'Come on…'
Frustrated, Sunny watched in agitation as the phone continued to ring. Blood was pumping through his veins as he waited for an answer.
Once the receiver finally picked up, Sunny cheered in relief.
'Yes!'
"Hello?"
Dan Heng's voice echoed from the other end of the phone. Without hesitating, Sunny asked:
"Dan Heng, listen closely… do you know how to tie a tie?"
After a few seconds, Dan Heng said with a perfectly even voice:
"…This number cannot be reached. Please go to voicemail."
Sunny gawked at the audacity.
"That's not fooling anyone!"
Before he could say anything else, the line was cut off. Staring at his phone in shock, Sunny begrudgingly stowed it away.
He was currently wearing an all-black suit, with not a single hint of any other color. It perfectly fit his body, which caused him to question once more how Bronya had gotten the measurements needed.
In any case, although he didn't like wearing such restrictive clothing, she had gotten his color scheme right. He had a few nightmares about having gray hair and golden eyes, so he was grateful that none of those colors were on his suit.
After the battle on Everwinter Hill, Sunny's hair and eyes had returned to their original color — pitch black. He wasn't too sure how dying led to such a change, but he wouldn't complain.
At a loss due to Dan Heng hanging up the call, he looked around the room for inspiration — Bronya's room, which she had let him use to change. It was rather spartan, with hardly any decorations or activities. Besides a grand bed, some drawers, a few medals and trophies… there wasn't much to say.
Oh, but there was also a sleeping pod next to the bed. Comparing it to the ones on the Express, Sunny found that she used an older model. It made sense, as Belobog was separated from the rest of the cosmos, which naturally stunted technological growth.
Finding nothing that could help him — although, he wasn't sure what he was looking for — Sunny deeply sighed as he walked towards the door. Opening it, he found Bronya waiting patiently at the other side of the hall. Her eyes, which had been staring at the floor, flickered up to him as he stepped out.
"…Your tie is untied."
Sunny nodded.
"Indeed."
Bronya paused for a moment, before asking in an accusing tone:
"You don't know how to tie one, do you?"
Sunny shook his head.
"Nope. I mean, I don't think I really need it, right? Surely this restaurant wouldn't care much if a tie is missing…"
She sighed.
"You're right. They won't."
She took a step forward, reaching out her hands.
"But I will. Stay still."
By the time Sunny blinked, Bronya was already fiddling with his tie, which had previously been slung loosely around his neck. Slightly embarrassed, he turned his head left and right, making sure that nobody was watching.
Considering that he'd be famous soon, he didn't want any unsavory rumors about him not being able to tie a tie to go around.
After the repeated shuffling of cloth, Bronya had finished tying the tie. Taking a few steps back, she placed her hands on her hips as she admired her handiwork.
"Not bad…"
Although he was slightly confused about where Bronya had learned that phrase due to her upbringing — she probably got it from him or Seele — Sunny decided to change the subject.
"So… where is this restaurant?"
Bronya hummed, looping her arm under his once more as she pulled him along with her.
"It's close. We won't need to walk for long."
After a minute of walking through the winding corridors of Qlipoth Fort, the two of them came across a fortified window that led to a circular compartment. Blinking, Sunny watched as Bronya fished out a card from… somewhere. He didn't see any pockets on her dress.
She scanned it on a panel next to the window. Suddenly, the window parted, revealing that it was actually a door!
As she pulled him into the compartment, which seemed to actually be an elevator, Sunny couldn't help but ask:
"Couldn't we have just left through the front door? This seems… a bit extravagant."
With a hint of amusement in her voice, Bronya answered:
"If we leave Qlipoth Fort, we won't be able to get to our destination."
Sunny blanked out for a moment.
'But literally everything is outside Qlipoth Fort…'
He began to have some suspicions as Bronya began to operate the elevator, pushing a specific button that corresponded to a floor. As the doors shut, Sunny waited for it to move up.
However, it did not elevate.
Instead, it dropped.
Due to the transparent doors, Sunny was able to see multiple different floors flash before his eyes. However, as they only showcased different hallways, he had no idea what was on each floor. And he wasn't going to bother with sending out his shadows to pry, so he supposed that they'd stay a mystery.
The elevator began to slow down, stopping at a particular floor. The doors opened, allowing them to exit. There wasn't much of a hall, as there was only a singular door in the area, as if that was the sole purpose of the floor.
Before them was a glass wall with a glass door imbedded. As Sunny and Bronya stepped through the transparent door, the former was immediately able to smell the scent of unfamiliar — yet, seemingly delectable food. There were plenty of customers in formal clothing, each of them seated at finely-carved wooden tables. Although Sunny wasn't sure why there was so many people at a restaurant in Qlipoth Fort — a place that doesn't allow everyone to slip in — he didn't question it as he followed Bronya to the reception.
Behind the counter was a slightly skittish young man in a butler's uniform. As he saw Sunny and Bronya approaching, he immediately stiffened. He spoke in a low tone, as if afraid that someone might hear.
"Oh, uh, Madam Bronya… and esteemed guest. Um, allow me to take you to the table you have previously reserved."
Stepping out from behind the counter, the man stumbled as he awkwardly led them away. Sunny was quite entertained by the bumbling fool.
Until Bronya sent him a discrete glare. It seemed that she must have noticed the minute changes in his expression.
'Damn eyes…'
Restraining his rude thoughts, he allowed himself to be dragged over to… another elevator? In the restaurant? The worker quickly punched in a code, allowing it to open as the three of them walked in.
This time, there was only the difference of a single floor between their starting point and destination. As it opened, Sunny blinked in confusion.
The floor was simply another restaurant — just a little more luxurious than the one above. Sunny found that it was practically empty outside of a couple people in a seperate room — the kitchen, he'd assume.
Out of curiosity and a lack of respect for the privacy of others, Sunny sent his shadow into the supposed kitchen. He internally gawked at what he saw.
The waiters and chefs were playing cards!
'This part of the restaurant must be really boring…'
The young man from the reception desk brought them to a table, pulling out both of their chairs for them. As Sunny and Bronya sat down, he quickly informed them that a waitress will arrive soon, before hastily leaving.
Using his shadow, Sunny watched as the man entered the kitchen, stupefied as he found his coworkers playing cards. He quickly informed them that Bronya was present, which immediately put them into action. A waitress exited the kitchen, approaching the two of them with a polite, but nervous smile.
After around ten minutes of conversing about mundane topics, the food had finally arrived. Once the plates of mouthwatering delicacies were placed on the table, the waitress went to the opposite corner of the room, causing Sunny to lift a brow.
"Why is she standing so far? Shouldn't she stick around in case there are additional orders?"
Bronya shook her head.
"This floor is specifically reserved for high-ranking officials of Qlipoth Fort to discuss things that can't be disclosed to the public. The waitress is giving us room due to the confidentiality of what we're going to talk about."
Seeing Sunny's expression of understanding, Bronya continued:
"The restaurant above is meant for the Silvermane Guards and others that work here. They're allowed to bring in their families to eat at a lower cost than other restaurants of similar quality."
She suddenly chuckled.
"You can think of it as a work benefit."
Sunny tilted his head.
"If that's the case, how come none of them recognized you?"
Stirring her wine, Bronya explained:
"They did recognize me. However, they know that they shouldn't draw any attention if me, my mother, or any of the Architects came down here. Imagine if — in the midst of their personal time with their families — they all stood up and saluted me."
Sunny found the scene to be quite hilarious.
Bronya paused, taking a slow sip of her wine, before beginning to speak of the real reason that the two of them had met.