Sylphie's excitement was a force of nature, a whirlwind of questions and exclamations that left Ryn feeling like a leaf caught in a gale. She talked about everything: how boring the summit was, how Seraphyne never laughed, how Kael was usually way more fun but turned into a "lumpy statue" around the Ice Princess, and how Thalor was nice but too polite.
"And the food here is so... cold! Obviously, but I mean, it lacks zing! You know? Zing!" she said, fluttering her wings for emphasis.
Ryn just nodded, interjecting with the occasional "Uh-huh" or "Sure" whenever she paused for breath. It was all he could manage.
Finally, she circled back to him, her head tilted so far it looked like it might topple off her shoulders. "So. The infamous Ice Fox. You know, for someone who causes so much trouble, you're not very talkative. What's under the mask? You gotta have a face under there, right? Is it all scars? Are you hideously deformed? Ooh, are you secretly super handsome? That'd be a great twist!"
Ryn took a half-step back. "No."
"Aw, come on! Just a peek? I promise I won't tell! I'm great at secrets! I once knew a cloud-dragon was hiding in the Spire of Whispers for a whole year and I didn't tell anyone until it left!"
"The answer is no," Ryn said, his voice firmer this time.
He let out a weary sigh, the words slipping out in a low mutter he didn't think she'd hear. "Why do these spoiled brats always want to see my face anyway?"
The effect was instantaneous.
The playful breeze around Sylphie stilled. Her wings gave a sharp, offended rustle. Her grin vanished, replaced by a scowl that was surprisingly formidable.
"Spoiled brats?" she repeated, her voice losing its musical lilt and gaining an edge. "Who are you calling a spoiled brat? And who else has been asking?"
Ryn mentally kicked himself. "No one. Forget I said anything."
"Too late!" she chirped, the storm in her eyes clearing as quickly as it had arrived, replaced by blazing curiosity. "You said 'brats', plural! That means there's another princess! There are only three of us who are the direct heirs to the empires! There's me," she said, pointing a thumb at her own chest. "There's Seraphyne down there," she added, gesturing vaguely towards the throne room below. "So who's the third? You have to tell me now!"
He groaned inwardly. "It's not important."
"Is it Ilyndra?" she gasped, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The elven princess? You've met Ilyndra? And she tried to see your face? Oh, this is the best gossip I've heard in years!"
Ryn said nothing, which was confirmation enough.
Sylphie clapped her hands together, bouncing lightly on her toes, making the rooftop frost crackle. "Oh, wow! She's so… regal and mysterious! And she wanted to see your face? The Ice Fox who crashed a wedding and has an ancient frost spirit inside him? This is like a fairy tale! You have to show me now! I need to see the face that intrigued the Princess of Eldara! Is it because you're just that pretty? Or that ugly? Please, please, please?"
Her requests came in a rapid-fire barrage, each "please" punctuated by a hopeful flutter of her translucent wings. "I'll be your best friend! I'll help you sneak around! I won't even tell Kael, and he's actually kinda fun! Come on! Just one little look?"
But unlike Ilyndra's probing vines and overwhelming presence, Sylphie's assault was one of pure, unrelenting enthusiasm. She didn't try to use magic on him. She didn't command the wind to rip his mask away. She just… asked. Over and over and over again.
And with every shouted "No!" from Ryn, she just got more creatively persistent.
"What if I close my eyes and you just describe it?"
"No."
"What if you just show me,like, your chin?"
"No."
"I could guess!Do you have a nose? You have to have a nose, right? Unless the mask is the nose? Is it a prosthetic nose?"
"For the last time,no!"
It was exhausting. Ilyndra had been a threat, a predator he needed to outsmart or outrun. Sylphie was a sugar-fueled hurricane, and his refusals were just minor obstructions she cheerfully tried to flow around.
Finally, she stopped, planting her hands on her hips. She wasn't angry, just assessing him with a new, calculating look.
"Okay, fine. You win. For now," she said, a sly smile playing on her lips. "But I'm not giving up. A secret this good is worth waiting for. So, Ice Fox. What are you really doing here?"
Ryn let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. For the moment, the mask was safe. But as he looked at the endlessly energetic Wind Princess, he had a feeling his troubles were just beginning.