You can't force love

Chapter 10 - Abyss

Happiness is the poetry of woman, as the toilette is her tinsel.

- Honoré de Balzac, Father Goriot

But half moon is brighter on the other side. That side is not visible from the ground. Some say with pride he looks down at low souls who only see his covertly brightness. But Moon is not prideful nor the one who'd look down on people. He has a golden heart that sharpened over the years living in the dark surrounding him.

In theory, the reason half moon is so dark is because sun no longer reflects itself and makes it bright. When the Sun vanishes, he'll become dark again. But if it's absent from his life most of the time, he'll be darker than pitch black. Not just every month, but every day and night. Without his Sun, he's going to lost every light and force that makes him bright and shiny. He'll hide the beautiful side under his cloak and darken it, so nobody, even if they want and try, will see it. And no matter how bright and dazzling that side shines, if not shown, people will not believe it exists.

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Eren strolled down the corridor while looking around him. The castle they've had choosen for a permanent HQ was quite old and unkempt. Spider-treads were practically everyhwere, just as the dust and dirt. Eren wasn't a clean-freak, but he had to wrinkle his nose in distaste. He'd imagined his first day with the SC would be training and learning to control his transformation and not... cleaning. Wandering around phisically, but mentally in your thoughts is never a good idea. Even more if you happen to bump into someone smaller than you and they fall on the floor.

"Oh, sorry! I'm so sorry!" Eren frantically said and crouched down to help the ginger-haired girl he's just overthrown.

"It's alright. I'm ok," she said and dusted herself off. Smiling, she examined him, not having the opportunity to do so earlier.

"Eren, right?"

"Y-yes," he nervously replied, scratching the back of his head. To him, she looked so kind so he intented to give a good impression.

"Petra Ral?"

"That's me."

"D-do you need help?" he said, eyeing two fortunatelly empty buckets now rolled over the floor.

"Oh, thank you, but no need," she smiled and crouched down to pick up the buckets.

"Oh, no, I i-insist," Eren said, red as a ponceau flower. "That's the smallest thing... I can to as... a redemption?" he added nervously.

"Well, if you insist so much. Thank you," Petra said and gave him a warm smile.

They made their way to the well. Eren was spinning the haft and handing it to Petra who instilled the water into the larger bucket full of dirty clothes.

"Did your wounds heal?"

Eren stopped spinning for a moment before answering. "Y-year. It's not a big deal. I'm a Titan after all."

"That's good. Have you heard from your friends?"

"No. No news from anyone," Eren vailed. When bucket came to a display, he unhooked it and handed to Petra, taking another one.