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Something about the walk through the Maktha Wildwood made it incredibly tough on Taion. Maybe it was the humidity, or maybe it was the increased, crushing pressure of making it to Swordmarch on time. To make it worse, according to the map on his Iris, the group barely made any progress through the region, since they just left the Great Cotte Falls and Colony Lambda.
However, Mio had suggested resting for the night, and not even he could refuse that offer. His legs had nearly given up, and it was probable that she noticed it.
Unusually, Taion was the first to set up his bedroll. He regularly would at least wait for most of the group to sleep first, but if Taion didn’t rest now, he likely wouldn’t catch enough sleep for the tiresome trek tomorrow. The chatter from the rest of the group wouldn’t bother him, as at that point, their talking practically became white noise.
Taion checked to make sure the pocketwatch was still in his pants pocket one last time, and then he drifted off to sleep. Or at least tried to.
“Hey.”
He never noticed Eunie putting her bedroll next to his, or her laying down. How long had he been asleep?
“Hey," she repeated.
Taion’s body was facing away from her while he rested, so maybe if he didn’t turn around and also kept his eyes shut, she would leave him to sleep. Taion didn’t necessarily want to ignore her, it just had been a long day, so it would be better if he did.
“I know you’re awake, mate,” Eunie said, her voice barely above a whisper. Taion was a bit miffed at the interruption, sure, but something about her tone made it seem important.
“What is it?” Taion asked as he turned around on his back, his voice just as quiet as hers, albeit a little annoyed.
“I just… had a question,” Eunie said. She glanced around a bit before continuing. “Is that fine?”
“Sure, ask away,” Taion responded. It was a bit weird for Eunie to ask permission for something like this, for as nosy she was.
“How long have you had those-” She made a motion with her hands, quivering them around a bit, calling back to their chat at the Ribbi Flats. “Shaking fits?”
Taion was taken a bit back from the question. The mood of the party had been so casual today, so it was strange for the mood to shift like this. Instinctively, he thought about telling her to mind her own business.
However, Taion thought about it more. “Shaking” wasn’t the right word for it. Sure, there was shaking, but the suffocating nausea that came with it was worse. Most of the time, Taion didn’t even notice the shaking, due to him already drowning in the overwhelming sense of dread.
Thankfully, most of these fits happened at night, so that Mio or Sena wouldn’t have to see him like this. He didn’t want them burdened with his own worries, no matter what they told him.
But this isn’t Mio or Sena, this is just Eunie. The same Eunie who seems content with running off into battle without thinking too much about it. It wouldn’t hurt if she knew, right? It’s not like she would think too much of it.
“For a little while, I suppose,” Taion said, hoping to keep it brief. He couldn’t help leaving a small sigh at the end.
They eventually got better, and less frequent too. However, the thought of losing people he loved, again, still kept him from thinking straight, and led to times where it felt like he couldn’t even breathe. It was likely these tremors would never go away, no matter how hard he tried to move on.
“Did they start when, well, you-know-who died?” Eunie asked, and he wished she hadn’t, even though she was right. The question made him tense, and he tried to quickly dispel the thoughts that ran through his head.
“Ah, I probably shouldn’t have asked,” Eunie said, somehow looking even more uncomfortable than before. She likely read Taion’s expression like a book.
“No, you’re fine,” Taion said. “It’s just that some questions are better left unsaid.”
Eunie stayed abnormally silent for a bit, just looking at him, and it was honestly starting to get eerie until she finally spoke up.
“I get that.”
Her unusual tone was bothering him a bit, but not in an irritating sort of way. He was more curious than anything.
Was something disturbing her? There was a resemblance to a Moebius in her memories, and he wondered if that’s what was troubling her. But that wasn’t his business, even though a part of him wanted to ask ever since they first interlinked.
Some questions are better left unsaid, right?
“We’ve got a long day tomorrow, it’s best you get some rest,” Taion said, and rolled back onto his other side.
“Yeah, I was planning on that.”
The silence after was almost painful. Taion wanted to let the conversation go on longer, but something in his mind held him back from talking about it, as if he was almost afraid. He never really shared or asked about these types of things, not even with Mio or Sena, so why did he want to share it with Eunie?
With the whole shared-memories-situation, it wasn’t like they could hide things from each other. Sparks, Eunie probably saw the whole thing anyway. He would presumably have to vent it out eventually, and maybe she would listen.
Even with these thoughts shackling his mind, Taion attempted to sleep once again.
“Also another thing,” Eunie said out of the blue. “Do you really sleep with your glasses on?”
“... What?” Taion said while glancing back.
“I just think it’s a tad weird, I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
“Is- Is this really important?”
“I’m just curious, mate. Doesn’t it risk the chance th-”
“Good night, Eunie,” Taion said, cutting her off.
“Alright, fine, have it your way,” she said. The small chuckle she put at the end set Taion’s mind at ease, glad that Eunie was back to her usual, flippant self.