End Of The Morning

Yawning, Eclipse looked at the man beside him. "I just realised, it is quite early, isn't it? Didn't I disturb your sleep?"

"No, I am usually awake by this time." He said and Eclipse could immediately tell that he is not entirely telling the truth but it is not exactly a lie either. "Sometimes."

Now that is the truth.

"Do you have problems with insomnia?" He asked, grinning up at the man as wisps of his red hair fell to his side. "I heard that green tea tends to help with that."

"I don't think I do," Aseko said, stretching his arms out before falling back on the bed. "I just wake up randomly and fall asleep randomly."

"You sound like an old man." Eclipse giggled, laying back down on the bed, right beside Aseko as he stared up at the ceiling. "Well … you are not much younger than I am so I suppose calling you an old man has its consequences on me."

"Why do you keep saying that?" he asked, raising his eyebrow at Eclipse, blond hair spilling to the side.

"Saying what exactly?" The man asked, giving him a sweet smile.

"That you are older than me. First look at you, you look to be not much older than I am." Aseko said holding one finger up. "Secondly, you have this … childlike mind and behaviour about you that I cannot quite place. Are you sure you are approaching thirty?

"I am not saying that you are seventeen or something like that, but more along the lines of … early twenties, perhaps."

Tapping his lips, Eclipse thought for a couple of seconds, "No, I am sure that I am twenty-nine years old. I do not think I could be any younger, perhaps older but not younger."

"And I cannot believe that you are older than me." Aseko chuckled running his hands through his hair. "Well, you do have knowledge that I believe only the older generation has. At the same time, you behave like a child so … I am just going to continue calling you a child."

"I suppose I cannot argue with that." Eclipse chuckled, turning to the ceiling again. "May I ask who this place belonged to before?"

"This place?"

"I mean this room."

"Ah. This room …" He said, looking around the place. "It belonged to someone I held dead. Most people would call that person a lunatic but … I do not think the same way. With that clue, why don't you try to guess who it is?"

"Really?" Eclipse asked, staring at the books all along the walls before getting to his feet and walking to them. "I hope you will not mind if I look through them."

"Go ahead." He said pleasantly and that was then Eclipse finally confirmed that the man is drunk. He has this almost hazy look to his eyes though he was able to keep his composure in front of the maids but now he is relaxed.

Taking one of the books and flipping through it, Eclipse could not help but feel slightly happy that this person in front of him feels comfortable enough around him to be able to show his drunk side.

After skimming through seven of the books he randomly selected, he turned back to Aseko, a confident expression on his face, "Have you found out who it belongs to?"

"Yes." Eclipse said, skipping to the bed. Not literally but he might as well have skipped to it with how bubbly his walk is. "Well, I have an idea anyway."

"Let's hear it then." He said grinning at the man as his blond locks stand tousled in the air from rolling around on the bed too much. "Tell me who you think it is."

"Before I do that, maybe we can have a bet." Eclipse said, holding his finger up. "What do you say? Make this a little bit more fun?"

The man tapped his chin, thinking, "What kind of bet do you mean?"

"If I am able to get this guess right, I would like to ask you to give me my jewellery back. How is that for my side?" Eclipse asked, trying to show that he is not anyone suspicious nor does he not have any bad intentions to get them back.

"But Hler said that it would be best to keep them away from you before we can determine that they are not something that could be used against us," Aseko said, almost apologetic. "Perhaps … something else?"

"I see how that can be worrisome." Eclipse nodded in agreement, thinking. "How about this? You take me to them and watch me as I inspect them as well. I don't even know what they look like and part of me feels like … I might be able to recall something if I saw them."

Aseko fell silent for a couple of seconds, thinking while Eclipse looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I will not be alone in the room, you can put as many people as you want to guard me." He begged. "I just … really want to do what I can to try and remember whatever is possible."

Another ten seconds of silence filled the room while Aseko continued to think and Eclipse kept giving him his best pleading eyes.

"Alright." He said, finally giving in. "If I was in your situation, I suppose I would be thinking the same thing. I will be in the room with you, no need for anyone else."

"Thank you so much!" Eclipse shouted, jumping on Aseko again, hugging him before he realised what he was doing. "Ah. Sorry."

"You really have to be careful that you do not piss anyone off by mistake, Eclipse." He said, chuckling ever so slightly, finally patting the man on the head. "But I suppose I do not mind it if you do this to me."

Picking the man up, Aseko got to his feet, tilting his head to the side, "You really are very light. You did not even eat much at the table."

"I ate a lot." Eclipse said, slightly offended. "I am quite fit too. Like Hler said, you are just big."

"I feel like I can crush you with my bare hands." He said, grip getting tighter around Eclipse as the man slipped out like he is made out of some kind of slime. "How did you do that?"

"Don't ask me, my body just moved on its own." Eclipse held his hands out, looking at them. "How did I even do something like that??"

"See, you are special." Ash grinned at the man before sitting back on the bed. "Alright. If you are not able to get whose room this is, what will I get?"

"What do you want from me?" Eclipse asked, sitting beside him. "I really don't have anything, if we are being honest here."

Aseko looked at the man up and down, tapping his chin, "Well, I think I can come up with something."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If you cannot guess it, you will have to tell me what you saw in the Big Boss's room." He said, eyes twinkling as Eclipse realised that he has been cornered.

Laughing, he said, "Alright. But I am sure I am going to get it right."

"Don't be too sure, we never know the outcome," Aseko said, looking at the cabin of liquor with Eclipse stepping right in front of him.

"I do not think so, Aseko."

"Just one sip."

"Think of your poor liver." He said pocking him on the stomach. "Perhaps some other time. Not to mention, you are already drunk."

"Alright. Fine."

"Good. Now, from the books I read, the person who lived in this room liked to read fairytale or fantasy type books. They are also of age because of the liquor cabinet.

"But the lack of anything else in the room tells me that most of their things were taken out of here and you did say that people thought this person was a lunatic."

"I did." Aseko agreed with him, seemingly excited to know what conclusion it is that Eclipse will come to.

"I will not attempt to assume their gender through their interests because I will only be digging a hole for myself and will end up in a circle.

"This person is a family member, are they now?" Eclipse asked, grinning at Aseko who nodded. "But not by blood."

"Not bad." He said, genuinely surprised at the man. "What else?"

"Adopted older sibling that you greatly looked up to." Eclipse said, pointing to Aseko's surprised expression. "I am right, am I not?"

"Very accurate. He was my older brother, twenty years older than me and he was the one that helped make … group." He said, clapping his hands together. "How is it that no one here has heard anything of you, kid?"

"I would like to know that myself." Eclipse chuckled, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Now, you have to keep your end of the bargain."

"Of course, I am a person of my word. How about … tomorrow? After breakfast?"

"Sure!"

"It's a deal then."