The Little Knight stood facing Gron like this, one tall, one short, one tense, the other impassive.
Their gazes crossed as they sized each other up. For a moment, the only sound was the breeze stirring their cloaks.
The Recorder, who had only just emerged from the tent, immediately found himself in a bind. Neither side seemed inclined to speak first.
How am I supposed to write this?
An event as momentous as the first meeting between two Chosen of God ought to be solemn and dignified.
The firefly immediately marshaled every scrap of his imagination, trying to find a word that suited the scene.
Fortunately, the deadlock was finally broken.
"Hello. You must be the new Chosen appointed by the Sunfire God. I'm Gron, chief of the Ashen Clan. May I ask your name?"
"..."
Silence.
"Hmm, are you unable to speak? I assure you, I'm certainly not the sort to cling to power or bully others with my authority."
"..."
Still silence.
Well, he had never expected such a cold reception. Deep down, Gron was rather glad he had not tried to shake hands.
Judging by that attitude, offering his hand would only have humiliated him.
He studied the figure before him again. Its appearance was almost identical to the Sunfire God's, and the aura it radiated marked it as a formidable fighter.
Perhaps he's simply a man of few words. Maybe he's so absorbed in training and growing stronger that he's never learned how to hold a conversation.
After all, the other's mask did not even have an opening for speech. Bugs could barely speak with their natural heads without relying on masks.
At his wits' end, Gron could only assume this was the Little Knight's disposition, or that it preferred to let its Bone Nail do