you’d been perplexed when sylus had called you in the middle of the day—which was usually his favorite time to rest.
“can you come to the base, sweetie?” he’d rasped, voice thick with ruined sleep. “i need your help with something.”
your confusion is all the more reason for you to head to the base. when you arrive, you let yourself in and greet mephisto with a poke on the beak before hurrying to sylus’s bedroom.
“is something wrong?” you breathe, all but barging in. quickly, you scan the room for threats or intruders before your eyes land on the hulking figure in front of you.
the hulking figure who’s uncharacteristically hunched over his bed, head bent and looking defeated.
at your voice, he looks up, and you know him well enough to see the relief and slight embarrassment in his ruby eyes.
“…sylus?” you ask hesitantly, “what’s going on? you should be sleeping right now.”
“i was asleep,” he agrees with a slow nod. “and then…i ran into a slight problem,” he responds carefully, eyes flitting forlornly to the side of the bed.
curious, you come to stand beside him, placing a hand on his sagging shoulder. it takes a few seconds, but then, you spot it: trapped between the dark oak boards of his bedframe is a small brilliant red gem, glittering slightly in what little sunlight fills the room.
“are you able to retrieve it?” he asks quietly. “it must have fallen earlier. when you’re not here…i can’t sleep without it.”
“o…kay?” you reply, your confusion only doubling. taking a moment to study him, you notice the small pout on his face and stroke his slightly mussed hair. “of course i’ll get it. just a sec.”
a moment later, you’re kneeling down to stick your hand in the bedframe and wiggling your fingers until you feel the crystal’s cool surface. you pull it out in one fluid motion, blow the dust off, and deposit it into sylus’s waiting hand. flashing you a tired, grateful smile, he immediately places it securely under his pillow.
“there you go!” you chirp, pleased to have helped him. “but…can i ask something? why didn’t you just fish it out yourself?”
avoiding your gaze, he clears his throat before he speaks.
“…my hands were too big.”