~*Truths and Lies*~
"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."
~*X*~
She had no way of knowing, but it was his first snow.
Ion watched, fascinated, as the white speckles came from the cloudy gray sky. Their ruffled appearances morphed and grew in size until they went from bland white lumps to fantastic patterns that seemed highly unlikely to have occurred naturally.
He knew he had predicted it would "snow" in the Score yesterday, but he'd never actually seen it…
The Fon Master was in his office, not even really noticing the paperwork on his desk. His chin was in his hand as he continued to stare out the window, utterly entranced by the frosty precipitation that was falling silently from the heavens.
Unbelievable…The streets of Daath were turning white! How the snow made things glow, as if it reinforced every bit of light that the various torches and candles could give out. The sun wasn't out, and yet it was still relatively bright outside.
This continued to transfix him for the better part of an hour before the door opened without any bit of warning whatsoever, startling him from his reverie.
"Ion," sang Anise as she skipped to stand beside his desk. "If you're ready, I'll—" She glanced down and noticed that the paperwork was still mostly incomplete. She followed his guilty glance out the window, and then grinned in that way only she could do. "Pretty, isn't it?"
Ion nodded, relieved that she wasn't cross with him. He opened his mouth to say he had never seen anything like it before, but it had snowed in Daath on at least one occasion, prior to his being created…she'd undoubtedly find it perplexing, to say the least, if he made such a stupid statement. Thankfully, she went on, saving him from delicately formulating a response.
"I wish it snowed more often around here!" She complained, hands on her hips. Anise rolled her dark eyes. "At least we've got a cold front. That's the only reason we have any snow at all…"
She had lost him again. Ion found it difficult to keep up with his Guardian's words, not surprising considering he had only been made six months ago. A lot of things still escaped his limited knowledge, though he was careful to visit the library often so he could expand his vocabulary to equal—or better!—that of the original Ion's.
"So…you're not done?" Anise tugged at her sleeves, eyeing the paperwork critically. "Mohs isn't going to be pleased."
That was certainly true. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Anise."
He heard her sigh. "You don't need to apologize, looks pretty dull to me anyway. How about we go outside and take a break?"
Ion blinked, confused. "But didn't you say Mohs would be—"
He wasn't certain, but he thought he heard her mutter, "Mohs be damned" with quite an impressive display of vehemence. Louder, she said, "Forget about him! Let's go!" Without waiting for his reply, she tugged him to his feet and took off with him down the hallways of the Cathedral.
It was a pretty undignified sight to see, the honored and respected Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei being dragged around by his diminutive Guardian, but Ion couldn't quite bring himself to care. He smiled despite himself as Anise cleared a path for them both to the door of the Cathedral, and then they were out in the cold with the white flakes swirling around them as if they had been teleported to somewhere within a snow globe.
Anise put her hands out and let the cold white snow settle on her skin. "Isn't it beautiful, Ion?"
It certainly was, though it was absolutely freezing. Still, his discomfort was forgotten as he realized that all of the little flakes had very uniquely shaped bodies. He watched them on his robe for a while before he examined the ones that were showing up quite wonderfully against Anise's dark hair.
"Hehe what's the matter, Ion? You're acting like you've never seen snow before," she quipped lightly, taking his hand and leading him away again, this time to the side of the Cathedral.
Well, he couldn't really tell her that, no matter how much he trusted her.
"It just amazes me every time I see it," was all he replied with, because he had a feeling that would become the truth.
Anise twirled around in the snow once, wearing a toothy grin that matched Tokunaga's. The stuffed cat had been a gift from her parents and somehow the girl had turned it into a weapon. Facing him again, she cocked her head to the side curiously. "Do you think Mohs would notice if we went missing for a little while?"
He blinked. "Missing?"
"Yeah, you know…" Anise was probably about to suggest they disappear into town for a time—she hated sitting in his room playing his bodyguard whilst he did paperwork—but just then another voice shouted her name. The little Fon Master Guardian turned and scowled in disgust. "Oh great, it's Gloomietta. What do you want?"
"My name isn't Gloom—oh, forget it." Arietta was standing not far away from them, clutching her (rather frightening) monster doll close to her chest as always. Her eyes were sad like usual, but when they fastened onto Ion, he couldn't miss how she brightened considerably just by seeing him.
As far as he knew, she had been the bodyguard to the original Ion. He should know her, but…well; she usually didn't get to say much to him before one of the other God-Generals dragged her off. This time would probably be no exception.
She didn't seem so bad to him, but Arietta and Anise hated each other's guts. Arietta thought Anise had usurped her position, and Anise…well, she was antagonistic.
"Good afternoon Arietta," Ion greeted in a calming tone, hoping to stop the fight threatening to brew between the two girls.
She shifted her feet. "Hi, Ion," she said almost shyly.
"Way to ruin our nice day," Anise grumbled in a low tone.
Arietta's ears twitched, animal-like. She clearly heard but chose not to react. "Master Ion—"
Ion instinctively knelt down as Anise yelled, "Duck!" He gasped as a snowball went flying towards the God-General and slapped her in the face.
Arietta spluttered and stepped back, almost dropping her doll. "You jerk!" She hissed and before Ion could stop her, she lobbed a snowball back at Anise. Soon a full-fledged war was going, and the Fon Master hastily got out of the way as the two girls shouted insults at each other back and forth.
How had this happened? This wouldn't be the first time that the two girls had gone at it…
Ion soon found himself too amused by their antics to be confused for much longer. He eventually broke into laughter as the girls' appearances crumbled to nothing but a mess of white with splashes of color, thanks to their respective outfits.
The sound made them both pause. The two exchanged startled glances with each other before Anise grouched, "What's so funny?"
He kept laughing though, there in the snow, doubling over from their expressions—one indignant, the other mildly embarrassed.
"Arietta! What are you doing out here?" The female God-General flinched as Legretta marched toward her. "We still have training to do, you know." Her tone was scathing.
"Don't be mad with her, please," Ion said quickly, straightening. He tried to maintain a bit of dignity. "I kept her out here longer than I should have, I'm sorry."
Legretta studied the Fon Master, and then his Guardian, who was busily trying to knock the frost off of her dark pigtails. "Very well, then." She bowed once, quickly, to Ion before turning and striding off again. Arietta shot Ion a grateful look prior to following her superior a bit reluctantly.
"That got out of control," Anise remarked a little sheepishly.
Ion shook his head. "Perhaps, but it was funny."
"I'm so cold, aren't you?" She hooked Tokunaga back onto her shoulders, having had finished dusting him off.
Gazing up at the cloudy gray sky as the white flakes still came down, the Fon Master shook his head. "I'm fine. Do we need to go back inside?"
"Oh, no, let's stay out here for a bit longer." Anise took his hand again and he followed her to the very back of the church. Arietta and Legretta were nowhere to be seen, nor was anyone else for that matter.
They sat down on a stone bench that had absorbed the cold and was busy stealing whatever warmth it could from their bodies, but Ion didn't care. He was still utterly entranced by the snow. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, and it was completely natural.
Natural, he thought sadly. Unlike me.
"You look depressed. They have pills for that," Anise said cheekily.
He had put his chin in one hand, but now he lifted his eyes to meet hers. "Huh?"
"Are you okay?" Her brows were bunched together, evidence of how deep in thought she was. "For a second, you seemed to be pretty down."
He hadn't meant to make her worry. Oops. "No, I'm fine. Just…thinking."
"What about? You can tell me anything!" Anise grinned at him but he noticed a slight waver to her smile as she said anything.
For a moment, he considered telling her he was just a Replica and this was his first snow. This was his first a lot of things, really, but he couldn't…he couldn't. This way if something happened to him, he could be replaced by another and she'd never have to know. In theory, anyway.
So all he replied with was, "I'll remember that, Anise."
She looked away, maybe sensing his dismissal. "Suit yourself."
"The same stands true with me. Anything you want to tell me?"
"I…"
Ion again saw her hesitate on something, but when their gazes met, she simply shook her head with a quick, sunny smile.
"Ion?"
"Yes, Anise?"
"Can we sit out here a while longer?"
"Of course," responded the perplexed Fon Master, not that he minded. He found himself hoping she'd tell him her secret, but he supposed she could keep hers if he could continue to harbor his own.
~*X*~
They were back in Ion's office, and Anise had stubbornly refused to leave for the night until the paperwork was done.
"It's my fault you have to stay up so late, I'll at least keep you company," the Fon Master Guardian explained impatiently.
So, with the snow still falling in sheets outside and the only light in the room being a glowing lamp, Anise amused herself by flipping through a library book. In reality, she was watching her friend over the edges. He hadn't even raised his head once, so intent was he on finishing the required labor. His green hair was falling straight into his emerald eyes but he didn't seem to mind.
She remembered how close she had come earlier to telling him the truth, that Mohs was making her spy on him, but what would happen to her parents then? He was so nice to her all the time...
I don't deserve his kindness, Anise thought sadly.
Eventually Ion smiled at her and announced he was done, and he thanked her for staying with him. She quickly grinned and said it was nothing.
Ion showed her to the door, but she ended up taking one of his hands and squeezing it tightly.
It was the only way she could think of to apologize.
To answer his inquisitive expression, Anise said flippantly, "Just wanted to say good night."
"Oh. Good night, Anise. See you in the morning." He gave her that smile again that made her heart thunder, but she never knew if it was from guilt or something else.
For your sake, Anise thought miserably as she turned to go. I hope you can see the lies written in my eyes.
(In reality, he saw the truths.)
Author's Note: Written as part of a fic-exchange with the fantastic quip, but I have a feeling I probably didn't meet the requirements...guess I might need to do another. XD Review, if you want. Written with the flu so sorry for any typos in advance.