Aucuses, subdued by Sasrir's elder-brother aura, completely backed off. Roselle, naturally, couldn't keep fighting either. He glanced at Alaric with a sheepish grin. "Boss, you're here quick!"
Roselle hadn't forgotten Alaric's instruction to comfort Aucuses, nor that Aucuses was Alaric's ally. Getting caught mid-brawl was, admittedly, a bit awkward.
"Feeling guilty? Keep fighting, then!" Alaric said with a smile, his tone unreadable.
"Cough, let me explain... I didn't start it," Roselle said, growing more nervous.
"It was me," Aucuses cut in, glaring at Roselle. "But this guy had it coming with that mouth of his."
Roselle stayed silent, shooting Aucuses a provocative smirk.
Aucuses' fists clenched, and if not for Sasrir's presence, he'd likely have unleashed another attack.
"Enough, Roselle, stop goading him," Alaric said, shaking his head. "You're still hung up on him killing you back then? If you want revenge, I won't stop you, but don't come crying to me if you lose. I'm not cleaning up your mess."
Noticing Roselle's antics, he added, "Need a reminder? You're not a full Sequence 0 yet. With Stiano backing you, sure, you're not scared of Aucuses. But are you two glued at the hip?"
Roselle's grin froze, then relaxed. "No worries. Aucuses can't leave the Astral World freely. If he just projects some power, I'm not afraid."
"Hmph," Aucuses sneered. "Hope you don't beg Stiano for help when you're getting thrashed."
"We'll see who's thrashing who!" Roselle shot back, smug. "Besides, I've got Stiano on my side... my skill. You've been allies with him forever, and he still doesn't help you. Maybe reflect on that."
Aucuses' temper flared, his aura practically glowing.
As the two geared up for another round, Alaric shook his head. "Both of you, shut it. The next one to provoke gets my special treatment package. I'm in dire need of test subjects."
At that, Roselle, mid-taunt, and Aucuses, ready to strike, went quiet as quail.
Clearly, both were deeply scarred by Alaric's "treatment."
Satisfied, Alaric nodded. He didn't care about their feud... in fact, he enjoyed the drama... but he had to keep them in check.
Neither Aucuses nor Roselle were pushovers. Without firm control, they could stir up trouble.
His gaze landed on Amon, who'd been lurking like a backdrop. Raising an eyebrow, Alaric smiled. "Amon, what're you doing here?"
"Just visiting an old colleague," Amon said, adjusting his monocle with a grin. "Didn't expect to catch such a show."
"Pretty convenient timing," Alaric remarked, glancing at him but saying no more. He turned to Sasrir with a smile. "Not catching up with your kids?"
Sasrir, who'd stayed silent since quelling Aucuses, letting Alaric take the lead, gave a gentle smile. He looked at Aucuses, studying him intently without speaking.
Under that gaze, Aucuses grew increasingly stiff, even fidgety... a rare sight.
In his mind, his reunion with Sasrir wasn't supposed to be like this, caught in a brawl. It should've been calm, solemn, with prepared words, not… this.
He'd messed it up again!
Aucuses felt a rare pang of frustration.
Sasrir finally finished his scrutiny, offering a relieved smile. "I'm glad to see you like this. You're in better shape than I expected."
Aucuses froze, lips tightening as he lowered his head, looking both disheveled and at a loss. He opened his mouth. "Sasrir, I…"
But he didn't know what to say.
All his rehearsed words for this reunion were useless now. Aucuses cursed his inability to articulate.
"Still, fighting's not great," Sasrir said, his smile tinged with teasing and nostalgia. "Leodoro's the tyrant, but sometimes I think you two should've swapped pathways. Aucuses, have I ever told you your temper flares faster than his?"
Aucuses stiffened further, memories flooding back... brawls, more brawls, endless brawls.
Proud as he was, Aucuses' Sun pride made him less tolerant of provocation than Leodoro, making fights frequent.
"Sometimes I wonder if I messed up raising you all," Sasrir continued, his expression a mix of exasperation and fondness. "Why do you, Leodoro, and Medici love fighting so much? Ouroboros is a bit better, and Amon doesn't fight much, but I know he loves stirring the pot, egging you all on."
Sasrir meant it. He sometimes questioned if his parenting had gone wrong, raising such rowdy, fight-happy kids.
Amon adjusted his monocle, silent.
Aucuses, meanwhile, wore a rare guilty look. Back then, he was involved in at least eight out of ten fights.
***
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