Chapter 1 Of Separations and Journeys
Trivia #1: The team always have a few extra duties on winter Floors since Evolet was nearly the exact same as Laure during those times. Those duties are mainly cuddle duty and morning call duty, but Bam usually hogs all those duties and the team always sulk about that.
Living up to its reputation as a winter Floor, the scenery of the 31st Floor was a pure white canvas with angelic snowflakes descending lightly like feathers. The remaining Sweet and Sour team members were rejoicing at the cold weather. Specifically they were looking forward to seeing Evolet in winter mode.
After climbing the Tower with the purplette for a few years, they've come to know her little habits and quirks. And they knew exactly how winter Floors affect her. In a way they were being inconsiderate, in another way they were absolute simps for Evolet in winter mode. Such a shame Bam wouldn't be able to witness the adorable scenarios that would be transpiring very soon. Though then again he's seen it plenty of times before.
Noticing how Evolet was shivering beside him, Khun pulled out a cobalt blue cape coat that he often wore and draped it over her shoulder. She was already wearing a rather thick Chesterfield coat, but her cold resistance was miserably low and winter Floors have never been a good match for her. She made sure to thank Khun as she snuggled into the coat, sighing in content with the new source of warmth.
Khun mentally applauded his fashion sense, thinking how the coat suited Evolet more than him. He'll get her to keep the coat one way or another, though no doubt Evolet wouldn't return it to him either way. He's seen far too many stolen sweaters in her wardrobe. The two were standing a few steps away from the five remaining Sweet and Sour members, namely Wangnan, Prince, Miseng, Yihwa, and Arkraptor. Four out of the five were too busy arguing over what they nicknamed "extra duties".
"SOMEONE GET THE CAMERAS READY!!!"
"WE HAVE TO RECORD IT FOR VIOLE—"
"I'M TAKING CUDDLE DUTY—"
"OH HELL NO!!!"
Well, they had unique extra duties whenever they were on a winter Floor. And they were extremely excited, to say the least. Arkraptor sipped his coffee nonchalantly beside the arguing team members, seemingly without a care in the world. Evolet and Khun watched silently with a fond smile and a lazy smirk. Rather than a team they resembled parents who were taking their kids on a holiday.
The purplette exhaled lightly, breath frosty from the cold air surrounding her as the scene reminded her of what just happened earlier. Just a few moments ago, they were bidding goodbyes to the others since it was time to split the teams. It was supposed to go smoothly without a hitch. But as you would expect from the Wave Controller who was an absolute simp for his partner, he had hugged Evolet before she had to go. And refused to let go. At all.
They had to pull him off of her manually and it wasn't the easiest thing to do in the world. He held onto Evolet tenaciously, clinging like a koala as the others tried to pry him off with all their might. He wouldn't budge an inch even with five people pulling at him. And like some kind of miracle— he even lasted for three hours in that position until Evolet coaxed him to let go. Honestly it was just Yunuen stepping in and practically ripping them apart. Khun definitely didn't secretly record it with his Lighthouse.
"When is the Test Administrator going to come?"
Evolet glanced at Khun as he asked that question, noting how he seemed somewhat exasperated. They've been standing around for about 30 minutes or so with a few other teams, waiting for the briefing from the Test Administrator. "I think they should be here soon."
Just on cue to her words, a noirette strode over to them in a hurry. She was dressed in the finest silk kimono, eyes gleaming with the sky's boundless freedom and skin as fair as snow. The Regulars stared wordlessly as she regained her composure, a faint blush decorating some of their cheeks at the sight of a fair beauty.
The Test Administrator regained her composure quickly, straightening up as she spoke with elegance. "First of all, I do apologize for being a little late. The little ones were being fussy."
Khun raised an eyebrow, so did a few others as they were confused as to what the Test Administrator meant. The ravenette smiled mysteriously, snapping her fingers once. It went silent for a moment, before the ground started shaking. They were completely taken aback by the cause of it. A horde of arctic foxes were headed straight for them. Being the animal lover that she is, Evolet alone perked up amongst the teams instead of showing a panicked expression. Her arms were spread out as if she was ready for a giant hug. And she was promptly drowned in a pile of foxes.
The team sweatdropped as they watched the Anima lift up a few foxes just so that her head could be seen. She had a goofy grin on her lips, saying it was so comfortable and warm. Khun and Yihwa were absolutely not recording this at all, but we all know that's a lie. Evolet let out a content sigh, patting the white furries. On the other hand, the rest of the teams were just being stared at by the foxes who simply looked uninterested by the rest of them. Khun wasn't amused as the fox by his feet scoffed at him before strutting over to Evolet. The blatant favoritism was far too clear.
Evolet chuckled as she picked up said fox with ease, its tail wagging excitedly as it let out joyful trills. She gently carried the arctic fox with one hand, her free hand taking the paper it was biting to see it was their team's Floor Test schedule. Without further ado she gave it to Khun, who raised an eyebrow playfully at how she was struggling to move amidst the foxes who were piling on her and around her.
"For now, please look at the schedule of your Floor Test and kindly inform me if you want a change of schedule for your test." The paper from the fox turned out to be their Floor Test schedule, and the other teams also received the same paper with varying dates for their Test.
The noirette nodded in satisfaction when none of the teams had anything to complain about their test schedules. With another snap of her fingers the foxes also retreated, albeit whimpering with reluctance to leave Evolet who's stolen their heart effortlessly. The Anima smiled ruefully at the adorable white canines, waving them goodbye. Her blue-violet orbs accidentally met the Test Administrator's gaze, a small knowing smirk painted on the Ranker's lips.
"And I strongly advise you to take your time to look around carefully. Who knows, maybe you might even encounter a blind child in need of help."
Evolet's eyebrows furrowed at the oddly specific scenario the kimono-wearer spoke, somewhat bothered at how she seemed to be directing it at her with that gaze. Khun didn't fail to take note of the Test Administrator's implications either, deeming it most likely had a relation to their Floor Test they'd undergo in 3 more days. Though realistically speaking they hadn't heard any information about it, whether it's from Evolet's side or Khun's side. And the two of them were highly adept at gathering information.
Yihwa also noticed how the Test Administrator had enunciated her last words, pointing out to Wangnan who was beside her. A feeling of foreboding bloomed between the two as their eyes met, remembering a certain scenario that happened a few times before. As if reading each other's minds, the chaotic pair sweatdropped as they waved away their thoughts comically.
There's no way that would happen again… right?
After the whole fox fiasco, the other teams and the Test Administrator started to leave. On the other hand, Evolet was just staring at the direction where the Test Administrator went while the team was coaxing her to leave since it's cold. She kept her gaze on the path for a few more seconds, blue-violet eyes narrowing at the odd statues of foxes decorating the path the Test Administrator took. Before she finally relented, sighing as she sent a message to a few people that she would soon pay a visit to on this Floor.
She turned back to the team that was practically shivering, chuckling lightly. "How does cream stew sound for dinner?"
The cheers they let out were more than enough confirmation for her. Prince and Miseng walked up to her with sparkling eyes. They grabbed each side of her coat, their next words completely in sync. "With mashed potatoes and biscuits?"
"With mashed potatoes and biscuits, of course. Now the question is, who's gonna go grocery shopping?" And they all sweatdropped as it went silent. Evolet only kept smiling, dishing out a list of groceries that needed to be bought. Khun immediately looked away, tinkering away with his Lighthouse despite having nothing to work on. Wangnan and Arkraptor shot him a halfhearted glare, quickly relenting to buy the groceries since they were cold. But they weren't going down alone.
Khun let out a noise of protest as Wangnan forcibly yanked him away from his Lighthouse, not eager to go out in this cold. Evolet paid it no mind and smiled fondly as she transferred some Points to Arkraptor, making sure to tell them to treat themselves too while they're at it. Wangnan practically grinned as he just dragged both Arkraptor and Khun away excitedly. Sighing affectionately, she shook her head lightly as she dangled the key to their rented house. "Shall we go home now?"
By the time Khun, Wangnan and Arkraptor arrived at their rented house, they knew something was up from the silence of the house. Well Wangnan and Arkraptor were aware of what was happening. The blond practically threw the two bags of groceries he was holding and Arkraptor struggled to catch them in time while Wangnan rushed to the living room. Arkraptor shook his head exasperatedly at that, grabbing the bags of groceries and heading to the kitchen while he told Khun to go to the living room.
Said bluenette raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but headed to the living room either way. He doesn't quite know what he's seeing once he does arrive. The team members huddled around the sofa, shouting in whispers about something that he couldn't quite hear from the distance.
Though once he approached them, the topic of discussion became crystal clear. Evolet was snoozing away happily on the sofa, her Lighthouse left in visible mode and glowing dimly beside her. He could see the locked folders displayed on the screen of the Lighthouse. No doubt Evolet had been working on it until she fell asleep. This wasn't quite the first time it's happened, but he wouldn't say it was something often either. Though judging from the topic of discussion the team was having, Khun deduced he'd be seeing more of this scenario happening during their stay on winter Floors.
She was cocooned in several blankets, curling into herself while purring softly like a cat. A blissful smile graced her expression, seemingly peaceful without a single worry in the world. It was far from the truth, Khun mused to himself. She may have never told it to him directly, but he could see it clearly as day.
He recognized how she seemed relaxed but always looking out for the team at any given moment, constantly ready to jump in to protect the team. He sensed the split seconds of how she always tensed up whenever someone approached, flawlessly relaxing within the same moment as if it never happened. He noticed how she was always on guard as if she was expecting something to happen. Though he couldn't quite pinpoint if she was looking out for betrayals or enemy attacks at this point.
Not that he couldn't understand her feelings as someone from the Khun family with trust issues climbing the Tower. In many ways he had to applaud the team for having such a capable Defender on the lookout. It was a nearly impossible feat to find someone like Evolet and get her on your team, and the fact they did means they are extremely lucky. Honestly, the things he'd do to have her on his team.
While the others were still busy arguing over who'd take on the cuddle duty, Khun leaned down lightly and brushed Evolet's bangs away gently. As he expected, she went completely rigid for a second before the tension seeped away as if it was never there. It seemed like a natural reaction more than anything else and it made him wonder briefly what exactly was the cause of it. There was still much information he was missing about her.
To him she was shrouded in mystery, only small hints revealed and nowhere enough to uncover this puzzle called Evolet. Her connection with FUG, with unknown third parties, her involvement on the Archimedes, her non-existent database. It was as if the one in front of him was not a living human and instead a phantom that lurks in the shadows without an existence. Questions were raging about in his mind, the answers nowhere to be found.
But Khun has never been the one to back down from such a challenge. On the contrary he was itching to figure her out, to know her true identity, potential, powers, and connections. He was terribly curious, akin to the cat who was aware it was about to be killed by it's curiosity but continuing nevertheless. The thrilling satisfaction of being brought to life after obtaining the answers was an interesting prospect to him. She was someone far too tempting and endearing for him to pass up.
She's made him experience feelings that he had no idea existed. Showed him overwhelmingly beautiful sights that he thought never existed. Led him to the possibilities of new paths he would've never imagined to take when he first started climbing. Needless to say, Khun was extremely looking forward to their path in the future.
Evolet frowned when Khun retracted his hand, a small whine escaped her lips and her eyes opened sluggishly. Khun unknowingly cracked a tender smile, an eyebrow raised as he watched Evolet's lidded blue-violet gaze staring at him. She blinked sleepily, unable to register what was going on at the moment.
The next thing knew, his cobalt blue orbs widened as Evolet grabbed his hand and abruptly pulled him down. She quickly snuggled up to him snugly, ignoring the red hue on his cheeks beginning to bloom. She muttered how warm and comfy he was, arms embracing him ever so tenderly and nuzzling to the crook of his neck. Khun was frozen solid, clueless on how he should be reacting to this situation.
The team instantly stopped their argument, eyes wide as saucers when they saw their so-called cuddle duty had been taken away by someone else. And to think this was one of their precious chances since Bam wasn't here so there was supposed to be no one hogging the cuddle duty. They looked at Khun with betrayal in their gaze, to which the bluenette took no notice at all as he focused on the girl hugging him.
He's never been the one for physical affection. He wasn't raised that way, nor did he seek it since it would only trigger the alarms in his mind. It would be suicidal to lower his guard in the Tower. Evolet however, seemed to be the middle line of that. She was cautious against everyone yet lowered her guard immediately to those she considered as allies. Khun could see that much since she was utterly vulnerable in his arms right now.
One of his hands wrapped around her waist reluctantly while the other played with her silky light lavender hair tenderly. The Defender purred contently in her sleep, satisfied with the treatment she was receiving. It almost made Khun want to laugh, considering her high resemblance with cats. Perhaps he would make an exception just for her. It wouldn't be the first time either since he's hugged her several times. For the first time in a while he let himself ease up, melting into her embrace and closing his eyes.
It was a strikingly odd thing, how he was able to relax without a second thought around her. Maybe it was the fact that she was the most excellent Defender he's ever known and could ever ask for. Or perhaps how she spoke that she trusted him with her life. It may even be how both of them were painfully similar yet holding their own contradictory aspects.
Evolet gripped the back of his shirt lightly in her sleep, burying herself deeper to his neck. His breath hitched momentarily as she heard her mumble softly in her sleep, inaudible to everyone else but him. "I'll protect all of you…"
Of course she was still thinking about their safety even in her sleep. Khun sighed fondly at her words, tightening his hold around her waist and bringing her closer. He doesn't quite know of the cause of his feelings towards her but… he had to admit this was the safest he's ever felt. That was more than enough for him right now.