly certain he would disappear without answering. Yet, he remained.
"I have lived countless lives," he said, gritting his teeth. He paused. "But currently only three."
"Only. Wait, where's the…" Noble felt shadowy fingers cover her mouth.
"Asking too many questions is dangerous, and you've reached your limit. But since it seems you must know, my third incarnation is hanging out in a death zone far from any people. He enjoys the solitude. Quite a daunting fellow, that guy. Not at all like demure and sophisticated Master Sunless…"
Noble furrowed her brow. Why was the Saint talking like he was a separate being from his other incarnations? Didn't he just say they were all him?
'He is sounding schizophrenic. Is he crazy?'
Well, most Saints were to get so far on the path of Ascension, herself included.
'Wait, did he mention living in a death zone. What kind of insanity is that?!'
As if sensing her thought, the shadow fingers clamped down on her lips.
"That's enough about me," Sunny waved his hand lazily. "I am far more interested in the floating woman who graced my cafe with her presence not so long ago."
Noble waved off the shadow hand, causing it to dissipate back to its natural state.
"Floating woman? You mean Aiko?"
"What? No!" The man took a step back.
Noble winked. "She's pretty cute. You two aren't a…"
The handsome Saint clicked his tongue. "She's not my type. Too short."
"What's wrong with short women?" Noble straightened her back. She and Aiko were nearly the same height. For that matter, so was Saint Sunny!
Sunny rubbed the back of his neck. "Nothing is wrong with them! I, uh, just have a preference, that's all! Anyway, Aiko is an excellent businesswoman, but she is married to her money. There's no room in her heart for anything else."
Noble had caught the young woman counting her haul while she was at the establishment and felt her glee. She had no trouble believing Sunny's assertion.
"I hope they are very happy together…"
It was Sunny's turn to tap his foot.
"Now who's playing coy? No more evading. Tell me. Why was a certain formerly blonde Master visiting Bastion without even her mother knowing she would be there?"
Noble hesitated. What should she say?