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loosesodamarble · 1 year

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For That Special Day Part 2

Summary: While Josele seeks help from Solara, Nacht gets assistance on his wedding gift from someone a little closer to home. Collaboration writing piece with Taja (@faewraithsworld).

Genre: general, humor

Word count: ~5300

..........

Night. A time of peace, quiet, and thoughtfulness. The final sentiment was one that sat at the forefront of Nacht's mind, had been for a few days.

Because Nacht had to be thoughtful about this. About the gift he would present Josele when they...

Nacht felt her face warm and his heart race with the thought.

He and Josele had decided to get married. Soon. They didn't want to prolong the engagement for fear that tragedy might strike again if they put it off.

They had already arranged a date and invited their witnesses. All that was left was to prepare wedding gifts. Something in place of a ceremony and guests and rings. A simple exchange of gifts between husband and wife-to-be.

Nacht knew what he wanted for Josele. She still deserved jewels to wear. To symbolize what a treasure she was to him. To signify that she was his and he was hers.

Earrings he had determined. At first he thought it might be ill-suited as the relic that Almatra was connected to was an earring. But then he considered he would be giving Josele a pair, something balanced. And the pair of earrings could make what was once painful into something beautiful. That was something Nacht and Josele were trying to do with their lives all around.

Although Nacht had decided on what to give Josele, he still had yet to find a pair.

Because Nacht couldn't give Josele—his star, his darling, and the love of his life—just any pair of earrings. They didn't have to be perfect. But they had to be suitable, worthy, meaningful.

Josele deserved as such. After all that had been said and done, after all they had been through. Nacht wanted to give Josele something that was more than just jewelry.

But how to do that? Nacht wondered to himself as he paced his room.

If he continued to pace, the floor might’ve been permanently scuffed by the repetitive movement. But he wasn't going to stop soon.

"Perhaps you should get her earrings that match her eyes?" Gimodelo asked as he and the other devils formed at the edge of Nacht's vision.

"But consider that Mastar Nacht's brother did the same with the ring," Plumede remarked with a sigh. "Master needs to do something unique from his brother."

"But then the ring and earrings would match too," Walgner pointed out. "Wouldn't that look nice?"

"Who cares if it matches? Would it convey what Master wants to say to Lady Josele?" Slotos argued back.

"What is it that you want to say with the gift, Master?" Gimodelo asked.

All the devils looked at Nacht and he paused to look at them.

What was it that Nacht wanted to say? There weren't any words but... Emotions to share.

The love Nacht felt for Josele. The fact that they were together at last. A hope for their future together to be bright.

Nacht looked past his devils and out the window. The night sky was made bright by the light of the stars and moon.

Stars. Symbols of hope. And like Josele.

And the moon with it's silver glow. Light in darkness. Like Nacht.

"Silver and stars..." Nacht muttered to himself. The four devils stared at Nacht with wide, eager eyes. "Yes, that would be very suitable."

"And you thought about jewels too," Plumede said. "Maybe white diamonds to match the silver?"

"Or brown to match Lady Josele?"

"You could do blue to match your eyes!"

Nacht closed his eyes in thought. "Blue. But not like my eyes..."

As for where to get the gemstones for the earrings...

There was only one person Nacht could turn to for that.

After avoiding the traps leading to the ladies' rooms at the base, Nacht finally found the room belonging to Acylla.

Acylla Rhine. One of the Black Bulls earliest members, just behind Henry and Josele. As such, Acylla had become a dear friend to Josele. It only made sense for Nacht to go to her at that time.

Nacht knocked on the door to Acylla's room. Then, he waited.

It was only a moment until Acylla pulled the door to her room open and greeted Nacht with a mild, "Evening Nacht. What brings you here?"

"I would like to ask for your assistance on a matter," Nacht answered.

"If it's an impromptu mission, no," Acylla stated, her neutral expression barely changing as she spoke.

"Not to worry. It's not a mission, more like an errand if you want an idea for what it is."

Acylla raised an inquiring brow. "What kind of errand? This late at night at that."

"Doll, just say no and come back to bed!" Zora's voice called from within the bedroom.

Nacht glanced past Acylla, into the room to find Zora lounging on her bed, then met her gaze again. He wasn't going to pry. He didn't need to and, more importantly, he didn't want to know. "I'll be quick so as not to keep you from Zora."

"Oh how generous of you." Acylla's tone was sardonic and she smirked up at Nacht. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, a casualness that Nacht had yet to fully get used to since properly integrating into the squad. "So an errand. It's not too late so depending on what it is, I might be able to manage."

Nacht was torn; he and Josele wanted to keep their marriage under wraps, but he needed to tell Acylla what it was that he wanted... needed... done. He supposed he could just play it off as something completely normal and inconspicuous.

Right?

He hummed. "I need a crystal."

Acylla blinked at his words, cocking her head to the side.

"You need… a crystal?" she questioned slowly, getting a nod. "You needed one bad enough that you decided to come to my room at… whatever time it is, and ask?" Nacht sighed; this may prove to be a more involved process than he thought.

"Come back in the morning. We're busy." Zora called from the room, making Nacht a bit uncomfortable as Acylla flushed ever so slightly; she looked backwards with a huff.

"Shut up you big baby." She turned back, closing the door more to block Zora out of their conversation. "Look, Nacht. If you need me to make you a crystal then you're going to have to be specific. I can't help you if you don't explain what this is about. Do you know what kind you want? What color? Is there a meaning behind it? Are you giving it to Jojo?"

"There's... that much to it?" Nacht asked almost in shock at how much Acylla was already asking him; he furrowed his brows when she smiled, nodding.

"Josele it is. Alright. Let me get a robe; this may take a while."

Nacht waited outside Acylla's room until she emerged wrapped in a fluffy robe and carrying a small notepad in her hands. As the door to the woman's room closed, Zora could be heard indignantly shouting "You're still the worst, vice captain!"

Click.

"Hnnn... He doesn't need to exaggerate so much," Acylla groaned rolling her eyes. She then glanced up at Nacht in the corner of her eye. "So, common area?"

"Would you prefer walking or is going by shadow alright with you?" Nacht offered, raising his grimoire.

There was an extended silence as Acylla looked between Nacht's face and their shadows. Nacht took no offense. He understood her hesitation, that she might not yet fully trust him. Then, Nacht and Acylla's eyes met.

Was it cliche to consider her eyes crystal clear? But there was no denying that there was a brightness and sharpness to them, like a polished, cut gemstone. She quietly examined him.

Finally, Acylla answered. "Since you offered, shadows. Just don't lose me on the way."

"And incur the squad's wrath? Certainly not."

One moment they were submerged in darkness and the next, Nacht and Acylla stood in the comfortable space of the hideout's common area. Acylla didn't hesitate to take a seat on a couch.

"So about that crystal you wanted..." She flipped open the notepad and smiled.

Now that they were actually getting ready to figure out what gem it was that Nacht wanted, he was frozen; he didn't know how to proceed with this. He'd spent so long thinking about him and his star, waiting for the moment that they could truly call themselves each others, and...

He didn't know what to do.

"Nacht!" Acylla's voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked at her; her eyes were full of concern despite her outward cool attitude towards him. "Are you okay? You don't have to stress about this that much you know; no matter what, Jojo's going to love this because it's coming from you."

That comment seemed to ground Nacht as he nodded slowly; she was right. So long as this came from him, Josele would love it.

It was still daunting, though.

"Blue." He said with certainty, meeting Acylla's eyes with confidence; the look that the crystal mage gave him was one of waiting.

"Um... Nacht, there are hundreds of shades of blue, and countless blue crystals. Then there's the fact that different blues mean different things." she urged, and he balked.

"You are joking, Acylla; aren't you?"

"Not at all, actually." Acylla said with a nervous chuckle that had Nacht sighing. He thought about it, and thought about it, but couldn't see the differences in his head.

"Here. I have an idea." Acylla said after a few moments of silence. She placed her notepad down on her thigh, and held her hand towards the table that, for once, was not in splinters nor covered in Vanessa's wine bottles.

Nacht watched as small gems started falling onto the table from Acylla's hand, each one different in size, shape, and even in color; or rather shade. After a few minutes the magic stopped, leaving three rows of blue gems.

"You strike me as a visual learner for this particular subject." She sounded tired, but before he could say anything to her she shook her head. "Look. You and I may not be the best of friends, but you mean the world to Jojo. If this takes us all night, so be it; you wanted my help, and I'm giving it. Take your time, Nacht, and look those over. Find one you like, and we'll narrow things down from there."

It was true. They were not the best of friends; they were barely even friends at all. His reappearance to the squad was one that Acylla did not take towards well, though he couldn't really blame her; he was surprised for a while that she would even talk to him at all. And yet Nacht knew there was no better person to ask for help on this; she knew Josele best aside from himself and Yami, and had one of the biggest hearts on the squad.

She was also one of the only emotionally intelligent Bulls. Everyone else was... well... they're Bulls for a reason.

He looked over the crystals on the table; while it was hard, he could see the faintest of shade changes, and some blues were richer than others. Some were rocky, others smooth, and some downright strange. He picked them up one at a time to better inspect them, until finally he saw one that he liked.

"That one."

Acylla looked at what Nacht was holding, and smiled; "A sapphire. Now we're getting somewhere. You know that to most people they symbolize wisdom and virtue, but… when given to someone you love, particularly as something like an engagement ring, it symbolizes faithfulness and sincerity."

"An engagement ring? Who said anything about an engagement; it's just a gift." Nacht thought he handled that reaction relatively well, but by the look on Acylla's face...

He would never be good at poker. At least with her.

Acylla glanced up at Nacht and tilted her head as she smiled.

"C'mon Nacht, everyone knows you and Jojo are gonna marry eventually."

Nacht pursed his lips and felt his face heat up. Hoping that Acylla wouldn't notice was useless and just trusted she wouldn't comment on it.

"Let's keep the discussion on the crystals," he said as his eyes fell to the sapphire in his hand.

"Right right." Acylla nodded and there was a sigh in her voice. Looks like I'll have to wait on getting an answer to that. She leaned back on the couch and noted the stone and its color range for reference on her notepad. "So what drew you to the stone?"

Nacht was quiet for a moment as he turned the small sapphire between his fingers. "This shade reminds me of Josie. Her grimoire and... when she uses Beacon of Hope, the stars are this same shade of blue."

"Hmm." Acylla tapped the notepad. "Her Star Magic and... You call her 'star' too." Nacht nodded. "Do you perhaps want to lean into that idea of stars? I think I have just the right gem for that."

Nacht smiled. A warm grin that reminded Acylla of Zora whenever he offered to tie a ribbon into her hair. Not that she would tell either men. But it amused her that they were more alike than they would want.

"Yes. If it's possible."

"Well, what you have there is a regular sapphire," Acylla started. She sat up more straight. "But there's a gem called a star sapphire, very similar in color and appearance though not exact. And the symbolism of the stone is that of destiny, faith, and hope."

Nacht's eyes went wide.

"I take it you like the idea?"

"Very much."

Acylla concentrated and created a star sapphire. She then handed it to Nacht to examine more closely.

"Just for an example. And with the gemstone picked out, we can move onto the actual cut of the gem." Acylla went to a new page in the notepad and sketched a few shapes. A teardrop cut. A round cut. And others she had learned over the years. Then she showed the sketches to Nacht. "Which one do you like?"

Nacht took the notepad and pencil from Acylla's hand and flipped to a new page.

"I had something more irregular in mind," he stated, letting out a sound between an exhale and a laugh. He started to jot something down.

Acylla raised a brow. "You had a shape in mind but not the gem?" Then she shook her head. "Better than nothing. So what shape?"

Nacht remained silent for a few more seconds, focusing on the paper. Then, he returned the stationary to Acylla. She looked at what Nacht sketched out. It was the shape of a four-pointed star, with the point facing downward being longer than all the others.

It made Acylla raise her eyebrow. Not a typical shape for an engagement ring. Was this really just a random present for Josele? But then why come to Acylla?

"Huh," was all Acylla could manage.

"Is that a good or a bad—?"

Acylla's gaze shot up to Nacht. "Neutral," she interjected, almost without thinking. "I wasn't expecting this shape." She tapped the shape with her pencil. "It really isn't a ring?"

Nacht groaned, "It really isn't."

Acylla tapped the pencil against her lips as she furrowed her brow. What in the Clover Kingdom was this supposed to be? She understood the star shape was a reference to Josele, but that was it! How was she supposed to work with a man who wouldn't even tell her the whole situation? She couldn't help as much as she wanted in these conditions.

But, she would try.

"Okay… can you at least tell me what size you want this shape to be?" She asked, looking at Nacht in hopes of getting a straight answer.

"Um… average size?"

"Aver— Average size?! For the love of god, Nacht, what the hell do you think ‘average size’ is?" Acylla groaned as she flipped to an empty page and started sketching the odd shape over and over again, each time getting larger and larger in size until there had to be about ten options. "Pick a size. If it's not there, pick the two sizes that you think it falls between."

Nacht sighed a little.

He knew that by not telling her off the bat what it was, it was making this more difficult, but… He just didn't want to make a big deal on something that was for him and Josele. She would see it when they finished.

He glanced over the sketches, and tapped on "Size 4" as the woman had labeled them.

"This one should be perfect; may I see it?"

Acylla nodded and produced a star sapphire of the requested size and shape; it took her a little longer, likely due to the odd shape, but when it was finished she handed it to him.

"Here you are. What do you think?"

Nacht held up the crystal star between two fingers and raised it up. He held it in the direction of a window, letting the moonlight stream in and shine through the gem. Each aspect of the gem came together nicely to make something just right for Josele. And with the touch of Acylla making it, it was even better.

"Josele is sure to love it," Nacht said in answer to Acylla's question. "Now all I need is a second one to match."

Acylla's eye twitched.

"S-second?" Acylla muttered, her hands slowly curling up into fists. But she took a deep breath before she replied. "Seriously Nacht. Earlier you said you needed 'a crystal,' as in singular and now you're telling me you want two?" She screwed her eyes shut and groaned. "You keeping secrets really is making it more difficult..."

"Apologies," Nacht muttered. "If you would like to know, the jewels are meant for earrings."

Acylla's eyes shot open. "Earrings?" She sucked in a breath. "I know it's been a while since Almatra but..."

Nacht sighed and nodded. "I've thought of it. And I'd like to replace that dark past with something more... hopeful."

"Uh-huh... Alright then. Time for number two." Acylla raised her hands, closed her eyes in concentration, and started to call upon her mana. Earrings are an interesting choice. She felt her mana condensing into a solid form. But I guess the sentiment is in the right place. Jojo's been touching her ears too so she might actually want earrings.

"...lla?"

But why come to me? Nacht could've easily gone to a jeweler for this. Is he really so lazy to not go out? Or... Acylla felt herself frown. No, he's not so low of a person as to take advantage of his position as vice captain.

"Acyl...?"

And what is this even for? Nacht can be thoughtful but to want something so precise for a "random" gift? There has to be some occasion for it.

"Acylla!"

She felt a yank on her hands. There was a small clattering. Looking down, Acylla saw a fractured and foggy blue crystal on the table.

"Ah." She had gotten more distracted than she should've.

"I'm uh… I'm sorry about that." Acylla flexed her fingers as she leaned back into the couch, watching as small flecks of crystal fell from them; that distraction triggered latent problems with her curse that she hadn't touched on yet. Nothing dangerous, of course, but still something that could prove problematic.

"What was that, exactly?" Nacht questioned, shocking Acylla somewhat; now he wants to act nice?

"A side effect of my curse that came about due to a cluttered mind; nothing dangerous, just annoying." She answered as she rubbed her face with her hands. "Much like this is turning out to be."

Nacht assumed she had meant to be quieter with her muttering, though he couldn't blame her.

"I have made this go on for longer than I intended. Did you want to stop for now? Until your mind is less cluttered?" Nacht pressed, and Acylla sighed.

I suppose he has to have some care for others for Jojo to see something in him.

"What I want is a straight answer, Nacht. If all you wanted was a pair of earrings then why wouldn't you just go to a jeweler? Am I just a means to an end here? Did you think that as the Vice Captain you could request my services whenever for however long?" Well it wasn't what Acylla was going to say, but it was coming out now. "It's a matter of mutual respect and understanding; you being shady, pardon the pun, breeds none of that here."

Nacht sighed after Acylla finished her outburst which was remarkably quiet despite the fury and annoyance behind the words, and shifted under her now steely gaze. Taking that as his answer, Acylla scoffed.

"Fine. Don't tell me why I just spent a chunk of the night with you when I could have at least been with someone that gives a damn." She clenched her fist. "You know, it really isn't that hard to talk to people, Nacht. It's not like you're going to spontaneously combust if you ask someone for help in a truthful manner. You've been here long enough that I would have hoped you'd dropped this holier than thou attitude you have, but clearly I was wrong." With a glare she smacked her closed fist against the table, and when she opened her hand the second gem came out in perfect condition. "I'll admit. A part of me came out because I was hoping we could begin a better friendship, even if it was just for Jojo's sake, but now that feels like a foolish fantasy. Enjoy your earrings." She turned and started to walk away.

Nacht shot up from his seat and called, "Acylla wait!"

The woman stopped and looked at Nacht over her shoulder. She said nothing, only raised her brow.

Nacht opened his mouth then closed it again. He couldn't say. Or maybe he didn't want to. Regardless, the truth wasn't coming out. In the end, Nacht only averted his gaze and muttered,

"I apologize for the trouble."

Acylla sighed. "You should. Thank you for that at least." She continued on her way. As was her right.

"Goodnight, Miss Acylla," Nacht said to her retreating form. What he got back was a lazy wave of the hand.

When Nacht could no longer see Acylla's form or hear her footsteps, he sat back down. His eyes found the jewels.

They were absolutely flawless. Naturally, they were for Josele's sake so Acylla would put in such effort.

Nacht hunched over and buried his face in his hands. He had made the process difficult. He was the one keeping the truth of the gift a secret. It wasn't that the others would oppose which kept Josele and Nacht from coming out with the news outright. Everyone would know, it just wouldn't be right away. But because Nacht felt he couldn't tell anyone...

And that was the crux of it.

Nacht so often felt like he couldn't say what he wanted or needed to say. It was the case with Morgen, Josele, and Yami. Each and every time, the words he left unsaid hurt someone.

And though the situation wasn't as dire, Nacht had done the same with Acylla.

He had been foolish to think he could involve Acylla while still keeping her in the dark. His thoughts wandered to Acylla's words.

"Mutual respect and understanding." "Begin a better friendship."

She really had been more than generous with him. Perhaps... he should do the same, albeit belatedly...

.....

BAM!

With the bedroom door securely closed, Acylla massaged her temples and groaned.

"I swear... That man..."

"I take it the 'errand' didn't go well," Zora said with a know-it-all tone. Acylla looked over to Zora and found him lounging on the bed, book in hand. "Here's an idea, you and him fight to be vice captain, I'm sure everyone would love to see you beat him into the dirt."

"I think I'll pass on that," Acylla mumbled, shuffling over. She crawled on top of the bed and curled into Zora's side. He was warm. She was tired. The perfect combination.

"Tired, Doll?" Zora's voice was soft as he combed a hand though Acylla's hair.

"And confused," Acylla answered as she closed her eyes. "That damn vice captain really doesn't know what he's doing half the time."

"Keh hee hee. Say that again."

Acylla shook her head. "Later. When I'm rested."

"Aight then."

Sleep didn’t come easily the rest of the night. Even with Zora holding her close and the bed being so comfortable, Acylla’s mind continued to question the situation with Nacht.

She was trying to be friendly, or at least understanding. But Nacht kept his distance. It started to discourage her.

Is my effort wasted? Acylla asked herself in her last moments of consciousness.

…..

When it was morning, Acylla rose early as breakfast duty was hers that day. With her hair tied up and ingredients spread across the counter, she was ready to cook a hearty wake up call for the squad.

It was while she was beating the eggs that she got interrupted.

“Good morning, Miss Acylla.”

She stopped stirring to turn and stare at Nacht. She tried not to glare but she could feel her eyes narrowing a bit.

“Good morning to you too, Nacht,” Acylla replied coolly before returning her attention to the eggs. “This sure is a surprise. I didn’t know you could manifest in daylight.”

Nacht smiled self-deprecatingly and snickered.

“That’s actually a good one. I can see why Josele likes your humor.”

“Ugh. Don’t try to butter me up. It’s not going to work.”

“I know. I just… thought to…” Nacht paused. Acylla glanced at him. His smile had faded and his brows were pinched together. “To return the sentiment you’ve been trying to show me.”

It was Acylla’s turn to pause. She looked at Nacht curiously.

This kind of turn around feels too good to be true. “What’s the catch?” she asked defensively.

Nacht shook his head.

“No catch. That would be unfair to you.”

“O… kay…” Acylla looked at the eggs and decided they were ready for the pan. What am I even supposed to say about this, anyway? “I wish you’d decided to be friendly earlier on...” She poured the eggs into the pan, making them sizzle.

“I understand that,” Nacht sighed. “I don’t even have a reason to be so—”

“Aggravating? Shady? Isolated?”

Nacht shot Acylla a flat stare and she smirked, knowing he couldn’t argue with the assessment.

“Difficult,” Nacht said.

“Yeah, that too.”

Acylla fell silent as she made sure none of the egg stuck to the sides of the pan so as not to bring about Charmy's wrath, hyper aware of Nacht standing not too far behind her; she was certainly curious about what Nacht wanted to talk about, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he'd piqued her interest.

"First, I owe you an apology; more than one, likely, but this is an apology for making you feel as though I thought I was better than you. I'm not. B—"

"Gee thanks. It's so much—"

"Acylla, if you'd please I would like to finish." Nacht said, interrupting the woman; they both fell silent, the only sound heard was the sizzling in the pan. The moment seemed to last an eternity.

"I'm sorry. Please go on." Acylla said quietly, not looking behind her.

"Thank you. I apologize for ever coming across as someone who believes themselves better than others; with everything that I've done in the past to the people that were trying to be friends to me, I know I am not better than anyone. But in this situation, I just wanted one thing to myself; since joining the squad I've felt out of place, and that everything I once had to myself is now shared. I wanted to be selfish for this moment, but I see that was not the best way to approach such a meaningful topic to the two of us. So here I am to tell you why I wanted those earrings. Josele and I are getting married."

For a second, the sizzling was the only sound that filled the kitchen again; that was until the spatula clattered to the counter as Acylla dropped it, turning around with a mix of joy, suprirse, and relief on her face.

"You're wh—!"

"Please, Miss Acylla, they wish to keep it quiet!" Acylla wasn't entirely sure which of Nacht's devils manifested to fly into her face in a panic, but the shock of the moment caused her to step back and cover her mouth with one hand.

The other hand found its way to the hot stove.

"Shit!" She turned and put her hand under the faucet as Nacht stepped forward to try and help. "Nacht, please; just go and get the burn ointment for me. Also... congratulations?" The strained smile on her face, though worrisome to the both of them, broke through the tension in the kitchen enough to cause them both to chuckle as Nacht nodded.

"Very well. I'll be back in a moment."

While keeping her burned hand under the water, Acylla managed to reach the stove and shut off the heat and slide the pan off the burner to save the eggs.

Married! Josele and Nacht are getting married! Acylla hopped on her toes. The pain in her hand seemed to fade with the joyful news echoing in her mind. It's happening! And here I was, worrying that they'd dance around the topic forever! Although it does feel like it's happening quite suddenly. Have they been sneaking around doing preparations without anyone noticing? Or is it a recent decision? Either way... Suddenly, an impish smile crossed Acylla's face. "Heh heh."

"What are you smiling about?"

Acylla jolted at the sound of Nacht's voice but quickly calmed herself. She turned to him and grinned more warmly.

"Um, the announcement you just made, obviously," Acylla giggled. "It's—!"

"A secret." Nacht put a finger in front of his lips, the corners of which were turned up. He stepped up to Acylla and helped her tend to her wound. As he did, he met Acylla's gaze. "Thank you, by the way."

"You're welcome. Those crystals weren't all that—"

"Not just the crystals," Nacht interjected. "But for being Josie's friend and for... giving me a chance."

Acylla smiled back. "I try."

Nacht finished wrapping Acylla's hand. Acylla tested the movement of it then looked to Nacht.

"Think you could help me with breakfast? I'll forgive you for last night's troubles if you do."

The man chuckled. "I certainly can help."

..........

~BONUS SCENE~

The making of breakfast passed by quickly with Nacht's help, and Acylla found it rather enjoyable to have the company and learn more about the once-negligent vice captain—

"Wait, so you've been working with the devils for more than ten years now? That's incredible!"

"Yes. And since meeting them, they've become dear companions of mine." There was an echo of "Aww....we love you too, Master Nacht!" from the shadows.

She learned about the fiance to one of her dearest friends—

"I assure you that we will tell the others with time. But for now I ask for a bit of discretion, please?"

"Of course, Nacht; I understand now."

And she learned of the sort of best friend to one Yami Sukehiro—

"How many embarrassing things do you actually know about Yami?"

"Enough to make him want to kill me if I dared speak them."

"Pfft! Oh no!"

She hadn't stopped smiling since Nacht gave her the news, the pain in her hand not a damper to her joy. However, there was one thing that still needed to be discussed....

When breakfast finished and the youngest Bulls went to take care of all the dishes, Acylla found her way to Zora and sat beside him; she had a mischievous look on her face.

"What's up with you, Doll?" Zora asked with a raised eyebrow. Acylla laughed.

"You remember that bet we had, Z?"