Slowly getting off of Cassie's back with a slight flush from embarrassment, he took a step forward—well, at least he tried to, as he fell immediately when he did. Luckily, Nephis was in front of Cassie, so all she did was step back and catch him in her arms. A smile she couldn't stop had already spread across her face.
"From up here, it seems like you're the princess."
Sunny weakly smiled, his eyes obviously still dazed from whatever had happened.
"Maybe I am... after all, princesses are pretty, and I'm the prettiest one here! Ahah—"
"Ahem."
Before he could finish his laughter, Cassie cleared her throat before walking up to them—a delicate, doll-like smile on her face. But for some reason, something was vastly different.
"Is there anything wrong with your condition? And what exactly did you do? Are there any signs of aftereffects? Are there any parts left that are still nightmarish?"
She spouted out questions without pause, the smile never leaving her face—but it seemed vaguely chilling.
"Yeah, so let's hold off on the horseplay for now and find somewhere to stay and check your condition... ok?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am."
Both he and Nephis spoke at the same time. He was quite surprised seeing Nephis say the same thing—after all, he did it as a joke. Wait, could it be... the haughty, arrogant, prideful, mean, bully-like, dirty—
"I advise you not to finish those thoughts."
Scary.
---
Hanging onto Nephis by her shoulder, he craned his neck up, looking at the ginormous red tree with even redder fruit hanging from it. Because he was knocked out for two days, all the hunger and thirst hit him at once. That's why, despite the danger it may hold, he was almost itching to pick one of those fruits. Still, he could hold off.
"Why don't we go in the tree and eat some to rest?"
Cassie spoke from next to them, causing Sunny's mouth to gape—after all, he would assume out of the three of them she would be the most reasonable, right? She smiled before pointing at her eyes.
"Seer, remember? We'll be fine."
That was convincing enough for him. Reaching up his arm, he grabbed at a fruit only to be met with horror...
He wasn't...
Tall enough.
Nephis grabbed the fruit with ease, bringing it down to him. As he looked up at her face, all he could see was a smug smile. Actually, she had been doing that quite often recently, had she not? Not the smugness part—that's all the time—but rather smiling. Well, good for her, he thought, taking the fruit and taking a bite.
---
They had to have been there for around three days now. In all honesty, this was one of the happiest times of his life. He had peace and nothing but peace. It felt like this tree was solving everything—his past, the trauma he had in the first nightmare, being in the outskirts—all of those things seemed to fade!
That's why he knew something was wrong. Because he promised himself, no matter what, he would never let himself forget those things.
Currently, Cassie suggested they get more fruit and volunteered herself to go and pick some from the top. Nephis offered, but Cassie reminded her of his current condition, and surprisingly, Nephis gave up instantly, staying down in the middle parts of the tree with him.
"I think we should leave by tomorrow. We've had enough rest, right?"
Nephis looked at him before looking down at his body. After the transformation, his body wasn't left completely unscathed. The parts that had transformed were much paler than his already pale skin. Other than that, though, he was fine.
"No, until we're sure nothing is wrong, we'll stay here."
She was so stubborn, but he needed to get them out of there. Based on how he felt and what Nephis said, he was assuming it was affecting their minds. That's why he didn't want to just say it outright, just in case.
"Fine... I'll leave on my own then!"
Sunny made his way to the exit of the tree before having his arm grabbed. Nephis immediately pinned him to the wall inside of the tree, which made it even more cramped.
"Do you think this is some sort of game? You may not remember everything that happened, but I do."
She glared at him, their faces only inches apart. That's when her eyes softened...
Grabbing his face, she locked eyes with him. A blush spread across him, preparing for something. As their faces drew closer, it happened.
She headbutted him straight into the tree's wall.
---
Cassie made her way down the branches, though she had no fruits in her hand. Though she couldn't see it, Sunny was glaring at Nephis on the other side of the inside of the tree. A calm smile spread across her face as her usual tone came out.
"So, are you ready to leave?"
Nephis shot up, shocked. She must have thought she would have been on her side. Hah! Serves her right. Wait—why was Cassie saying to leave? Was she not affected also? Then could it be something due to sight rather than the fruit itself, possibly?
Well, it didn't matter.
"Yeah, it's so cramped, and it stinks from Nephis's breath!"
"Is that the best you could come up with? And aren't mutts known to have bad breath? Do not project your insecurities onto me."
"If I'm a mutt, then you're a... a uh... let's just leave!"
With a scoff, Nephis and he made their way for the tree exit, Cassie following behind them. When Cassie came out, she seemed to have the look of a pleasantly surprised person. Something was up with her—in all honesty, he could tell from the time they met up for the first time in the dream realm.
Still, she seemed happy. For now, that was enough.
So, the three of them began to head off.
And then the sounds of rumbling came.