Obi didn't get much sleep that night. Zen told Obi that if he wanted to. He could leave the castle. Despite having castle leave, Obi didn't go very far. He stayed in the forest area that's just beyond the castle walls. While out and about, Obi ran into one of Sonya's friends, Lileigh.
"Hey Obi. I'm surprised to see you out here by yourself" Lileigh greeted.
"Master gave me castle leave" Obi commented.
"Where's your partner at?" He then asked
"Kilik is doing a solo job so I'm just laying low for now"
"Hey, can I ask you something about Sonya?" Obi asked.
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Lileigh asked in response.
" what was she like as an assassin? Everyone seems to put her on a pedestal. Master doesn't even seem to worry when she's off on dangerous missions. Meanwhile I can't help but wonder if she's okay" Obi went on.
"Oh I see what this is about. I don't blame you for worrying" Lileigh commented. "Let me ask you something. Do you know who Sairen Shu is?" She then asked.
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Sonya?" Obi asked in response.
"I'll explain in a minute just answer the question" She replied.
"I only know of Sairen, she's known for her skills in infiltration and the fact that she among the strongest in her organization" Obi commented.
"Okay what I'm about to tell you is top secret so you can't tell anyone I told you this okay?" Lileigh told him.
"Yeah sure" obi responded.
"Sairen Shu is actually Sonya's alias" Lileigh confessed. Obi's eyes went wide with shock.
"Yeah I had the same reaction when I found out" she commented.
"How did you find out?" He questioned.
"We ran into her on a job after she went off on her own. At the time I didn't know and I fought her pinning her down. I heard stories and wanted to know the person behind the mask. So I when I had her pinned down I removed the mask and was surprised to see it was Sonya the whole time" She explained. "It's funny, I'm the one that trained Sonya, yet she's so much more skilled than I am" she continued.
"Yeah I agree, there are times where she amazes me at how skilled she is. When Shirayuki was kidnapped she had everything calculated down to the second. It was almost a relief having her analytical skills on our side." He stated.
"Then when she took off on her own you panicked. I guess part of you figured that a girl like Sonya could be quite valuable to the Claw. She pretty and smart, a highly skilled assassin and herbalist" She commented.
"You know sometimes I wonder if that incident never happened or if our paths never crossed. Would she still be the same person today?" He questioned.
"You feel guilty don't you?" She questioned in response.
"Kinda, I mean she was just an herbalist when I met her. If I never took her on that job she would have never seen me get injured and feel the need to become an assassin" He told her.
"Obi if you think about it, you actually saved her. Sonya's parents made some shady business deals that put them in debt. When they couldn't afford to pay off their debt her father thought about selling Sonya for labor as a form of payment. That's actually why she was kidnapped. When you rescued her and she traveled with you to those tournaments. Her parents were out of options and they were killed for their failure to make their payment" Lileigh explained.
"Her parents have been dead this whole time? Sonya told me that they went off on some journey to find some rare herb" Obi mentioned. Lileigh shook her head.
"Nope, she made that up so you wouldn't worry about her" She told him.
"Does she not trust me or something? She never tells me the truth unless I beg for it" he questioned.
"It's not that she doesn't trust you. Sonya trusts you with her life there's no doubt about it. She even says the safest she feels is when she's with you. She just doesn't want you to worry about her." She responded.
"Sonya told me that she didn't want me to follow her to Lyrias cause she claimed that she feels that she feels that she lost her confidence and independence. Was that a lie as well?" he continued to question. Lileigh shrugged her shoulders in response.
"The confidence part I believe. Ever since she became Prince Izana's aide, her self-esteem went down the drain. She's so worried about her own image because she believes it reflects on Izana as a Prince. She's become so insecure to the point where she can glance into a mirror and have immediate anxiety." She told him.
"Is that why she always hates getting dressed up? She always complains every time she has to put on a gown. I never understood why cause she always looks beautiful in them." he commented.
"It's funny back then Sonya would love getting dressed up for an infiltration mission." She mentioned. "She would wear these gowns that hugged her curves and high heels that would make her legs stand out. It would attract so much attention from the guys" She continued. Hearing this made Obi feel jealous. Lileigh giggled at his reaction.
"You really do care about her don't you?" She questionably teased. She then place her hand on his shoulder. "Honestly if Sonya were to end up with anyone I hope it's you. You treat her much better than Sakaki ever did." She then commented. Obi then stood up and dusted himself off.
"Thanks Miss Lileigh, I'm glad I ran into you out here" He commented with a smirk.
"No prob. It actually felt nice just sitting and talking. It's rare to get an opportunity like that, especially as an assassin" She noted. "I have to go now. When you see Sonya, say hi for me" She requested before taking off. Obi chuckled at her request and decided to go drink at the bar down in the port. He remembered how he used to take Sonya to the bars in each town they visited. She would complain about it not being for her and how she felt uncomfortable being here. That was until she started working at Wistal Castle. She told Obi that the stress of her job was what caused her to start drinking. Fortunately she never turned into an alcoholic. He sat at the bar and for some reason being there made him feel slightly lonely even though he often goes drinking alone. He figured because the only person he would be returning to was his master. He pulled the note that Sonya had wrote to Zen out of his pocket and looked over it as he drank his liquor.
"Sometimes I don't understand you. You beg me not to follow you to Lyrias and yet you write a letter to Master telling me to visit" he mumbled as he took a sip from his glass. "I can't tell if you're serious or if you're just testing me" he continued. "I know you, If I show up to Lyrias. You'll just get mad at me" he said as he gulped down the last of his liquor.