Chapter Text
Sunday felt like he was losing his mind. He probably was. After he and Robin crafted their plan with the Astral Express, they had some time before enacting it. And he felt like he was barely holding himself together. The Stoneheart caused a massive scene then died, Doctor Ratio had left without a word, Gallagher has proven himself to be a non-issue so that was a waste of his time –not even mentioning his own personal guilt he felt after accusing him–, the IPC was still on his ass, and worst of all, it was getting harder and harder to conceal his true motives.
Nothing was looking good in Sunday’s near future. He wasn’t sure if the Nameless would pose no threat, even if he turned the charm up to eleven. And even then, the amount of sheer dumb luck that Stellaron girl had is a problem in and of itself. All it would take is just her stumbling on the right person at the right time, and somehow she could make everything fall apart.
How…frustrating…
As he tried to clear his mind by strolling through the Golden Hour, he overheard some Bloodhounds talking amongst themselves. And that only made his mood even worse as he caught their whispering of an intruder within the dreamscape. And yet his annoyance turned to curiosity as he listened to the description of this person.
The intruder was a young boy, no older than twelve. He had violet hair, and most strikingly, eyes colored with both cyan and magenta. The same as the Stoneheart’s, of an Avgin. That is what caught Sunday’s attention. By the Stoneheart’s own admission, he believed he was the last Avgin. This didn’t confirm that he was a liar like Sunday expected, but rather, it confirmed a few other things he suspected.
The first being that the Stoneheart and the doctor were much much closer than they led him to believe. Meaning that the doctor betrayed him for whatever plan the two created. The second being that the Stoneheart survived whatever the Nameless and their allies had done to him. He couldn’t figure out the details but it didn’t matter. The final being despite his pessimism, not all hope was lost when it came to dreamscape. After all, he had just found his new bargaining chip. Sunday couldn’t help but laugh to himself as he thought this, realizing he was taking after the man who tricked him. But there really wasn’t any reason to be hung up on that.
Last he heard, the child was meandering around where the Sweet Dreams Troupe were playing. So he wandered over to Aideen Park to see if that was still true. As he strode into the grounds of the park, he heard an unfamiliar tune being played by the Troupe. As well as an unfamiliar voice singing. As he got closer he could pick out what seemed to be the ending of the song.
“♪And together we will drink, and together we will dream! In a world where fantasies are as real as they seem- If you never want to leave we can always make believe that the moon shines forever tonight~♪”
Charming. And quite apt. As Sunday tried to blend into the crowd surrounding the troupe, he indeed caught sight of the boy the Bloodhounds were looking for. He waited for a bit longer as the song came to its close.
“♪Cause when it sets, when it's gone, that means the dream is ending soon. So all we have to do is make a hundred thousand moons! If you never want to leave we can always make believe that the moon shines forever tonight!♪”
The audience cheered, a few applauded, but just as quickly as Sunday was sure they arrived, the crowd dispersed. The violet haired boy began to take his leave as well, and it was only then Sunday made himself known to him.
“Quite a performance for someone so young.”
The boy looked up towards him before awkwardly laughing. He then looked at him for a moment, seeming to realize something, most likely figuring he was someone important.
“Oh, haha. It wasn’t anything, I was just trying to have some fun. Hope I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, not at all. After all, that’s what you’re here for is it not?”
“Yeah, you’ve got a point, I guess.”
Sunday noticed the anxiety building in the boy. Perhaps he wasn’t as good of an actor as he thought, as he was clearly setting this child on edge. To attempt to comfort him, he gave the boy a gentle smile.
“You seem a bit nervous. Is something troubling you?”
The boy hesitated before speaking. Sunday could only guess he was deciding whether or not he was going to tell the truth.
“N-no, nothing’s wrong…”
There was a beat of silence before he spoke again.
“It’s just…I really shouldn’t be here, my parents don’t know where I am and it’s probably giving them a heart attack. I’m…not even sure how long I’ve been gone.”
“Ah. That does make sense. Minors aren’t usually allowed in Golden Hour.”
He pressed a hand to the side of his face, imitating the stance of someone giving something a bit of thought.
“It is not usually my job to help with this sort of thing. But…just because it isn’t my job, doesn’t mean I’m incapable.”
Sunday motioned for the boy to follow him.
“Come with me. I can assist you in returning to your parents. They are most likely in another one of the dreamscapes.”
He hesitated, seeming to study Sunday for a moment. He knew very well the boy was gauging whether or not to trust him. But a different look crossed his face. One of confidence. He probably believed even if Sunday wasn’t to be trusted, he could outwit him. He then agreed and started trailing behind closely. It took everything in Sunday’s power not to laugh. This child really was the son of both his fathers.
And yet still, he is just a child.
But until then, seeing what he would be willing to say now wouldn’t hurt.
“Forgive me, but I never asked for your name.”
“Oh, right! It’s Helia.”