[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Bittersweet Sweetness Part 22
Title: Bittersweet Sweetness Part 22
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,907
Summary: Instead of receiving a brooch that dresses him in an assassin's clothes, Sun receives a trinket that switches his consciousness around with Judgment's. Now, Judgment must find out the mystery behind the Death Knight in Sun's stead. Problem is, imitating Sun's poor swordsmanship is no easy feat, and who knew what Sun was doing with Judgment's body in the meantime? Alternate telling of the end of volume 1 of the novels.
Notes: Another week, another update. Writing Grisia is fun. I want some pie. XD
Previous Part
Part 22 - Sun
After the shop owner told me how much I had to pay, I reached to fish three silvers out of my pocket with my heart in pain -- the strawberry lollipops weren't even for me -- until I remembered I wasn't actually spending my money!
I gleefully tossed the money at the shop owner who hurriedly reached to catch it. Maybe Lesus wouldn't notice that I was spending his money...
Freshly baked blueberry pie in one hand and two strawberry lollipops in my other hand, I turned around to find Lesus. A large smile stretched across my face, my mood infinitely better than before.
Whenever I visited the shop in the past, I would always find myself squished between giggling teenage girls, reluctant boyfriends, young kids who always seemed to like grabbing my cloak with their grimy little hands, doting parents buying sweets for their children, and the occasional adult who liked to indulge in sweets way too much... What? I'm not qualified to make such a statement? I should be happy there are others who like what I like? Shoot, they're the ones who should be honored that they have the same tastes as the Sun Knight!
The point was, I would always find myself stuck among what felt like the entirety of Leaf Bud City, wishing I could peel off those grimy hands from my cloak, cut right through the giggling gaggle of girls, knock aside those bastards who had women when I had none, block off those overly lenient parents, and steal the spot of those whimsical adults who dared to lessen my share of the sweets, image be damned.
However, I could never bring myself to do it in fear that I would be recognized as the Sun Knight. The Sun Knight cutting in line? If my teacher were to get wind of that, I would be thrashed so thoroughly in a battle of swords that you wouldn't be able to tell me apart from pie batter. You'd be asking yourself, "Is that the Sun Knight, or is that mashed strawberry pie? Look at all that red juice..."
All the while, with each stab and parry, my teacher would be loudly trying to teach me how the Sun Knight has the Sun Knight's trademark way of line jumping -- mainly, dazzling the audience so much that they have no choice but to do your bidding, including giving you their spot in line, so that had better be the example I follow -- but there was a huge problem with that proposition.
If you're wondering, "Why not reveal yourself as the Sun Knight? Surely the citizens would relinquish their place in line for the Sun Knight like what your teacher claims they'd do!" then boy, are you off the mark. There was this one time when my hood fell while I was in line. Do you see where the story is going yet? You do, right? Instead of praising me and feeling honored by giving me their spot in line like they should have done, the people instead crowded around me like a swarm of bees who'd just spotted honey! They sang praises and everything, voices full of awe, but with them swarming around me, how in the world was I supposed to reach the counter to buy my blueberry pie?! It took me at least a full hour to get out of that swarm of bees! I might as well have just waited patiently in line.
I hate to admit it, but "dazzling the crowd" at the sweets shop just plain doesn't work. I bet it only works for my teacher because he doesn't just dazzle the crowd, he also intimidates them. He doesn't show it, but people can sense the underlying danger he poses on an instinctual level, which forces them to back off and admire him from a distance without daring to breach his personal space. There's a reason why he's known as the strongest Sun Knight in history.
However, my teacher probably just thinks they keep their distance because they're so in awe of him.
As for me... Those who know me fear my smile, but those who don't... Let's just say they don't know any better. I can usually get crowds to stay outside of my personal space out of awe, but the crowd at the sweets shop? That crowd is really something else, full of sweet-crazed lunatics without any sense for danger. Anyone from my platoon would already be blubbering or apologizing upon seeing my "smile" at being estranged from my rightful blueberry pies, and if we had been next to a cliff, they'd already be jumping off, but the crowd at the sweets shop... Would it kill them to keep their hands off me and let me through?!
Since I haven't been able to dazzle the crowd successfully without wasting time, I always have Lesus buy my blueberry desserts for me. Whenever he sets foot in the shop, the crowd would immediately fall into a hushed silence, and then they would clear a path for him right after, leaving him a completely unobstructed path. The people never dare to even look at him for long, so they'd never crowd around him, wanting to touch his silky locks or pull at his sleeves in hopes that they'd be blessed by the God of Light...
See how hard my life is? I can't even buy blueberry pie without getting molested!
That was why today was a beautiful day. Today, I was finally able to fulfill my wish of cutting in line! That's one item off my bucket list... I was even allowed to glare as much as I wanted to. I didn't have to rein in my frustration, didn't have to hide it with a smile, and didn't have to pretend to be cheerful and forgiving when there was not one ounce of forgiveness inside of me after hearing those rumors.
The man behind me (I bet he's one of those infuriating men who's here to buy some cupcakes to woo his beloved, damn him) had placed a large berth between us. It was a large enough gap to fit at least half a platoon of men in it. I was surprised no one had moved into the open space that was clearly inviting people to cut in line.
I arched an eyebrow. "Your turn," I said plainly and waved him on with the lollipops.
The man gulped visibly. "O-Okay...t-thanks..." he answered, large eyes following the movement of my lollipops. He then started inching past me, almost tripping over himself with his wobbly legs and with how he was skirting around me without looking at where he was going.
Hm? Why is he shaking? Oh well, who cares.
I tossed that thought to the back of my mind and walked over to Lesus with long strides. He had been standing off to the side, quite far from where I was. Isn't he standing a bit too far? It's as if he doesn't want to associate with me! When I reached him, I sighed in contentment, a small smile playing at my lips as I gave a nod toward the counter. "I've always wanted to do that."
After I spoke, I handed the two strawberry lollipops to Lesus. I couldn't eat the pie with those lollipops in my hands. Lesus took the lollipops but didn't even look at them before he tucked them away.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, for he was scrutinizing me way too closely yet again.
"I'm just trying to figure out what you've 'always wanted to do'. Is it cutting in line, scaring people out of their wits, or spending my money?" He paused for a brief moment before shaking his head. "I'm over-thinking this. Clearly you wanted to do all of them."
Immediately, I said, "I'm not paying you back."
"What are you going to do with the pie?" he asked after showing me just how white the whites of my eyes were with an exasperated but still graceful-looking roll of his eyes. He really took to this graceful thing very well.
Phew, sounds like he doesn't want me to pay him back. What a good friend! I answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "What am I going to do with the pie? Eat it, of course."
"I don't like blueberry pie," he answered in a deadpan voice. "Never have."
I gazed at the pie in my hands. It looked so delicious and still felt warm to the touch; I was so very hungry. "I don't believe you."
He shrugged. "It tastes fine, but I wouldn't say I'm particularly fond of the taste. If you don't believe me, you can go ahead and take a bite. That's what you bought it for, right?"
Indeed, that was what I had bought the pie for. To experiment as well as fill my growling stomach. I also wanted Lesus to try it out, so that he could experience why I love blueberry pies so much.
Without further hesitation, I brought a slice up and took a bite.
"Owwwwww!" I exclaimed immediately.
The sweetness made my teeth smart, and the taste wasn't anywhere as divine as I remembered it.
I looked at Lesus who had that infuriating "I told you so" look on his face while I rubbed the side of my cheek.
"Lesus, do you have cavities?" I asked.
"..."
I didn't want to do it, but I gave the rest of the pie to Lesus. Under my insistence, Lesus grudgingly took a slice and nibbled on it. I watched as his face lit up. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.
"This is good," he said, turning the pie over and over in his hands to inspect it.
"I told you so!" I crowed.
He gave me a funny look but kept on eating until the entire slice disappeared. Then, he took another slice and continued to eat, as if he couldn't help himself.
"Strange..." he murmured. "I would have been tired of the taste already if I had been myself. How is it that I can take so many bites of this and still not feel sick?"
Even as he spoke, another slice disappeared. As I watched him, my stomach growled.
Damn, I'm still so hungry! Ugh, Lesus, I'm so envious!
Halfway through the pie, Lesus stopped abruptly and looked down at the pie suspiciously. He then hurriedly handed what was left of the pie back to me as if he had been burned. "I can't believe I ate that much."
"You can still eat more," I said.
He nodded with a small frown. "Yes, that's even more unbelievable. I feel like I can eat the rest without any trouble. You have strange metabolism, Grisia."
"Not any stranger than your tastes..." I muttered, staring down at the pie sadly.
"If you're hungry, you can eat some more of that, you know," Lesus said. "It won't kill you even if you don't like it."
I knew I could eat it. Lesus often ate things he didn't like, never one to be picky with his food. He would even go out of his way to make Ice happy by eating the sweets Ice prepared even when they were not to his tastes. But...
I shook my head and exclaimed strongly, "I don't want to ruin my fondness for blueberry pies!"
-----
to be continued
Next Part
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,907
Summary: Instead of receiving a brooch that dresses him in an assassin's clothes, Sun receives a trinket that switches his consciousness around with Judgment's. Now, Judgment must find out the mystery behind the Death Knight in Sun's stead. Problem is, imitating Sun's poor swordsmanship is no easy feat, and who knew what Sun was doing with Judgment's body in the meantime? Alternate telling of the end of volume 1 of the novels.
Notes: Another week, another update. Writing Grisia is fun. I want some pie. XD
Previous Part
Part 22 - Sun
After the shop owner told me how much I had to pay, I reached to fish three silvers out of my pocket with my heart in pain -- the strawberry lollipops weren't even for me -- until I remembered I wasn't actually spending my money!
I gleefully tossed the money at the shop owner who hurriedly reached to catch it. Maybe Lesus wouldn't notice that I was spending his money...
Freshly baked blueberry pie in one hand and two strawberry lollipops in my other hand, I turned around to find Lesus. A large smile stretched across my face, my mood infinitely better than before.
Whenever I visited the shop in the past, I would always find myself squished between giggling teenage girls, reluctant boyfriends, young kids who always seemed to like grabbing my cloak with their grimy little hands, doting parents buying sweets for their children, and the occasional adult who liked to indulge in sweets way too much... What? I'm not qualified to make such a statement? I should be happy there are others who like what I like? Shoot, they're the ones who should be honored that they have the same tastes as the Sun Knight!
The point was, I would always find myself stuck among what felt like the entirety of Leaf Bud City, wishing I could peel off those grimy hands from my cloak, cut right through the giggling gaggle of girls, knock aside those bastards who had women when I had none, block off those overly lenient parents, and steal the spot of those whimsical adults who dared to lessen my share of the sweets, image be damned.
However, I could never bring myself to do it in fear that I would be recognized as the Sun Knight. The Sun Knight cutting in line? If my teacher were to get wind of that, I would be thrashed so thoroughly in a battle of swords that you wouldn't be able to tell me apart from pie batter. You'd be asking yourself, "Is that the Sun Knight, or is that mashed strawberry pie? Look at all that red juice..."
All the while, with each stab and parry, my teacher would be loudly trying to teach me how the Sun Knight has the Sun Knight's trademark way of line jumping -- mainly, dazzling the audience so much that they have no choice but to do your bidding, including giving you their spot in line, so that had better be the example I follow -- but there was a huge problem with that proposition.
If you're wondering, "Why not reveal yourself as the Sun Knight? Surely the citizens would relinquish their place in line for the Sun Knight like what your teacher claims they'd do!" then boy, are you off the mark. There was this one time when my hood fell while I was in line. Do you see where the story is going yet? You do, right? Instead of praising me and feeling honored by giving me their spot in line like they should have done, the people instead crowded around me like a swarm of bees who'd just spotted honey! They sang praises and everything, voices full of awe, but with them swarming around me, how in the world was I supposed to reach the counter to buy my blueberry pie?! It took me at least a full hour to get out of that swarm of bees! I might as well have just waited patiently in line.
I hate to admit it, but "dazzling the crowd" at the sweets shop just plain doesn't work. I bet it only works for my teacher because he doesn't just dazzle the crowd, he also intimidates them. He doesn't show it, but people can sense the underlying danger he poses on an instinctual level, which forces them to back off and admire him from a distance without daring to breach his personal space. There's a reason why he's known as the strongest Sun Knight in history.
However, my teacher probably just thinks they keep their distance because they're so in awe of him.
As for me... Those who know me fear my smile, but those who don't... Let's just say they don't know any better. I can usually get crowds to stay outside of my personal space out of awe, but the crowd at the sweets shop? That crowd is really something else, full of sweet-crazed lunatics without any sense for danger. Anyone from my platoon would already be blubbering or apologizing upon seeing my "smile" at being estranged from my rightful blueberry pies, and if we had been next to a cliff, they'd already be jumping off, but the crowd at the sweets shop... Would it kill them to keep their hands off me and let me through?!
Since I haven't been able to dazzle the crowd successfully without wasting time, I always have Lesus buy my blueberry desserts for me. Whenever he sets foot in the shop, the crowd would immediately fall into a hushed silence, and then they would clear a path for him right after, leaving him a completely unobstructed path. The people never dare to even look at him for long, so they'd never crowd around him, wanting to touch his silky locks or pull at his sleeves in hopes that they'd be blessed by the God of Light...
See how hard my life is? I can't even buy blueberry pie without getting molested!
That was why today was a beautiful day. Today, I was finally able to fulfill my wish of cutting in line! That's one item off my bucket list... I was even allowed to glare as much as I wanted to. I didn't have to rein in my frustration, didn't have to hide it with a smile, and didn't have to pretend to be cheerful and forgiving when there was not one ounce of forgiveness inside of me after hearing those rumors.
The man behind me (I bet he's one of those infuriating men who's here to buy some cupcakes to woo his beloved, damn him) had placed a large berth between us. It was a large enough gap to fit at least half a platoon of men in it. I was surprised no one had moved into the open space that was clearly inviting people to cut in line.
I arched an eyebrow. "Your turn," I said plainly and waved him on with the lollipops.
The man gulped visibly. "O-Okay...t-thanks..." he answered, large eyes following the movement of my lollipops. He then started inching past me, almost tripping over himself with his wobbly legs and with how he was skirting around me without looking at where he was going.
Hm? Why is he shaking? Oh well, who cares.
I tossed that thought to the back of my mind and walked over to Lesus with long strides. He had been standing off to the side, quite far from where I was. Isn't he standing a bit too far? It's as if he doesn't want to associate with me! When I reached him, I sighed in contentment, a small smile playing at my lips as I gave a nod toward the counter. "I've always wanted to do that."
After I spoke, I handed the two strawberry lollipops to Lesus. I couldn't eat the pie with those lollipops in my hands. Lesus took the lollipops but didn't even look at them before he tucked them away.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, for he was scrutinizing me way too closely yet again.
"I'm just trying to figure out what you've 'always wanted to do'. Is it cutting in line, scaring people out of their wits, or spending my money?" He paused for a brief moment before shaking his head. "I'm over-thinking this. Clearly you wanted to do all of them."
Immediately, I said, "I'm not paying you back."
"What are you going to do with the pie?" he asked after showing me just how white the whites of my eyes were with an exasperated but still graceful-looking roll of his eyes. He really took to this graceful thing very well.
Phew, sounds like he doesn't want me to pay him back. What a good friend! I answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "What am I going to do with the pie? Eat it, of course."
"I don't like blueberry pie," he answered in a deadpan voice. "Never have."
I gazed at the pie in my hands. It looked so delicious and still felt warm to the touch; I was so very hungry. "I don't believe you."
He shrugged. "It tastes fine, but I wouldn't say I'm particularly fond of the taste. If you don't believe me, you can go ahead and take a bite. That's what you bought it for, right?"
Indeed, that was what I had bought the pie for. To experiment as well as fill my growling stomach. I also wanted Lesus to try it out, so that he could experience why I love blueberry pies so much.
Without further hesitation, I brought a slice up and took a bite.
"Owwwwww!" I exclaimed immediately.
The sweetness made my teeth smart, and the taste wasn't anywhere as divine as I remembered it.
I looked at Lesus who had that infuriating "I told you so" look on his face while I rubbed the side of my cheek.
"Lesus, do you have cavities?" I asked.
"..."
I didn't want to do it, but I gave the rest of the pie to Lesus. Under my insistence, Lesus grudgingly took a slice and nibbled on it. I watched as his face lit up. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.
"This is good," he said, turning the pie over and over in his hands to inspect it.
"I told you so!" I crowed.
He gave me a funny look but kept on eating until the entire slice disappeared. Then, he took another slice and continued to eat, as if he couldn't help himself.
"Strange..." he murmured. "I would have been tired of the taste already if I had been myself. How is it that I can take so many bites of this and still not feel sick?"
Even as he spoke, another slice disappeared. As I watched him, my stomach growled.
Damn, I'm still so hungry! Ugh, Lesus, I'm so envious!
Halfway through the pie, Lesus stopped abruptly and looked down at the pie suspiciously. He then hurriedly handed what was left of the pie back to me as if he had been burned. "I can't believe I ate that much."
"You can still eat more," I said.
He nodded with a small frown. "Yes, that's even more unbelievable. I feel like I can eat the rest without any trouble. You have strange metabolism, Grisia."
"Not any stranger than your tastes..." I muttered, staring down at the pie sadly.
"If you're hungry, you can eat some more of that, you know," Lesus said. "It won't kill you even if you don't like it."
I knew I could eat it. Lesus often ate things he didn't like, never one to be picky with his food. He would even go out of his way to make Ice happy by eating the sweets Ice prepared even when they were not to his tastes. But...
I shook my head and exclaimed strongly, "I don't want to ruin my fondness for blueberry pies!"
-----
to be continued
Next Part