☀️ Arselia and Akonia

Upon returning, Guion gathers Mysterius's bed, as well as his bowl, scratching post, and toys, scattered throughout Carneol. He doesn't rush to throw them away; instead, he simply puts them away in the storage room – perhaps they'll get a new cat someday. But not now, clearly. He returns to the room, where Beata is lying listlessly, staring at the ceiling. "How are you?" "Terrible, Guion. I'm tired of all this crap. First, the city center, then Criderar, then our pets, and now Eugene... And I'm not even mentioning the destruction caused by the other apostles. These bastards are getting stronger with each passing time... No offense." "No offense," he smiled, sitting down beside her. "But look at it from a different angle. There are almost none of them left. And we're alive and kicking. And now we've taken down the most terrifying and destructive of the apostles, one that seemed impossible to defeat. And we did it." "Did we? The Stone has disappeared. What if it's inside one of us? In you? In me?" Guion needed a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Fortunately, Beata was too upset to notice his momentary confusion. "Right now, we're heroes and saviors of the world. As for what happens next... we'll see. I think our team can handle anything." "I hope so... All that's left is to hope, right?" "That's right. Hope is a great power. It's thanks to it that I'm sitting here talking to you right now." "And I tend to despair... I need to follow your example. You've always been stronger and smarter than me, and you've always encouraged me to become better." "You're not becoming better. You're becoming... yourself. The way you really are. The way you should have been if you had a normal family." "That makes sense... because you're my family," she mumbled, resting her head on his lap. "Likewise," he smiled. A comfortable silence settled in. After a while, Guion broke it. "Maybe we should go for a walk? We can visit Bron, at least offer our condolences for Eugene." "Nah... I don't feel like it right now. And the atmosphere in the city isn't exactly conducive to a walk." "I understand. Then I'll go to the kitchen, grab a bucket of ice cream, and we can mope together. I'll keep you company." "Sounds good."