Chapter 655: Chapter 655: A Little Too Direct [II]
Cynthia looked back at him. "You noticed that I was speaking more with Aubrelle and Mayla too, didn’t you?"
"I have a very observant eye."
"That sounds like something you are too proud of."
"It is a useful trait."
’Some perks of my Primordial bloodline, I suppose,’ Trafalgar thought. ’I will tell her later. When Aubrelle and Mayla are there too. Though I imagine they already know enough, especially if Cynthia went to speak with them first.’
He brushed his thumb once over the back of her hand. "What did you speak with them about?"
Cynthia did not answer immediately. This part seemed to steady her in a different way. She was nervous, yes, but there was conviction under it. "About you, mostly. About what I thought. About what I felt. I wanted to tell them first because it felt like the right thing to do if I wanted to be close to you."
Cynthia kept going, her voice softer but firmer than before. "I did not want to stand beside you while pretending they were not already important. Aubrelle has always been kind to me, and Mayla... Mayla went through enough. I could not act as if my feelings only involved me."
Trafalgar’s hold on her hand tightened by a small degree.
"Thank you," he said.
Cynthia blinked, surprised by the weight in his tone.
"I mean it," Trafalgar continued. "I respect them both. I love them too. I do not want them hurt because of me, and I know speaking to them about this could not have been easy for you. So yes, thank you for doing that first."
Cynthia’s expression softened.
"When we arrive," Trafalgar said, "come with me to see them. I want to tell them what I feel as well. Properly."
For a moment, Cynthia only watched him. The embarrassment had not vanished, but something steadier had joined it. "You are very good to them, Trafalgar."
"I am not as good as you think."
"Maybe not with everyone." She did not say it like an accusation, only like a person who knew enough not to romanticize him completely. "I do not know what you do when no one is watching, or what happens to people who stand against you. But with the people you care about? Yes. You are good. I have seen enough to know that."
Trafalgar looked at her for a while. "You give me more credit than I deserve."
"I decide what I give credit for."
Cynthia’s shoulders eased, and her hand stayed in his. The train rolled on, carrying them away from Aurevane’s towers and back toward the Academy. The conversation had become something else now, quieter but alive, as if a door had opened and neither of them had decided to close it.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Cynthia asked.
"Difficult to forget," Trafalgar said. "I believe you wanted to put an arrow through my head in the bathroom because of a small misunderstanding."
Cynthia laughed softly. "A small misunderstanding, yes. I thought Barth was in danger. If I had needed to shoot you, I would have done it."
"I know. That overprotective side of yours has been there since the beginning."
"It had to be." Cynthia looked toward the window for a moment, but this time the memory did not weigh her down as heavily. "Barth was always the person I worried about first. But he has changed a lot since meeting you."
"He changed because he worked for it," Trafalgar said. "He went through a lot and earned what he has."
"You helped."
"I helped a little."
"You helped more than a little."
"I refuse to accept full responsibility for Barth becoming competent."
Cynthia smiled. "He is more independent now. He still looks at me like I am going to scold him when he does something foolish, but he does not need me hovering over him as much."
"At this rate, he might even get a girlfriend."
Cynthia turned sharply. "You think so?"
Trafalgar looked amused by how quickly she reacted. "Do you not know? He is fairly popular with girls."
"Barth?"
"Yes, Barth."
"My Barth?"
"I assume you do not have another one hidden somewhere."
Cynthia looked genuinely stunned, which made the whole thing better. "He is popular?"
"More than you think. He is shy, and he gets lost in his own head, but that can be charming. In a very Barth way."
Cynthia processed that with the seriousness of a sister receiving news of military betrayal. "I do not know how to feel about that."
"You will survive."
"I might not."
"He could become quite the gallant figure."
Cynthia looked at Trafalgar, and slowly, a different kind of smile appeared. The kind that meant she had found a weapon and intended to use it.
"Just like you?"
Trafalgar paused. "Like me?"
"Mayla first. Aubrelle. Me." Her smile deepened, her earlier embarrassment turning into a little courage. "Probably a few more I have not noticed yet. Am I wrong?"
Trafalgar did not answer.
That was, unfortunately, an answer.
Cynthia leaned closer by a small amount, clearly pleased with herself. "Looks like I hit the mark."
Trafalgar glanced at their joined hands, then back at her. "It seems I have nothing to object to in that information."
Cynthia looked away first, but she did not take her hand back. That was answer enough for both of them, at least for now. The train kept moving, and with Aurevane shrinking behind the glass, their conversation grew easier, softer around the edges.
They spoke about the trip, about how strange the city had been, about the food Cynthia claimed was too expensive and Trafalgar claimed was only expensive because people enjoyed pretending price meant taste.
She told him which parts of the event Barth would have ruined with questions, and Trafalgar admitted that Xavier would probably return from the excursion pretending he had been bored while remembering every detail. Cynthia laughed at that, warmer now, her shoulder brushing his when the train curved. Neither of them moved away.
For once, the journey back felt shorter than it should have.
