Chapter 79 – Two holes.

Matt didn't answer right away.

Iris's question hung in the room.

"Would you like to become one with me and Eleonora?"

Iris was looking at him from the bed, shoeless, with Eleonora resting at her side in the form of a sword.

Matt stayed standing in front of the mirror.

He didn't move. He didn't smile. He didn't raise his voice.

He just looked at her through the reflection with a calm expression.

Too calm.

Iris tilted her head a little.

"Nothing?" Iris asked, with a small smile.

Matt adjusted the cuff of his sleeve.

"I didn't know you told jokes now."

Iris rested a hand on the bed.

"It wasn't a joke."

Iris smiled a little more, waiting to see Matt explode.

He didn't.

Matt kept his gaze low and went back to checking the brooch at his collar.

The brooch was already straight. He knew that. But he needed to do something with his hands because the question was stupid. Annoying, and dangerous.

Not because of Iris. Not exactly. Because of what it forced him to think about.

The fight with the queen.

That damned exchange from a few days ago.

Elyra had been weakened. Not to the point of being easy. She would never be easy. But she'd been slower and more exposed.

Matt had managed to wound her with the pistols. He'd held out longer than anyone would have expected.

And still he lost.

He lost because he couldn't cross that last bit of distance. He lost because the queen was still the queen.

But also…

Matt pressed his fingers a little tighter.

'What if I'd used the bow-lance?'

The idea had been bothering him for days. He didn't want to touch it. He didn't want to look at it. He didn't want to accept it.

But there it was.

Aurora. His first new ego-weapon. The weapon he'd gotten in the Cave of the Forge.

The bow-lance. The tool that could shift range, cut, pierce, shoot and fight in a way much more flexible than the pistols.

Matt knew how to use it. Not perfectly. Not that much yet. But enough.

In the fight against Elyra, it might have worked. He might have been able to press harder. He might have been able to reach her when the bullets weren't enough. He might have had a real chance.

'No.'

Matt felt a stab of anger in his chest.

He hadn't used Aurora. Not because he couldn't. Not because she wasn't available.

But because he hadn't wanted to reveal her out of fear.

That bothered him.

A lot, because… what was he saving Aurora for?

Why was he hiding her?

To use later?

Against who?

Against the queen?

Against the houses?

Against everyone?

Matt frowned.

Besides, pistols weren't his strength. Not really.

Noxx had used them much longer than he had inside the cave. She had practiced with them through countless fights.

Matt could use them. Of course he could. But using them and using them well weren't the same thing.

'I'm fighting with weapons Noxx handles better than I do.'

That was also irritating.

Not because of Noxx. Because of him. Because he felt slow with something that should have been his too. Because he had tools inside his soul that didn't quite obey him the same way.

Standing in front of the mirror, dressed for a ridiculous debut, while Iris was provoking him with an impossible proposal...

Matt breathed in deeply.

Iris stopped smiling a little.

"Matt," Iris called, lower.

He raised his gaze.

Too late.

Iris was already in front of him.

He hadn't heard her get up. Or maybe he had. Maybe he was just too deep in his own head.

Iris leaned toward his neck, her lips parted and her fangs glinted.

Matt reacted on instinct.

TAK!

His hand caught Iris's shoulder and pushed her back before she could bite him.

Iris took two steps back.

Not because she couldn't resist. But because she let herself be moved.

Her smile came back. Wider.

"Well," Iris let out, touching her shoulder. "You're already recovered."

Matt looked at her with annoyance.

Iris moved her arm once, testing the spot where he'd pushed her.

"You've got a fair bit of strength now."

"And a fair bit less patience," Matt answered.

Iris smiled.

"Energy too."

"If you keep bothering me, I'm going to beat you up."

Iris's eyes shone a little.

Not with fear. With excitement.

Matt noticed and felt his tiredness come rushing back.

"Don't make that face."

"What face?"

"That one."

Iris let out a soft laugh.

"Well… having a few duels before we're together again wouldn't be so bad."

Matt just stared at her. Then he let the air out through his nose and stepped away from the mirror.

"What part of my threat sounded romantic in that sick head of yours?" Matt asked, annoyed.

Iris brought a hand to her chest.

"I didn't say romantic."

"You thought it."

"Maybe."

Matt walked to the center of the room and turned toward her.

"Explain something to me."

Iris tilted her head.

"What?"

"Why do you think I would want to be in a single body with you again?"

Iris didn't answer right away.

She seemed to actually think about it.

That was worse. Much worse.

Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really need to think about the answer?"

"I'm choosing the most appropriate one," Iris answered.

"That already sounds bad."

Iris looked him up and down.

"Well," she let out at last. "While the feminine appearance you have right now isn't bad…"

Matt closed his eyes.

"No."

"Your hair is very short for a girl."

"No."

"And I don't know if it's my imagination, but…"

"Iris."

"Is your feminine form different from before?"

Matt opened his eyes slowly.

Iris was looking at him with genuine curiosity.

There wasn't full mockery on her face.

That made it more irritating.

"Because from what I remember," Iris continued, stepping a little closer, "your chest was bigger."

Matt looked at her without expression.

Iris raised a finger.

"And especially your butt."

The silence was heavy.

Matt stayed still.

Then he brought a hand to his face.

"Kill me."

Iris frowned slightly.

"I'm being serious."

"That's the problem."

"It was an important detail."

"It wasn't."

"Yes."

"No."

Iris crossed her arms.

"My memory is pretty accurate."

Matt lowered his hand and looked at her.

"The current difference between our chests isn't even that big."

Iris went still. Then she blinked. Once. Twice.

Then her expression turned offensively serious.

"That's incorrect."

Matt looked at her.

"There's no way this actually got to you."

"Because you're wrong," Iris insisted firmly.

Matt opened his mouth.

Iris raised a hand to cut him off.

"No. Listen. Your current proportions are different."

"Don't keep going."

"You used to have more volume up top and a more balanced distribution at the hips."

Matt looked at her horrified.

Iris went on with absolute seriousness:

"Your waist was different too. The current shape is lighter, less developed and clearly closer to an incomplete transition."

"Incomplete transition?" Matt repeated.

"Yes."

"So now you're an expert on bodies?"

"I shared yours."

"That doesn't give you the right to run an audit."

"It gives me information."

"That sounds illegal."

Iris raised another finger.

"Besides, the difference with my body is obvious. My chest has better shape, better fall and better balance with the rest of the figure."

Matt went quiet.

Then he let out a laugh.

He couldn't help it.

It was short. Tired. But real.

Iris stopped.

"You're laughing?"

Matt tried to hold it back. He failed a little.

"You're fighting with me over chests."

"I'm not fighting."

"You're defending a thesis."

"Because I'm right."

"About chests."

"About proportions."

Matt laughed again, this time with more disbelief than amusement.

Iris frowned.

"I don't get what's so funny."

"That's also part of what's funny."

Iris narrowed her eyes.

Matt ran a hand through his short hair, still with a small smile.

It left him fast.

Not because he wanted it to.

But because Iris looked toward the bed. Toward Eleonora.

The sword was still still.

"Also," Iris continued, lowering her voice a little, "Eleonora wants to apologize to you."

Matt stopped smiling.

The room got colder. Matt looked at the sword. Then at Iris.

"She can do it here," Matt cut in.

Iris let out a sigh.

"You're still just as insensitive."

"Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I'll take it anyway."

Iris looked at him with annoyance.

"After all the time that's passed… you're still like this."

Matt didn't answer.

The sentence touched something strange. He didn't know why. He only felt a brief discomfort, a small pressure in his stomach.

But Iris didn't say more. She didn't mention dates. She didn't mention years.

She just stayed looking at Eleonora with an expression Matt couldn't fully read.

Matt crossed his arms.

"Okay," Matt said. "If you don't have anything else to say, I'll go back to finishing getting ready to go be insensitive to more people."

Iris looked at him again.

"You didn't answer my question."

Matt sighed.

"I thought my face answered on its own."

"No."

"It should."

"Matt."

He looked at her tiredly.

Iris took a step toward him.

"Do you want to be one with me again or not?"

Matt stayed silent.

This time he didn't look at Eleonora. He didn't look at the mirror. He didn't think about the banquet.

He just raised a hand.

The air above his fingers vibrated.

A blue glow appeared around his palm.

Iris stopped.

The light contracted, stretched, and took shape.

Blue metal. Short barrel. Elegant design.

A pistol appeared in Matt's hand.

Moon.

The weapon rested between his fingers naturally.

Matt held it without aiming yet. But he didn't hide it either.

Iris's eyes opened slightly. Not much. But enough.

"What…?" Iris murmured.

Matt raised the blue pistol a bit.

Moon glowed softly.

Iris looked at the weapon. Then she looked at Matt. Then at the weapon again.

"Did you really make a contract with an ego-weapon?" Iris asked, with a smile that tried to be mocking and failed.

Matt didn't answer.

Iris let out a low laugh. A little nervous.

"Well. That I really didn't expect."

Matt raised an eyebrow.

"I'm flattered by your disappointment."

Iris pointed at the pistol with her gaze.

"And what happened to the other one?"

Matt raised his other hand.

A red glow appeared over his palm.

Iris stopped smiling.

The second weapon took shape.

Red metal. Heavier. Firmer.

Sun appeared in his left hand.

Matt now held two pistols.

One blue. One red.

Both aimed at the floor. But ready.

Iris let out another laugh. More nervous than the last.

"This has to be a joke."

Matt tilted his head slightly.

"No."

Iris looked at Sun. Then at Moon. Then at Matt.

"Two."

"You can count."

"Two ego-weapons."

"So it seems."

"With a contract."

Matt didn't smile.

Iris swallowed.

Not out of full fear. But out of surprise.

That was already enough.

Matt raised both pistols.

Not all the way. Only enough for Iris to understand.

"If you don't want to leave here with two holes in your head, go now," Matt warned calmly.

Iris stayed still.

Eleonora vibrated on the bed. Once. Very faintly.

Matt noticed.

Iris did too.

Iris's expression changed. Surprise mixed with something else. Annoyance. Confusion. Maybe a hint of rage.

"You never accepted a contract with Eleonora," Iris murmured in a low voice.

Matt didn't answer.

Iris took a step toward him.

"For months she refused to stop pushing you. She begged you. She pressured you. She explained again and again why it was necessary."

Matt held the pistols.

Iris looked at the weapons again.

"And now you make a contract with two ego-weapons at once."

The silence turned heavy.

Moon didn't speak. Sun didn't either.

But Matt felt both presences.

The blue one was softer. More attentive.

The red one was firmer. More prepared.

Iris pressed her lips together.

"That's cruel even for you."

Matt lowered his gaze a little.

He didn't say anything.

Because he didn't have a good answer.

Because maybe Iris was right in part.

Because Eleonora was there. Silent. Listening.

The black sheath on the bed vibrated again.

Harder.

A purple glow appeared in the room.

Matt turned his head.

The sword disappeared.

The light expanded over the bed and then dropped to the floor.

Eleonora appeared in front of them.

She was wearing a black dress. Not armor. Not combat clothes. A simple dress, dark, with long sleeves and a skirt that moved slightly as she finished taking shape.

Her black hair fell over her shoulders.

Her purple eyes were full of tears.

Matt went still.

Eleonora looked at him. She didn't look at Iris. She didn't look at the pistols. Just at him.

"Matt!" Eleonora shouted.

Her voice broke at the end.

Matt didn't have time to answer.

Eleonora came forward. Fast. Very fast.

She closed her fist and threw it straight at his face.

Matt could have dodged it. He knew that.

His body was recovered. His reflexes were back. He could have tilted his head, taken a step, moved aside or even blocked with the weapon.

But he didn't.

He stayed still.

Because a part of him thought maybe he deserved it.

Eleonora's fist was about to hit him.

Then a red light burst between them.

TAK!

A hand caught Eleonora's fist before it reached Matt's face.

Eleonora opened her eyes.

Matt did too.

Sun was in front of him in human form, naked. Her red hair fell down her back and her ruby eyes were looking at Eleonora with absolute seriousness.

One hand was holding Eleonora's fist. The other was extended to the side, ready to push her if she took another step.

Sun didn't look away.

"You're not going to touch my master," Sun warned firmly.