Chapter 203 - She Can't Forget

"Who else knows?" Keith asked.

"Jasmine and Chelsea, Ayva, Meredith, Throm, Quinn has an analyze skill, Skye,...and Bastian. He knows me from before...oh! And Liam should be able to guess."

"How?" Keith asked.

"Dragons can detect metals through smell, so genders shouldn't be an issue." Robin replied. "But, I'm fairly certain it doesn't matter to him what gender I am."

"I see. Is that all? You didn't tell King Zephron or...Oh." He chuckled. "I see..."

"Indeed. While I'm sure it might be fine to let King Zephrom know, I just couldn't find the right opportunity." Robin sighed. At that point, her stomach growled.

"It seems I should inform the kitchens to deliver your brunch." Keith stood up, and paused for a moment. He looked at Robin. "Other things aside, will you allow me to reveal how you are related to me?" Keith asked, standing

Robin thought about it, then nodded. "Ah! But, about my feelings for Christian.... I haven't even told Jasmine about it yet, so don't tell anyone."

"I promise." Keith smiled, before leaving the room.

"Hmmm.." Robin sat there, feeling something was not quite right. Why had she so easily given away the information that she had been safeguarding all this time?

Upon reflecting, Robin realized that, despite her muscle pains, she felt peaceful. It felt as if a heavy load had been lifted off her spirit, as if everything suddenly was bursting at the seams with color, as if each new breath were fresher than the last.

The sense of urgency and danger that had plagued her all this time wasn't there. In its place was a euphoric comforting calm which was somewhat dreamlike. With her spirits soaring like never before, she hadn't been able to find the time to balance out her mindset yet. But, she also hadn't sensed anything wrong. And, due to that, she hadn't thought to exercise caution with her words. This was, in essence, the reason why she had all of a sudden become so talkative about the things close to her heart.

'Indeed, it is the times you let down your guard that you slip up.' She mused. 'I need to be doubly dilligent in making sure I don't lose track of my priorities!' She felt her determination rising to the challenge.

But, the rising willpower was suddenly distracted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Robin asked.

"It's me." Came the answer.

Robin blinked as the door opened.

"Dawki-no, you're Bastian now, huh." She corrected herself.

"Mmn. That I am. Um...how are you feeling?" Bastian asked, awkwardly.

"Like I got hit by truck-san and sent to another world." Robin rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised nothing's broken, considering yesterday's incident."

"...Sorry..." Bastian, seemed to slip into depression.

"Why are you apologizing? I already said it's not your fault." Robin chuckled, then sighed.

"'To err is human' after all." She said. "Being human, myself, I've learned the truth in those words many times. Frankly, it's a miracle we got away with our lives despite how dangerous it was."

"Um, then...there's something I'd like to ask you..." Bastian began, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"What?" Robin asked, pouring herself a glass of water, she took a sip as she watched Bastian struggle with his question.

"Were you able to move past all that happened back then?" He asked.

Robin choked, descending into a coughing fit. That question had hit her straight out of left field.

"What makes you ask that?" Robin wheezed, as she finally got the water out of her airway.

"Well, you still have your hair short, after all, and you're clothing is still that of a man's. Somehow I just felt that, despite the fact that you've forgiven me...as I thought, the trauma must still be there..." Bastian visibly seemed to wilt in guilt and self-deprecation.

Robin examined Bastian with a searching gaze for several long moments. Then she opened her mouth.

"You're right....Though I have forgiven you, I cannot seem to forget everything so easily." She murmured, the words emerging as heavy as lead.

"But, hair cannot grow out in a day, and I got so used to short hair and dressing like a boy that I can no longer recall the last time I wore a dress-" Robin paused as she remembered the time she wore a cat-girl costume to rescue Christian. She cleared her throat, in an attempt to gloss over that moment.

"Ahem! Anyways, what I'm saying right now is, that while I have forgiven you, and while I know that you might very well be trustworthy...I'm sorry. While I pity your former situation, I cannot say that I can fully put my trust in you again." Robin apologized. Even to this point, she was clenching her trembling hand.

Trauma was a strange thing. Even after the physical pain of something had long since disappeared, the physical reaction to avoid the cause stubbornly remain. Robin's senses were screaming at her to flee. Despite the fact that she knew that Bastian wasn't the Trader, she couldn't help but remain cautious around him.

Although Robin was aware of the cause, there was nothing she could do to fix it at the moment. She had been through such a huge rollercoaster of emotions in such a short span of time, that she still needed time to process everything properly.

"No need to apologize. It's natural for you to feel that way." Bastian smiled painfully. "I can only hope that with time, the wounds will fade...And that I can prove myself worthy of your faith once more."

Robin blinked. "That might be more difficult than you'd think." She warned.

"It isn't a penance if it isn't difficult." Bastian replied. "Someone's gotta do the damage control, after all. As part of the problem, it is only right for me to be part of the solution as well."

Robin puffed out a laugh. "Then, I wish you well." She replied airily.

"That sounds very much like a 'good morning' that wouldn't lose to Tolkien's Hobbit." Bastian said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh? I don't recall saying 'good morning'though." Robin pointed out.

"All right! I can take a hint. I'll let you rest again..." Bastian laughed, "Good morning, Robin~" He said cheekily on his way out.

Robin scowled. "Smart alec!" She muttered under her breath.

The door that had been left ajar suddenly opened a little as Skye walked into the room.

"Robin!" Skye jumped up onto the side table near the bed.

"It seems like I'm getting a stream of visitors today, aren't I?" Robin noted as she scratched behind Skye's ears.

"And what can I do for you, little Skye?" She chuckled.

"Everyone's gone out except for Keith today." Skye said.

"Which means?" Robin asked.

"Which means, I'm hungry!" Skye declared. "I want to eat some of that grilled snake you made back in the jungle."

"Oh? ...Oh! Right! One moment...." Robin quickly took out several skewers, and placed them atop a ceramic plate. She placed it on the table in front of Skye. "Here you go!"

"Yaay! Meat!" Skye meowed before digging into the food.

"It seems you've had a visitor in my absence." Keith noted, looking pointedly at Skye as he walked in with the tray of food. Robin nodded.

"Bastian came by as well, earlier." She said.

"Anything I should know about?" Keith asked, setting the tray to float above Robin's l.a.p in a fixed position.

"It was about what happened before I met you." Robin replied briefly. "After my parents died."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Keith asked.

"I'm not sure... Partly yes, and partly no, I guess." Robin replied. "I don't think there's anything wrong with talking about it... but part of me...well." Robin sighed, and looked out the window at the blue sky.

"...I spent six years reliving it all in my nightmares, you know." She told him. "And, now that it's all over, part of me doesn't want to remember the bad things any more."

"I see....Sometimes, talking about such things is a way of ending it as well." Keith said. "Call it my curiousity about you now that I know you're family."

Robin considered it, as she ate her breakfast. When she had finished, Keith stood up to take her tray.

"...It was hard." Robin said.

"What?" Keith asked.

"It was hard." Robin repeated. Keith realized that she was going to talk. He set the tray down on a nearby table and sat down to listen.

"After my parents died...I soon found out that there was no one I could rely upon, other than my brother. Relatives were merely after my inheritance. People I once thought I knew, trying to use me to cozy up to my brother." Robin shuddered, disgusted.