As the thoughts of Movie Nephis come through the speakers, the real Nephis shrinks into her seat in the theater, mortified by the blasphemy being blasted for everyone to hear.
"Wha—who even came up with this?!"
As her mind screams in indignation, Nephis can feel a pair of eyes burning into the right side of her face. Hesitantly, she looks from the corner of her eye, only to see a big, mocking grin plastered across Effie's face.
"If I don't look at her directly—don't acknowledge her—just keep watching the movie!"
On the screen, Movie Nephis continues to discreetly pass her hand through Sunless's hair while he carries her. As the scene continues, Nephis's eyes slowly start to close from exhaustion, and her thoughts echo from the speakers: "Nice. He smells strangely nice. I like it."
As those final words come through the speakers, Nephis feels her blood sugar level completely hit the floor. The only thing she can think about is wanting a fissure to open up in the ground so she can be swallowed by the earth. Yet, even with this mortification, Nephis takes small comfort in the fact that it is so dark in the theater that nobody can see how deeply flushed her skin is.
"Oh, how well they know you, eh, Nephis?"
The comfort she had felt only two seconds ago is utterly shattered as Effie leans over, points a finger at her, and loudly calls her out while still having food in her mouth.
"Next time you two decide to shoot a romance documentary, let me know. I'll direct! Needs more lifting from the legs, though—Movie Sunless's form is slipping!" Effie smacks her knee as she cackles loud enough that Nephis feels the attention of the entire theater shift directly onto her. Not knowing what to do, and with her face growing increasingly hot, Nephis abruptly stands up and declares that she is going to the restroom.
Effie, still cackling, cleans a tear from her eye and calls out to her as Nephis nears the end of the row. "Hey! Nephis! The whole theater just heard that Sunny smells delicious! Tell me, does he taste like vanilla, or is it more of a 'doomed-soul-infused' musk? Come on, share with the class!"
At this joke, both Cassie and Kai let out sounds of amusement, since they both remember the intimate embrace Sunny and Nephis shared just after the doors of the Crimson Spire had opened—and how, from their perspective, it looked like they shared a kiss.
Finally, Nephis passes right in front of Effie, whose wheelchair is parked at the end of the row. Nephis holds her head at an angle in an effort to hide her flushed face behind the silver curtain of her hair. Effie politely pulls her wheelchair back so that Nephis can pass, all while still laughing at her own joke. Just as Nephis starts taking the first step down the stairs, the huntress's voice calls out to her again.
"Hey, Princess! If you like the smell so much, you know you can just buy him a collar when he wakes up, right? Saves you the trouble of having to look for him if he's always on a leash!"
Again, laughter booms out of Effie as she lets out another of her crude jokes, but this time, something changes. Nephis stops walking down the stairs and looks back slightly, her face still obscured by her hair.
"Thanks for the idea, Effie. A black one should go well with his skin tone."
After saying these words, Nephis continues down the stairs. Curiously, she can't hear Effie's laughter anymore. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Nephis takes a right and goes out of the main exit of the theater room, stepping into the open lobby where multiple doors lead to other screening rooms.
Nephis, now outside, takes a deep breath and lets out a heavy sigh. Though most of the movies started a while ago, there are still people coming and going for various reasons. One couple looks to be late for the movie they want to see, since the girl is pulling a boy, who looks no older than her, into one of the rooms. Another pair of girls walks by calmly—one carrying the popcorn while the other holds a beverage in each hand—looking as if they care more about spending time together than actually reaching whichever room their movie is in.
There are other people as well, mostly workers if Nephis's assumption is right, since they all seem to be wearing the same clothes with those funny-looking hats. After noticing that some people, mostly workers, are looking at her, Nephis gets the feeling she has probably been standing there for a while now, and a rosy pink blush appears on her cheeks.
"They must be thinking that I'm some kind of weirdo who likes to stare at people."
Not wanting to attract any more attention, Nephis starts walking and continues doing so until suddenly, she is forced to stop again.
"I'm lost."
Without a shadow of a doubt, Nephis doesn't know where she is going. To her embarrassment, she has never in her eighteen years set foot in a cinema. Of course, she has seen theaters in movies before, but she has never actually been inside one. None of the cohort knows this, much less Effie, and she hopes it stays that way since Nephis cannot imagine what that woman would come up with.
"Sunny would have understood."
As Nephis mutters the words to herself, she feels an empty void that longs to be filled open within her—one that is only held back by the silky texture of his hair in her pocket, which she is currently caressing with her thumb. It is at times like this that she misses Sunny most. Even though he doesn't have to hide in a manor for fear of assassins, Sunny is equally inexperienced with the outside world. Or rather, he is inexperienced with the comforts that the outside world offers, since he comes from the inner part of the outskirts—the poorest part of the place, even by outskirts standards, if Nephis remembers correctly from the time she spied on him.
"Spied on him?"
That thought gives her pause. Calling it spying feels like she was violating his privacy. "Surely it can't be called spying if we both know about the ability? Because I'm sure he has read his status and seen the description of the Shadow Bond and its abilities... surely, right?"
After a moment of deliberation, Nephis comes to the conclusion that Sunny has probably read and overanalyzed the Shadow Bond and its abilities. "He probably knows even more about the ability than me, discovering flaws and advantages. He probably even has many strategies on how it can be used in combat and such things—he's just that type of person."
Coming to the conclusion that she is just checking on him, Nephis feels as if a weight is lifted from her shoulders. Though there are still some doubts in her mind, she decides to bury them under her undying confidence in how thorough Sunny is.
Giving a nod to herself, Nephis feels various pairs of eyes on her again. Turning, she sees that people walking by are looking at her curiously. Again, she has suddenly stopped moving and spaced out. Only this time, it is more noticeable, since she is standing right in the middle of the corridor, impeding the way and making other people go around her to pass by. Giving a slight, apologetic nod to the people she has inconvenienced, Nephis decides to risk looking like a fool and look for an employee to ask where the restroom is.
It doesn't take long to locate one of the employees, since they have those funny-looking hats on along with their uniforms. She decides to ask a girl with black, curly hair, since she is the nearest employee around. As she reaches her, Nephis notices that the girl is mopping the floor near the self-service beverage bar while humming a tune to herself. Seeing this, Nephis feels kind of bad because she doesn't want to interrupt the girl, who seems to be really concentrated on her task, but after a brief glance, she sees that she is truly the only one around. Deciding to wait, Nephis stands by, waiting for the curly-haired girl to notice her. Currently, her back is toward Nephis, but Nephis is sure she will eventually look back and see her. As she expected, it doesn't take long for the girl to look back and give a short, surprised, high-pitched scream that makes even Nephis jump back a little, startled.
"Was I standing too close?"
The thought comes as the girl puts a hand to support herself on the self-service counter and the other over her chest as she breathes in and out.
"Ca-can I hel-help you with—anything, miss?" the curly-haired girl asks, trying to get her breathing under control and her hammering heart to stop pounding against her chest.
"Okay, perfect. I got her attention. Now, what was next? The eyes! Yes, I need to look her in the eyes! Perfect, eye contact successful! Now, how should I ask the question? I should tell her where I want to go and should make sure that with my tone, she knows it's urgent. Is it me, or is she becoming gradually paler?"
Unbeknownst to Nephis, she has been intensely staring at the shorter girl in silence for a long while now. With each second that passes in the oppressive silence, the more the curly-haired girl fears for her life.
"Okay, here we go."
Clearing her throat, Nephis speaks while keeping eye contact and following her mental directions.
"I require the restroom. Tell me where it is right now."
As Nephis speaks in what she believes is a conversational voice—unaware that she has spoken as if threatening the girl—she feels a tinge of pride that she has been able to make her intentions clear in two simple sentences.
"See? I told you guys I'm getting better!"
As the silence stretches on, Nephis, who had looked up at the ceiling somewhat triumphant, turns her eyes back to the girl. At this point, the employee looks like a blank piece of paper—not that those are used that much anymore, since communicators have voice-to-text features.
"Why is she so pale? Is it that time of the month for her?! Should I recommend she take some iron tablets, or would that be overstepping?"
"That—way."
As Nephis is asking herself if having that kind of conversation would be too intimate to have with a stranger, the curly-haired girl raises a trembling hand and points somewhere to the left. Turning toward that direction, Nephis sees a bright white and green sign featuring a stick figure with a triangle where the torso would normally be.
Turning back toward the curly-haired girl, Nephis still debates if she should mention the iron tablets, but decides against it. After further inspection, the curly-haired girl looks to be at least a few years older than her, so there is a high probability that she has more knowledge about these things than Nephis.
With her destination now in sight, Nephis gives a curt nod to the girl and takes her leave without saying another word. The walk doesn't take long, and as she enters the restroom, she notices that it is empty. Or at least, it is empty from what she can tell; upon inspecting the stalls, Nephis confirms that she is the only one inside at the time.
"This place doesn't look much like the movies."
From what she can remember from films, there should be writing on the walls, or the floor should feel sticky whenever you walk. Looking around, she can't even see the classic, overfilled trash can. It could even be said that the place has a pleasant smell lingering in the air.
"Well, that's kind of disappointing."
It's not like Nephis wants the place to smell bad, but after seeing how it is portrayed on screen, she finds the lack of even a single stick figure on the walls to be somewhat of a betrayal of her expectations. Catching herself before she can get spaced out again, Nephis heads toward the row of sinks, which upon further inspection look to be made of some fancy green rock—yet another thing that doesn't align with the portrayal it often gets in movies.
Letting the water run for a bit until it reaches a somewhat warm temperature, Nephis grabs a small handful and lightly passes it around her face, freshening up a bit and trusting that the waterproof makeup is actually waterproof. Placing her hand on the corner of the sink, she looks at her reflection, turning her head left and right. She blushes a little from the fact that she likes what she sees.
"It is true what they say."
Nephis knows that once someone awakens, they somehow become a better version of themselves—these changes being more noticeable in a person's appearance. She has never had doubts about her appearance, since she has exercised, done gymnastics, and performed combat drills for as long as she could remember. But where before she had seen an attractive young woman, now Nephis somehow feels more mature.
"Would he like how I look now? Or would he not notice the difference? Is there a difference to begin with? Perhaps I'm just overreacting?"
The thought that maybe she is imagining the changes makes her momentarily sad, but it is quickly overtaken by an indescribable need that she always feels when it comes to Sunny. Checking the time on her communicator, Nephis sees that it is about eight and a half, meaning that the movie has only been running for about thirty or so minutes. She doesn't exactly know how long the movie is, but surely she will have enough time to use the bond to see Sunny—or more accurately, his perspective—and come back for the rest.
Deciding not to waste any more time, Nephis goes into one of the stalls—the biggest one, usually reserved for people with disabilities, but she pays no mind to that fact. With a silent click, she closes the door and puts some paper on the toilet, even though it looks perfectly clean.
With her preparations done, Nephis sits down and opens her runes to activate the ability from the Shadow Bond. The familiar, window-like screen appears in front of her, and Nephis can feel her soul essence start to leave her. On the screen, various figures start to appear, all taller than Sunny but of different girths. If Nephis has to guess, they look like trees, though her sharp eyes quickly catch the cold, rigid texture of the trunks—they aren't wood at all, but solid petrified stone.
The scene could be seen as a normal forest with strangely asymmetric trees during the night, if it were not for the sounds. The ability doesn't grant instantaneous sound to the user. If Nephis could describe how it works, she would say that the noise comes gradually, filtering in at first like a low, garbled underwater static that slowly and unnervingly pieces itself together until the second minute mark, where everything can be heard normally.
For this reason, Nephis doesn't hear the voices at first.
"Sunleess, SuuunLess, you let me diiiee!" "Yooouu leet me buuurn!"
"Saint, I can hear dead people."