Ellis knew this, of course.
So instead of just preparing a meal, he was serious about making amends.He waited for Nyx on his favorite terrace.
The academy was silent and deep at night, the starlight spilling onto the black tiles with a hint of coolness.Ellis stood at the edge of the terrace, a warm glow-in-the-dark lamp in his hand and two glasses of warm wine with honey on the table.
Nyx, who hadn't wanted to pay him any mind, paused imperceptibly in his steps for a split second when he saw the scene.
"What, looking for a drink?"He raised an eyebrow, a hint of mockery in his tone, "Think you can coax me like that?"
Ellis looked up at him, his tone calm, "Just wanted to talk to you."
Nyx grunted, and though his mouth was unconvinced, he walked slowly over to him, half leaning against the terrace, reaching over to pick up a glass of wine and shaking it gently, the ends of his eyes slightly raised, "Talking about what?"
Ellis was silent for a split second and whispered, "I'm talking heavy."
Nyx narrowed his eyes and looked at him without speaking.
Ellis continued, "But I won't take my words back."
Nyx sneered, "Cajoling and not forgetting to reason, that's really your style."
"I won't lie to you."Ellis looked at him, his gaze deep and quiet, "You did go too far, but I shouldn't have spoken in that manner."
Nyx tapped his fingertips against the wall of his glass, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly, "And then what?"
"And then-" Ellis said slowly, "You have the right to be angry, and I will respect it."
Nyx froze.
He'd expected Ellis to be as reasonable as he'd been before, to use logic to make him 'understand' where he'd gone wrong, but Ellis hadn't.He simply acknowledged that he'd spoken harshly and that Nix's anger was justified, and was willing to show respect.
It made Nyx's emotions waver subtly for a moment.
He blinked, ducked his head to take a sip of his drink in disguise, and after a moment, said slowly, "... Never mind, I'm too lazy to be angry anyway."
Ellis looks at him and instead of revealing his arrogance, he goes along with it, "Well, it's good that you're not angry."
Nyx skimmed his head, his eyes falling into the distant night, and after a while, he muttered as if unintentionally, "No more ... of that in the future."
Ellis answered in a low voice, "Good."
The night wind blew gently, the starlight fell on them, and silence flowed, but the atmosphere had quietly warmed up.
The night was quiet and the wind carried a slight chill.Nyx cupped his wine glass and shook it gently, his eyes falling on the night sky in the distance.A little bit of the anger from earlier still lingered, but it was more of a calmness that had been soothed by Ellis' attitude.Narrowing his eyes slightly, he spoke slowly, "You're pretty good at picking your spots, though."
The terrace was one of Nyx's favorite places, a semi-open space where he wouldn't feel constricted, and the starlight spilling down at night, lending a bit of a sense of silence that belonged to the Abyss.There was no cumbersome scholarly atmosphere or rules that annoyed him, just the wind, the night, and warm wine.
Ellis looked at him with a slight sideways glance, "You like it here."
Nyx hummed, not denying it, "It's okay."
The two stood in silence for a moment, Nyx tapping his fingertips against the glass of wine, and suddenly asked, "Do you coax people like this every time?"
Ellis' gaze was calm, "No."
"Oh?"Nyx turned his head to look at him with a smirk, "Then why are you so special to me?"
Ellis didn't answer directly, but looked at him and slowly said, "You're worth it."